405 research outputs found
Multiplet resonance lifetimes in resonant inelastic X-ray scattering involving shallow core levels
Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of model copper- and
nickel-based transition metal oxides are measured over a wide range of energies
near the M-edge (h=60-80eV) to better understand the properties of
resonant scattering involving shallow core levels. Standard multiplet RIXS
calculations are found to deviate significantly from the observed spectra.
However, by incorporating the self consistently calculated decay lifetime for
each intermediate resonance state within a given resonance edge, we obtain
dramatically improved agreement between data and theory. Our results suggest
that these textured lifetime corrections can enable a quantitative
correspondence between first principles predictions and RIXS data on model
multiplet systems. This accurate model is also used to analyze resonant elastic
scattering, which displays the elastic Fano effect and provides a rough upper
bound for the core hole shake-up response time.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Disorder enabled band structure engineering of a topological insulator surface
Three dimensional topological insulators are bulk insulators with
topological electronic order that gives rise to conducting
light-like surface states. These surface electrons are exceptionally resistant
to localization by non-magnetic disorder, and have been adopted as the basis
for a wide range of proposals to achieve new quasiparticle species and device
functionality. Recent studies have yielded a surprise by showing that in spite
of resisting localization, topological insulator surface electrons can be
reshaped by defects into distinctive resonance states. Here we use numerical
simulations and scanning tunneling microscopy data to show that these resonance
states have significance well beyond the localized regime usually associated
with impurity bands. At native densities in the model BiX (X=Bi, Te)
compounds, defect resonance states are predicted to generate a new quantum
basis for an emergent electron gas that supports diffusive electrical
transport
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Modification of Transition-Metal Redox by Interstitial Water in Hexacyanometalate Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries.
A sodium-ion battery (SIB) solution is attractive for grid-scale electrical energy storage. Low-cost hexacyanometalate is a promising electrode material for SIBs because of its easy synthesis and open framework. Most hexacyanometalate-based SIBs work with aqueous electrolyte, and interstitial water in the material has been found to strongly affect the electrochemical profile, but the mechanism remains elusive. Here we provide a comparative study of the transition-metal redox in hexacyanometalate electrodes with and without interstitial water based on soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. We found distinct transition-metal redox sequences in hydrated and anhydrated NaxMnFe(CN)6·zH2O. The Fe and Mn redox in hydrated electrodes are separated and are at different potentials, leading to two voltage plateaus. On the contrary, mixed Fe and Mn redox in the same potential range is found in the anhydrated system. This work reveals for the first time how transition-metal redox in batteries is strongly affected by interstitial molecules that are seemingly spectators. The results suggest a fundamental mechanism based on three competing factors that determine the transition-metal redox potentials. Because most hexacyanometalate electrodes contain water, this work directly reveals the mechanism of how interstitial molecules could define the electrochemical profile, especially for electrodes based on transition-metal redox with well-defined spin states
Electron dynamics in topological insulator based semiconductor-metal interfaces (topological p-n interface based on Bi2Se3 class)
Single-Dirac-cone topological insulators (TI) are the first experimentally
discovered class of three dimensional topologically ordered electronic systems,
and feature robust, massless spin-helical conducting surface states that appear
at any interface between a topological insulator and normal matter that lacks
the topological insulator ordering. This topologically defined surface
environment has been theoretically identified as a promising platform for
observing a wide range of new physical phenomena, and possesses ideal
properties for advanced electronics such as spin-polarized conductivity and
suppressed scattering. A key missing step in enabling these applications is to
understand how topologically ordered electrons respond to the interfaces and
surface structures that constitute a device. Here we explore this question by
using the surface deposition of cathode (Cu/In/Fe) and anode materials (NO)
and control of bulk doping in BiSe from P-type to N-type charge
transport regimes to generate a range of topological insulator interface
scenarios that are fundamental to device development. The interplay of
conventional semiconductor junction physics and three dimensional topological
electronic order is observed to generate novel junction behaviors that go
beyond the doped-insulator paradigm of conventional semiconductor devices and
greatly alter the known spin-orbit interface phenomenon of Rashba splitting.
Our measurements for the first time reveal new classes of diode-like
configurations that can create a gap in the interface electron density near a
topological Dirac point and systematically modify the topological surface state
Dirac velocity, allowing far reaching control of spin-textured helical Dirac
electrons inside the interface and creating advantages for TI superconductors
as a Majorana fermion platform over spin-orbit semiconductors.Comment: 14 pages, 4 Figure
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