Anomalous thermoelectric effects and quantum oscillations in the kagome metal CsV₃Sb₅

The kagome metal compounds AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, and Cs) feature a wealth of phenomena including nontrivial band topology, charge density wave (CDW), and superconductivity. One intriguing property is the time-reversal symmetry breaking in the CDW state without local moments, which leads to anomalous transport responses. Here, we report the investigation of magnetothermoelectric effects on high-quality CsV3Sb5 single crystals. A large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is observed at temperatures below 30 K and can be enhanced by the high mobility. Multiple Fermi surfaces with small effective masses are revealed by quantum oscillations in the Nernst and Seebeck signals. Furthermore, we discover a magnetic breakdown effect across the two smallest Fermi surfaces, with a gap around 20 meV between them. We propose that the two Fermi surfaces are split from a Dirac band by the CDW gap. These results indicate the large ANE originates from the CDW modulated nontrivial band structure as well as the extrinsic contributions. A second phase transition below the CDW transition temperature is also suggested by the strange temperature dependence of the ANE

Suppression of axionic charge density wave and onset of superconductivity in the chiral Weyl semimetal Ta₂Se₈I

A Weyl semimetal with strong electron-phonon interaction can show axionic coupling in its insulator state at low temperatures, owing to the formation of a charge density wave (CDW). Such a CDW emerges in the linear-chain-compound Weyl semimetal Ta2Se8I below 263 K, resulting in the appearance of the dynamical condensed-matter axion quasiparticle. In this paper, we demonstrate that the interchain coupling in Ta2Se8I can be varied to suppress the CDW formation with pressure, while retaining the Weyl semimetal phase at high temperatures. Above 17 GPa, the Weyl semimetal phase does not survive, and we induce superconductivity, due to the amorphization of the iodine sublattice. Structurally, the quasi-one-dimensional Ta-Se chains remain intact and provide a channel for superconductivity. We highlight that our results show a near-complete suppression of the gap induced by the axionic charge density wave at pressures inaccessible to previous studies. Including this CDW phase, our experiments and theoretical predictions and analysis reveal the complete phase diagram of Ta2Se8I and its relationship to the nearby superconducting state. The results demonstrate Ta2Se8I to be a distinctively versatile platform for exploring correlated topological states. © 2021 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by the Max Planck Society

Signatures of a magnetic-field-induced Lifshitz transition in the ultra-quantum limit of the topological semimetal ZrTe5

The quantum limit (QL) of an electron liquid, realised at strong magnetic fields, has long been proposed to host a wealth of strongly correlated states of matter. Electronic states in the QL are, for example, quasi-one dimensional (1D), which implies perfectly nested Fermi surfaces prone to instabilities. Whereas the QL typically requires unreachably strong magnetic fields, the topological semimetal ZrTe5 has been shown to reach the QL at fields of only a few Tesla. Here, we characterize the QL of ZrTe5 at fields up to 64 T by a combination of electrical-transport and ultrasound measurements. We find that the Zeeman effect in ZrTe5 enables an efficient tuning of the 1D Landau band structure with magnetic field. This results in a Lifshitz transition to a 1D Weyl regime in which perfect charge neutrality can be achieved. Since no instability-driven phase transitions destabilise the 1D electron liquid for the investigated field strengths and temperatures, our analysis establishes ZrTe5 as a thoroughly understood platform for potentially inducing more exotic interaction-driven phases at lower temperatures

From Colossal to Zero: Controlling the Anomalous Hall Effect in Magnetic Heusler Compounds via Berry Curvature Design

Since the discovery of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), the anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) has been thought to be zero when there is no net magnetization. However, the recently found relation between the intrinsic AHE and the Berry curvature predicts other possibilities, such as a large AHC in noncolinear antiferromagnets with no net magnetization but net Berry curvature. Vice versa, the AHE in principle could be tuned to zero, irrespective of a finite magnetization. Here, we experimentally investigate this possibility and demonstrate that the symmetry elements of Heusler magnets can be changed such that the Berry curvature and all the associated properties are switched while leaving the magnetization unaffected. This enables us to tune the AHC from 0 Ω-1 cm-1 up to 1600 Ω-1 cm-1 with an exceptionally high anomalous Hall angle up to 12%, while keeping the magnetization the same. Our study shows that the AHC can be controlled by selectively changing the Berry curvature distribution, independent of the magnetization

Unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of HfTe5

Interacting electrons confined to their lowest Landau level in a high magnetic field can form a variety of correlated states, some of which manifest themselves in a Hall effect. Although such states have been predicted to occur in three-dimensional semimetals, a corresponding Hall response has not yet been experimentally observed. Here, we report the observation of an unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of the bulk semimetal HfTe5, adjacent to the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect of a single electron band at low magnetic fields. The additional plateau-like feature in the Hall conductivity of the lowest Landau level is accompanied by a Shubnikov-de Haas minimum in the longitudinal electrical resistivity and its magnitude relates as 3/5 to the height of the last plateau of the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect. Our findings are consistent with strong electron-electron interactions, stabilizing an unconventional variant of the Hall effect in a three-dimensional material in the quantum limit

Observation of a three-dimensional fractional Hall response in HfTe5

Interacting electrons in two dimensions can bind magnetic flux lines to form composite quasiparticles with fractional electric charge, manifesting themselves in the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). Although the FQHE has also been predicted to occur in three dimensions, it has not yet been experimentally observed. Here, we report the observation of fractional plateaus in the Hall conductivity of the bulk semimetal HfTe5 at magnetic fields beyond the quantum limit. The plateaus are accompanied by Shubnikov-de Haas minima of the longitudinal electrical resistivity. The height of the Hall plateaus is given by twice the Fermi wave vector in the direction of the applied magnetic field and scales with integer and particular fractional multiples of the conductance quantum. Our findings are consistent with strong electron-electron interactions, stabilizing a fractionalized variant of the Hall effect in three dimensions.Comment: 35 pages with 17 figure

A semblance of the first Spanish women pioneers in the scientific-technical area

[EN] Although the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas focuses its research on eight major scientific-technical areas, which cover most of human knowledge, from the most basic or fundamental aspects of science to the most complex technological developments; from human and social sciences to food science and technology through Biology, Biomedicine, Physics, Chemistry, Materials, natural resources or agricultural sciences, the disciplines that have traditionally been considered to constitute this area are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Architecture and Engineering. This communication shows a brief semblance of Spanish women who can be considered pioneers, because they are the first graduates or the first Ph.D. doctors, in each of these disciplines. The objective is that society in general, for which almost certainly these women are practically unknown, can take them as a reference and an example of what women are capable of doing in any field of life, even though they have to overcome many difficulties of all kinds, of gender, fundamentally, to achieve their purposes and also to succeed in fields that originally seem to be destined only for males.[ES] Aunque el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas centra su investigación en torno a ocho grandes áreas científico-técnicas, que cubren la mayor parte del conocimiento humano, desde los aspectos más básicos o fundamentales de la ciencia hasta los desarrollos tecnológicos más complejos; desde las ciencias humanas y sociales a la ciencia y tecnología de alimentos pasando por la Biología, la Biomedicina, la Física, la Química, los materiales, los recursos naturales o las ciencias agrarias, tradicionalmente se ha considerado que las disciplinas que conforman este área de conocimiento son Matemáticas, Física, Química, Biología, Arquitectura e Ingeniería. En este artículo se muestra una breve semblanza de las mujeres españolas que pueden considerarse pioneras, por ser las primeras licenciadas o las primeras doctoras, en cada una de esas disciplinas. El objetivo es que la sociedad en general, para la que casi con toda seguridad estas mujeres son prácticamente desconocidas, pueda tomarlas como referente y ejemplo de lo que las mujeres son capaces de hacer en cualquier estamento de la vida, aun teniendo que superar numerosas dificultades de todo tipo, de género, fundamentalmente, para lograr sus propósitos y también conseguir triunfar en campos que originariamente parecen estar destinados solo a los varones.Núñez Valdés, J. (2019). Una semblanza de las primeras mujeres españolas pioneras en el área científico-técnica. Ciencia, Técnica y Mainstreaming Social. (3):34-44. https://doi.org/10.4995/citecma.2019.11142SWORD34443Algora Alba, Carlos (1996). El Instituto-Escuela de Sevilla (1932-36), Diputación de Sevilla, sección Ciencias Sociales, número 7.Araque, Natividad (2008): "Jenara Vicenta Arnal Yarza: una científica y catedrática pionera en España" en Faísca: Revista de altas capacidades, 14, 16, 27-49.Araque, Natividad, Villa, Núria (2011): "La labor de las primeras directoras de los Institutos de Enseñanza Media de Madrid: Beatriz Galindo y Emperatriz María de Austria" en Participación Educativa, número extraordinario, 225-239Carbonell, Carmen y Núñez, Juan (2010): "100 a-os de derechos: la primera mujer española doctora en Física". En II Congreso Universitario Nacional Investigación y Género. Universidad de Sevilla, 781 - 792.Durán, María José, Escudero, Ana María, Núñez, Juan y Regodón, Elena (2011): "La arquitectura, un lugar para las mujeres". En III Congreso Universitario Nacional Investigación y Género. Universidad de Sevilla, 1392 - 1407.Flecha García, Consuelo (1996): Las primeras universitarias en España, 1872-1910. Narcea Ediciones, 1996. 264 páginas.Gómez, L., Núñez, Juan, Ramos, A. (2016): "Un paseo por la vida de las primeras mujeres biólogas en España". En III International Conference Gender and Communication y I Congreso de Micromachismo en la Comunicación, Facultad de Comunicación. Universidad de Sevilla. 7 y 8 de abril, 2016.González-Martín, Francisco Javier (2013): "Pilar Careaga y Basabe (1908-1993): Feminismo católico y militancia política en el franquismo" en Aportes, 81, a-o XXVIII, 159-189.Magallón-Portolés, Carmen (1997): "Mujeres en las ciencias físico-químicas en España: el Instituto Nacional de Ciencias y el Instituto Nacional de Física y Química (1910-1936)" en Llull, 20, 39, 529. AAAMagallón Portolés, Carmen (1998): Pioneras españolas en la ciencia. Las mujeres del Instituto Nacional de Física y Química. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.Magallón-Portolés, Carmen (1991): "La incorporación de las mujeres a las carreras científicas en la España Contemporánea: la Facultad de Ciencias de Zaragoza (1882-1936)" en Llull, 14, 27, 531-549.Magallón-Portolés, Carmen (2001): "La residencia de estudiantes para señoritas y el laboratorio Foster (Mujeres de ciencia en España a principios del siglo XX)", en Endoxa: Series Filosóficas, n." 14, 157-181.Maraver, Rocío, Núñez, Juan. (2009): "Carmen Martínez Sancho y el Instituto Murillo de Sevilla: una relación de entrega y generosidad". En I Congreso Universitario Andaluz Investigación y Género. Universidad de Sevilla, 17 y 18 de junio de 2009, 883-893.Núñez, Juan., Rodríguez-Antón, B., Rodríguez-Remesal, E. (2014a): "Primeras mujeres doctoras en Química en España". En V Congreso Universitario Nacional Investigación y Género. Universidad de Sevilla, 21 y 22 de junio de 2012, 1287-1298.Núñez, Juan., Alonso, Alejandro y Arroyo, María (2014b). "Primeras mujeres licenciadas en Farmacia en España" V Congreso Universitario Nacional Investigación y Género. Universidad de Sevilla, 03 y 04 de Julio de 2014, página 5.Sánchez-Ron, José Manuel (2014): Conversación de Margarita Salas y José Manuel Sánchez Ron. Mercurio. Fundación José Manuel Lara. La ciencia en la Academia.Torreira, M., Núñez, Juan. (2018): "Pilar Careaga, mujer adelantada a su época". En IV International Conference on Gender and Communication, Sevilla, 7 y 9 de marzo de 2018, página 8

Anomalous Shubnikov-de Haas effect and observation of the Bloch-Gr\"uneisen temperature in the Dirac semimetal ZrTe5

Appearance of quantum oscillations (QO) in both thermodynamic and transport properties of metals at low temperatures is the most striking experimental consequence of the existence of a Fermi surface (FS). The frequency of these oscillations and the temperature dependence of their amplitude provides essential information about the FS topology and fermionic quasiparticle properties. Here, we report the observation of an anomalous suppression of the QO amplitude seen in resistivity (Shubnikov de-Haas effect) at sub-kelvin temperatures in ZrTe5 samples with a single small FS sheet comprising less than 5% of the first Brillouin zone. By comparing these results with measurements of the magneto-acoustic QO and the recovery of the usual Lifshitz-Kosevich behavior of the Shubnikov de-Haas (SdH) effect in ZrTe$_5$ samples with a multi-sheet FS, we show that the suppression of the SdH effect originates from a decoupling of the electron liquid from the lattice. On crossing the so-called Bloch-Gr\"uneisen temperature, T$_BG$, electron-phonon scattering becomes strongly suppressed and in the absence of Umklapp scattering the electronic liquid regains Galilean invariance. In addition, we show, using a combination of zero-field electrical conductivity and ultrasonic-absorption measurements, that entering this regime leads to an abrupt increase of electronic viscosity