333 research outputs found
Thermodynamic constraints on the amplitude of quantum oscillations
Magneto-quantum oscillation experiments in high temperature superconductors
show a strong thermally-induced suppression of the oscillation amplitude
approaching critical dopings---in support of a quantum critical origin of their
phase diagrams. We suggest that, in addition to a thermodynamic mass
enhancement, these experiments may directly indicate the increasing role of
quantum fluctuations that suppress the oscillation amplitude through inelastic
scattering. We show that the traditional theoretical approaches beyond
Lifshitz-Kosevich to calculate the oscillation amplitude in correlated metals
result in a contradiction with the third law of thermodynamics and suggest a
way to rectify this problem.Comment: PRB Rapid commun. (2017
One-Component Order Parameter in URuSi Uncovered by Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy and Machine Learning
The unusual correlated state that emerges in URuSi below T =
17.5 K is known as "hidden order" because even basic characteristics of the
order parameter, such as its dimensionality (whether it has one component or
two), are "hidden". We use resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to measure the
symmetry-resolved elastic anomalies across T. We observe no anomalies in
the shear elastic moduli, providing strong thermodynamic evidence for a
one-component order parameter. We develop a machine learning framework that
reaches this conclusion directly from the raw data, even in a crystal that is
too small for traditional resonant ultrasound. Our result rules out a broad
class of theories of hidden order based on two-component order parameters, and
constrains the nature of the fluctuations from which unconventional
superconductivity emerges at lower temperature. Our machine learning framework
is a powerful new tool for classifying the ubiquitous competing orders in
correlated electron systems
A new spin-anisotropic harmonic honeycomb iridate
The physics of Mott insulators underlies diverse phenomena ranging from high
temperature superconductivity to exotic magnetism. Although both the electron
spin and the structure of the local orbitals play a key role in this physics,
in most systems these are connected only indirectly --- via the Pauli exclusion
principle and the Coulomb interaction. Iridium-based oxides (iridates) open a
further dimension to this problem by introducing strong spin-orbit
interactions, such that the Mott physics has a strong orbital character. In the
layered honeycomb iridates this is thought to generate highly spin-anisotropic
interactions, coupling the spin orientation to a given spatial direction of
exchange and leading to strongly frustrated magnetism. The potential for new
physics emerging from such interactions has driven much scientific excitement,
most recently in the search for a new quantum spin liquid, first discussed by
Kitaev \cite{kitaev_anyons_2006}. Here we report a new iridate structure that
has the same local connectivity as the layered honeycomb, but in a
three-dimensional framework. The temperature dependence of the magnetic
susceptibility exhibits a striking reordering of the magnetic anisotropy,
giving evidence for highly spin-anisotropic exchange interactions. Furthermore,
the basic structural units of this material suggest the possibility of a new
family of structures, the `harmonic honeycomb' iridates. This compound thus
provides a unique and exciting glimpse into the physics of a new class of
strongly spin-orbit coupled Mott insulators.Comment: 12 pages including bibliography, 5 figure
Quantum limit transport and destruction of the Weyl nodes in TaAs
Weyl fermions are a new ingredient for correlated states of electronic
matter. A key difficulty has been that real materials also contain non-Weyl
quasiparticles, and disentangling the experimental signatures has proven
challenging. We use magnetic fields up to 95 tesla to drive the Weyl semimetal
TaAs far into its quantum limit (QL), where only the purely chiral 0th Landau
levels (LLs) of the Weyl fermions are occupied. We find the electrical
resistivity to be nearly independent of magnetic field up to 50 tesla: unusual
for conventional metals but consistent with the chiral anomaly for Weyl
fermions. Above 50 tesla we observe a two-order-of-magnitude increase in
resistivity, indicating that a gap opens in the chiral LLs. Above 80 tesla we
observe strong ultrasonic attenuation below 2 kelvin, suggesting a
mesoscopically-textured state of matter. These results point the way to
inducing new correlated states of matter in the QL of Weyl semimetals
- …