111 research outputs found
Towards two-dimensional metallic behavior at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces
Using a low-temperature conductive-tip atomic force microscope in
cross-section geometry we have characterized the local transport properties of
the metallic electron gas that forms at the interface between LaAlO3 and
SrTiO3. At low temperature, we find that the carriers do not spread away from
the interface but are confined within ~10 nm, just like at room temperature.
Simulations taking into account both the large temperature and electric-field
dependence of the permittivity of SrTiO3 predict a confinement over a few nm
for sheet carrier densities larger than ~6 10^13 cm-2. We discuss the
experimental and simulations results in terms of a multi-band carrier system.
Remarkably, the Fermi wavelength estimated from Hall measurements is ~16 nm,
indicating that the electron gas in on the verge of two-dimensionality.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Dynamical response and confinement of the electrons at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface
With infrared ellipsometry and transport measurements we investigated the
electrons at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. We obtained a sheet
carrier density of Ns~5-9x 10E13 cm^-2, an effective mass of m*~3m_e, and a
strongly frequency dependent mobility. The latter are similar as in bulk
SrTi1-xNbxO3 and therefore suggestive of polaronic correlations of the confined
carriers. We also determined the vertical density profile which has a strongly
asymmetric shape with a rapid initial decay over the first 2 nm and a
pronounced tail that extends to about 11 nm.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 EPAPS file (3 figures
Momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in NdFeAsO1-xFx single crystals measured by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy
We use angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to study the
momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in NdFeAsO1-xFx single crystals.
We find that the Gamma hole pocket is fully gapped below the superconducting
transition temperature. The value of the superconducting gap is 15 +- 1.5 meV
and its anisotropy around the hole pocket is smaller than 20% of this value.
This is consistent with an isotropic or anisotropic s-wave symmetry of the
order parameter or exotic d-wave symmetry with nodes located off the Fermi
surface sheets. This is a significant departure from the situation in the
cuprates, pointing to possibility that the superconductivity in the iron
arsenic based system arises from a different mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Engineering the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of PrVO3 epitaxial oxide thin films by strain effects
Combining multiple degrees of freedom in strongly-correlated materials such
as transition-metal oxides would lead to fascinating magnetic and
magnetocaloric features. Herein, the strain effects are used to markedly tailor
the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of PrVO3 thin films. The selection
of appropriate thickness and substrate enables us to dramatically decrease the
coercive magnetic field from 2.4 T previously observed in sintered PVO3 bulk to
0.05 T for compressive thin films making from the PrVO3 compound a nearly soft
magnet. This is associated with a marked enhancement of the magnetic moment and
the magnetocaloric effect that reach unusual maximum values of roughly 4.86 uB
and 56.8 J/kg K in the magnetic field change of 6 T applied in the sample plane
at the cryogenic temperature range (3 K), respectively. This work strongly
suggests that taking advantage of different degrees of freedom and the
exploitation of multiple instabilities in a nanoscale regime is a promising
strategy for unveiling unexpected phases accompanied by a large magnetocaloric
effect in oxides.Comment: This paper is accepted for publication in Applied Physics Letter
Point defect distribution in high-mobility conductive SrTiO3 crystals
We have carried out positron annihilation spectroscopy to characterize the spatial distribution and the nature of vacancy defects in insulating as-received as well as in reduced SrTiO3 substrates exhibiting high-mobility conduction. The substrates were reduced either by ion etching the substrate surfaces or by doping with vacancies during thin film deposition at low pressure and high temperature. We show that Ti-vacancies are native defects homogeneously distributed in as-received substrates. In contrast, the dominant vacancy defects are the same both in ion-etched and substrates reduced during the film growth, and they consist of non-homogeneous distributions of cation-oxygen vacancy complexes. Their spatial extension is tuned from a few microns in ion-etched samples to the whole substrate in specimens reduced during film deposition. Our results shed light on the transport mechanisms of conductive SrTiO3 crystals and on strategies for defect-engineered oxide quantum wells, wires and dots
Two-dimensional superconductivity at a Mott-Insulator/Band-Insulator interface: LaTiO3/SrTiO3
Transition metal oxides display a great variety of quantum electronic
behaviours where correlations often play an important role. The achievement of
high quality epitaxial interfaces involving such materials gives a unique
opportunity to engineer artificial structures where new electronic orders take
place. One of the most striking result in this area is the recent observation
of a two-dimensional electron gas at the interface between a strongly
correlated Mott insulator LaTiO3 and a band insulator SrTiO3. The mechanism
responsible for such a behaviour is still under debate. In particular, the
influence of the nature of the insulator has to be clarified. Here we show that
despite the expected electronic correlations, LaTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures
undergo a superconducting transition at a critical temperature Tc=300 mK. We
have found that the superconducting electron gas is confined over a typical
thickness of 12 nm. We discuss the electronic properties of this system and
review the possible scenarios
Built-in and induced polarization across LaAlO/SrTiO heterojunctions
Ionic crystals terminated at oppositely charged polar surfaces are inherently
unstable and expected to undergo surface reconstructions to maintain
electrostatic stability. Essentially, an electric field that arises between
oppositely charged atomic planes gives rise to a built-in potential that
diverges with thickness. In ultra thin film form however the polar crystals are
expected to remain stable without necessitating surface reconstructions, yet
the built-in potential has eluded observation. Here we present evidence of a
built-in potential across polar \lao ~thin films grown on \sto ~substrates, a
system well known for the electron gas that forms at the interface. By
performing electron tunneling measurements between the electron gas and a
metallic gate on \lao ~we measure a built-in electric field across \lao ~of 93
meV/\AA. Additionally, capacitance measurements reveal the presence of an
induced dipole moment near the interface in \sto, illuminating a unique
property of \sto ~substrates. We forsee use of the ionic built-in potential as
an additional tuning parameter in both existing and novel device architectures,
especially as atomic control of oxide interfaces gains widespread momentum.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Nature physics on May 1st, 201
Review of particle physics
The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 3,283 new measurements from 899 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as heavy neutrinos, supersymmetric and technicolor particles, axions, dark photons, etc. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Supersymmetry, Extra Dimensions, Particle Detectors, Probability, and Statistics. Among the 112 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised including those on: Dark Energy, Higgs Boson Physics, Electroweak Model, Neutrino Cross Section Measurements, Monte Carlo Neutrino Generators, Top Quark, Dark Matter, Dynamical Electroweak Symmetry Breaking, Accelerator Physics of Colliders, High-Energy Collider Parameters, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, Astrophysical Constants and Cosmological Parameters. A booklet is available containing the Summary Tables and abbreviated versions of some of the other sections of this full Review. All tables, listings, and reviews (and errata) are also available on the Particle Data Group website: http://pdg.Ibi.gov
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