I05-ARPES
|
Jiagui
Feng
,
Deepnarayan
Biswas
,
Akhil
Rajan
,
Matthew D.
Watson
,
Federico
Mazzola
,
Oliver J.
Clark
,
Kaycee
Underwood
,
I.
Markovic
,
Martin
Mclaren
,
Andrew
Hunter
,
David M.
Burn
,
Liam B.
Duffy
,
Sourabh
Barua
,
Geetha
Balakrishnan
,
Francois
Bertran
,
Patrick
Le Fevre
,
Timur
Kim
,
Gerrit
Van Der Laan
,
Thorsten
Hesjedal
,
Peter
Wahl
,
Phil D. C.
King
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19771]
Abstract: How the interacting electronic states and phases of layered transition-metal dichalcogenides
evolve when thinned to the single-layer limit is a key open question in the study of two-dimensional
materials. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission to investigate the electronic structure of monolayer VSe2 grown on bi-layer graphene/SiC. While the global electronic structure is similar to that of bulk VSe2, we show that, for the monolayer, pronounced energy gaps develop over the entire Fermi surface with decreasing temperature below Tc = 140 5 K, concomitant with the emergence
of charge-order superstructures evident in low-energy electron diffraction. These observations point
to a charge-density wave instability in the monolayer which is strongly enhanced over that of the bulk. Moreover, our measurements of both the electronic structure and of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism reveal no signatures of a ferromagnetic ordering, in contrast to the results of a recent experimental study as well as expectations from density-functional theory. Our study thus points
to a delicate balance that can be realised between competing interacting states and phases in
monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides.
|
Jun 2018
|
|
|
|
L. B.
Duffy
,
N.-J.
Steinke
,
J. A.
Krieger
,
A. I.
Figueroa
,
K.
Kummer
,
T.
Lancaster
,
S. R.
Giblin
,
F. L.
Pratt
,
S. J.
Blundell
,
T.
Prokscha
,
A.
Suter
,
Sean
Langridge
,
V. N.
Strocov
,
Z.
Salman
,
G.
Van Der Laan
,
T.
Hesjedal
Abstract: Magnetic doping with transition metal ions is the most widely used approach to break time-reversal symmetry in a topological insulator (TI)—a prerequisite for unlocking the TI’s exotic potential. Recently, we reported the doping of Bi2Te3 thin films with rare-earth ions, which, owing to their large magnetic moments, promise commensurately large magnetic gap openings in the topological surface states. However, only when doping with Dy has a sizable gap been observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which persists up to room temperature. Although disorder alone could be ruled out as a cause of the topological phase transition, a fundamental understanding of the magnetic and electronic properties of Dy-doped Bi2Te3 remained elusive.Here, we present an x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, polarized neutron reflectometry, muon-spin rotation, and resonant photoemission study of the microscopic magnetic and electronic properties. We find that the films are not simply paramagnetic but that instead the observed behavior can be well explained by the assumption of slowly fluctuating, inhomogeneous, magnetic patches with increasing volume fraction as the temperature decreases. At liquid helium temperatures, a large effective magnetization can be easily introduced by the application of moderate magnetic fields, implying that this material is very suitable for proximity coupling to an underlying ferromagnetic insulator or in a heterostructure with transition-metal-doped layers. However, the introduction of some charge carriers by the Dy dopants cannot be excluded at least in these highly doped samples. Nevertheless, we find that the magnetic order is not mediated via the conduction channel in these samples and therefore magnetic order and carrier concentration are expected to be independently controllable. This is not generally the case for transition-metal-doped topological insulators, and Dy doping should thus allow for improved TI quantum devices.
|
May 2018
|
|
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12958, 12943]
Abstract: Magnetic skyrmions in non-centrosymmetric helimagnets with Dn symmetry are Bloch-type magnetization swirls with a helicity angle of 90°. At the surface of helimagnetic thin films below a critical thickness, a twisted skyrmion state with an arbitrary helicity angle has been proposed; however, its direct experimental observation has remained elusive. Here, we show that circularly polarized resonant elastic x-ray scattering is able to unambiguously measure the helicity angle of surface skyrmions, providing direct experimental evidence that a twisted skyrmion surface state also exists in bulk systems. The exact surface helicity angles of twisted skyrmions for both left- and right-handed chiral bulk Cu2OSeO3, in the single as well as in the multidomain skyrmion lattice state, are determined, revealing their detailed internal structure. Our findings suggest that a skyrmion surface reconstruction is a universal phenomenon, stemming from the breaking of translational symmetry at the interface.
|
May 2018
|
|
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12958, 11784]
Open Access
Abstract: Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like, topologically protected magnetisation entities that are
promising candidates as information carriers in racetrack memory. The transport of skyrmions
in a shift-register-like fashion is crucial for their embodiment in practical devices. Here, we demonstrate that chiral skyrmions in Cu2OSeO3 can be effectively manipulated under the influence of a magnetic field gradient. In a radial field gradient, skyrmions were found to rotate collectively, following a given velocity–radius relationship. As a result of this relationship, and in competition with the elastic properties of the skyrmion lattice, the rotating ensemble disintegrates into a shell-like structure of discrete circular racetracks. Upon reversing the field direction, the rotation sense reverses. Field gradients therefore offer an effective handle for the fine control of skyrmion motion, which is inherently driven by magnon currents. In this scheme, no local electric currents are needed, thus presenting a different approach to shift-register-type operations based on spin transfer torque.
|
May 2018
|
|
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17480]
Abstract: The combination of topological properties and magnetic order can lead to new quantum states and exotic physical phenomena, such as the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. The size of the magnetic gap in the topological surface states, key for the robust observation of the QAH state, scales with the magnetic moment of the doped three-dimensional topological insulator (TI). The pioneering transition-metal doped (Sb,Bi)2(Se,Te)3 thin films only allow for the observation of the QAH effect up to some 100 mK, despite the much higher magnetic ordering temperatures. On the other hand, high magnetic moment materials, such as rare-earth-doped (Sb,Bi)2(Se,Te)3 thin films, show large moments but no long-range magnetic order. Proximity coupling and interfacial effects, multiplied in artificial heterostructures, allowfor the engineering of the electronic and magnetic properties. Here, we show the successful growth of high-quality Dy:Bi2Te3/Cr:Sb2Te3 thin film heterostructures. Using x-ray magnetic spectroscopy we demonstrate that high transition temperature Cr:Sb2Te3 can introduce long-range magnetic order in high-moment Dy:Bi2Te3—upto a temperature of 17 K—in excellent agreement with first-principles calculations,which reveal the origin of the long-range magnetic order in a strong antiferromagnetic coupling between Dy and Cr magnetic moments at the interface extending over several layers. Engineered magnetic TI heterostructures may be an ideal materials platform for observing the QAH effect at liquid He temperatures and above.
|
May 2018
|
|
I05-ARPES
|
M. R.
Scholz
,
V. A.
Rogalev
,
L.
Dudy
,
F.
Reis
,
F.
Adler
,
J.
Aulbach
,
L. J.
Collins-Mcintyre
,
L. B.
Duffy
,
H. F.
Yang
,
Y. L.
Chen
,
T.
Hesjedal
,
Z. K.
Liu
,
M.
Hoesch
,
S.
Muff
,
J. H.
Dil
,
J.
Schäfer
,
R.
Claessen
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[10289, 10244, 12892, 15285]
Abstract: We report on the electronic structure of the elemental topological semimetal α−Sn on InSb(001). High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission data allow us to observe the topological surface state (TSS) that is degenerate with the bulk band structure and show that the former is unaffected by different surface reconstructions. An unintentional p-type doping of the as-grown films was compensated by deposition of potassium or tellurium after the growth, thereby shifting the Dirac point of the surface state below the Fermi level. We show that, while having the potential to break time-reversal symmetry, iron impurities with a coverage of up to 0.25 monolayers do not have any further impact on the surface state beyond that of K or Te. Furthermore, we have measured the spin-momentum locking of electrons from the TSS by means of spin-resolved photoemission. Our results show that the spin vector lies fully in-plane, but it also has a finite radial component. Finally, we analyze the decay of photoholes introduced in the photoemission process, and by this gain insight into the many-body interactions in the system. Surprisingly, we extract quasiparticle lifetimes comparable to other topological materials where the TSS is located within a bulk band gap. We argue that the main decay of photoholes is caused by intraband scattering, while scattering into bulk states is suppressed due to different orbital symmetries of bulk and surface states.
|
Feb 2018
|
|
|
|
Abstract: The combination of topological insulators, i.e., bulk insulators with gapless, topologically protected surface states, with magnetic order is a love-hate relationship that can unlock new quantum states and exotic physical phenomena, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect and axion electrodynamics. Moreover, the unusual coupling between topological insulators and ferromagnets can also result in the formation of topological spin textures in the ferromagnetic layer. Skyrmions are topologically-protected magnetization swirls that are promising candidates for spintronics memory carriers. Here, we report on the observation of skyrmionium in thin ferromagnetic films coupled to a magnetic topological insulator. The occurrence of skyrmionium, which appears as a soliton composed of two skyrmions with opposite winding numbers, is tied to the ferromagnetic state of the topological insulator. Our work presents a new combination of two important classes of topological materials and may open the door to new topologically inspired information-storage concepts in the future.
|
Jan 2018
|
|
B18-Core EXAFS
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13759, 15702]
Abstract: Magnetically doped topological insulators (TIs) are key to realizing the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, with the prospect of enabling dissipationless electronic devices in the future. Doping of the well-established three-dimensional TIs of the (Bi,Sb)2(Se,Te)3 family with the transition metals Cr and V is now an established approach for observing the QAH state at very low temperatures. While the magnetic transition temperatures of these materials are on the order of tens of degrees Kelvin, full quantization of the QAH state is achieved below ∼100 mK, governed by the size of the magnetic gap and thus the out-of-plane magnetic moment. In an attempt to raise the size of the magnetic moment and transition temperature, we carried out a structural and magnetic investigation of codoped (V,Cr):Sb2Te3 thin films. Starting from singly doped Cr:Sb2Te3 films, free of secondary phases and with a transition temperature of ∼72 K, we introduced increasing fractions of V and found a doubling of the transition temperature, while the magnetic moment decreases. In order to separate the properties and contributions of the two transition metals in the complex doping scenario independently, we
employed spectroscopic x-ray techniques. Surprisingly, already small amounts of V lead to the formation of the secondary phase Cr2Te3. No V was detectable in the Sb2Te3 matrix. Instead, it acts as a surfactant and can be found in the near-surface layers at the end of the growth. Our paper highlights the importance of x-ray-based studies for the doping of van der Waals systems, for which the optimization of magnetic moment or transition temperature alone is not necessarily a good strategy.
|
Nov 2017
|
|
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12958, 11784]
Open Access
Abstract: Long-wavelength spin spiral structures are ubiquitous in a large variety of magnetic materials. The detailed magnetic structure can take many variations owing to their different physical origins. Therefore, the unambiguous structural determination is crucial for understanding these spin systems, though such a task is experimentally challenging. Here, we show that ordered spin spiral structures can be fully determined in a single measurement by dichroic resonant elastic x-ray scattering using circularly polarized light. It is found that at certain geometrical conditions, the circular dichroism of the diffraction vanishes completely, revealing a one-to-one correspondence with the spin structure. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally this experimental principle, which allows for unambiguous structure determination immediately from the measured signal, whereby no modeling-based data refinement is needed. This largely expands the capabilities of conventional magnetic characterization techniques.
|
Sep 2017
|
|
|
|
Open Access
Abstract: Superconductors in proximity to topological insulators (TIs) have the potential to unlock exotic quantum phenomena, such as Majorana fermions. Quasi-one-dimensional structures are particularly suited to host these quantum states. Despite the growth of TI nanostructures being relatively straightforward, the in situ synthesis of superconductor-TI structures has been challenging. Here, we present a systematic study of the growth of the s-wave superconductor Sn on the TI Bi2Te3 by physical vapor transport. If Sn does not enter the Bi2Te3 lattice as a dopant, two types of structures are formed: Sn nanoparticles, that cover Bi2Te3 plates and belts in a cloud-like shape, and thin Sn layers on Bi2Te3 plates, that appear in puddle-like recessions. These heterostructures have potential applications as novel quantum devices.
|
Aug 2017
|
|
