196 research outputs found

    Approaching the quantum critical point in a highly-correlated all-in-all-out antiferromagnet

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    Continuous quantum phase transition involving all-in–all-out (AIAO) antiferromagnetic order in strongly spin-orbit-coupled 5d compounds could give rise to various exotic electronic phases and strongly-coupled quantum critical phenomena. Here we experimentally trace the AIAO spin order in Sm₂Ir₂O₇ using direct resonant x-ray magnetic diffraction techniques under high pressure. The magnetic order is suppressed at a critical pressure P_c=6.30GPa, while the lattice symmetry remains in the cubic Fd−3m space group across the quantum critical point. Comparing pressure tuning and the chemical series R₂Ir₂O₇ reveals that the approach to the AIAO quantum phase transition is characterized by contrasting evolutions of the pyrochlore lattice constant a and the trigonal distortion surrounding individual Ir moments, which affects the 5d bandwidth and the Ising anisotropy, respectively. We posit that the opposite effects of pressure and chemical tuning lead to spin fluctuations with different Ising and Heisenberg character in the quantum critical region. Finally, the observed low pressure scale of the AIAO quantum phase transition in Sm₂Ir₂O₇ identifies a circumscribed region of P-T space for investigating the putative magnetic Weyl semimetal state

    Antiferromagnetic Quantum Phase Transitions: Continuous Tuning and Direct Probes of Competing States

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    Antiferromagnets are choice systems to study quantum critical behavior. Unlike ferromagnets, they can experience continuous quantum phase transitions when tuned by pressure. However, the lack of a net magnetization renders experimental approaches difficult and often indirect. Here I demonstrate that both non-resonant and resonant x-ray magnetic diffraction under pressure provide the highly-desired direct probe for microscopic insights into the disappearance of the magnetic order, as well as the evolution of the charge and structural degrees of freedom. In Mo3Sb7, where spins are itinerant with small magnetic moments, we have discovered the doubling of the superconducting transition temperature under pressure and relate it to a lattice change from tetragonal to cubic structure. In MnP, a spiral magnetic order with tightened pitch was revealed in the high-pressure phase near a superconducting state at ∼7 GPa. As the spiral pitch changes, fluctuations move from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic at long and short wavelengths, respectively, thereby potentially pro- moting spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity of different symmetries. In the all-in-all-out (AIAO) pyrochlore antiferromagnet Cd2Os2O7, we discovered an anti- ferromagnetic quantum critical point at 35.8 GPa using new techniques for resonant x-ray magnetic diffraction under pressure. The continuous suppression of AIAO antiferromagnetic order to zero temperature is accompanied by inversion symmetry breaking of the lattice, dividing the P − T phase space into three regions of different time reversal and spatial inversion symmetries. While phase lines of opposite curvature indicate a striking departure from a mean-field form at high pressure, the intertwined spin, charge, and phonon fluctuation modes point to a strong-coupled scenario of quantum criticality.</p

    Strongly-coupled quantum critical point in an all-in-all-out antiferromagnet

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    Dimensionality and symmetry play deterministic roles in the laws of Nature. They are important tools to characterize and understand quantum phase transitions, especially in the limit of strong correlations between spin, orbit, charge, and structural degrees of freedom. Using newly-developed, high-pressure resonant x-ray magnetic and charge diffraction techniques, we have discovered a quantum critical point in Cd2Os2O7 as the all-in-all-out (AIAO) antiferromagnetic order is continuously suppressed to zero temperature and, concomitantly, the cubic lattice structure continuously changes from space group Fd-3m to F-43m. Surrounded by three phases of different time reversal and spatial inversion symmetries, the quantum critical region anchors two phase lines of opposite curvature, with striking departures from a mean-field form at high pressure. As spin fluctuations, lattice breathing modes, and quasiparticle excitations interact in the quantum critical region, we argue that they present the necessary components for strongly-coupled quantum criticality in this three-dimensional compound

    Making sense of a cophylogeny output: Efficient listing of representative reconciliations

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    4sìopenCophylogeny reconciliation is a powerful method for analyzing host-parasite (or host-symbiont) co-evolution. It models co-evolution as an optimization problem where the set of all optimal solutions may represent different biological scenarios which thus need to be analyzed separately. Despite the significant research done in the area, few approaches have addressed the problem of helping the biologist deal with the often huge space of optimal solutions. In this paper, we propose a new approach to tackle this problem. We introduce three different criteria under which two solutions may be considered biologically equivalent, and then we propose polynomial-delay algorithms that enumerate only one representative per equivalence class (without listing all the solutions). Our results are of both theoretical and practical importance. Indeed, as shown by the experiments, we are able to significantly reduce the space of optimal solutions while still maintaining important biological information about the whole space.openWang Y.; Mary A.; Sagot M.-F.; Sinaimeri B.Wang, Y.; Mary, A.; Sagot, M. -F.; Sinaimeri, B
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