ABSTRACT
Magnetism and spin-orbit coupling are two quintessential ingredients underlying topological transport phenomena in itinerant ferromagnets. When spin-polarized bands support nodal points/lines with band degeneracy that can be lifted by spin-orbit coupling, the nodal structures become a source of Berry curvature, leading to a large anomalous Hall effect. However, two-dimensional systems can possess stable nodal structures only when proper crystalline symmetry exists. Here we show that two-dimensional spin-polarized band structures of perovskite oxides generally support symmetry-protected nodal lines and points that govern both the sign and the magnitude of the anomalous Hall effect. To demonstrate this, we performed angle-resolved photoemission studies of ultrathin films of SrRuO3, a representative metallic ferromagnet with spin-orbit coupling. We show that the sign-changing anomalous Hall effect upon variation in the film thickness, magnetization and chemical potential can be well explained by theoretical models. Our work may facilitate new switchable devices based on ferromagnetic ultrathin films.
ABSTRACT
SiO2 is a commonly used insulation layer for QCLs but has high absorption peak around 8 to 10 µm. Instead of SiO2, we used Y2O3 as an insulation layer for DC-QCL and successfully demonstrated lasing operation at the wavelength around 8.1 µm. We also showed 2D numerical analysis on the absorption coefficient of our DC-QCL structure with various parameters such as insulating materials, waveguide width, and mesa angle.
ABSTRACT
Ag5Pb2O6 has attracted attentions due to its novel nearly-free-electron superconductivity, but its electronic structure and orbital character of the Cooper-pair electrons remain controversial. Here, we present a method utilizing core-level photoemission to show that Pb 6s electrons dominate near the Fermi level. We observe a strongly asymmetric Pb 4 f 7/2 core-level spectrum, while a Ag 3d 5/2 spectrum is well explained by two symmetric peaks. The asymmetry in the Pb 4 f 7/2 spectrum originates from the local attractive interaction between conducting Pb 6s electrons and a Pb 4 f 7/2 core hole, which implies a dominant Pb 6s contribution to the metallic conduction. In addition, the observed Pb 4 f 7/2 spectrum is not explained by the well-known Doniach-Sunjic lineshape for a simple metal. The spectrum is successfully generated by employing a Pb 6s partial density of states from local density approximation calculations, thus confirming the Pb 6s dominant character and free-electron-like density of states of Ag5Pb2O6.
ABSTRACT
Recently, α-RuCl3 has attracted much attention as a possible material to realize the honeycomb Kitaev model of a quantum-spin-liquid state. Although the magnetic properties of α-RuCl3 have been extensively studied, its electronic structure, which is strongly related to its Kitaev physics, is poorly understood. Here, the electronic structure of α-RuCl3 was investigated by photoemission (PE) and inverse-photoemission (IPE) spectroscopies. The band gap was directly measured from the PE and IPE spectra and was found to be 1.9 eV, much larger than previously estimated values. Local density approximation (LDA) calculations showed that the on-site Coulomb interaction U could open the band gap without spin-orbit coupling (SOC). However, the SOC should also be incorporated to reproduce the proper gap size, indicating that the interplay between U and SOC plays an essential role. Several features of the PE and IPE spectra could not be explained by the results of LDA calculations. To explain such discrepancies, we performed configuration-interaction calculations for a RuCl63- cluster. The experimental data and calculations demonstrated that the 4d compound α-RuCl3 is a Jeff = 1/2 Mott insulator rather than a quasimolecular-orbital insulator. Our study also provides important physical parameters required for verifying the proposed Kitaev physics in α-RuCl3.
ABSTRACT
Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of a layered electride Ca2N was carried out to reveal its quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure. The band dispersions and the Fermi-surface map are consistent with the density functional theory results except for a chemical potential shift that may originate from the high reactivity of surface excess electrons. Thus, the existence of anionic excess electrons in the interlayer region of Ca2N is strongly supported by ARPES.
ABSTRACT
The range of mechanically cleavable Van der Waals crystals covers materials with diverse physical and chemical properties. However, very few of these materials exhibit magnetism or magnetic order, and thus the provision of cleavable magnetic compounds would supply invaluable building blocks for the design of heterostructures assembled from Van der Waals crystals. Here we report the first successful isolation of monolayer and few-layer samples of the compound nickel phosphorus trisulfide (NiPS3) by mechanical exfoliation. This material belongs to the class of transition metal phosphorus trisulfides (MPS3), several of which exhibit antiferromagnetic order at low temperature, and which have not been reported in the form of ultrathin sheets so far. We establish layer numbers by optical bright field microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and perform a detailed Raman spectroscopic characterization of bilayer and thicker NiPS3 flakes. Raman spectral features are strong functions of excitation wavelength and sample thickness, highlighting the important role of interlayer coupling. Furthermore, our observations provide a spectral fingerprint for distinct layer numbers, allowing us to establish a sensitive and convenient means for layer number determination.