Orbital-dependent electron correlation in double-layer nickelate La3Ni2O7.

The latest discovery of high temperature superconductivity near 80 K in La3Ni2O7 under high pressure has attracted much attention. Many proposals are put forth to understand the origin of superconductivity. The determination of electronic structures is a prerequisite to establish theories to understand superconductivity in nickelates but is still lacking. Here we report our direct measurement of the electronic structures of La3Ni2O7 by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The Fermi surface and band structures of La3Ni2O7 are observed and compared with the band structure calculations. Strong electron correlations are revealed which are orbital- and momentum-dependent. A flat band is formed from the Ni-3d z 2 orbitals around the zone corner which is ~ 50 meV below the Fermi level and exhibits the strongest electron correlation. In many theoretical proposals, this band is expected to play the dominant role in generating superconductivity in La3Ni2O7. Our observations provide key experimental information to understand the electronic structure and origin of high temperature superconductivity in La3Ni2O7.

Ubiquitous coexisting electron-mode couplings in high-temperature cuprate superconductors.

In conventional superconductors, electron-phonon coupling plays a dominant role in generating superconductivity. In high-temperature cuprate superconductors, the existence of electron coupling with phonons and other boson modes and its role in producing high-temperature superconductivity remain unclear. The evidence of electron-boson coupling mainly comes from angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) observations of [Formula: see text]70-meV nodal dispersion kink and [Formula: see text]40-meV antinodal kink. However, the reported results are sporadic and the nature of the involved bosons is still under debate. Here we report findings of ubiquitous two coexisting electron-mode couplings in cuprate superconductors. By taking ultrahigh-resolution laser-based ARPES measurements, we found that the electrons are coupled simultaneously with two sharp modes at [Formula: see text]70meV and [Formula: see text]40meV in different superconductors with different dopings, over the entire momentum space and at different temperatures above and below the superconducting transition temperature. These observations favor phonons as the origin of the modes coupled with electrons and the observed electron-mode couplings are unusual because the associated energy scales do not exhibit an obvious energy shift across the superconducting transition. We further find that the well-known "peak-dip-hump" structure, which has long been considered a hallmark of superconductivity, is also omnipresent and consists of "peak-double dip-double hump" finer structures that originate from electron coupling with two sharp modes. These results provide a unified picture for the [Formula: see text]70-meV and [Formula: see text]40-meV energy scales and their evolutions with momentum, doping and temperature. They provide key information to understand the origin of these energy scales and their role in generating anomalous normal state and high-temperature superconductivity.

Brightness Prediction of Large Color Gamut Laser Display Devices.

A brightness-perceived color appearance model tailored for large gamut display devices, exemplified by laser displays, was investigated. Psychophysical experiments on the brightness matching of 30 color stimuli with achromatic white light were conducted by 16 observers. The analysis compares the performance of a number of existing color appearance models and equivalent luminance models in predicting brightness. None of the models performed acceptably due to a severe underestimation of the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch (H-K) effect. A modified model of perceived brightness based on CAM16, taking into account the H-K effect, is proposed. Evaluated by psychophysical experiments, the proposed model exhibits a superior performance compared to the preceding models, especially within the extensive color gamut range stipulated by BT.2020. The results help to optimize the design of laser displays with a wide color gamut and high perceived brightness.

Observation of flat band, Dirac nodal lines and topological surface states in Kagome superconductor CsTi3Bi5.

Kagome lattices of various transition metals are versatile platforms for achieving anomalous Hall effects, unconventional charge-density wave orders and quantum spin liquid phenomena due to the strong correlations, spin-orbit coupling and/or magnetic interactions involved in such a lattice. Here, we use laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations to investigate the electronic structure of the newly discovered kagome superconductor CsTi3Bi5, which is isostructural to the AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb or Cs) kagome superconductor family and possesses a two-dimensional kagome network of titanium. We directly observe a striking flat band derived from the local destructive interference of Bloch wave functions within the kagome lattice. In agreement with calculations, we identify type-II and type-III Dirac nodal lines and their momentum distribution in CsTi3Bi5 from the measured electronic structures. In addition, around the Brillouin zone centre, [Formula: see text] nontrivial topological surface states are also observed due to band inversion mediated by strong spin-orbit coupling.

Electronic nature of charge density wave and electron-phonon coupling in kagome superconductor KV3Sb5.

The Kagome superconductors AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) have received enormous attention due to their nontrivial topological electronic structure, anomalous physical properties and superconductivity. Unconventional charge density wave (CDW) has been detected in AV3Sb5. High-precision electronic structure determination is essential to understand its origin. Here we unveil electronic nature of the CDW phase in our high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on KV3Sb5. We have observed CDW-induced Fermi surface reconstruction and the associated band folding. The CDW-induced band splitting and the associated gap opening have been revealed at the boundary of the pristine and reconstructed Brillouin zones. The Fermi surface- and momentum-dependent CDW gap is measured and the strongly anisotropic CDW gap is observed for all the V-derived Fermi surface. In particular, we have observed signatures of the electron-phonon coupling in KV3Sb5. These results provide key insights in understanding the nature of the CDW state and its interplay with superconductivity in AV3Sb5 superconductors.

Spectroscopic evidence of superconductivity pairing at 83 K in single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films.

Single-layer FeSe films grown on the SrTiO3 substrate (FeSe/STO) have attracted much attention because of their possible record-high superconducting critical temperature (Tc) and distinct electronic structures. However, it has been under debate on how high its Tc can really reach due to the inconsistency of the results from different measurements. Here we report spectroscopic evidence of superconductivity pairing at 83 K in single-layer FeSe/STO films. By preparing high-quality single-layer FeSe/STO films, we observe strong superconductivity-induced Bogoliubov back-bending bands that extend to rather high binding energy ~ 100 meV by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements. They provide a new definitive benchmark of superconductivity pairing that is directly observed up to 83 K. Moreover, we find that the pairing state can be further divided into two temperature regions. These results indicate that either Tc as high as 83 K is achievable, or there is a pseudogap formation from superconductivity fluctuation in single-layer FeSe/STO films.

Momentum-resolved visualization of electronic evolution in doping a Mott insulator.

High temperature superconductivity in cuprates arises from doping a parent Mott insulator by electrons or holes. A central issue is how the Mott gap evolves and the low-energy states emerge with doping. Here we report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements on a cuprate parent compound by sequential in situ electron doping. The chemical potential jumps to the bottom of the upper Hubbard band upon a slight electron doping, making it possible to directly visualize the charge transfer band and the full Mott gap region. With increasing doping, the Mott gap rapidly collapses due to the spectral weight transfer from the charge transfer band to the gapped region and the induced low-energy states emerge in a wide energy range inside the Mott gap. These results provide key information on the electronic evolution in doping a Mott insulator and establish a basis for developing microscopic theories for cuprate superconductivity.

Genuine electronic structure and superconducting gap structure in (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 superconductor.

The electronic structure and superconducting gap structure are prerequisites to establish microscopic theories in understanding the superconductivity mechanism of iron-based superconductors. However, even for the most extensively studied optimally-doped (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2, there remain outstanding controversies on its electronic structure and superconducting gap structure. Here we resolve these issues by carrying out high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements on the optimally-doped (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 superconductor using both Helium lamp and laser light sources. Our results indicate the "flat band" feature observed around the Brillouin zone center in the superconducting state originates from the combined effect of the superconductivity-induced band back-bending and the folding of a band from the zone corner to the center. We found direct evidence of the band folding between the zone corner and the center in both the normal and superconducting state. Our resolution of the origin of the flat band makes it possible to assign the three hole-like bands around the zone center and determine their superconducting gap correctly. Around the zone corner, we observe a tiny electron-like band and an M-shaped band simultaneously in both the normal and superconducting states. The obtained gap size for the bands around the zone corner (~5.5 meV) is significantly smaller than all the previous ARPES measurements. Our results establish a new superconducting gap structure around the zone corner and resolve a number of prominent controversies concerning the electronic structure and superconducting gap structure in the optimally-doped (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2. They provide new insights in examining and establishing theories in understanding superconductivity mechanism in iron-based superconductors.

Tunable deep ultraviolet laser based near ambient pressure photoemission electron microscope for surface imaging in the millibar regime.

A newly developed instrument comprising a near ambient pressure (NAP) photoemission electron microscope (PEEM) and a tunable deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser source is described. This NAP-PEEM instrument enables dynamic imaging of solid surfaces in gases at pressures up to 1 mbar. A diode laser (976 nm) can illuminate a sample from the backside for in situ heating in gases up to 1200 K in minutes. The DUV laser with a tunable wavelength between 175 nm and 210 nm is perpendicularly incident onto the sample surface for PEEM imaging of a wide spectrum of solids with different surface work functions. Using this setup, we have first demonstrated spatiotemporal oscillation patterns of CO oxidation reaction on Pt(110) from high vacuum to NAPs and gas-induced restructuring of metal nanostructures in millibar gases. The new facility promises important applications in heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemical devices, and other surface processes under nearly working conditions.

High-power repetition rate- and pulse width-tunable 589†nm versatile laser for adaptive optical systems.

Compact high-power yellow laser is a critical part for sodium beacon adaptive optical systems. A narrow-linewidth quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) solid-state 589 nm laser with high-power and high beam quality simultaneously is investigated here, operating in hundreds-microsecond pulse duration with a tunable repetition rate of 400 to 1 kHz, which is flexible to allow the telescope to move in observing direction. The laser source is based on employing sum-frequency generation between 1319 and 1064 nm QCW Nd:YAG amplifiers. For a 100 µs pulse duration and 400 Hz repetition rate, the yellow laser provides a highest output power of 86.1 W with beam quality M2 = 1.37. The central wavelength can be precisely tuned to sodium-D2a line at 589.159 nm with a ∼440 MHz linewidth. This is the maximum power-reported for all-solid-state sodium guide star laser demonstrated to date. The result represents a key step toward solving the requirement of multi-conjugate adaptive optics for large adaptive optical telescopes.

High precision determination of the Planck constant by modern photoemission spectroscopy.

The Planck constant, with its mathematical symbol h, is a fundamental constant in quantum mechanics that is associated with the quantization of light and matter. It is also of fundamental importance to metrology, such as the definition of ohm and volt and the latest definition of kilogram. One of the first measurements to determine the Planck constant is based on the photoelectric effect; however, the values thus obtained so far have exhibited a large uncertainty. The accepted value of the Planck constant, 6.626 070 15 × 10-34 J s, is obtained from one of the most precise methods, the Kibble balance, which involves the quantum Hall effect, the Josephson effect, and the use of the international prototype of the kilogram or its copies. Here, we present a precise determination of the Planck constant by modern photoemission spectroscopy technique. Through the direct use of Einstein's photoelectric equation, the Planck constant is determined by accurately measuring the energy position of the gold Fermi level using light sources with various photon wavelengths. The precision of the Planck constant as measured in this work, 6.626 10(13) × 10-34 J s, is improved by four to five orders of magnitude from the previous photoelectric effect measurements. We propose that this direct method of photoemission spectroscopy has potential to further increase its measurement precision of the Planck constant to be comparable to the most accurate methods available at present.

Void-free bonding for a large slab laser crystal.

A void-free bonding technique was demonstrated for a large slab Nd: YAG crystal with a bonding surface dimension of ∼160mm×70mm. By using the novel fluxless oxide layer removal technology, the indium-oxide barrier problem was resolved. With the help of electrochemical-polished indium solder and a plasma-cleaned heat sink, the solderability of the indium was enhanced; in particular, the contact angle of the solder was improved from 51° to 31°. With the largest-bonding-size slab, a single-slab laser created a maximum output power of 7.3 kW under an absorbed pump power of 12.8 kW, corresponding to an optical to optical efficiency of 57% and a slope conversion of 67.8%. By detecting the wavefront of the interferometer before and after bonding, the RMS of wavefront was 0.192λ and 0.434λ (λ=633nm), respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest void-free bonding size for a laser slab and the highest output power achieved from a single-slab crystal laser oscillator.

Adjustable slab-aberration compensator for high power slab laser.

An adjustable slab-aberration compensator (ASAC) with the ability to compensate the large magnitude inherent wavefront aberrations in the slab width direction is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The ASAC has a size of 130mm×45mm (effective aperture of 75mm×28mm) and 11 actuators along the length with a contact spacing of 8 mm. The design is optimized by simulations in terms of the mirror's coupling coefficient with the contact areas, mechanical properties of the driving units, and the mirror thickness. The initial surface figure of the ASAC has PV and RMS values of 55 nm and 10 nm, and the dynamic range is 30 µm. In our experiments, a 20 kW Nd: YAG quasi-continuous wave (QCW) slab laser is further compensated by the ASAC system. The beam quality increases from 15× to 3.5× diffraction limit at 20 kW output after correction. Besides, the proposed ASAC can maintain the surface shape after power shutdown and have good thermal stability. The temperature rise of the ASAC is less than 7 °C in the 20 kW laser correction experiment.

30 W single-frequency continuous-wave master oscillator power amplifier laser at 1342 nm.

We present a power-scalable high-power single-frequency continuous-wave 1342 nm master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system that consists of a polarized single-frequency 1342 nm LD seed laser, a Raman fiber preamplifier, and a three-stage ${\rm Nd}:{{\rm YVO}_4}$Nd:YVO4 power amplifier. The single-frequency output power of 30 W at 1342 nm is achieved with the beam quality factors ${{\rm M}^{2\:}} = {1}.{26}$M2=1.26, and the power stability for 1 h is better than ${\pm }\;{0}.{5}\% $±0.5%.

High-repetition-rate 100 W level sodium beacon laser for a multi-conjugate adaptive optics system.

A 100 W level kilohertz repetition-rate microsecond (µs)-pulse all-solid-state sodium beacon laser at 589 nm is demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, via combining two independent µs-pulsed lasers. Each beamlet is generated by the sum-frequency mixing of pulsed 1064 and 1319 nm lasers in a lithium triborate (LBO) crystal, which operate at 500 Hz pulse repetition frequency with 61 W $p$p-polarized and 53 W $s$s-polarized output, respectively. An incoherent sequence combining technology of polarized laser beams is employed to add the two beamlets. The average power of the combined beam is up to 107.5 W with a combining efficiency of 94.3%. The combined beam has a 1 kHz repetition rate with ${\sim}{120}\;\unicode{x00B5} {\rm s}$∼120µs pulse duration and beam quality ${M^2} = {1.41}$M2=1.41. The central wavelength with a linewidth of ${\sim}{0.3}\;{\rm GHz}$∼0.3GHz is locked to a sodium ${{\rm D}_{2a}}$D2a absorption line. To the best of our knowledge, this is a record-high power operating at kilohertz for µs-pulsed solid-state sodium beacon lasers.

Dual-wavelength TEM01 mode passively mode-locked Nd:YAG laser witha semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.

A dual-wavelength ${{\rm TEM}_{01}}$TEM01 mode synchronous continuous wave passively mode-locked (CWML) Nd:YAG laser has been demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) at 1319 and 1338 nm. The maximum average output power of 10.84 W was obtained at a 113.8 W absorbed pump power, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 9.5%. The dual-wavelength CWML pulses had a pulse duration of 35.1 ps at a repetition rate of 76 MHz. The beam quality was measured to be ${{\rm M}^2} = {2.51}$M2=2.51.

Pulse duration adjusted by changing the cavity length with a multi-pass cavity in a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

We report a compact, long nanosecond (ns) pulse duration stretched laser source by a multi-pass cavity (MPC). Based on the combination of the MPC and pump power, a high-power high beam quality 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a pulse duration adjustable over the range of 160-1000 ns was obtained at a pulse repetition frequency of 10 kHz for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. At a typical pulse width of 560 ns, an average output power of 10.6 W was successfully achieved. The beam quality factor M2 was measured to be 1.45 with a good Gaussian mode.

Watt level laser source for a polychromatic laser guide stars: double resonant fluorescence from 3S1/2-3P3/2-3D5/2 transition of sodium atoms.

The polychromatic laser guide star (PLGS) is one of the solutions proposed to measure the differential atmospheric tip-tilt. A watts-level microsecond pulse all solid state laser source with two wavelengths at 589 and 819.7 nm are developed to perform a proof-of-concept on-sky test for what is believed to be the first time. By sum-frequency of 1319 and 1064 nm, a 44 W maximum average output power at 589.159 nm is generated with the pulse width of ~90 µs at 500 Hz, the linewidth of 0.46 pm, and the beam quality of M2 = 1.50. Meanwhile, a 2.4 W average output power is achieved operating at 819.710 nm with the pulse width of ~25 µs at 500 Hz, the linewidth of 0.8 pm, and beam quality factor of M2 = 1.20, which is end-pumped by a frequency-doubled 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. Moreover, double resonant fluorescence in sodium cell with two step excitation of sodium atom from 3S1/2 to 3D5/2 via 3P3/2 level is observed clearly by tuning the wavelength of 589 and 819.7 nm beams. In the proof-of-principle experiment, it is preliminarily verified that this laser system is expected to be applied to the sky experiment.

Picosecond slab regenerative amplifier using a large fundamental mode stable-unstable hybrid cavity.

Slab gain media with large aspect ratios were difficult to be adopted in ultrafast regenerative amplifiers (RAs) due to the obstacle of mode matching with the seed beam. We proposed that an unstable cavity could be employed to solve this difficulty by taking the advantage of its large fundamental mode volume. In this way, an Nd:YVO4 slab-based picosecond RA has been successfully demonstrated using a stable-unstable hybrid cavity. The maximum average output power of 10.5 W was achieved at the repetition rate of 10 kHz. The beam quality factor M2 was measured to be 1.54 in the stable direction and 2.26 in the unstable direction.

Emergence of superconductivity from fully incoherent normal state in an iron-based superconductor (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2.

In unconventional superconductors, it is generally believed that understanding the physical properties of the normal state is a pre-requisite for understanding the superconductivity mechanism. In conventional superconductors like niobium or lead, the normal state is a Fermi liquid with a well-defined Fermi surface and well-defined quasipartcles along the Fermi surface. Superconductivity is realized in this case by the Fermi surface instability in the superconducting state and the formation and condensation of the electron pairs (Cooper pairing). The high temperature cuprate superconductors, on the other hand, represent another extreme case that superconductivity can be realized in the underdoped region where there is neither well-defined Fermi surface due to the pseudogap formation nor quasiparticles near the antinodal regions in the normal state. Here we report a novel scenario that superconductivity is realized in a system with well-defined Fermi surface but without quasiparticles along the Fermi surface in the normal state. High resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been performed on an optimally-doped iron-based superconductor (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2. We find that, while sharp superconducting coherence peaks emerge in the superconducting state on the hole-like Fermi surface sheets, no quasiparticle peak is present in the normal state. Its electronic behaviours deviate strongly from a Fermi liquid system. The superconducting gap of such a system exhibits an unusual temperature dependence that it is nearly a constant in the superconducting state and abruptly closes at Tc. These observations have provided a new platform to study unconventional superconductivity in a non-Fermi liquid system.