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Despite the chiral topological semimetal CoSi is known as bulk diamagnetic, it shows unusual surface ferromagnetism of debatable origin. The ferromagnetic ordering has been attributed to the distorted bonds, the superlattice of ordered vacancies, or even to topological surface textures due to the spin polarization in the neighboring Fermi arcs. We experimentally compare magnetization reversal curves for initially oxidized CoSi single crystals and cleaved samples with a fresh, oxide-free surface. While the oxidized CoSi samples do not show sizable ferromagnetism, the fresh CoSi surface gives a strong ferromagnetic response, which is accompanied by the pronounced modulation of the angle dependence of magnetization, as it can be expected for easy and hard axes in a ferromagnet. In addition to the first order reversal curves analysis, this observation allows us to distinguish between different mechanisms of the ferromagnetic ordering in CoSi single crystals. We conclude that the surface states-induced RKKY interaction between distorted bonds near the sample surface is responsible for the strong ferromagnetic multi-domain behavior for freshly cleaved samples. more...

The concept of a polar metal suggests a new approach to current-induced polarization control for ferroelectrics. We fabricate SnSe/WTe2 heterostructure to experimentally investigate charge transport between two ferroelectric van der Waals materials with different polarization directions. WTe2 is a polar metal with out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization, while SnSe ferroelectric semiconductor is polarized in-plane, so one should expect complicated polarization structure at the SnSe/WTe2 interface. We study curves, which demonstrate sharp symmetric drop to zero differential conductance at some threshold bias voltages , which are nearly symmetric with respect to the bias sign. While the gate electric field is too small to noticeably affect the carrier concentration, the positive and negative threshold positions are sensitive to the gate voltage. Also, SnSe/WTe2 heterostructure shows re-entrant transition to the low-conductive state for abrupt change of the bias voltage even below the threshold values. This behavior cannot be observed for single SnSe or WTe2 flakes, so we interpret it as a result of the SnSe/WTe2 interface coupling. In this case, some threshold value of the electric field at the SnSe/WTe2 interface is enough to drive a 90° change of the initial SnSe in-plane polarization in the overlap region. The polarization mismatch leads to the significant interface resistance contribution, analogously to the scattering of the charge carriers on the domain walls. Thus, we demonstrate polarization state control by electron transport through the SnSe/WTe2 interface. more...

A study is performed of different conditions of the synthesis and growth of perfect crystals of the family of Mott insulators for creating memristors (new-generation memory elements). The ceramic synthesis of GaNb4Se8 compound is used in combination with the thermolysis of niobium selenides under nonequilibrium conditions, allowing a material with a high level of chemical uniformity to be created. more...

We present the results of experimental studies of the effect of hydrogen absorption on the emission properties of a charge source based on carbon nanotubes. It is determined that the emission properties of the source improve considerably after exposure in hydrogen atmosphere at pressure of 100 atm and temperature of 300°С for 2 hours: at voltage of 300 V the current of negative charges increases by 104 times. more...

Transitions in the resistive switching of diode heterostructures based on bismuth selenide, in which bipolar resistive switching is implemented, are investigated. It is found that the time of transitions from one metastable state to another has a fast component on the order of microseconds and a slow component (a shuttle tail). Results are described using the model of a critical electric field, and the parameters of the investigated structures are calculated numerically. more...

Gallium sulfide single crystal is a potential material for nonlinear optics. Due to its high non-linearity it can be used as a material for IR and THz frequency converters. In the present work GaS bulk crystals of precise stoichiometry and high quality were melt grown using vertical zone melting. Elementary content of the crystals was tested using electron probe microanalysis, phase composition and unit cell parameters were studied using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), morphology of the cleavage plane and layered structure of a cross section normal to the growth axis were studied using light microscopy, morphology of impression under an indenter tip was imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Various mechanical properties, such as hardness, Young modulus of nanoindentation, residual indentation depth, contributions of elastic and plastic parts to total deformation were studied in the nanoindentation experiments. Experiments on microindentation of GaS single crystals were carried out for comparison. It was found that nanoindentation hardness and elasticity modulus depend non-monotonously on peak load. The results confirm that despite of their layered structure, GaS crystals have high micro- and nanohardness and plastic deformation ability, which provide their suitability to be processed for optical elements. more...

The growth of (Cd,Zn)Te (CZT) crystals and the improvement of the crystal quality are part of a research project towards experiments under microgravity using the Traveling Heater Method (THM). In order to determine the experimental parameters, we performed a detailed ground-based program. Three CZT crystals with a nominal Zn content of 10% were grown using THM from a Te-rich solution. The size and distribution of the Te inclusions were evaluated by transmission infrared microscopy (IR). From the three-dimensional mapping of the inclusions, we observed striation-like patterns in all of the crystals. The correlation between the growth parameters and the formation of these striations was explored and discussed. We found that the inclusion striations are related to periodic temperature variations. more...

We experimentally investigate the magnetic field dependence of Andreev transport through a region of proximity-induced superconductivity in CoSi topological chiral semimetal. With increasing parallel to the CoSi surface magnetic field, the sharp subgap peaks, associated with Andreev bound states, move together to nearly-zero bias position, while there is only monotonous peaks suppression for normal to the surface fields. The zero-bias $dV/dI$ resistance value is perfectly stable with changing the in-plane magnetic field. As the effects are qualitatively similar for In and Nb superconducting leads, they reflect the properties of proximized CoSi surface. The Andreev states coalescence and stability of the zero-bias $dV/dI$ value with increasing in-plane magnetic field are interpreted as the joined effect of the strong SOC and the Zeeman interaction, known for proximized semiconductor nanowires. We associate the observed magnetic field anisotropy with the recently predicted in-plane polarized spin texture of the Fermi arcs surface states., final version more...

CoSi single crystal is a known realization of a chiral topological semimetal with simultaneously broken mirror and inversion symmetries. In addition to the symmetry-induced spin–orbit coupling, surface ferromagnetism is known in nominally diamagnetic CoSi structures, which appears due to the distorted bonds and ordered vacancies near the surface. We experimentally investigate electron transport through a thin CoSi flake at high current density. Surprisingly, we demonstrate d V / d I ( I ) curves which are qualitatively similar to ones for ferromagnetic multilayers with characteristic d V / d I magnon peaks and unconventional magnetic field evolution of the peaks’ positions. We understand these observations as a result of current-induced spin polarization due to the significant spin–orbit coupling in CoSi. Scattering of non-equilibrium spin-polarized carriers within the surface ferromagnetic layer is responsible for the precessing spin-wave excitations, so the observed magnon modes are the joint effect of surface ferromagnetism and spin–orbit coupling in a CoSi chiral topological semimetal. Thus, thin CoSi flakes behave as magnetic conductors with broken inversion symmetry, which is important for different spintronic phenomena. more...

We experimentally investigate second-harmonic transverse voltage response to ac electrical current for a magnetic nodal-line semimetal Fe3GeTe2 (FGT). For zero magnetic field, the observed second-harmonic voltage behaves as a square of the longitudinal current, as it should be expected for nonlinear Hall effect. The magnetic field behavior is found to be sophisticated: while the first-harmonic response shows the known anomalous Hall hysteresis in FGT, the second-harmonic Hall voltage is characterized by the pronounced high-field hysteresis and flat (B-independent) region with curves touching at low fields. The high-field hysteresis strongly depends on the magnetic field sweep rate, so it reflects some slow relaxation process. For the lowest rates, it is also accomplished by multiple crossing points. Similar shape of the second-harmonic hysteresis is known for skyrmion spin textures in nonlinear optics. Since skyrmions have been demonstrated for FGT by direct visualization techniques, we can connect the observed high-field relaxation with deformation of the skyrmion lattice. Thus, the second-harmonic Hall voltage response can be regarded as a tool to detect spin textures in transport experiments. more...

We experimentally investigate thermoelectric response of a 100-nm-thick SnSe single crystal flake under the current-induced dc electric field. Thermoelectric response appears as a second-harmonic transverse voltage ${V}_{xy}^{2\ensuremath{\omega}}$, which reflects temperature gradient across the sample due to the Joule heating by harmonic ac excitation current ${I}_{\mathrm{ac}}$. In addition to strongly nonmonotonous dependence ${V}_{xy}^{2\ensuremath{\omega}}$, we observe that dc field direction controls the sign of the temperature gradient in the SnSe flake. We provide arguments, that electrocaloric effect is the mostly probable reason for the results obtained. Thus, our experiment can be understood as demonstration of the possibility to induce electrocaloric effect by in-plane electric field in conducting ferroelectric crystals and to detect it by thermoelectric response. more...

Structural defects and compositional uniformity remain the major problems affecting the performance of (Cd, Zn)Te (CZT) based detector devices. Understanding the mechanism of growth and defect formation is therefore fundamental to improving the crystal quality. In this frame, space experiments for the growth of CZT by the Travelling Heater Method (THM) under microgravity are scheduled. A detailed ground-based program was performed to determine experimental parameters and three CZT crystals were grown by the THM. The structural defects, compositional homogeneity and resistivity of these ground-based crystals were investigated. A ZnTe content variation was observed at the growth interface and a high degree of stress associated with extensive dislocation networks was induced, which propagated into the grown crystal region according to the birefringence and X-ray White Beam Topography (XWBT) results. By adjusting the growth parameters, the ZnTe variations and the resulting stress were efficiently reduced. In addition, it was revealed that large inclusions and grain boundaries can generate a high degree of stress, leading to the formation of dislocation slip bands and subgrain boundaries. The dominant defects, including grain boundaries, dislocation networks and cracks in the interior of crystals, led to the resistivity variation in the crystals. The bulk resistivity of the as-grown crystals ranged from 109 Ωcm to 1010 Ωcm. more...

We investigate electron transport along the surface of WTe2 three-dimensional single crystals, which are characterized by the coexistence of the conductivity and ferroelectricity of a Weyl semimetal at room temperature. We find that a nonlinear behavior of the differential resistance $$dV{\text{/}}dI(I)$$ of WTe2 is accompanied by a slow relaxation process, which appears as the $$dV{\text{/}}dI(I)$$ dependence on the sign of the current change. This observation is confirmed by direct investigation of time-dependent relaxation curves. While strongly nonlinear differential resistance should be expected for zero-gap WTe2, the slow relaxation in transport is very unusual for well-conducting semimetals at room temperature. We establish that a nonmonotonic dependence of the amplitude of the effect on the driving current $$dV{\text{/}}dI(I)$$ well corresponds to the known Sawyer–Tower’s ferroelectric hysteresis loop. The possibility to induce polarization current by source-drain field variation is unique for WTe2, since it is a direct consequence of the coexistence of ferroelectricity and metallic conduction. This conclusion is also confirmed by gate voltage dependencies, so our results can be understood as a direct demonstration of the ferroelectric behavior of WTe2 in charge transport experiment. more...

We experimentally investigate longitudinal and transverse second-harmonic voltage response to ac electrical current for a magnetic Weyl semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$. In contrast to the previously observed Berry-curvature induced non-linear Hall effect for non-magnetic Weyl and Dirac semimetals, the second-harmonic transverse voltage demonstrates sophisticated interplay of different effects for Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$. In high magnetic fields, it is of Seebeck-like square-B law, while the low-field behavior is found to be linear and sensitive to the direction of sample magnetization. The latter can be expected both for the non-linear Hall effect and for the surface state contribution to the Seebeck effect in Weyl semimetals. Thus, thermoelectric effects are significant in Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, unlike non-magnetic Weyl and Dirac materials. more...

We experimentally investigate charge transport through the interface between a gold electrode and a black phosphorus single crystal. The experimental $dI/dV(V)$ curves are characterized by well developed zero-bias conductance peak and two strongly different branches. We find that two branches of asymmetric $dI/dV(V)$ curves correspond to different band gap limits, which is consistent with the theoretically predicted band gap reconstruction at the surface of black phosphorus under electric field. This conclusion is confirmed by experimental comparison with the symmetric curves for narrow-gap (WTe$_2$) and wide-gap (GaSe) metal-semiconductor structures. In addition, we demonstrate p-type dopants redistribution at high bias voltages of different sign, which opens a way to use the interface structures with black phosphorus in resistive memory applications., final version more...

Powder and polycrystals synthesized from Ga, Se, Er components, as well as GaSe and GaSe:Er single crystals grown from melt in argon atmosphere and in vacuum, respectively, are studied. The growth and quenching conditions used in this work provide 2.5 times increase in solubility of erbium in GaSe matrix and a decrease in number of phases to GaSe and Er2Se3, oppositely to multiphase GaSe:Er alloys known from literature. For the first time Er2Se3 phase was detected by XRD in GaSe crystal doped with 1 at%Er. Possible orientation relations are derived for Er2Se3/GaSe epitaxial pair. It has been shown that stretched reflections in electron micro diffraction patterns and scattering of maximums in x-ray diffraction patterns are bound to stacking faults, which appear owing to thin interlayers of δ-GaSe polytype in e-GaSe matrix of the melt-grown crystals. Morphology of growing crystal surface is studied. Photoluminescence spectra of pure and erbium-doped GaSe display intense photoluminescence bands, which are, presumably, associated with defect states in band gap of GaSe. It is shown that doping with Er has a strong effect on photoluminescence intensity and on its spectral composition. The measured 1.7 times increase in Vickers microhardness (up to 400 MPa) with respect to pure GaSe is due to solid solution hardening and to precipitation. more...

Vertical zone melting under argon pressure is used to grow crystals of GaSe and GaS binary compounds, as well as solid solutions in the GaSe–GaS system. The crystals of these compounds are applied in laser optics owing to a high transmission coefficient in the IR region, but they are also of a special interest in nonlinear optics, where they are used as frequency converters in the terahertz range. In this context, interest grows in alloying with isovalent and non-isovalent dopants as in a method aimed at increasing efficiency of optical frequency converters. In this work, it is shown that crystals of solid solutions are characterized by unit cell parameters which decrease linearly as the sulfur content increases. It is shown that doping of GaSe with sulfur leads to a regular shift of the edge of the transmission spectrum to the short wavelength region and to a shift of low temperature photoluminescence peaks to higher energies. Measurements of microhardness show high magnitudes depending on composition of the crystals. more...

Paramagnetic layered semiconductor NbS2 doped with some transition metals can transform into ferromagnetic material. That is why such materials are promising candidates for spintronic devices. It is found that only at certain concentrations of a doping metal T crystallographic ordering is possible, which is essential for magnetic ordering of ternary compounds TNbS2. In particular, CrNb3S6 crystals are studied, which form almost completely ordered superstructure with intercalated Cr between NbS2 layers. The main difficulty in crystal growth is reaching stoichiometry of the compound. This problem is solved in the developed method of two-staged gas transport chemical reaction. This new approach provides growth of CrNb3S6 single crystals of several millimeters in diameter and 0.3–0.5 mm thickness. X-ray phase analysis (XRD) of powders is performed to identify all phases involved in synthesis and growth of the crystals. High frequency absorption in external periodic magnetic field as a function of temperature and intensity of magnetic field is used to estimate the temperature of ferromagnetic transition in CrNb3S6 single crystals. The Curie temperature is estimated as 115 K. Growth of CrNb3S6 crystals from vapor phase is studied in detail and full analysis of phase transitions during growth is given. It has been shown that using of high frequency absorption in the crystal provides reliable estimation of the point of ferromagnetic transition in this semiconductor. The authors are grateful to the Physical Science Department of Russian Academy of Sciences for financial support of the studies in the frameworks of the program “Physics of new materials and structures” (project no. 00-12-10). more...

We experimentally study lateral electron transport between two $5\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$-spaced superconducting indium leads on a top of magnetic Weyl semimetal ${\mathrm{Co}}_{3}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. For the disordered magnetic state of ${\mathrm{Co}}_{3}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ crystal, we observe only the Andreev reflection in the proximity of each of the leads, which is indicative of highly transparent In-${\mathrm{Co}}_{3}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ interfaces. If the sample is homogeneously magnetized, it demonstrates a well-developed anomalous Hall effect state. In this regime we find the Josephson current that takes place even for $5\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$-long junctions and show the unusual magnetic field and temperature dependencies. As a possible reason for the results obtained, we discuss the contribution to the proximity-induced spin-triplet Josephson current from the topologically protected Fermi-arc states on the surface of ${\mathrm{Co}}_{3}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. more...

Being encouraged by the interplay between topology, superconductivity and magnetism, we experimentally investigate charge transport through the interface between the Nb superconductor and the time-reversal symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2. In addition to the proximity-induced superconducting gap, we observe prominent subgap zero-bias anomaly. The anomaly demonstrates an unusual robustness to external magnetic fields: its width is absolutely stable up to the critical field of Nb, while its amplitude exhibits a weak non-monotonous variation. As the promising scenario of emergence of the zero-bias anomaly in transport characteristics, we consider the proximity-induced zero-energy Andreev bound states interfaced with the half-metallic Co3Sn2S2 and influenced by the strong spin-orbit coupling and large Zeeman splitting. more...

We experimentally compare two types of interface structures with magnetic and non-magnetic Weyl semimetals. They are the junctions between a gold normal layer and magnetic Weyl semimetal Ti$_2$MnAl, and a ferromagnetic nickel layer and non-magnetic Weyl semimetal WTe$_2$, respectively. Due to the ferromagnetic side of the junction, we investigate spin-polarized transport through the Weyl semimetal surface. For both structures, we demonstrate similar current-voltage characteristics, with hysteresis at low currents and sharp peaks in differential resistance at high ones. Despite this behavior resembles the known current-induced magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic structures, evolution of the resistance peaks with magnetic field is unusual. We connect the observed effects with current-induced spin dynamics in Weyl topological surface states., Comment: final version more...

We experimentally investigate transport properties of a hybrid structure, which consists of a thin single crystal SnSe flake on a top of 5~$\mu$m spaced Au leads. The structure initially is in highly-conductive state, while it can be switched to low-conductive one at high currents due to the Joule heating of the sample, which should be identified as phase transition to the symmetric $\beta$-$Cmcm$ phase in SnSe. For highly-conductive state, there is significant hysteresis in $dI/dV(V)$ curves at low biases, so the sample conductance depends on the sign of the applied bias change. This hysteretic behavior reflects slow relaxation due to additional polarization current in the ferroelectric SnSe phase, which we confirm by direct measurement of time-dependent relaxation curves. In contrast, we observe no noticeable relaxation or low-bias hysteresis for the quenched low-conductive phase. Thus, ferroelectric behavior can be switched on or off in transport through hybrid SnSe structure by controllable phase transition to the symmetric $\beta$-$Cmcm$ phase. This result can also be important for nonvolatile memory development, e.g. phase change memory for neuromorphic computations or other applications in artificial intelligence and modern electronics. more...

We investigated the emission properties of charge sources based on carbon nanotubes prepared by arc discharge deposition of nanotubes onto a flat copper substrate (Borisenko et al. in Instrum Exp Tech 57(6):755, 2014; Low Temp Phys 41(7):567, 2015). The charge sources were submerged into superfluid helium at temperature $$T=1.3$$ K. The collector fixed above the charge source at a distance of 0.3 mm was connected to an electrometer. The current of charges was measured by the electrometer when a high voltage was applied to the charge source. In the originally prepared source, the emission of charges (electrons) on the level of $$10^{-10}\hbox {A}$$ is observed at a negative voltage above $$U=80$$ V and increases with increasing voltage. If the source of charge was kept in liquid helium for 15 h, the current–voltage characteristic changed significantly. The current of charges on the same level of $$10^{-10}$$ A was registered at a voltage of $$U=150$$ V. Extraction of gases from the source placed in a vacuum chamber at room temperature for 48 h leads to the complete recovery of the emission properties. One can assume that the degradation of the emission properties of the sources is associated with the adsorption of helium atoms by carbon nanotubes at low temperatures. We did not observe any degradation of the emission properties of the charge sources in the case of positive charges injection into superfluid helium. more...

Lithium borate glass activated with europium oxide, europium borate, and europium molybdate has been obtained by melt quenching. It has been found that by excitation with UV light of λex = 365 nm, the highest luminescence intensity is observed in the samples activated with europium molybdate. The extreme europium molybdate concentration at which a sharp drop in the glass optical quality starts is measured. The thermal regions of stability are determined and the thermophysical characteristics (jumps of the thermal capacity in the glass-transition point and thermal effects of crystallization) for lithium borate glass doped with various oxides based on europium are calculated. more...

A realistic model-free description of the energies of heavy and superheavy nuclei is proposed. It is shown that: a) the charge Z* of the most stable isobar increases proportionally to the mass number A: Z* = aA + b, where a = 0.355, b = 9.3; b) the energy of β-decay of isobar Qβ(A, Z) increases as a linear function of the difference Z−Z*: Qβ = k(Z−Z*), where k = 1.13 MeV and D depends on the nuclear parity A; c) the energy of α-decay of isobars increases independently of parity in proportion to the difference Z−Z*: Qα(A, Z) = Qα*(A) + λ(Z − Z*(A)), where λ = 2k(1–2a) = 0.65 MeV; d) the reduced energy of α-decay, Qα*(A) is minimal at A = A0 = 232, where Qα*(A0) = 4.9 MeV, and linearly increases at A ≠ A0: Qα* = e|A − A0|, where e = 0.212 MeV at A A0. Using the obtained formulas, the energies of α-decay are calculated for all heavy and superheavy nuclei with the rms deviation of 0.2 MeV. It is shown that the region near A = A0 is the domain of most stable (heavy and superheavy) nuclei, and the region A > 280 is the domain of increased stability. more...

We report the results of a study of magnetic, electrical, and thermodynamic properties of a single crystal of the magnetic compound Cr0.26NbS1.74 at ambient and high pressures. Results of the measurements of magnetization as a function of temperature reveal the existence of a ferromagnetic phase transition in Cr0.26NbS1.74. The effective number of Bohr magnetons per Cr atom in the paramagnetic phase of Cr0.26NbS1.74 is µeff ≈ 4.6µB, which matches the literature data for Cr1/3NbS2. Similarly, the effective number of Bohr magnetons per Cr atom in the saturation fields is rather close in both substances and corresponds to the number of magnetons in the Cr+3 ion. In contrast to the stoichiometric compound, Cr0.26NbS1.74 does not show a metamagnetic transition, that indicates the lack of a magnetic soliton. A high-pressure phase diagram of the compound reveals the quantum phase transition at T = 0 and P ≈ 4.2 GPa and the triple point situated at T ≈ 20 K and P ≈ 4.2 GPa. more...

The multilevel nature and plasticity of memristor structures based on bismuth selenide microcrystals (of the “flake” type), which are controlled by the rewriting voltages Vset / Vreset are investigated. It was shown by numerical simulation that the switching is caused by the barrier properties of the defective layer, consisting of two sublayers having different thicknesses, as well as different electrical and thermal conductivities, overheating phenomena have been also taken into account. The change in the device resistance both at ON-OFF and at OFF-ON transitions begins at approximately the same absolute value of the threshold electric field of the order of 105 V/cm. Modulation of the barrier formed at the interface between a metal and a strongly doped semiconductor is the most likely model for resistive switching in bismuth selenide-based structures. more...

We experimentally investigate a non-linear Hall effect for three-dimensional WTe$_2$ and Cd$_3$As$_2$ single crystals, representing Weyl and Dirac semimetals, respectively. We observe finite second-harmonic Hall voltage, which depends quadratically on the longitudinal current in zero magnetic field. Despite this observation well corresponds to the theoretical predictions, only magnetic field dependence allows to distinguish the non-linear Hall effect from a thermoelectric response. We demonstrate that second-harmonic Hall voltage shows odd-type dependence on the direction of the magnetic field, which is a strong argument in favor of current-magnetization effects. In contrast, one order of magnitude higher thermopower signal is independent of the magnetic field direction., Comment: minor text correction more...

We experimentally investigate electron transport in kagome-lattice ferromagnet Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, which is regarded as a time-reversal symmetry broken Weyl semimetal candidate. We demonstrate $dV/dI(I)$ curves with pronounced asymmetric $dV/dI$ spikes, similar to those attributed to current-induced spin-wave excitations in ferromagnetic multilayers. In contrast to multilayers, we observe several $dV/dI$ spikes' sequences at low, $\approx$10$^4$ A/cm$^2$, current densities for a thick single-crystal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ flake in the regime of fully spin-polarized bulk. The spikes at low current densities can be attributed to novel magnon branches in magnetic Weyl semimetals, which are predicted due to the coupling between two magnetic moments mediated by Weyl fermions. Presence of spin-transfer effects at low current densities in Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ makes the material attractive for applications in spintronics., Comment: final version more...

The polymorphic transition from hexagonal to monoclinic phase was studied for the first time in melt grown GaTe crystals. The polymorphic transition goes as a non-variant process at a constant temperature and pressure without any changes in composition. Though the character of the phase transition is apparently diffusive, no interface or grain boundaries are detected. After completion of the phase transition the whole volume of the crystal remains a single crystal. The cleavage plane is preserved and proves to be a habit plane between the hexagonal and monoclinic phase. Reflections in Laue patterns are sharpened and peaks in X-ray diffraction patterns are narrowed upon the transition, which is attributed to relaxation of internal stresses. Annealing of the transformed monoclinic GaTe at 1023 K followed by quenching does not incite decomposition of the compound, which is explained by high stoichiometry of the grown crystal. Energy gap value after storage at room temperature and after the annealing is 1.65 eV, which corresponds with the data for monoclinic GaTe. The Vickers microhardness is 360 MPa. more...

Transport measurements at liquid helium temperatures were done on a number of Bi2Te2Se samples with thicknesses ranging from 30 to 200 μm in order to detect surface states. In each sample we observed Shubnikov–de Haas (SdH) oscillations and sublinear dependence of off-diagonal component of magnetoresistance tensor on magnetic field. The periods of SdH oscillations in inverse magnetic field were found to be the same within 15%. The positions of SdH oscillations are determined by the normal to surface component of magnetic field. We found that the measured conductivity can be well described by a model with two groups of electrons, 2D and 3D. The conductivity of 2D electrons was found to be relatively weakly varying from sample to sample and not depending on thickness in a systematic manner. This behavior can be explained only by their localization on the surface. Comparison of the results of magnetotransport measurements with our scanning tunneling spectroscopy results on atomically smooth Bi2Te2Se surface in ultrahigh vacuum led us to conclude that the surface electrons are separated from the bulk electrons by a depletion layer approximately 100 nm thick. This effect could provide the dominant contribution of surface electrons to conductivity in samples with thicknesses less than 200 nm. more...

A single-crystal sample of Gd2(MoO4)3 simultaneously doped with europium, terbium and thulium is grown. The Tm, Tb and Eu dopants are employed as the luminescent centers emitting light in the red, green and blue ranges. Spectroscopy investigation reveals that simultaneous luminescence of the centers of all three types to produce white light occurs only under the sample excitation with ultraviolet (UV) light within the wavelength range 350 more...

Cadmium zinc telluride crystals were grown using the traveling heater method (THM) under microgravity conditions on board of Foton-M4 spacecraft, and a reference crystal was grown on Earth under gravity conditions. Structure, chemical and phase compositions of these crystals, their optical characteristics and microhardness were compared. It can be concluded that the THM growth in microgravity has a positive effect on CZT crystals, since they have more homogeneous composition and their structural perfection is improved as compared with the crystals grown under terrestrial conditions, which results in improvement of electric and optical characteristics. more...

The effect applied voltage frequency has on bipolar resistive switching in microcontact type heterostructures based on thin films and single crystals of bismuth selenide is studied both experimentally and via numerical simulation. more...

We demonstrate here a simple measurement protocol which allows the thermal properties of anisotropic crystalline materials to be determined. This protocol is validated by the measurement of Bi

We experimentally study electron transport between two superconducting indium leads, coupled to the WTe2 crystal surface. WTe2 is characterized by presence of Fermi arc surface states, as a predicted type-II Weyl semimetal candidate. We demonstrate Josephson current in unprecedentedly long 5 µm In–WTe2–In junctions, which is confirmed by I–V curves evolution with temperature and magnetic field. The Josephson current is mostly carried by the topological surface states, which we demonstrate in a double-slit superconducting quantum interference device geometry, realized by coupling the opposite WTe2 crystal surfaces. more...

We experimentally investigate spin-polarized transport between a ferromagnetic Ni electrode and a surface of Weyl semimetal, realized in a thick WTe$_2$ single crystal. For highly-transparent Ni-WTe$_2$ planar junctions, we observe non-Ohmic $dV/dI(I)$ behavior with an overall increase of differential resistance $dV/dI$ with current bias, which is accomplished by current-induced switchings. This behavior is inconsistent with trivial interface scattering, but it is well known for spin-polarized transport with magnon emission. Thus, we interpret the experimental results in terms of spin wave excitation in spin textures in the WTe$_2$ topological surface states, which is supported by the obtained magnetic field and temperature $dV/dI(I)$ dependencies. more...

We experimentally investigate charge transport through the interface between a niobium superconductor and a three-dimensional WTe$_2$ Weyl semimetal. In addition to classical Andreev reflection, we observe sharp non-periodic subgap resistance resonances. From an analysis of their positions, magnetic field and temperature dependencies, we can interpret them as an analog of Tomasch oscillations for transport along the topological surface state across the region of proximity-induced superconductivity at the Nb-WTe$_2$ interface. Observation of distinct geometrical resonances implies a specific transmission direction for carriers, which is a hallmark of the Fermi arc surface states., Comment: 5 pages, some misprints has been corrected more...

Methods for the production of field-emission sources of charges on the basis of carbon nanotubes are described. These sources can be used to study the properties of injected charges in cryogenic liquids and crystals (the area of the source surface is about several square millimeters, the dissipated power is more...

New ZnSe ceramic material doped with Te is fabricated by nanopowder technology using cold compaction. It is found that phase composition, Te concentration and grain size of the nanopowders produced by direct deposition from vapor depend on temperature in a deposition zone. The higher the temperature, the greater is the fraction of stable cubic phase, the higher Te content, the greater grain size. It is shown that annealing of the ceramics brings to phase transition from wurtzite to sphalerite and dissolution of Te in ZnSe(Te) solid solution. Experimental data on the nanopowders and ceramic materials show that intensity of photoluminescence increases with increase in Te concentration in ZnSe(Te) cubic phase. more...