| 1. |
- Belopolski, Ilya, et al.
(author)
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Observation of a linked-loop quantum state in a topological magnet
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 604:7907, s. 647-652
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantum phases can be classified by topological invariants, which take on discrete values capturing global information about the quantum state1–13. Over the past decades, these invariants have come to play a central role in describing matter, providing the foundation for understanding superfluids5, magnets6,7, the quantum Hall effect3,8, topological insulators9,10, Weyl semimetals11–13 and other phenomena. Here we report an unusual linking-number (knot theory) invariant associated with loops of electronic band crossings in a mirror-symmetric ferromagnet14–20. Using state-of-the-art spectroscopic methods, we directly observe three intertwined degeneracy loops in the material’s three-torus, T3, bulk Brillouin zone. We find that each loop links each other loop twice. Through systematic spectroscopic investigation of this linked-loop quantum state, we explicitly draw its link diagram and conclude, in analogy with knot theory, that it exhibits the linking number (2, 2, 2), providing a direct determination of the invariant structure from the experimental data. We further predict and observe, on the surface of our samples, Seifert boundary states protected by the bulk linked loops, suggestive of a remarkable Seifert bulk–boundary correspondence. Our observation of a quantum loop link motivates the application of knot theory to the exploration of magnetic and superconducting quantum matter.
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| 2. |
- Chikina, Alla, et al.
(author)
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Band-Order Anomaly at the gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 Interface Drives the Electron-Mobility Boost
- 2021
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In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 15:3, s. 4347-4356
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The rich functionalities of transition-metal oxides and their interfaces bear an enormous technological potential. Its realization in practical devices requires, however, a significant improvement of yet relatively low electron mobility in oxide materials. Recently, a mobility boost of about 2 orders of magnitude has been demonstrated at the spinel-perovskite gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 interface compared to the paradigm perovskite-perovskite LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. We explore the fundamental physics behind this phenomenon from direct measurements of the momentum-resolved electronic structure of this interface using resonant soft-X-ray angle-resolved photoemission. We find an anomaly in orbital ordering of the mobile electrons in gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 which depopulates electron states in the top SrTiO3 layer. This rearrangement of the mobile electron system pushes the electron density away from the interface, which reduces its overlap with the interfacial defects and weakens the electron-phonon interaction, both effects contributing to the mobility boost. A crystal-field analysis shows that the band order alters owing to the symmetry breaking between the spinel gamma-Al2O3 and perovskite SrTiO3. Band-order engineering, exploiting the fundamental symmetry properties, emerges as another route to boost the performance of oxide devices.
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| 3. |
- Krieger, Jonas A., et al.
(author)
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Weyl spin-momentum locking in a chiral topological semimetal
- 2024
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In: Nature Communications. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spin-orbit coupling in noncentrosymmetric crystals leads to spin-momentum locking – a directional relationship between an electron’s spin angular momentum and its linear momentum. Isotropic orthogonal Rashba spin-momentum locking has been studied for decades, while its counterpart, isotropic parallel Weyl spin-momentum locking has remained elusive in experiments. Theory predicts that Weyl spin-momentum locking can only be realized in structurally chiral cubic crystals in the vicinity of Kramers-Weyl or multifold fermions. Here, we use spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to evidence Weyl spin-momentum locking of multifold fermions in the chiral topological semimetal PtGa. We find that the electron spin of the Fermi arc surface states is orthogonal to their Fermi surface contour for momenta close to the projection of the bulk multifold fermion at the Γ point, which is consistent with Weyl spin-momentum locking of the latter. The direct measurement of the bulk spin texture of the multifold fermion at the R point also displays Weyl spin-momentum locking. The discovery of Weyl spin-momentum locking may lead to energy-efficient memory devices and Josephson diodes based on chiral topological semimetals.
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| 4. |
- Söderström, Johan, 1978-, et al.
(author)
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Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering on CO2 : Parity conservation in inversion-symmetric polyatomics
- 2020
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In: Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. - 1050-2947 .- 1094-1622. ; 101:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra excited at the oxygen K edge of CO2 are presented and discussed. Although excitation from a gerade initial state to the intermediate 1s-1π* state breaks the inversion symmetry due to strong vibronic coupling, RIXS excited at the corresponding resonance exclusively populates gerade vibrations in the gerade electronic ground state. This observation constitutes an experimental confirmation of the prediction that the parity selection rule applies in RIXS on an inversion-symmetric polyatomic system, provided that the total electronic-vibronic wave function is considered. Parity selectivity is used for assigning spectra to the population of electronically excited final states, a procedure hampered only when symmetry-breaking vibronic coupling in the final states is prominent. A RIXS spectrum excited in the Rydberg region is tentatively assigned using a simplified quasi-two-step model in which it is assumed that the electron in the Rydberg orbital excited in the first step remains as a spectator during the second decay step.
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