780 research outputs found
Anisotropic optical conductivity of the putative Kondo insulator CeRuSn
Kondo insulators and in particular their non-cubic representatives have
remained poorly understood. Here we report on the development of an anisotropic
energy pseudogap in the tetragonal compound CeRuSn employing optical
reflectivity measurements in broad frequency and temperature ranges, and local
density approximation plus dynamical mean field theory calculations. The
calculations provide evidence for a Kondo insulator-like response within the
plane and a more metallic response along the c axis and qualitatively
reproduce the experimental observations, helping to identify their origin
Highly anisotropic interlayer magnetoresistance in ZrSiS nodal-line Dirac semimetal
We instigate the angle-dependent magnetoresistance (AMR) of the layered
nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiS for the in-plane and out-of-plane current
directions. This material has recently revealed an intriguing butterfly-shaped
in-plane AMR that is not well understood. Our measurements of the polar
out-of-plane AMR show a surprisingly different response with a pronounced
cusp-like feature. The maximum of the cusp-like anisotropy is reached when the
magnetic field is oriented in the - plane. Moreover, the AMR for the
azimuthal out-of-plane current direction exhibits a very strong four-fold
- plane anisotropy. Combining the Fermi surfaces calculated from first
principles with the Boltzmann's semiclassical transport theory we reproduce and
explain all the prominent features of the unusual behavior of the in-plane and
out-of-plane AMR. We are also able to clarify the origin of the strong
non-saturating transverse magnetoresistance as an effect of imperfect
charge-carrier compensation and open orbits. Finally, by combining our
theoretical model and experimental data we estimate the average relaxation time
of ~s and the mean free path of ~nm at 1.8~K in our
samples of ZrSiS.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Elastic properties of FeSi
Measurements of the sound velocities in a single crystal of FeSi were
performed in the temperature range 4-300 K. Elastic constants and
deviate from a quasiharmonic behavior at high temperature; whereas,
increases anomalously in the entire range of temperature, indicating a
change in the electron structure of this materia
Hall-effect evolution across a heavy-fermion quantum critical point
A quantum critical point (QCP) develops in a material at absolute zero when a
new form of order smoothly emerges in its ground state. QCPs are of great
current interest because of their singular ability to influence the finite
temperature properties of materials. Recently, heavy-fermion metals have played
a key role in the study of antiferromagnetic QCPs. To accommodate the heavy
electrons, the Fermi surface of the heavy-fermion paramagnet is larger than
that of an antiferromagnet. An important unsolved question concerns whether the
Fermi surface transformation at the QCP develops gradually, as expected if the
magnetism is of spin density wave (SDW) type, or suddenly as expected if the
heavy electrons are abruptly localized by magnetism. Here we report
measurements of the low-temperature Hall coefficient () - a measure of the
Fermi surface volume - in the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 upon field-tuning it
from an antiferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state. undergoes an
increasingly rapid change near the QCP as the temperature is lowered,
extrapolating to a sudden jump in the zero temperature limit. We interpret
these results in terms of a collapse of the large Fermi surface and of the
heavy-fermion state itself precisely at the QCP.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; to appear in Natur
Sequential localization of a complex electron fluid
Complex and correlated quantum systems with promise for new functionality
often involve entwined electronic degrees of freedom. In such materials, highly
unusual properties emerge and could be the result of electron localization.
Here, a cubic heavy fermion metal governed by spins and orbitals is chosen as a
model system for this physics. Its properties are found to originate from
surprisingly simple low-energy behavior, with two distinct localization
transitions driven by a single degree of freedom at a time. This result is
unexpected, but we are able to understand it by advancing the notion of
sequential destruction of an SU(4) spin-orbital-coupled Kondo entanglement. Our
results implicate electron localization as a unified framework for strongly
correlated materials and suggest ways to exploit multiple degrees of freedom
for quantum engineering.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures (preprint format
Effects of electronic correlations and disorder on the thermopower of NaxCoO2
For the thermoelectric properties of NaxCoO2, we analyze the effect of local
Coulomb interaction and (disordered) potential differences for Co-sites with
adjacent Na-ion or vacancy. The disorder potential alone increases the
resistivity and reduces the thermopower, while the Coulomb interaction alone
leads only to minor changes compared to the one-particle picture of the local
density approximation. Only combined, these two terms give rise to a
substantial increase of the thermopower: the number of (quasi-)electrons around
the Fermi level is much more suppressed than that of the (quasi-)holes. Hence,
there is a particle-hole imbalance acting in the same direction as a similar
imbalance for the group velocities. Together, this interplay results in a large
positive thermopower. Introducing a thermoelectric spectral density, we located
the energies and momenta regions most relevant for the thermopower and changes
thereof.Comment: 23 pages, 27 figures, accepted at PR
Tactile Sensors Based on Conductive Polymers
This paper presents results from a selection of tactile sensors that have been designed and fabricated. These sensors are based on a common approach that consists in placing a sheet of piezoresistive material on the top of a set of electrodes. We use a thin film of conductive polymer as the piezoresistive mate¬rial. Specifically, a conductive water-based ink of this polymer is deposited by spin coating on a flexible plastic sheet, giving it a smooth, homogeneous and conducting thin film. The main interest in this procedure is that it is cheap and it allows the fabrication of flexible and low cost tactile sensors. In this work we present results from sensors made using two technologies. Firstly, we have used a flexible Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology to fabricate the set of electrodes and addressing tracks. The result is a simple, flexible tactile sensor. In addition to these sensors on PCB, we have proposed, designed and fabricated sensors with screen printing technology. In this case, the set of electrodes and addressing tracks are made by printing an ink based on silver nanoparticles. The intense characterization provides us insights into the design of these tactile sensors.This work has been partially funded by the spanish government under contract TEC2006-12376-C02
Resistivity, Hall effect and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in CeNiSn
The resistivity and Hall effect in CeNiSn are measured at temperatures down
to 35 mK and in magnetic fields up to 20 T with the current applied along the
{\it b} axis. The resistivity at zero field exhibits quadratic temperature
dependence below 0.16 K with a huge coefficient of the term (54
cm/K). The resistivity as a function of field shows an
anomalous maximum and dip, the positions of which vary with field directions.
Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations with a frequency {\it F} of 100 T
are observed for a wide range of field directions in the {\it ac} and {\it bc}
planes, and the quasiparticle mass is determined to be 10-20 {\it m}.
The carrier density is estimated to be electron/Ce. In a narrow
range of field directions in the {\it ac} plane, where the
magnetoresistance-dip anomaly manifests itself clearer than in other field
directions, a higher-frequency () SdH oscillation is
found at high fields above the anomaly. This observation is discussed in terms
of possible field-induced changes in the electronic structure.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B (15 Sept. 2002 issue
Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in the Periodic Anderson Model
We study ground state properties of periodic Anderson model in a
two-dimensional square lattice with variational Monte Carlo method. It is shown
that there are two different types of quantum phase transition: a conventional
antiferromagnetic transition and a Fermi-surface reconstruction which
accompanies a change of topology of the Fermi surface. The former is induced by
a simple back-folding of the Fermi surface while the latter is induced by
localization of electrons. The mechanism of these transitions and the
relation to the recent experiments on Fermi surface are discussed in detail.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Journal of the Physical Society of
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