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Summary Current industrial production of ammonia from the Haber-Bosch process and its transport concomitantly produces a large quantity of CO2. Herein, we successfully synthesize inorganic-structure-based catalysts with [Fe-S2-Mo] motifs with a connecting structure similar to that of FeMoco (a cofactor of nitrogenase) by placing iron atoms on a single molecular layer of MoS2 at various loadings. This type of new catalytic material functionally mimics the nitrogenase to convert N2 to ammonia and hydrogen in water without adding any sacrificial agent under visible-light illumination. Using the elevated temperature boosts the ammonia yield and the energy efficiency by one order of magnitude. The solar-to-NH3 energy-conversion efficiency can be up to 0.24% at 270°C, which is the highest efficiency among all reported photocatalytic systems. This method of ammonia production and the photocatalytic materials may open up an exciting possibility for the decentralization of ammonia production for fertilizer provision to local farmlands using solar illumination.

The generation and control of terahertz pulses is vital for realizing the potential of terahertz radiation in several sectors, including 6G communication, security and imaging. In this work, we present the topological Dirac semimetal cadmium arsenide as a novel helicity-dependent terahertz source. We show both broadband (single-cycle) and narrowband (multi-cycle) terahertz pulses upon near-infrared photoexcitation at oblique incidence. By varying the incident angle of the photoexcitation pulse, control of the emission frequency can also be achieved, providing a candidate for a tuneable narrowband terahertz source.

Using ultrafast optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy (OPTP) and ultrafast terahertz emission spectroscopy, we showcase the electron and hole dynamics in Cd 3 As 2 nanowires (NWs), a well-known 3D Dirac semimetal a subgroup of the newly discovered. A temperature-dependent photoconductivity measurement was carried out yielding an incredibly high electron mobility ~ 16,000 cm2/Vs at 5K. Strong THz emission due to helicity-dependent surface photocurrents was also observed for both nanowires and single crystal (SC) which is highly desirable for devices such as THz sources.

According to previous theoretical work, the binary oxide CuO can become a room-temperature multiferroic via tuning of the superexchange interactions by application of pressure. Thus far, however, there has been no experimental evidence for the predicted room-temperature multiferroicity. Here, we show by neutron diffraction that the multiferroic phase in CuO reaches 295 K with the application of 18.5 GPa pressure. We also develop a spin Hamiltonian based on density functional theory and employing superexchange theory for the magnetic interactions, which can reproduce the experimental results. The present Letter provides a stimulus to develop room-temperature multiferroic materials by alternative methods based on existing low temperature compounds, such as epitaxial strain, for tunable multifunctional devices and memory applications.

Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs), the unique open Fermi-surfaces (FSs) discovered recently in topological Weyl semimetals (TWSs), are unlike closed FSs in conventional materials and can give rise to many exotic phenomena, such as anomalous SFA-mediated quantum oscillations, chiral magnetic effects, three-dimensional quantum Hall effect, non-local voltage generation and anomalous electromagnetic wave transmission. Here, by using in-situ surface decoration, we demonstrate successful manipulation of the shape, size and even the connections of SFAs in a model TWS, NbAs, and observe their evolution that leads to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition not caused by the change of the carrier concentration. The phase transition teleports the SFAs between different parts of the surface Brillouin zone. Despite the dramatic surface evolution, the existence of SFAs is robust and each SFA remains tied to a pair of Weyl points of opposite chirality, as dictated by the bulk topology., Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs) are characteristic features of a topological Weyl semimetal but there is no easy way to manipulate them so far. Here, the authors report manipulation of the shape, size and connections of SFAs in a Weyl semimetal NbAs, leading to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition.

International audience; We present a crystallographic and optoelectronic study of the double perovskite Cs2AgBi1-xInxBr6. From structural characterization we determine that the indium cation shrinks the lattice and shifts the cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition point to lower temperatures. The absorption onset is shifted to shorter wavelengths upon increasing the indium content, leading to wider band gaps, which we rationalize through first-principles band structure calculations. Despite the unfavorable band gap shift, we observe an enhancement in the steadystate photoluminescence intensity, and n-i-p photovoltaic devices present short-circuit current greater than that of neat Cs2AgBiBr6 devices. In order to evaluate the prospects of this material as a solar absorber, we combine accurate absorption measurements with thermodynamic modeling and identify the fundamental limitations of this system. Provided radiative efficiency can be increased and the choice of charge extraction layers are specifically improved, this material could prove to be a useful wide band gap solar absorber.

Neutron spectroscopy on the classical triangular-lattice frustrated antiferromagnet $h$-${\mathrm{YMnO}}_{3}$ reveals diffuse, gapless magnetic excitations present both far below and above the ordering temperature. The correlation length of the excitations increases as the temperature approaches zero, bearing a strong resemblance to critical scattering. We model the dynamics in the ordered and correlated disordered phase as critical spin correlations in a two-dimensional magnetic state. We propose that our findings may provide a general framework to understand features often attributed to classical spin liquids.

Spontaneous C4-symmetry breaking phases are ubiquitous in layered quantum materials, and often compete with other phases such as superconductivity. Preferential suppression of the symmetry broken phases by light has been used to explain non-equilibrium light induced superconductivity, metallicity, and the creation of metastable states. Key to understanding how these phases emerge is understanding how C4 symmetry is restored. A leading approach is based on time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, which explains the coherence response seen in many systems. However, we show that, for the case of the single layered manganite La0.5Sr1.5MnO4, the theory fails. Instead, we find an ultrafast inhomogeneous disordering transition in which the mean-field order parameter no longer reflects the atomic-scale state of the system. Our results suggest that disorder may be common to light-induced phase transitions, and methods beyond the mean-field are necessary for understanding and manipulating photoinduced phases., Light-induced phase transitions are typically described by a time-dependent mean-field theory. Here, the authors show that such a theory fails to capture the order parameter dynamics in a single layered manganite and discuss the role of disorder in ultrafast phase transitions in general.

Strain engineering is widely used to manipulate the electronic and magnetic properties of complex materials. An attractive route to control magnetism with strain is provided by the piezomagnetic effect, whereby the staggered spin structure of an antiferromagnet is decompensated by breaking the crystal field symmetry, which induces a ferrimagnetic polarization. Piezomagnetism is especially attractive because unlike magnetostriction it couples strain and magnetization at linear order, and allows for bi-directional control suitable for memory and spintronics applications. However, its use in functional devices has so far been hindered by the slow speed and large uniaxial strains required. Here, we show that the essential features of piezomagnetism can be reproduced with optical phonons alone, which can be driven by light to large amplitudes without changing the volume and hence beyond the elastic limits of the material. We exploit nonlinear, three-phonon mixing to induce the desired crystal field distortions in the antiferromagnet CoF$_2$. Through this effect, we generate a ferrimagnetic moment of 0.2 $\mu_B$ per unit cell, nearly three orders of magnitude larger than achieved with mechanical strain., Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures

The authors report inelastic neutron scattering measurements to directly visualize the effects of collective quantum fluctuations in a spin-\textonehalf{} near-Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice. They observe a rich spectrum of sharp magnons at low energies with strongly renormalized dispersions and much reduced spectral weight, which are accompanied at higher energies by a very strong and highly structured continuum of excitations. The dispersion renormalizations and transfer of spectral weight to continuum states are attributed to the effect of quantum fluctuations and interactions beyond the spin-wave approximation.

Using unique experimental setups allowing spherical neutron polarimetry (SNP) and unpolarized neutron diffraction at pressure up to 8 GPa, this collaboration of authors from Japan, France, and the UK investigates pressure- and magnetic field induced gigantic ferroelectricity in multiferroic DyMnO${}_{3}$. This work reveals that the exchange striction for rare-earth and Mn bonds is strongly related to the ferroelectric polarization enhancement in DyMnO${}_{3}$. It also proves the feasibility of the SNP experiment under high pressure, which will encourage researchers to investigate pressure-induced magnetic ordering.

Neutron spectroscopy on the classical triangular-lattice frustrated antiferromagnet h-YMnO_{3} reveals diffuse, gapless magnetic excitations present both far below and above the ordering temperature. The correlation length of the excitations increases as the temperature approaches zero, bearing a strong resemblance to critical scattering. We model the dynamics in the ordered and correlated disordered phase as critical spin correlations in a two-dimensional magnetic state. We propose that our findings may provide a general framework to understand features often attributed to classical spin liquids.

The quantum magnet SrCu2(BO3)2 is a physical realisation of the Shastry-Sutherland model - a two-dimensional square lattice, solved to have a ground state of singlets on diagonal bonds. Recent theoretical work suggests that the material should play host to a topological phase of triplons, which may manifest a thermal Hall effect. However, within the measured experimental resolution,we report that there is no thermal Hall signal of the predicted magnitude. This is possibly due to triplon-triplon interactions playing a more significant role than anticipated in the temperature range under investigation.

Measurement of coherent dynamics in quantum materials reveals correlations across different energy scales., Quantum materials displaying intriguing magnetic and electronic properties could be key to the development of future technologies. However, it is poorly understood how the macroscopic behavior emerges in complex materials with strong electronic correlations. While measurements of the dynamics of excited electronic populations have been able to give some insight, they have largely neglected the intricate dynamics of quantum coherence. Here, we apply multidimensional coherent spectroscopy to a prototypical cuprate and report unprecedented coherent dynamics persisting for ~500 fs, originating directly from the quantum superposition of optically excited states separated by 20 to 60 meV. These results reveal that the states in this energy range are correlated with the optically excited states at ~1.5 eV and point to nontrivial interactions between quantum many-body states on the different energy scales. In revealing these dynamics and correlations, we demonstrate that multidimensional coherent spectroscopy can interrogate complex quantum materials in unprecedented ways.

A combined X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) and high-resolution extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) at the Co and Ga K-edges study has been performed for LaCoO3 and LaGaO3 ceramics, the latter sample was used as a reference without spin transitions. Based on the X-ray diffraction data, we have found that isotropic atomic displacement parameters (ADP) or mean-squared displacement of the Co–O bond exhibit gradual growth below ~50 K, wherein the strain dependencies testify rapid increase below 150 K for the LaCoO3 having rhombohedral structure. No similar features could be observed for LaGaO3 sample. Above ~100 K the isotropic ADP of the Co–O bond indicate a gradual growth, whereas strain curves show distinct bend near the spin-state transition temperature at about 150 K. According to the EXAFS data, the correlated parallel mean squared relative displacement (MSRD||) of Co–O and Ga–O bonds exhibit a gradual growth above 150 K; however, in the LaCoO3 this parameter is notably bigger. It is supposed that at low temperature the cobalt ions are dominantly in low-spin (LS) state, while certain amount of Co3+ ions located within the surface layer of the crystallines have high-spin state (HS). Temperature growth leads to a gradual transformation of the HS state of the cobalt ions into the highly-hybridized intermediate-spin (IS) state, while the cobalt ions located in the inner part of the crystallines remain LS configuration up to 150 K. Further temperature increase leads to a spin transition of the Co3+ ions located within the crystallines from the LS state into the IS one.

Photocatalytic water splitting is attracting enormous interest for the storage of solar energy but no practical method has yet been identified. In the past decades, various systems have been developed but most of them suffer from low activities, a narrow range of absorption and poor quantum efficiencies (Q.E.) due to fast recombination of charge carriers. Here we report a dramatic suppression of electron-hole pair recombination on the surface of N-doped TiO2 based nanocatalysts under enhanced concentrations of H+ and OH−, and local electric field polarization of a MgO (111) support during photolysis of water at elevated temperatures. Thus, a broad optical absorption is seen, producing O2 and H2 in a 1:2 molar ratio with a H2 evolution rate of over 11,000 μmol g−1 h−1 without any sacrificial reagents at 270 °C. An exceptional range of Q.E. from 81.8% at 437 nm to 3.2% at 1000 nm is also reported. Chemical fuels, produced from light, afford an alternative to fossil fuel, but conversion materials suffer from low photon-to-fuel efficiencies. Here, authors incorporate gold/N-doped TiO2 on MgO surfaces and show enhanced photocatalytic water splitting performances at elevated temperatures.

We have used muon-spin rotation, heat capacity, and x-ray diffraction measurements in combination with density functional theory and dipole field calculations to investigate the crystal and magnetic structure of ${\mathrm{FeTi}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$. We observe a long-range ordered state below ${T}_{\mathrm{N}}=41.8(5)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ with indications of significant correlations existing above this temperature. We determine candidate muon stopping sites in this compound, and find that our data are consistent with the spin Jahn-Teller driven antiferromagnetic ground state with $\mathbit{k}=(1/2,1/2,0)$ reported for ${\mathrm{CoTi}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ (${T}_{\mathrm{N}}=26\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$). By comparing our data with calculated dipolar fields we can restrict the possible moment size and directions of the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{2+}$ ions.

CoO has an odd number of electrons in its unit cell, and therefore is expected to be metallic. Yet, CoO is strongly insulating owing to significant electronic correlations, thus classifying it as a Mott insulator. We investigate the magnetic fluctuations in CoO using neutron spectroscopy. The strong and spatially far-reaching exchange constants reported in [Sarte et al. Phys. Rev. B 98 024415 (2018)], combined with the single-ion spin-orbit coupling of similar magnitude [Cowley et al. Phys. Rev. B 88, 205117 (2013)] results in significant mixing between $j_{eff}$ spin-orbit levels in the low temperature magnetically ordered phase. The high degree of entanglement, combined with the structural domains originating from the Jahn-Teller structural distortion at $\sim$ 300 K, make the magnetic excitation spectrum highly structured in both energy and momentum. We extend previous theoretical work on PrTl$_{3}$ [Buyers et al. Phys. Rev. B 11, 266 (1975)] to construct a mean-field and multi-level spin exciton model employing the aforementioned spin exchange and spin-orbit coupling parameters for coupled Co$^{2+}$ ions on a rocksalt lattice. This parameterization, based on a tetragonally distorted type-II antiferromagnetic unit cell, captures both the sharp low energy excitations at the magnetic zone center, and the energy broadened peaks at the zone boundary. However, the model fails to describe the momentum dependence of the excitations at high energy transfers, where the neutron response decays faster with momentum than the Co$^{2+}$ form factor. We discuss such a failure in terms of a possible breakdown of localized spin-orbit excitons at high energy transfers., (main text - 21 pages, 12 figures; supplementary information - 15 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B)

We have used neutron powder diffraction to solve the magnetic structure of orthorhombic CoTi$_2$O$_5$, showing that the long-range ordered state below 26 K identified in our muon-spin rotation experiments is antiferromagnetic with propagation vector ${\bf k}=(\pm \frac{1}{2}, \frac{1}{2}, 0)$ and moment of 2.72(1)$\mu_{\rm B}$ per Co$^{2+}$ ion. This long range magnetic order is incompatible with the experimentally determined crystal structure because the imposed symmetry completely frustrates the exchange coupling. We conclude that the magnetic transition must therefore be associated with a spin Jahn-Teller effect which lowers the structural symmetry and thereby relieves the frustration. These results show that CoTi$_2$O$_5$ is a highly unusual low symmetry material exhibiting a purely spin-driven lattice distortion critical to the establishment of an ordered magnetic ground state., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We present a comprehensive study of the relationship between the crystal structure and optoelectronic properties of the double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6, which has emerged as a promising candidate for photovoltaic devices. On the basis of single-crystal/powder X-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction, we have revealed the presence of a structural phase transition at Ts ≈ 122 K between the room-temperature cubic structure (space group Fm3̅m) and a new low-temperature tetragonal structure (I4/m). From reflectivity measurements we found that the peak exciton energy Eex ≈ 2.85 eV near the direct gap shifts proportionally to the tetragonal strain, which is consistent with the Eex being primarily controlled by a rotational degree of freedom of the crystal structure, thus by the angle Bi−Ag−Br. We observed the time-resolved photoluminescence kinetics and we found that, among the relaxation channels, a fast one is mainly present in the tetragonal phase, suggesting that its origin may lie in the formation of tetragonal twin domains.

The study of ultrafast dynamics is a new tool to understand and control the properties of correlated oxides. By enhancing some properties and realizing new dynamically excited phrases, this tool has opened new routes for technological applications. LaCoO3 is one paradigmatic example where the strong electron, spin, and lattice coupling induced by electronic correlations results in a low-temperature spin transition and a high-temperature semiconductor-to-metal transition that is still not completely understood. Here, we monitor ultrafast metallization in LaCoO3 using time-resolved soft x-ray reflectivity experiments. While the process is entangled at the Co L-3 edge, the time information of the different channels is decrypted at different resonant energies of the O K edge. Metallization is shown to occur via transient electronic, spin, and lattice separation. Our results agree with the thermodynamical model and demonstrate the potential of femtosecond soft x-ray experiments at the O K edge to understand correlated oxides. We thank Karsten Holldack, Niko Pontius, and Christian Schuessler-Langeheine, for experimental support at the FemtoSpeX facility during the experiments. We acknowledge Alexander Folisch for supporting the realization of the experiments at the FEMTOSPEX and Kurt Ament for editing the manuscript. M. I. acknowledges BMBF Grant no. 05K12GU2 for financial support.

Continuous quantum phase transitions involving all-in-all-out (AIAO) antiferromagnetic order in strongly spin-orbit-coupled 5d compounds could give rise to various exotic electronic phases and strongly-coupled quantum critical phenomena. Here we experimentally trace the AIAO spin order in Sm2Ir2O7 using direct resonant x-ray magnetic diffraction techniques under high pressure. The magnetic order is suppressed at a critical pressure Pc=6.30 GPa, while the lattice symmetry remains in the cubic Fd-3m space group across the quantum critical point. Comparing pressure tuning and the chemical series R2Ir2O7 reveals that the suppression of the AIAO order and the approach to the spin-disordered state is characterized by contrasting evolutions of both the pyrochlore lattice constant a and the trigonal distortion x. The former affects the 5d bandwidth, the latter the Ising anisotropy, and as such we posit that the opposite effects of pressure and chemical tuning lead to spin fluctuations with different Ising and Heisenberg character in the quantum critical region. Finally, the observed low-pressure scale of the AIAO quantum phase transition in Sm2Ir2O7 identifies a circumscribed region of P-T space for investigating the putative magnetic Weyl-semimetal state.

By employing resonant X-ray microdiffraction, we image the magnetisation and magnetic polarity domains of the Y-type hexaferrite Ba$_{0.5}$Sr$_{1.5}$Mg$_2$Fe$_{12}$O$_{22}$. We show that the magnetic polarity domain structure can be controlled by both magnetic and electric fields, and that full inversion of these domains can be achieved simply by reversal of an applied magnetic field in the absence of an electric field bias. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the diffraction intensity measured in different X-ray polarisation channels cannot be reproduced by the accepted model for the polar magnetic structure, known as the 2-fan transverse conical (TC) model. We propose a modification to this model, which achieves good quantitative agreement with all of our data. We show that the deviations from the TC model are large, and may be the result of an internal magnetic chirality, most likely inherited from the parent helical (non-polar) phase., Comment: 9 figures

The presence of spin-fluctuations deep within the ordered state of ferromagnetic [Formula: see text] alloy [Formula: see text] has long been suspected but seldom directly observed. Inhomogeneities of one type or another have been cited as important in stabilizing [Formula: see text] behaviour-either longitudinal spin-fluctuations associated with the [Formula: see text]-state (local environment) model or transverse magnetisation arising from non-collinear spin structures. In this study we employ small-angle neutron scattering with neutron polarization analysis to distinguish between the two possibilities. Surprisingly we in fact find evidence of dominant but uncorrelated longitudinal spin-fluctuations coexisting with transverse magnetisation which exists in short-range clusters of size ~[Formula: see text]. This finding supports recent first principles calculations of [Formula: see text] in which both longitudinal spin-fluctuations and magnetic short-range order are identified as important ingredients in reproducing the equilibrium [Formula: see text] lattice.

We demonstrate that electromagnons can be used to directly probe the nature of a phase transition between magnetically ordered phases in an improper ferroelectric. The antiferromagnetic/paraelectric to antiferromagnetic/ferroelectric phase transition in Cu$_{1-x}$Zn$_{x}$O ($x=0, 0.05$) alloys was tracked via the electromagnon response using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, on heating and cooling through the phase transition. The transition was found to exhibit thermal hysteresis, confirming its first-order nature, and to broaden under the influence of spin-disorder upon Zn substitution. The energy of the electromagnon increases upon alloying, as a result of the non-magnetic ions modifying the magnetic interactions that give rise to the multiferroic phase and electromagnons. We describe our findings in the context of recent theoretical work that examined improper ferroelectricity and electromagnons in CuO from phenomenological and first-principles approaches., 11 pages, 5 figures

Determining the fate of the Pauling entropy in the classical spin ice material ${\mathrm{Dy}}_{2}{\mathrm{Ti}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ with respect to the third law of thermodynamics has become an important test case for understanding the existence and stability of ice-rule states in general. The standard model of spin ice---the dipolar spin ice model---predicts an ordering transition at $T\ensuremath{\approx}0.15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}$, but recent experiments by Pomaranski et al. suggest an entropy recovery over long timescales at temperatures as high as 0.5 K, much too high to be compatible with the theory. Using neutron scattering and specific heat measurements at low temperatures and with long timescales ($0.35\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}/{10}^{6}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{s}$ and $0.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}/{10}^{5}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{s}$, respectively) on several isotopically enriched samples, we find no evidence of a reduction of ice-rule correlations or spin entropy. High-resolution simulations of the neutron structure factor show that the spin correlations remain well described by the dipolar spin ice model at all temperatures. Furthermore, by careful consideration of hyperfine contributions, we conclude that the original entropy measurements of Ramirez et al. are, after all, essentially correct: The short-time relaxation method used in that study gives a reasonably accurate estimate of the equilibrium spin ice entropy due to a cancellation of contributions.

We present a study of the magnetic-field effect on spin correlations in the charge ordered triangular Ising system LuFe2O4+{\delta} through single crystal neutron diffraction. In the absence of a magnetic field, the strong diffuse neutron scattering observed below the Neel temperature (TN = 240 K) indicates that LuFe2O4+{\delta} shows short-range, two-dimensional (2D) correlations in the FeO5 triangular layers, characterized by the development of a magnetic scattering rod along the 1/3 1/3 L direction, persisting down to 5 K. We also found that on top of the 2D correlations, a long range ferromagnetic component associated with the propagation vector k1 = 0 sets in at around 240 K. On the other hand, an external magnetic field applied along the c-axis effectively favours a three-dimensional (3D) spin correlation between the FeO5 bilayers evidenced by the increase of the intensity of satellite reflections with propagation vector k2 = (1/3, 1/3, 3/2). This magnetic modulation is identical to the charge ordered superstructure, highlighting the field-promoted coupling between the spin and charge degrees of freedom. Formation of the 3D spin correlations suppresses both the rod-type diffuse scattering and the k1 component. Simple symmetry-based arguments provide a natural explanation of the observed phenomenon and put forward a possible charge redistribution in the applied magnetic field., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

The effect of pressure on magnetic properties of LaCoO$_3$ is studied experimentally and theoretically. The pressure dependence of magnetic susceptibility $\chi$ of LaCoO$_3$ is obtained by precise measurements of $\chi$ as a function of the hydrostatic pressure $P$ up to 2 kbar in the temperature range from 78 K to 300 K. A pronounced magnitude of the pressure effect is found to be negative in sign and strongly temperature dependent. The obtained experimental data are analysed by using a two-level model and DFT+U calculations of the electronic structure of LaCoO$_3$. In particular, the fixed spin moment method was employed to obtain a volume dependence of the total energy difference $\Delta$ between the low spin and the intermediate spin states of LaCoO$_3$. Analysis of the obtained experimental $\chi(P)$ dependence within the two-level model, as well as our DFT+U calculations, have revealed the anomalous large decrease in the energy difference $\Delta$ with increasing of the unit cell volume. This effect, taking into account a thermal expansion, can be responsible for the temperatures dependence of $\Delta$, predicting its vanishing near room temperature., Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures

The stability of charge ordered phases is doping dependent, with different materials having particularly stable ordered phases. In the half filled charge ordered phases of the cuprates this occurs at one eighth doping, whereas in charge-stripe ordered La2-xSrxNiO4+delta there is enhanced stability at one third doping. In this paper we discuss the known details of the charge-stripe order in La2-xSrxNiO4+delta, and how these properties lead to the one third doping stability., Comment: 3 figures

Here we present the use of Fabry-Perot enhanced terahertz (THz) Mueller matrix ellipsometry to measure an electromagnon excitation in monoclinic cupric oxide (CuO). As a magnetically induced ferroelectric multiferroic, CuO exhibits coupling between electric and magnetic order. This gives rise to special quasiparticle excitations at THz frequencies called electromagnons. In order to measure the electromagnons in CuO, we exploit single-crystal CuO as a THz Fabry-Perot cavity to resonantly enhance the excitations signature. This enhancement technique enables the complex index of refraction to be extracted. We observe a peak in the absorption coefficient near 0.705 THz and 215 K, which corresponds to the electromagnon excitation. This absorption peak is observed along only one major polarizability axis in the monoclinic a-c plane. We show the excitation can be represented using the Lorentz oscillator model, and discuss how these Lorentz parameters evolve with temperature. Our findings are in excellent agreement with previous characterizations by THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), which demonstrates the validity of this enhancement technique. Funding Agencies|National Science Foundation [DMR 1808715]; Air Force Office of Scientific Research [FA9550-18-1-0360]; Nebraska Materials Research Science and Engineering Center [DMR 1420645]; EPSRC [EP/N034872/1]; University of Nebraska Foundation; J.A. Woollam Foundation

Experiments show that TaAs is a three-dimensional topological Weyl semimetal. Three-dimensional (3D) topologicalWeyl semimetals (TWSs) represent a state of quantum matter with unusual electronic structures that resemble both a ‘3D graphene’ and a topological insulator. Their electronic structure displays pairs of Weyl points (through which the electronic bands disperse linearly along all three momentum directions) connected by topological surface states, forming a unique arc-like Fermi surface (FS). Each Weyl point is chiral and contains half the degrees of freedom of a Dirac point, and can be viewed as a magnetic monopole in momentum space. By performing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on the non-centrosymmetric compound TaAs, here we report its complete band structure, including the unique Fermi-arc FS and linear bulk band dispersion across the Weyl points, in agreement with the theoretical calculations1,2. This discovery not only confirms TaAs as a 3DTWS, but also provides an ideal platform for realizing exotic physical phenomena (for example, negative magnetoresistance, chiral magnetic effects and the quantum anomalous Hall effect) which may also lead to novel future applications.

A novel topological insulator with orthorhombic crystal structure is demonstrated. It is characterized by quasi one-dimensional, conducting atomic chains instead of the layered, two-dimensional sheets known from the established Bi2(Se,Te)3 system. The Sb-doped Bi2Se3 nanowires are grown in a TiO2-catalyzed process by chemical vapor deposition. The binary Bi2Se3 is transformed from rhombohedral to orthorhombic by substituting Sb on ∼38% of the Bi sites. Pure Sb2Se3 is a topologically trivial band insulator with an orthorhombic crystal structure at ambient conditions, and it is known to transform into a topological insulator at high pressure. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows a topological surface state, while Sb doping also tunes the Fermi level to reside in the bandgap. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We report growth of large single crystals of the triangular-lattice antiferromagnetic compound Ba3CoSb2O9 by the floating-zone technique in an image furnace. Evaporation of Sb due to its high volatility was controlled by high pressure and addition of excess Sb in the starting materials to compensate for the losses. The crystal quality was analysed using different X-ray techniques, and the magnetic transition temperature was confirmed by magnetization and heat capacity measurements.

As charge carriers traverse a single superconductor ferromagnet interface they experience an additional spin-dependent phase angle which results in spin mixing and the formation of a bound state called the Andreev Bound State. This state is an essential component in the generation of long range spin triplet proximity induced superconductivity and yet the factors controlling the degree of spin mixing and the formation of the bound state remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that point contact Andreev reflection can be used to detect the bound state and extract the resulting spin mixing angle. By examining spectra taken from La1.15Sr1.85Mn2O7 single crystal - Pb junctions, together with a compilation of literature data on highly spin polarised systems, we show that the existence of the Andreev Bound State both resolves a number of long standing controversies in the Andreev literature as well as defining a route to quantify the strength of spin mixing at superconductor-ferromagnet interfaces. Intriguingly we find that for these high transparency junctions, the spin mixing angle appears to take a relatively narrow range of values across all the samples studied. The ferromagnets we have chosen to study share a common property in terms of their spin arrangement, and our observations may point to the importance of this property in determining the spin mixing angle under these circumstances., 17 pages, 1 table, 3 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1503.00533

© 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd. Topological nodal semimetal (TNS), characterized by its touching conduction and valence bands, is a newly discovered state of quantum matter which exhibits various exotic physical phenomena. Recently, a new type of TNS called topological nodal line semimetal (TNLS) is predicted where its conduction and valence band form a degenerate one-dimension line which is further protected by its crystal symmetry. In this work, we systematically investigated the bulk and surface electronic structure of the non-symmorphic, TNLS in InBi (which is also a type II Dirac semimetal) with strong spin-orbit coupling by using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. By tracking the crossing points of the bulk bands at the Brillouin zone boundary, we discovered the nodal-line feature along the kz direction, in agreement with the ab initio calculations and confirmed it to be a new compound in the TNLS family. Our discovery provides a new material platform for the study of these exotic topological quantum phases and paves the way for possible future applications.

The low energy magnetic excitation spectrum of charge stripe ordered La(2-x)Sr(x)NiO4, x = 0.4 and x = 0.45 samples were studied by neutron scattering. Two excitation modes are observed in both materials, one from the ordered magnetic moments, and a second mode consistent with pseudo-one-dimensional antiferromagnetic excitations of the charge stripe electrons (q-1D). The dispersion of the q-1D excitation follows the same relation as in x = 1/3 composition, with even spectral weight in the two counter-propagating branches of the x = 0.4 sample, however in the x=0.45 sample only one dispersion branch has any measurable spectral weight. The evolution of the q-1D excitations on doping to the checkerboard charge ordered phase is discussed.

Inelastic neutron scattering has been used to study the magneto-elastic excitations in the multiferroic manganite hexagonal YMnO$_3$. An avoided crossing is found between magnon and phonon modes close to the Brillouin zone boundary in the $(a,b)$-plane. Neutron polarization analysis reveals that this mode has mixed magnon-phonon character. An external magnetic field along the $c$-axis is observed to cause a linear field-induced splitting of one of the spin wave branches. A theoretical description is performed, using a Heisenberg model of localized spins, acoustic phonon modes and a magneto-elastic coupling via the single-ion magnetostriction. The model quantitatively reproduces the dispersion and intensities of all modes in the full Brillouin zone, describes the observed magnon-phonon hybridized modes, and quantifies the magneto-elastic coupling. The combined information, including the field-induced magnon splitting, allows us to exclude several of the earlier proposed models and point to the correct magnetic ground state symmetry, and provides an effective dynamic model relevant for the multiferroic hexagonal manganites., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures