Giant lattice softening at a Lifshitz transition in Sr2RuO4

The interplay of electronic and structural degrees of freedom in solids is a topic of intense research. More than 60 years ago, Lifshitz discussed a counterintuitive possibility: lattice softening driven by conduction electrons at topological Fermi surface transitions. The effect that he predicted, however, was small and has not been convincingly observed. Using a piezo-based uniaxial pressure cell to tune the ultraclean metal strontium ruthenate while measuring the stress-strain relationship, we reveal a huge softening of the Young's modulus at a Lifshitz transition of a two-dimensional Fermi surface and show that it is indeed driven entirely by the conduction electrons of the relevant energy band.

Suppressed Fluctuations as the Origin of the Static Magnetic Order in Strained Sr_{2}RuO_{4}

Combining first-principles density-functional calculations and Moriya's self-consistent renormalization theory, we explain the recently reported counterintuitive appearance of an ordered magnetic state in uniaxially strained Sr_{2}RuO_{4} beyond the Lifshitz transition. We show that strain weakens the quantum spin fluctuations, which destroy the static order, more strongly than the tendency to magnetism. A different rate of decrease of the spin fluctuations vs magnetic stabilization energy promotes the onset of a static magnetic order beyond a critical strain.

Magnetization Process of Atacamite: A Case of Weakly Coupled S=1/2 Sawtooth Chains

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the mineral atacamite Cu_{2}Cl(OH)_{3}. Density-functional theory yields a Hamiltonian describing anisotropic sawtooth chains with weak 3D connections. Experimentally, we fully characterize the antiferromagnetically ordered state. Magnetic order shows a complex evolution with the magnetic field, while, starting at 31.5 T, we observe a plateaulike magnetization at about M_{sat}/2. Based on complementary theoretical approaches, we show that the latter is unrelated to the known magnetization plateau of a sawtooth chain. Instead, we provide evidence that the magnetization process in atacamite is a field-driven canting of a 3D network of weakly coupled sawtooth chains that form giant moments.

Competing magnetic phases and fluctuation-driven scalar spin chirality in the kagome metal YMn6Sn6

Identification, understanding, and manipulation of novel magnetic textures are essential for the discovery of new quantum materials for future spin-based electronic devices. In particular, materials that manifest a large response to external stimuli such as a magnetic field are subject to intense investigation. Here, we study the kagome-net magnet YMn₆Sn₆ by magnetometry, transport, and neutron diffraction measurements combined with first-principles calculations. We identify a number of nontrivial magnetic phases, explain their microscopic nature, and demonstrate that one of them hosts a large topological Hall effect (THE). We propose a previously unidentified fluctuation-driven mechanism, which leads to the THE at elevated temperatures. This interesting physics comes from parametrically frustrated interplanar exchange interactions that trigger strong magnetic fluctuations. Our results pave a path to chiral spin textures, promising for novel spintronics.

Reduction of the Spin Susceptibility in the Superconducting State of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} Observed by Polarized Neutron Scattering

Recent observations [A. Pustogow et al., Nature (London) 574, 72 (2019).NATUAS0028-083610.1038/s41586-019-1596-2] of a drop of the ^{17}O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Knight shift in the superconducting state of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} challenged the popular picture of a chiral odd-parity paired state in this compound. Here we use polarized neutron scattering (PNS) to show that there is a 34±6% drop in the magnetic susceptibility at the Ru site below the superconducting transition temperature. We measure at lower fields H∼1/3H_{c2} than a previous PNS study allowing the suppression to be observed. The PNS measurements show a smaller susceptibility suppression than NMR measurements performed at similar field and temperature. Our results rule out the chiral odd-parity d=z[over ^](k_{x}±ik_{y}) state and are consistent with several recent proposals for the order parameter including even-parity B_{1g} and odd-parity helical states.

Novel Fe-Based Superconductor LaFe_{2}As_{2} in Comparison with Traditional Pnictides

The recently discovered Fe-based superconductor (FeBS) LaFe_{2}As_{2} seems to break away from an established pattern that doping an FeBS beyond 0.2e/Fe destroys superconductivity. LaFe_{2}As_{2} has an apparent doping of 0.5e, yet superconducts at 12.1 K. Its Fermi surface bears no visual resemblance with the canonical FeBS fermiology. It also exhibits two phases, none magnetic and only one superconducting. We show that the difference between them nonetheless has a magnetic origin, the one featuring disordered moments, and the other locally nonmagnetic. We find that La there assumes an unusual valence of +2.6 to +2.7, so that the effective doping is reduced to 0.30-0.35e. A closer look reveals the same key elements: hole Fermi surfaces near Γ-Z and electron ones near the X-P lines, with the corresponding peak in susceptibility, and a strong tendency to stripe magnetism. The physics of LaFe_{2}As_{2} is thus more similar to the FeBS paradigm than hitherto appreciated.

Why have band theorists been so successful in explaining and predicting novel superconductors?

In this contribution to the J. Phys.: Condens. Matter memorial issue in honor of Sandro Massidda I reflect on a phenomenon Sandro had been a part of. While theoretical condensed matter physicists have made, over the years, exciting and most elegant contributions to the theory of superconductivity (which, in and by itself, is one of the most beautiful constructs in theoretical physics), some of them of utmost importance, they have had less success in predicting and explaining superconducting states and mechanisms in specific materials. More down-to-earth computational materials scientists, who often go by the moniker 'band theorists', have been much more successful in applying (usually other people's) ideas in such circumstances. In this essay I give some examples, largely drawn from my own experience, and speculate on their meaning.

Spin Fluctuations in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} from Polarized Neutron Scattering: Implications for Superconductivity

Triplet pairing in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} was initially suggested based on the hypothesis of strong ferromagnetic spin fluctuations. Using polarized inelastic neutron scattering, we accurately determine the full spectrum of spin fluctuations in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. Besides the well-studied incommensurate magnetic fluctuations, we do find a sizable quasiferromagnetic signal, quantitatively consistent with all macroscopic and microscopic probes. We use this result to address the possibility of magnetically driven triplet superconductivity in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. We conclude that, even though the quasiferromagnetic signal is stronger and sharper than previously anticipated, spin fluctuations alone are not enough to generate a triplet state strengthening the need for additional interactions or an alternative pairing scenario.

Uncovering the Mechanism of the Impurity-Selective Mott Transition in Paramagnetic V_{2}O_{3}

While the phase diagrams of the one- and multiorbital Hubbard model have been well studied, the physics of real Mott insulators is often much richer, material dependent, and poorly understood. In the prototype Mott insulator V_{2}O_{3}, chemical pressure was initially believed to explain why the paramagnetic-metal to antiferromagnetic-insulator transition temperature is lowered by Ti doping while Cr doping strengthens correlations, eventually rendering the high-temperature phase paramagnetic insulating. However, this scenario has been recently shown both experimentally and theoretically to be untenable. Based on full structural optimization, we demonstrate via the charge self-consistent combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory that changes in the V_{2}O_{3} phase diagram are driven by defect-induced local symmetry breakings resulting from dramatically different couplings of Cr and Ti dopants to the host system. This finding emphasizes the high sensitivity of the Mott metal-insulator transition to the local environment and the importance of accurately accounting for the one-electron Hamiltonian, since correlations crucially respond to it.

Nontrivial Role of Interlayer Cation States in Iron-Based Superconductors

Unconventional superconductivity in iron pnictides and chalcogenides has been suggested to be controlled by the interplay of low-energy antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and the particular topology of the Fermi surface in these materials. Based on this premise, one would also expect the large class of isostructural and isoelectronic iron germanide compounds to be good superconductors. As a matter of fact, they, however, superconduct at very low temperatures or not at all. In this work we establish that superconductivity in iron germanides is suppressed by strong ferromagnetic tendencies, which surprisingly do not originate from changes in bond angles or bond distances with respect to iron pnictides and chalcogenides, but are due to changes in the electronic structure in a wide range of energies happening upon substitution of atom species (As by Ge and the corresponding spacer cations). Our results indicate that superconductivity in iron-based materials may not always be fully understood based on d or d-p model Hamiltonians only.

Structural origin of the anomalous temperature dependence of the local magnetic moments in the CaFe2As2 family of materials

We report a combination of Fe Kβ x-ray emission spectroscopy and density functional reduced Stoner theory calculations to investigate the correlation between structural and magnetic degrees of freedom in CaFe2(As1-xPx)2. The puzzling temperature behavior of the local moment found in rare earth-doped CaFe2As2 [H. Gretarsson et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 047003 (2013)] is also observed in CaFe2(As1-xPx)2. We explain this phenomenon based on first-principles calculations with scaled magnetic interaction. One scaling parameter is sufficient to describe quantitatively the magnetic moments in both CaFe2(As1-xPx)2 (x=0.055) and Ca0.78La0.22Fe2As2 at all temperatures. The anomalous growth of the local moments with increasing temperature can be understood from the observed large thermal expansion of the c-axis lattice parameter combined with strong magnetoelastic coupling. These effects originate from the strong tendency to form As-As dimers across the Ca layer in the CaFe2As2 family of materials. Our results emphasize the dual local-itinerant character of magnetism in Fe pnictides.

Theoretical prediction of a strongly correlated Dirac metal

Recently, the most intensely studied objects in the electronic theory of solids have been strongly correlated systems and graphene. However, the fact that the Dirac bands in graphene are made up of sp(2) electrons, which are subject to neither strong Hubbard repulsion U nor strong Hund's rule coupling J, creates certain limitations in terms of novel, interaction-induced physics that could be derived from Dirac points. Here we propose GaCu3(OH)6Cl2 (Ga-substituted herbertsmithite) as a correlated Dirac-Kagome metal combining Dirac electrons, strong interactions and frustrated magnetic interactions. Using density functional theory, we calculate its crystallographic and electronic properties, and observe that it has symmetry-protected Dirac points at the Fermi level. Its many-body physics is diverse, with possible charge, magnetic and superconducting instabilities. Through a combination of various many-body methods we study possible symmetry-lowering phase transitions such as Mott-Hubbard, charge or magnetic ordering, and unconventional superconductivity, which in this compound assumes an f-wave symmetry.

Na2IrO3 as a molecular orbital crystal

Contrary to previous studies that classify Na(2)IrO(3) as a realization of the Heisenberg-Kitaev model with a dominant spin-orbit coupling, we show that this system represents a highly unusual case in which the electronic structure is dominated by the formation of quasimolecular orbitals (QMOs), with substantial quenching of the orbital moments. The QMOs consist of six atomic orbitals on an Ir hexagon, but each Ir atom belongs to three different QMOs. The concept of such QMOs in solids invokes very different physics compared to the models considered previously. Employing density functional theory calculations and model considerations we find that both the insulating behavior and the experimentally observed zigzag antiferromagnetism in Na(2)IrO(3) naturally follow from the QMO model.

Spin waves and revised crystal structure of honeycomb iridate Na2IrO3

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements on Na2IrO3, a candidate for the Kitaev spin model on the honeycomb lattice. We observe spin-wave excitations below 5 meV with a dispersion that can be accounted for by including substantial further-neighbor exchanges that stabilize zigzag magnetic order. The onset of long-range magnetic order below T(N)=15.3  K is confirmed via the observation of oscillations in zero-field muon-spin rotation experiments. Combining single-crystal diffraction and density functional calculations we propose a revised crystal structure model with significant departures from the ideal 90° Ir-O-Ir bonds required for dominant Kitaev exchange.

de Haas-van Alphen study of the Fermi surfaces of superconducting LiFeP and LiFeAs

We report a de Haas-van Alphen oscillation study of the 111 iron pnictide superconductors LiFeAs with T(c) ≈ 18 K and LiFeP with T(c) ≈ 5 K. We find that for both compounds the Fermi surface topology is in good agreement with density functional band-structure calculations and has almost nested electron and hole bands. The effective masses generally show significant enhancement, up to ~3 for LiFeP and ~5 for LiFeAs. However, one hole Fermi surface in LiFeP shows a very small enhancement, as compared with its other sheets. This difference probably results from k-dependent coupling to spin fluctuations and may be the origin of the different nodal and nodeless superconducting gap structures in LiFeP and LiFeAs, respectively.

Direct observation of charge order in triangular metallic AgNiO2 by single-crystal resonant X-ray scattering

We report resonant x-ray scattering measurements on a single crystal of the orbitally degenerate triangular metallic antiferromagnet 2H-AgNiO2 to probe the spontaneous transition to a triple-cell superstructure at temperatures below T(S)=365  K. We observe a strong resonant enhancement of the supercell reflections through the Ni K edge. The empirically extracted K-edge shift between the crystallographically distinct Ni sites of 2.5(3) eV is much larger than the value expected from the shift in final states, and implies a core-level shift of ∼1  eV, thus providing direct evidence for the onset of spontaneous honeycomb charge order in the triangular Ni layers. We also provide band-structure calculations that explain quantitatively the observed edge shifts in terms of changes in the Ni electronic energy levels due to charge order and hybridization with the surrounding oxygens.

Properties of Novel Thermoelectrics from First Principles Calculations

The use of first principles methods based on density functional theory to investigate novel thermoelectric materials is illustrated for several empty and filled skutterudite compounds, including CoSb3, COP3, La(Fe,Co)4Sb12 and La(Fe,Co)P12. Band structures and their relationship to transport properties especially as regards optimization of thermoelectric properties is discussed. Phonon models constructed from calculations and existing experimental data for CoSb3 are presented. These have been extended to the filled skutterudites, particularly LaFe4Sb12 using additional first principles calculations to fix the La related parameters in the model. This model allows an interpretation of neutron scattering data as well as an understanding of the low frequency phonon modes that transport heat in these compounds.

Magnetic Collapse and the Behavior of Transition Metal Oxides: FeO at High Pressures

Linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) results are presented for FeO at high pressures using the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) to study the high-spin low-spin transition previously predicted by LAPW with the Local Density Approximation (LDA) and Linear Muffin Tin Orbital (LMTO-ASA) methods within the GGA. We find a first-order transition at a pressure of about 105 GPa for the cubic lattice, consistent with earlier LAPW results, but much lower than obtained with the LMTO. The results are generally consistent with recent Mössbauer experiments that show a transition at about 100 GPa. We also discuss the origin of the transition, and show that it is not due to electrostatic crystal-field effects, but is rather due to hybridization and band widening with pressure. Examination of experimental data and computations suggest that the high pressure hexagonal phase of FeO is likely a polytype between the B8 NiAs and anti-B8 AsNi structures. The former is predicted to be an antiferromagnetic metal, and the latter an antiferromagnetic insulator. Implications for geophysics are discussed.

Andreev spectra and subgap bound states in multiband superconductors

A theory of Andreev conductance is formulated for junctions involving normal metals (N) and multiband superconductors (S) and applied to the case of superconductors with nodeless extended s(+/-)-wave order parameter symmetry, as possibly realized in the recently discovered ferropnictides. We find qualitative differences from tunneling into s-wave or d-wave superconductors that may help to identify such a state. First, interband interference leads to a suppression of Andreev reflection in the case of a highly transparent N/S interface and to a current deficit in the tunneling regime. Second, surface bound states may appear, both at zero and at nonzero energies.

Possible phase-sensitive tests of pairing symmetry in pnictide superconductors

The discovery of the new class of pnictide superconductors has engendered a controversy about their pairing symmetry, with proposals ranging from an extended s wave or "s_{+/-}" symmetry to nodal or nodeless d-wave symmetry to still more exotic order parameters such as p wave. In this Letter, building on the earlier, similar work performed for the cuprates, we propose several phase-sensitive Josephson interferometry experiments, each of which may allow resolution of the issue.

Electronic structure of the NaxCoO2 surface

The idea that surface effects may play an important role in suppressing eg' Fermi surface pockets on NaxCoO2 (0.333 < or = x < or = 0.75) has been frequently proposed to explain the discrepancy between local-density approximation calculations which find eg' hole pockets present and Angle resolved photoemission spectra (ARPES) experiments, which do not observe the hole pockets. Since ARPES is a surface sensitive technique, it is important to investigate the effects that surface formation will have on the electronic structure. We show that a combination of surface formation and contamination effects could resolve the ongoing controversy between ARPES experiments and theory.

Unconventional superconductivity with a sign reversal in the order parameter of LaFeAsO1-xFx

We argue that the newly discovered superconductivity in a nearly magnetic, Fe-based layered compound is unconventional and mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, though different from the usual superexchange and specific to this compound. This resulting state is an example of extended s-wave pairing with a sign reversal of the order parameter between different Fermi surface sheets. The main role of doping in this scenario is to lower the density of states and suppress the pair-breaking ferromagnetic fluctuations.

Electron-phonon interaction and charge carrier mass enhancement in SrTiO3

We report a comprehensive THz, infrared and optical study of Nb-doped SrTiO3 as well as dc conductivity and Hall effect measurements. Our THz spectra at 7 K show the presence of an unusually narrow (<2 meV) Drude peak. For all carrier concentrations the Drude spectral weight shows a factor of three mass enhancement relative to the effective mass in the local density approximation, whereas the spectral weight contained in the incoherent midinfrared response indicates that the mass enhancement is at least a factor two. We find no evidence of a particularly large electron-phonon coupling that would result in small polaron formation.

Orbital degeneracy removed by charge order in triangular antiferromagnet AgNiO2

We report a high-resolution neutron diffraction study on the orbitally degenerate spin-1/2 hexagonal metallic antiferromagnet AgNiO2. A structural transition to a tripled unit cell with expanded and contracted NiO6 octahedra indicates sqrt[3]xsqrt[3] charge order on the Ni triangular lattice. This suggests charge order as a possible mechanism of lifting the orbital degeneracy in the presence of charge fluctuations, as an alternative to the more usual Jahn-Teller distortions. A novel magnetic ground state is observed at low temperatures with the electron-rich S=1 Ni sites arranged in alternating ferromagnetic rows on a triangular lattice, surrounded by a honeycomb network of nonmagnetic and metallic Ni ions. We also report first-principles band-structure calculations that explain microscopically the origin of these phenomena.

Critical temperature and enhanced isotope effect in the presence of paramagnons in phonon-mediated superconductors

We reconsider the long-standing problem of the effect of spin fluctuations on the critical temperature and isotope effect in a phonon-mediated superconductor. Although the general physics of the interplay between phonons and paramagnons has been rather well understood, the existing approximate formulas fail to describe the correct behavior of Tc for general phonon and paramagnon spectra. Using a controllable approximation, we derive an analytical formula for Tc which agrees well with exact numerical solutions of the Eliashberg equations for a broad range of parameters. Based on both numerical and analytical results, we predict a strong enhancement of the isotope effect when the frequencies of spin fluctuation and phonons are of the same order. This effect may have important consequences for near-magnetic superconductors such as MgCNi3.

Intercalant-driven superconductivity in YbC6 and CaC6

Recently discovered superconductivity in YbC6 and CaC6, at temperatures substantially higher than previously known for intercalated graphites, raises several new questions. (1) Is the mechanism considerably different from that of previously known intercalated graphites? (2) If superconductivity is conventional, what are the relevant phonons? (3) Given the extreme similarity between YbC6 and CaC6, why are their critical temperatures so different? We address these questions on the basis of first-principles calculations and conclude that coupling with intercalant phonons is likely to be the main force for superconductivity in YbC6 and CaC6, but not in alkaline-intercalated compounds, and explain the difference in T(c) by the "isotope effect" due to the difference in Yb and Ca atomic masses.

Nesting, spin fluctuations, and odd-gap superconductivity in NaxCoO2.yH2O

We calculated the one-electron susceptibility of hydrated NaxCoO2 and find strong nesting, involving about 70% of all electrons at the Fermi level and nearly commensurate with a 2 x 2 superstructure. This nesting creates a tendency to a charge density wave compatible with the charge order often seen at x approximately 0.5 and usually ascribed to electrostatic repulsion of Na ions. In the spin channel, it leads to strong spin fluctuations, which should be important for superconductivity. The state most compatible with this nesting structure is an odd-gap triplet s-wave state.

Why Ni3Al is an itinerant ferromagnet but Ni3Ga is not

Ni3Al and Ni3Ga are closely related materials on opposite sides of a ferromagnetic quantum critical point. The Stoner factor of Ni is virtually the same in both compounds and the density of states is larger in Ni3Ga. Thus in Stoner theory it should be more magnetic, and in local-density approximation (LDA) calculations it is. However, experimentally it is a paramagnet, while Ni3Al is an itinerant ferromagnet. We show that critical spin fluctuations are stronger in Ni3Ga, due to weaker q dependence of the susceptibility, and this effect is enough to reverse the trend. The approach combines LDA calculations with Landau theory and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem using the same momentum cutoff for both compounds. The calculations provide evidence for strong, beyond LDA, spin fluctuations associated with the critical point in both materials, but stronger in Ni3Ga than in Ni3Al.

Superconductivity in MgB2: clean or dirty?

A large number of experimental facts and theoretical arguments favor a two-gap model for superconductivity in MgB2. However, this model predicts strong suppression of the critical temperature by interband impurity scattering and, presumably, a strong correlation between the critical temperature and the residual resistivity. No such correlation has been observed. We argue that this fact can be understood if the band disparity of the electronic structure is taken into account, not only in the superconducting state, but also in normal transport.

Competition of spin fluctuations and phonons in superconductivity of ZrZn(2)

It has long been suspected that spin fluctuations in ZrZn2 may lead to a triplet superconductivity. We point out another possibility, an inhomogeneous singlet (Fulde-Ferrell) state. We calculated the electronic structure, as well as the zone center phonons and their coupling with electrons. We find that the exchange splitting is nonuniform and the Fermi surface exhibits substantial nesting. Both factors favor a Fulde-Ferrell state at parts of the Fermi surface. We find a substantial coupling of Zr rattling modes with electrons, which can provide the necessary pairing in the s-channel.

Beyond Eliashberg superconductivity in MgB2: anharmonicity, two-phonon scattering, and multiple gaps

Density-functional calculations of the phonon spectrum and electron-phonon coupling in MgB (2) are presented. The E(2g) phonons, which involve in-plane B displacements, couple strongly to the p(x,y) electronic bands. The isotropic electron-phonon coupling constant is calculated to be about 0.8. Allowing for different order parameters in different bands, the superconducting lambda in the clean limit is calculated to be significantly larger. The E(2g) phonons are strongly anharmonic, and the nonlinear contribution to the coupling between the E(2g) modes and the p(x,y) bands is significant.

Superconductivity of metallic boron in MgB2

Boron in MgB2 forms stacks of honeycomb layers with magnesium as a space filler. Band structure calculations indicate that Mg is substantially ionized, and the bands at the Fermi level derive mainly from B orbitals. Strong bonding with an ionic component and considerable metallic density of states yield a sizable electron-phonon coupling. Together with high phonon frequencies, which we estimate via zone-center frozen phonon calculations to be between 300 and 700 cm(-1), this produces a high critical temperature, consistent with recent experiments. Thus MgB2 can be viewed as an analog of the long sought, but still hypothetical, superconducting metallic hydrogen.

Magnetic Collapse in Transition Metal Oxides at High Pressure: Implications for the Earth

Magnetic collapse in transition metal ions is predicted from first-principles computations at pressures reached in the Earth's lower mantle and core. Magnetic collapse would lead to marked changes in geophysically important properties, such as elasticity and conductivity, and also to different geochemical behavior, such as element partitioning, than estimated by extrapolating low-pressure data, and thus change the understanding of Earth's structure and evolution. Magnetic collapse results from band widening rather than from changes in crystal field splitting under pressure. Seismic anomalies in the outer core and the lowermost mantle may be due to magnetic collapse of ferrous iron, dissolved in iron liquid in the outer core, and in solution in magnesiowustite in the lowermost mantle.