Field-Induced Non-BEC Transitions in Frustrated Magnets

Frustrated spin systems have traditionally proven challenging to understand, owing to a scarcity of controlled methods for their analyses. By contrast, under strong magnetic fields, certain aspects of spin systems admit simpler and universal description in terms of hardcore bosons. The bosonic formalism is anchored by the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), which has helped explain the behaviors of a wide range of magnetic compounds under applied magnetic fields. Here, we focus on the interplay between frustration and externally applied magnetic field to identify instances where the BEC paradigm is no longer applicable. As a representative example, we consider the antiferromagnetic J_{1}-J_{2}-J_{3} model on the square lattice in the presence of a uniform external magnetic field, and demonstrate that the frustration-driven suppression of the Néel order leads to a Lifshitz transition for the hardcore bosons. In the vicinity of the Lifshitz point, the physics becomes unmoored from the BEC paradigm, and the behavior of the system, both at and below the saturation field, is controlled by a Lifshitz multicritical point. We obtain the resultant universal scaling behaviors, and provide strong evidence for the existence of a frustration and magnetic-field driven correlated bosonic liquid state along the entire phase boundary separating the Néel phase from other magnetically ordered states.

Anisotropic Melting of Frustrated Ising Antiferromagnets

Magnetic frustrations and dimensionality play an important role in determining the nature of the magnetic long-range order and how it melts at temperatures above the ordering transition T_{N}. In this Letter, we use large-scale Monte Carlo simulations to study these phenomena in a class of frustrated Ising spin models in two spatial dimensions. We find that the melting of the magnetic long-range order into an isotropic gaslike paramagnet proceeds via an intermediate stage where the classical spins remain anisotropically correlated. This correlated paramagnet exists in a temperature range T_{N}<T<T^{*}, whose width increases as magnetic frustrations grow. This intermediate phase is typically characterized by short-range correlations; however, the two-dimensional nature of the model allows for an additional exotic feature-formation of an incommensurate liquidlike phase with algebraically decaying spin correlations. The two-stage melting of magnetic order is generic and pertinent to many frustrated quasi-2D magnets with large (essentially classical) spins.

Diffusive excitonic bands from frustrated triangular sublattice in a singlet-ground-state system

Magnetic order in most materials occurs when magnetic ions with finite moments arrange in a particular pattern below the ordering temperature. Intriguingly, if the crystal electric field (CEF) effect results in a spin-singlet ground state, a magnetic order can still occur due to the exchange interactions between neighboring ions admixing the excited CEF levels. The magnetic excitations in such a state are spin excitons generally dispersionless in reciprocal space. Here we use neutron scattering to study stoichiometric Ni₂Mo₃O₈, where Ni²⁺ ions form a bipartite honeycomb lattice comprised of two triangular lattices, with ions subject to the tetrahedral and octahedral crystalline environment, respectively. We find that in both types of ions, the CEF excitations have nonmagnetic singlet ground states, yet the material has magnetic order. Furthermore, CEF spin excitons from the tetrahedral sites form a dispersive diffusive pattern around the Brillouin zone boundary, likely due to spin entanglement and geometric frustrations.

Evidence for Topological Magnon-Phonon Hybridization in a 2D Antiferromagnet down to the Monolayer Limit

Topological phonons and magnons potentially enable low-loss, quantum coherent, and chiral transport of information and energy at the atomic scale. Van der Waals magnetic materials are promising to realize such states due to their recently discovered strong interactions among the electronic, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom. Here, we report the first observation of coherent hybridization of magnons and phonons in monolayer antiferromagnet FePSe₃ by cavity-enhanced magneto-Raman spectroscopy. The robust magnon-phonon cooperativity in the 2D limit occurs even in zero magnetic field, which enables nontrivial band inversion between longitudinal and transverse optical phonons caused by the strong coupling with magnons. The spin and lattice symmetry theoretically guarantee magnetic-field-controlled topological phase transition, verified by nonzero Chern numbers calculated from the coupled spin-lattice model. The 2D topological magnon-phonon hybridization potentially offers a new route toward quantum phononics and magnonics with an ultrasmall footprint.

Fractionalized Excitations Revealed by Entanglement Entropy

Fractionalized excitations develop in many unusual many-body states such as quantum spin liquids, disordered phases that cannot be described using any local order parameter. Because these exotic excitations correspond to emergent degrees of freedom, how to probe them and establish their existence is a long-standing challenge. We present a general procedure to reveal the fractionalized excitations using real-space entanglement entropy in critical spin liquids that are particularly relevant to experiments. Moreover, we show how to use the entanglement entropy to construct the corresponding spinon Fermi surface. Our work defines a new pathway to establish and characterize exotic excitations in novel quantum phases of matter.

Low-carrier density and fragile magnetism in a Kondo lattice system

Kondo-based semimetals and semiconductors are of extensive current interest as a viable platform for strongly correlated states in the dilute carrier limit. It is thus important to explore the routes to understand such systems. One established pathway is through the Kondo effect in metallic nonmagnetic analogs, in the so called half-filling case of one conduction electron and one 4f electron per site. Here, we demonstrate that Kondo-based semimetals develop out of conduction electrons with a low-carrier density in the presence of an even number of rare-earth sites. We do so by studying the Kondo material Yb3Ir4Ge13 along with its closed-4f -shell counterpart, Lu3Ir4Ge13. Through magnetotransport, optical conductivity, and thermodynamic measurements, we establish that the correlated semimetallic state of Yb3Ir4Ge13 below its Kondo temperature originates from the Kondo effect of a low-carrier conduction-electron background. In addition, it displays fragile magnetism at very low temperatures, which in turn, can be tuned to a Griffiths-phase-like regime through Lu-for-Yb substitution. These findings are connected with recent theoretical studies in simplified models. Our results can pave the way to exploring strong correlation physics in a semimetallic environment.

Local orthorhombic lattice distortions in the paramagnetic tetragonal phase of superconducting NaFe1-xNixAs

Understanding the interplay between nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity is pivotal for elucidating the physics of iron-based superconductors. Here we use neutron scattering to probe magnetic and nematic orders throughout the phase diagram of NaFe1-xNixAs, finding that while both static antiferromagnetic and nematic orders compete with superconductivity, the onset temperatures for these two orders remain well separated approaching the putative quantum critical points. We uncover local orthorhombic distortions that persist well above the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition temperature Ts in underdoped samples and extend well into the overdoped regime that exhibits neither magnetic nor structural phase transitions. These unexpected local orthorhombic distortions display Curie-Weiss temperature dependence and become suppressed below the superconducting transition temperature Tc, suggesting that they result from the large nematic susceptibility near optimal superconductivity. Our results account for observations of rotational symmetry breaking above Ts, and attest to the presence of significant nematic fluctuations near optimal superconductivity.

Erratum: Spin Ferroquadrupolar Order in the Nematic Phase of FeSe [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 247203 (2016)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.247203.

Competing superconducting channels in iron pnictides from the strong coupling theory with biquadratic spin interactions

We study the symmetry and strength of the superconducting pairing in a two-orbital [Formula: see text] model for iron pnictides using the slave boson strong coupling approach. We show that the nearest-neighbor biquadratic interaction [Formula: see text] strongly affects the superconducting pairing phase diagram by promoting the [Formula: see text] B _1g and the [Formula: see text] A _1g channels. The resulting phase diagram consists of several competing pairing channels, including the isotropic [Formula: see text] A _1g channel, an anisotropic [Formula: see text] B _1g channel, and two [Formula: see text] pairing channels. We have investigated the evolution of superconducting states with electron doping, and find that the biquadratic interaction plays a crucial role in stabilizing the [Formula: see text] and even pure d-wave pairing in the heavily electron- and hole-doped regimes. In addition, we identify a novel orbital-B _1g pairing channel, which has a s-wave form factor but a B _1g symmetry. This channel has a comparable pairing amplitude to the d-wave pairing, and may strongly influence the superconducting gap anisotropy of the system in the overdoped regime. These findings are crucial in understanding the doping evolution of the superconducting gap anisotropy observed by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy in the iron pnictides and iron chalcogenides, including the heavily K-doped BaFe₂As₂ and K-doped FeSe films.

NaFe_{0.56}Cu_{0.44}As: A Pnictide Insulating Phase Induced by On-Site Coulomb Interaction

In the studies of iron pnictides, a key question is whether their bad-metal state from which the superconductivity emerges lies in close proximity with a magnetically ordered insulating phase. Recently, it was found that at low temperatures, the heavily Cu-doped NaFe_{1-x}Cu_{x}As (x>0.3) iron pnictide is an insulator with long-range antiferromagnetic order, similar to the parent compound of cuprates but distinct from all other iron pnictides. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we determined the momentum-resolved electronic structure of NaFe_{1-x}Cu_{x}As (x=0.44) and identified that its ground state is a narrow-gap insulator. Combining the experimental results with density functional theory (DFT) and DFT+U calculations, our analysis reveals that the on-site Coulombic (Hubbard) and Hund's coupling energies play crucial roles in the formation of the band gap about the chemical potential. We propose that at finite temperatures, charge carriers are thermally excited from the Cu-As-like valence band into the conduction band, which is of Fe 3d-like character. With increasing temperature, the number of electrons in the conduction band becomes larger and the hopping energy between Fe sites increases, and finally the long-range antiferromagnetic order is destroyed at T>T_{N}. Our study provides a basis for investigating the evolution of the electronic structure of a Mott insulator transforming into a bad metallic phase and eventually forming a superconducting state in iron pnictides.

Spin Ferroquadrupolar Order in the Nematic Phase of FeSe

We provide evidence that spin ferroquadrupolar (FQ) order is the likely ground state in the nonmagnetic nematic phase of stoichiometric FeSe. By studying the variational mean-field phase diagram of a bilinear-biquadratic Heisenberg model up to the 2nd nearest neighbor, we find the FQ phase in close proximity to the columnar antiferromagnet commonly realized in iron-based superconductors; the stability of the FQ phase is further verified by the density matrix renormalization group. The dynamical spin structure factor in the FQ state is calculated with flavor-wave theory, which yields a qualitatively consistent result with inelastic neutron scattering experiments on FeSe at both low and high energies. We verify that FQ can coexist with C_{4} breaking environments in the mean-field calculation, and further discuss the possibility that quantum fluctuations in FQ act as a source of nematicity.

Tuning the Magnetic Quantum Criticality of Artificial Kondo Superlattices CeRhIn_{5}/YbRhIn_{5}

The effects of reduced dimensions and the interfaces on antiferromagnetic quantum criticality are studied in epitaxial Kondo superlattices, with alternating n layers of heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn_{5} and seven layers of normal metal YbRhIn_{5}. As n is reduced, the Kondo coherence temperature is suppressed due to the reduction of effective Kondo screening. The Néel temperature is gradually suppressed as n decreases and the quasiparticle mass is strongly enhanced, implying dimensional control toward a quantum critical point. Magnetotransport measurements reveal that a quantum critical point is reached for the n=3 superlattice by applying small magnetic fields. Remarkably, the anisotropy of the quantum critical field is opposite to the expectations from the magnetic susceptibility in bulk CeRhIn_{5}, suggesting that the Rashba spin-orbit interaction arising from the inversion symmetry breaking at the interface plays a key role for tuning the quantum criticality in the two-dimensional Kondo lattice.

Three-Dimensional Crystallization of Vortex Strings in Frustrated Quantum Magnets

We demonstrate that frustrated exchange interactions can produce exotic 3D crystals of vortex strings near the saturation field (H=H(sat)) of body- and face-centered cubic Mott insulators. The combination of cubic symmetry and frustration leads to a magnon spectrum of the fully polarized spin state (H>H(sat)) with degenerate minima at multiple noncoplanar Q vectors. This spectrum becomes gapless at the quantum critical point H=H(sat) and the magnetic ordering below H(sat) can be formally described as a condensate of a dilute gas of bosons. By expanding in the lattice gas parameter, we find that different vortex crystals span sizable regions of the phase diagrams for isotropic exchange and are further stabilized by symmetric exchange anisotropy.

Orbital nematic order and interplay with magnetism in the two-orbital Hubbard model

Motivated by the recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on FeSe and iron pnictide families of iron-based superconductors, we have studied the orbital nematic order and its interplay with antiferromagnetism within the two-orbital Hubbard model. We used random phase approximation (RPA) to calculate the dependence of the orbital and magnetic susceptibilities on the strength of interactions and electron density (doping). To account for strong electron correlations not captured by RPA, we further employed non-perturbative variational cluster approximation (VCA) capable of capturing symmetry broken magnetic and orbitally ordered phases. Both approaches show that the electron and hole doping affect the two orders differently. While hole doping tends to suppress both magnetism and orbital ordering, the electron doping suppresses magnetism faster. Crucially, we find a realistic parameter regime for moderate electron doping that stabilizes orbital nematicity in the absence of long-range antiferromagnetic order. This is reminiscent of the non-magnetic orbital nematic phase observed recently in FeSe and a number of iron pnictide materials and raises the possibility that at least in some cases, the observed electronic nematicity may be primarily due to orbital rather than magnetic fluctuations.

Hydrogen diffusion and stabilization in single-crystal VO2 micro/nanobeams by direct atomic hydrogenation

We report measurements of the diffusion of atomic hydrogen in single crystalline VO2 micro/nanobeams by direct exposure to atomic hydrogen, without catalyst. The atomic hydrogen is generated by a hot filament, and the doping process takes place at moderate temperature (373 K). Undoped VO2 has a metal-to-insulator phase transition at ∼340 K between a high-temperature, rutile, metallic phase and a low-temperature, monoclinic, insulating phase with a resistance exhibiting a semiconductor-like temperature dependence. Atomic hydrogenation results in stabilization of the metallic phase of VO2 micro/nanobeams down to 2 K, the lowest point we could reach in our measurement setup. Optical characterization shows that hydrogen atoms prefer to diffuse along the c axis of rutile (a axis of monoclinic) VO2, along the oxygen "channels". Based on observing the movement of the hydrogen diffusion front in single crystalline VO2 beams, we estimate the diffusion constant for hydrogen along the c axis of the rutile phase to be 6.7 × 10(-10) cm(2)/s at approximately 373 K, exceeding the value in isostructural TiO2 by ∼38×. Moreover, we find that the diffusion constant along the c axis of the rutile phase exceeds that along the equivalent a axis of the monoclinic phase by at least 3 orders of magnitude. This remarkable change in kinetics must originate from the distortion of the "channels" when the unit cell doubles along this direction upon cooling into the monoclinic structure. Ab initio calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental trends in the relative kinetics of the two phases. This raises the possibility of a switchable membrane for hydrogen transport.

Avoided quantum criticality and magnetoelastic coupling in BaFe(2-x)Ni(x)As2

We study the structural and magnetic orders in electron-doped BaFe(2-x)Ni(x)As2 by high-resolution synchrotron x-ray and neutron scatterings. Upon Ni doping x, the nearly simultaneous tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural (T(s)) and antiferromagnetic (T(N)) phase transitions in BaFe2As2 are gradually suppressed and separated, resulting in T(s)>T(N) with increasing x, as was previously observed. However, the temperature separation between T(s) and T(N) decreases with increasing x for x≥0.065, tending toward a quantum bicritical point near optimal superconductivity at x≈0.1. The zero-temperature transition is preempted by the formation of a secondary incommensurate magnetic phase in the region 0.088≲x≲0.104, resulting in a finite value of T(N)≈T(c) + 10  K above the superconducting dome around x≈0.1. Our results imply an avoided quantum critical point, which is expected to strongly influence the properties of both the normal and superconducting states.

β-YbAlB4: a critical nodal metal

We propose a model for the intrinsic quantum criticality of β-YbAlB(4), in which a vortex in momentum space gives rise to a new type of Fermi surface singularity. The unquenched angular momentum of the |J=7/2,m(J)=±5/2> Yb 4f states generates a momentum-space line defect in the hybridization between 4f and conduction electrons, leading to a quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface with a k(⊥)(4) dispersion and a singular density of states proportional to E(-1/2). We discuss the implications of this line node in momentum space for our current understanding of quantum criticality and its interplay with topology.

Strongly correlated materials

Strongly correlated materials are profoundly affected by the repulsive electron-electron interaction. This stands in contrast to many commonly used materials such as silicon and aluminum, whose properties are comparatively unaffected by the Coulomb repulsion. Correlated materials often have remarkable properties and transitions between distinct, competing phases with dramatically different electronic and magnetic orders. These rich phenomena are fascinating from the basic science perspective and offer possibilities for technological applications. This article looks at these materials through the lens of research performed at Rice University. Topics examined include: Quantum phase transitions and quantum criticality in "heavy fermion" materials and the iron pnictide high temperature superconductors; computational ab initio methods to examine strongly correlated materials and their interface with analytical theory techniques; layered dichalcogenides as example correlated materials with rich phases (charge density waves, superconductivity, hard ferromagnetism) that may be tuned by composition, pressure, and magnetic field; and nanostructure methods applied to the correlated oxides VO₂ and Fe₃O₄, where metal-insulator transitions can be manipulated by doping at the nanoscale or driving the system out of equilibrium. We conclude with a discussion of the exciting prospects for this class of materials.

Bulk magnetic order in a two-dimensional Ni1+/Ni2+ (d9/d8) nickelate, isoelectronic with superconducting cuprates

The Ni1+/Ni2+ states of nickelates have the identical (3d(9)/3d(8)) electronic configuration as Cu2+/Cu3+ in the high temperature superconducting cuprates, and are expected to show interesting properties. An intriguing question is whether mimicking the electronic and structural features of cuprates would also result in superconductivity in nickelates. Here we report experimental evidence for a bulklike magnetic transition in La4Ni3O8 at 105 K. Density functional theory calculations relate the transition to a spin density wave nesting instability of the Fermi surface.

Kondo resonance narrowing in d- and f-electron systems

We develop a simple scaling theory for the effect of Hund's interactions on the Kondo effect, showing how an exponential narrowing of the Kondo resonance develops in magnetic ions with large Hund's interaction. Our theory accounts for the exponential reduction of the Kondo temperature with spin S of the Hund's coupled moment, first observed in d-electron alloys in the 1960s, and more recently encountered in numerical calculations on multiband Hubbard models. We discuss the consequences of Kondo resonance narrowing for the Mott transition in d-band materials, particularly iron pnictides, and the narrow ESR linewidth recently observed in ferromagnetically correlated f-electron materials.

Layered Kondo lattice model for quantum critical beta-YbAlB4

We analyze the magnetic and electronic properties of the quantum critical heavy fermion superconductor beta-YbAlB4, calculating the Fermi surface and the angular dependence of the extremal orbits relevant to the de Haas-van Alphen measurements. Using a combination of the realistic materials modeling and single-ion crystal field analysis, we are led to propose a layered Kondo lattice model for this system, in which two-dimensional boron layers are Kondo coupled via interlayer Yb moments in a Jz=+/-5/2 state. This model fits the measured single-ion magnetic susceptibility and predicts a substantial change in the electronic anisotropy as the system is pressure tuned through the quantum critical point.

Coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity close to a quantum phase transition: the Heisenberg- to Ising-type crossover

A microscopic mean-field theory of the phase coexistence between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the weakly ferromagnetic itinerant electron system is constructed, while incorporating a realistic mechanism for superconducting pairing due to the exchange of critical spin fluctuations. The self-consistent solution of the resulting equations determines the superconducting transition temperature which is shown to depend strongly on the exchange splitting. The effect of phase crossover from isotropic (Heisenberg-like) to uniaxial (Ising-like) spin fluctuations near the quantum phase transition is analyzed and the generic phase diagram is obtained. This scenario is then applied to the case of itinerant ferromagnet ZrZn2, which sheds light on the proposed phase diagram of this compound. A possible explanation of superconductivity in UGe2 is also discussed.

Chemically active substitutional nitrogen impurity in carbon nanotubes

We investigate the nitrogen substitutional impurity in semiconducting zigzag and metallic armchair single-wall carbon nanotubes using ab initio density functional theory. At low concentrations (less than 1 at. %), the defect state in a semiconducting tube becomes spatially localized and develops a flat energy level in the band gap. Such a localized state makes the impurity site chemically and electronically active. We find that if two neighboring tubes have their impurities facing one another, an intertube covalent bond forms. This finding opens an intriguing possibility for tunnel junctions, as well as the functionalization of suitably doped carbon nanotubes by selectively forming chemical bonds with ligands at the impurity site. If the intertube bond density is high enough, a highly packed bundle of interlinked single-wall nanotubes can form.