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We report findings of strong anomalies in both mutual inductance and inelastic Raman spectroscopy measurements of single-unit-cell FeSe film grown on Nb-doped SrTiO3, which occur near the temperature where the superconducting like energy gap opens. Analysis suggests that the anomaly is associated with a broadened ferroelectric transition in a thin layer near the FeSe/SrTiO, interface. The coincidence of the ferroelectric transition and gap-opening temperatures adds credence to the central role played by the film-substrate interaction on the strong Cooper pairing in this system. We discuss scenarios that could explain such a coincidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report that the finite thickness of three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) thin films produces an observable magnetoresistance (MR) in phase coherent transport in parallel magnetic fields. The MR data of Bi2 Se3 and (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 thin films are compared with existing theoretical models of parallel field magnetotransport. We conclude that the TI thin films bring parallel field transport into a unique regime in which the coupling of surface states to bulk and to opposite surfaces is indispensable for understanding the observed MR. The β parameter extracted from parallel field MR can in principle provide a figure of merit for searching TI compounds with more insulating bulk than existing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically thin MoS2 crystals have been recognized as quasi-two-dimensional semiconductors with remarkable physical properties. We report our Raman scattering measurements on multilayer and monolayer MoS2, especially in the low-frequency range (<50 cm-1). We find two low-frequency Raman modes with a contrasting thickness dependence. When increasing the number of MoS2 layers, one mode shows a significant increase in frequency while the other decreases following a 1/N (N denotes the number of unit layers) trend. With the aid of first-principles calculations we assign the former as the shear mode E2g2 . The latter is distinguished as the compression vibrational mode, similar to the surface vibration of other epitaxial thin films. The opposite evolution of the two modes with thickness demonstrates vibrational modes in an atomically thin crystal as well as a more precise way to characterize the thickness of atomically thin MoS2 films. In addition, we observe a broad feature around 38 cm-1 (5 meV) which is visible only under near-resonance excitation and pinned at a fixed energy, independent of thickness. We interpret the feature as an electronic Raman scattering associated with the spin-orbit coupling induced splitting in a conduction band at K points in their Brillouin zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on high-quality single crystals of the superconductors K0.8Fe1.6Se2 (Tc = 32 K), Tl0.5K0.3Fe1.6Se2 (Tc = 29 K), and Tl0.5Rb0.3Fe1.6Se2 (Tc = 31 K) as well as of the insulating compound KFe1.5Se2. To interpret our results, we have made first-principles calculations for the phonon modes in the ordered iron-vacancy structure of K0.8Fe1.6Se2. The modes we observe can be assigned very well from our symmetry analysis and calculations, allowing us to compare Raman-active phonons in the AFeSe compounds. We find a clear frequency difference in most phonon modes between the superconducting and nonsuperconducting potassium crystals, indicating the fundamental influence of iron content. By contrast, substitution of ? by TI or Rb in A0.8Fe1.6Se2 causes no substantial frequency shift for any modes above 60 cm-1, demonstrating that the alkali-type metal has little effect on the microstructure of the FeSe layer. Several additional modes appear below 60 cm-1 in TI- and Rb-substituted samples, which are vibrations of heavier TI and Rb ions. Finally, our calculations reveal the presence of "chiral" phonon modes, whose origin lies in the chiral nature of the K0.8Fe1.6Se2 structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed Raman-scattering measurements on high-quality single crystals of A0.8Fe1.6Se2 superconductors of several compositions. We found a broad, asymmetric peak around 1600 cm-1 (200 meV), which we identify as a two-magnon process involving optical magnons. The intensity of the two-magnon peak falls sharply on entering the superconducting phase. This effect, which is entirely absent in the non-superconducting system KFe1.5Se2, requires a strong mutual exclusion between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity arising from proximity effects within regions of microscale phase separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ground state of the quantum kagome antiferromagnet Zn-brochantite, ZnCu3(OH)6SO4, which is one of only a few known spin-liquid (SL) realizations in two or three dimensions, has been described as a gapless SL with a spinon Fermi surface. Employing nuclear magnetic resonance in a broad magnetic-field range down to millikelvin temperatures, we show that in applied magnetic fields this enigmatic state is intrinsically unstable against a SL with a full or a partial gap. A similar instability of the gapless Fermi-surface SL was previously encountered in an organic triangular-lattice antiferromagnet, suggesting a common destabilization mechanism that most likely arises from spinon pairing. A salient property of this instability is that an infinitesimal field suffices to induce it, as predicted theoretically for some other types of gapless SLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the ultralow-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements on single crystals of YbMgGaO4, which was recently argued to be a promising candidate for a quantum spin liquid (QSL). In a zero magnetic field, a large magnetic contribution of specific heat is observed, and exhibits a power-law temperature dependence (Cm ~ T0.74). On the contrary, we do not observe any significant contribution of thermal conductivity from magnetic excitations. In magnetic fields H ≥ 6 T, the exponential T dependence of Cm and the enhanced thermal conductivity indicate a magnon gap of the fully polarized state. The absence of magnetic thermal conductivity at the zero field in this QSL candidate puts a strong constraint on the theories of its ground state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impurities, which are unavoidable in real materials, may play an important role in the magnetism of frustrated spin systems with a spin-liquid ground state. We address the impurity issue in quantum kagome antiferromagnets by investigating ZnCu3(OH)6SO4 (Zn-brochantite) by means of muon spin spectroscopy. We show that muons dominantly couple to impurities, originating from Cu-Zn intersite disorder, and that the impurity spins are highly correlated with the kagome spins, allowing us to probe the host kagome physics via a Kondo-like effect. The low-temperature plateau in the impurity susceptibility suggests that the kagome spin-liquid ground state is gapless. The corresponding spin fluctuations exhibit an unconventional spectral density and a nontrivial field dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulator-superconductor transition has always been a center of interest in the underlying physics of unconventional superconductors. However, in the family of iron-based high-Tc superconductors, no intrinsic superconductor-insulator transition has been confirmed so far. Here, we report a first-order transition from superconductor to AFM insulator with a strong charge doping induced by ionic gating in the thin flakes of single crystal (Li,Fe)OHFeSe. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is continuously enhanced with electron doping by ionic gating up to a maximum Tc of 43 K, and a striking superconductor-insulator transition occurs just at the verge of optimal doping with highest Tc. A phase diagram of temperature-gating voltage with the superconductor-insulator transition is mapped out, indicating that the superconductor-insulator transition is a common feature for unconventional superconductivity. These results help to uncover the underlying physics of iron-based superconductivity as well as the universal mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. Our finding also suggests that the gate-controlled strong charge doping makes it possible to explore novel states of matter in a way beyond traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergent behavior of spin liquids that are born out of geometrical frustration makes them an intriguing state of matter. We show that in the quantum kagome antiferromagnet ZnCu3(OH)6SO4 several different correlated yet fluctuating states exist. By combining complementary local-probe techniques with neutron scattering, we discover a crossover from a critical regime into a gapless spin-liquid phase with decreasing temperature. An additional unconventional instability of the latter phase leads to a second, distinct spin-liquid state that is stabilized at the lowest temperatures. We advance such complex behavior as a feature common to different frustrated quantum magnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]