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Loop current order has been suggested as a promising candidate for the spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking $2a_0 \times 2a_0$ charge density wave (CDW) revealed in vanadium-based kagom\'e metals \avs\ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs) near van Hove filling $n_\text{vH} = 5/12$. Weak-coupling analyses and mean field calculations have demonstrated that nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion $V_1$ and next-nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion $V_2$ drives, respectively, real and imaginary bond-ordered CDW, with the latter corresponding to time-reversal symmetry breaking loop current CDW. It is important to understand the inter-layer correlation of these bond-ordered CDWs and its consequences in the bulk kagom\'e materials. To provide physical insights, we investigate in this paper the $c$-axis stacking of them, loop current CDW in particular, on the minimal bilayer kagom\'e lattice. The bare susceptibilities for stacking of real and imaginary bond orders are calculated for the free electrons on the bilayer kagom\'e lattice with inter-layer coupling $t_\perp=0.2t$, which splits the van Hove filling to $n_{+\text{vH}}=4.64/12$ and $n_{-\text{vH}}=5.44/12$. While real and imaginary bond-ordered CDWs are still favored, respectively, by $V_1$ and $V_2$, their inter-layer coupling is sensitive to band filling $n$. They tend to stack symmetrically near $n_{\pm\text{vH}}$ with identical bond orders in the two layers and give rise to a $2a_0 \times 2a_0 \times 1c_0$ CDW. On the other hand, they prefer to stack antisymmetrically around $n_\text{vH}$ with opposite bond orders in the two layers and lead to a $2a_0 \times 2a_0 \times 2c_0$ CDW. The concrete bilayer $t$-$t_\perp$-$V_1$-V$_2$ model is then studied. We obtain the mean-field ground states and determine the inter-layer coupling as a function of band filling at various interactions. The nontrivial topological properties of loop current CDWs are studied ..., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables

Motivated by the recent discovery of charge density wave (CDW) order in the magnetic kagom\'e metal FeGe, we study the single-orbital $t$-$U$-$V_1$-$V_2$ model on the kagom\'e lattice, where $U$, $V_1$, and $V_2$ are the onsite, nearest neighbor, and next-nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsions, respectively. When the Fermi level lies in the flat band, the instability toward ferromagnetic (FM) order gives rise to a FM half-metal at sufficiently large onsite $U$. Intriguingly, at band filling $n=17/24$, the Fermi level crosses the van Hove singularity of the spin-minority bands of the half-metal. We show that, due to the unique geometry and sublattice interference on the kagom\'e lattice at van Hove singularity, the intersite Coulomb interactions $V_1$ and $V_2$ drive a real and an imaginary bond-ordered $2a_0 \times 2a_0$ CDW instability, respectively. The FM loop current CDW with complex bond orders is a spin-polarized Chern insulator exhibiting the quantum anomalous Hall effect. The bond fluctuations are found to be substantially enhanced compared to the corresponding nonmagnetic kagom\'e metals at van Hove filling, providing a concrete model realization of the bond-ordered CDWs, including the FM loop current CDW, over the onsite charge density ordered states. When the spins are partially polarized, we find that the formation of bond-ordered CDWs enhances substantially the ordered magnetic moments. These findings provide physical insights for the emergence of loop-current and bond-ordered CDW and their interplay with magnetism on the kagom\'e lattice, with possible connections to the magnetic kagom\'e metal FeGe.

Superconductivity involving finite momentum pairing can lead to spatial gap and pair density modulations, as well as Bogoliubov Fermi states within the superconducting gap. However, the experimental realization of their intertwined relations has been challenging. Here, we detect chiral kagome superconductivity modulations with residual Fermi arcs in KV3Sb5 and CsV3Sb5 by normal and Josephson scanning tunneling microscopy down to 30mK with resolved electronic energy difference at microelectronvolt level. We observe a U-shaped superconducting gap with flat residual in-gap states. This gap exhibits chiral 2 by 2 spatial modulations with magnetic field tunable chirality, which align with the chiral 2 by 2 pair density modulations observed through Josephson tunneling. These findings demonstrate a chiral pair density wave (PDW) that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Quasiparticle interference imaging of the in-gap zero-energy states reveals segmented arcs, with high-temperature data linking them to parts of the reconstructed V d-orbital states within the charge order. The detected residual Fermi arcs can be explained by the partial suppression of these d-orbital states through an interorbital 2 by 2 PDW and thus serve as candidate Bogoliubov Fermi states. Additionally, we differentiate the observed PDW order from impurity-induced gap modulations. Our observations not only uncover a chiral PDW order with orbital-selectivity, but also illuminate the fundamental space-momentum correspondence inherent in finite momentum paired superconductivity., Comment: To appear in Nature (2024)

This paper introduces LiNR, LinkedIn's large-scale, GPU-based retrieval system. LiNR supports a billion-sized index on GPU models. We discuss our experiences and challenges in creating scalable, differentiable search indexes using TensorFlow and PyTorch at production scale. In LiNR, both items and model weights are integrated into the model binary. Viewing index construction as a form of model training, we describe scaling our system for large indexes, incorporating full scans and efficient filtering. A key focus is on enabling attribute-based pre-filtering for exhaustive GPU searches, addressing the common challenge of post-filtering in KNN searches that often reduces system quality. We further provide multi-embedding retrieval algorithms and strategies for tackling cold start issues in retrieval. Our advancements in supporting larger indexes through quantization are also discussed. We believe LiNR represents one of the industry's first Live-updated model-based retrieval indexes. Applied to out-of-network post recommendations on LinkedIn Feed, LiNR has contributed to a 3% relative increase in professional daily active users. We envisage LiNR as a step towards integrating retrieval and ranking into a single GPU model, simplifying complex infrastructures and enabling end-to-end optimization of the entire differentiable infrastructure through gradient descent.

Recent experiments have identified fascinating electronic orders in kagome materials, including intriguing superconductivity, charge density wave (CDW) and nematicity. In particular, some experimental evidence for AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K,Rb,Cs) and related kagome metals hints at the formation of orbital currents in the charge density wave ordered regime, providing a mechanism for spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking in the absence of local moments. In this work, we comprehensively explore the competitive charge instabilities of the spinless kagome lattice with inter-site Coulomb interactions at the pure-sublattice van Hove filling. From the analysis of the charge susceptibility, we find that, at the nesting vectors, while the onsite charge order is dramatically suppressed, the bond charge orders are substantially enhanced owing to the sublattice texture on the hexagonal Fermi surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that nearest-neighbor and next nearest-neighbor bonds are characterized by significant intrinsic real and imaginary bond fluctuations, respectively. The 2$\times$2 loop current order is thus favored by the next nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion. Interestingly, increasing interactions further leads to a nematic state with intra-cell sublattice density modulation that breaks the $C_6$ rotational symmetry. We further explore superconducting orders descending from onsite and bond charge fluctuations, and discuss our model's implications on the experimental status quo.

The $d$-wave pseudospin current order ($d$PSCO) with staggered circulating pseudospin current has been proposed as the hidden electronic order to describe the unexpected breaking of spatial symmetries in stoichiometric Sr$_{2}$IrO$_{4}$ and the unconventional pseudogap phenomena in electron doped Sr$_{2}$IrO$_{4}$. However, a microscopic model for the emergence of $d$PSCO is still lacking. The nearest neighbor Coulomb repulsion $V$, which is expected to be significant in Sr$_{2}$IrO$_{4}$ due to the large spatial extension of the Ir $5d$ orbitals, is capable of driving $d$PSCO on the mean-field level, albeit the latter is energetically degenerate to the staggered flux phase with circulating charge current. We find the in-plane anisotropy $\Gamma_2$ in the effective superexchange interaction between $J_\text{eff}={1\over 2}$ pseudospins, originating from the cooperative interplay between Hund's rule coupling and spin-orbit coupling of Ir $5d$ electrons, is able to lift the degeneracy and stabilize the pseudospin currents. The effective single-orbital model of $J_\text{eff}={1\over 2}$ electrons, including onsite Coulomb repulsion $U$, nearest neighbor Coulomb repulsion $V$, and the in-plane anisotropy $\Gamma_2$, is then studied. We obtain the mean-field ground states, analyze their properties, and determine the phase diagram of stoichiometric Sr$_{2}$IrO$_{4}$ in the plane spanned by $U$ and $V$ at a fixed $\Gamma_2$. We demonstrate the realization of $d$PSCO, and its competition and coexistence with antiferromagnetism. Remarkably, we find the coexistence of $d$PSCO and antiferromagnetism naturally leads to spin bond nematicity, with the spin directions of these three orders forming nontrivial chirality. Furthermore, we show that the emergence of the coexistent state and its chirality can be tuned by carrier doping., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures

Recent experiments on vanadium-based nonmagnetic kagom\'e metals $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A=$ K, Rb, Cs) revealed evidence for possible spontaneous time-reversal symmetry (TRS) breaking in the charge density wave (CDW) ordered state. The long-sought-after quantum order of loop currents has been suggested as a candidate for the TRS breaking state. However, a microscopic model for the emergence of the loop-current CDW due to electronic correlations is still lacking. Here, we calculate the susceptibility of the real and imaginary bond orders on the kagom\'e lattice near van Hove filling, and reveal the importance of next-nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion $V_2$ in triggering the instability toward imaginary bond ordered CDW. The concrete effective single-orbital $t$-$V_1$-$V_2$ model on the kagom\'e lattice is then studied, where $t$ and $V_1$ are the hopping and Coulomb repulsion on the nearest-neighbor bonds. We obtain the mean-field ground states, analyze their properties, and determine the phase diagram in the plane spanned by $V_1$ and $V_2$ at van Hove filling. The region dominated by $V_1$ is occupied by a $2a_0 \times 2a_0$ real CDW insulator with the inverse of Star-of-David (ISD) bond configuration. Increasing $V_2$ indeed drives a first-order transition from ISD to stabilized loop-current insulators that exhibit four possible current patterns of different topological properties, leading to orbital Chern insulators. We then extend these results away from van Hove filling and show that electron doping helps the stabilization of loop currents, and gives rise to doped orbital Chern insulators with emergent Chern Fermi pockets carrying large Berry curvature and orbital magnetic moment. Our findings provide a concrete model realization of the loop-current Chern metal at the mean-field level for the TRS breaking normal state of the kagom\'e superconductors., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

The recent discovery of novel charge density wave (CDW) and pair density wave (PDW) in kagom\'e lattice superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A=$ K, Rb, Cs) hints at unexpected time-reversal symmetry breaking correlated and topological states whose physical origin and broader implications are not understood. Here, we make conceptual advances toward a mechanism behind the striking observations and new predictions for novel macroscopic phase coherent quantum states. We show that the metallic CDW state with circulating loop currents is a doped orbital Chern insulator near van Hove filling. The emergent Chern Fermi pockets (CFPs) carry concentrated Berry curvature and orbital magnetic moment. We find that the pairing of electrons on the CFPs leads to a superconducting state with an emergent vortex-antivortex lattice and the formation of a complex triple-\textbf{Q} PDW. A plethora of correlated and topological states emerge, including a never-before-encountered chiral topological PDW superconductor, a loop-current pseudogap phase, and vestigial charge-4$e$ and charge-6$e$ superconductivity in staged melting of the vortex-antivortex lattice and hexatic liquid crystal. Our findings reveal previously unknown nature of the superconducting state of a current-carrying Chern metal, with broad implications for correlated and topological materials., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

Recent experiments have provided evidence for chiral charge order in Kagome superconductors (SCs). This intriguing possibility motivates us to unveil the first pathway to engineer topological superconductivity by harnessing the interplay of charge Chern insulators (CIs) and conventional SCs. We here identify under which conditions a pyramidal SC/CI/SC heterostructure induces an effective 1D spinless p-wave SC that allows pinning Majorana zero modes (MZMs) at termination edges and domain walls. As we reveal, such a MZM track is controlled by the phase difference of the two SCs involved and additional magnetic fields which are required for generating Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling. Further, we show that a SC/CI/SC/CI/SC double-pyramidal hybrid defines a double MZM track, in which braiding occurs by varying the two superconducting phase differences in space and adiabatically in time. Given the geometry of the MZM racetrack, we propose to employ the time-averaged quadrupolar differential conductance to confirm the here-termed MZM track exchange process which is pivotal for braiding. In addition, we identify experimental knobs which enable the fusion of MZM pairs, and the detection of the underlying non-Abelian topological order and twofold many-body ground state degeneracy by encoding it in a topological invariant., Comment: 19 pages, 8 Figures, 2 Tables, 4 Appendices; Expanded, improved and reorganized text; Version close to the one that will appear in PRB

Recent optical second-harmonic generation experiments observed unexpected broken spatial symmetries in the undoped spin-orbit Mott insulator Sr$_2$IrO$_4$, leading to intensive debates on the nature of its ground state. We propose that it is a canted antiferromagnetism with a hidden order of circulating staggered pseudospin current. Symmetry analysis shows that a proper $c$-axis stacking of the canted antiferromagnetism and the pseudospin current lead to a magnetoelectric coexistence state that breaks the two-fold rotation, inversion, and time-reversal symmetries, consistent with experimental observations. We construct a three-dimensional Hubbard model with spin-orbit coupling for the five localized 5$d$ Wannier orbitals centered at Ir sites, and demonstrate the microscopic realization of the desired coexistence state in a wide range of band parameters via a combination of self-consistent Hartree-Fock and variational calculations., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

The transition-metal kagome lattice materials host frustrated, correlated, and topological quantum states of matter. Recently, a new family of vanadium-based kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, and Cs) with topological band structures has been discovered. These layered compounds are nonmagnetic and undergo charge density wave transitions before developing superconductivity at low temperatures. Here we report the observation of unconventional superconductivity and pair density wave (PDW) in CsV3Sb5 using scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and Josephson STS. We find that CsV3Sb5 exhibits a V-shaped pairing gap {\Delta}~0.5 meV and is a strong-coupling superconductor (2{\Delta}/kBTc~5) that coexists with 4a0 unidirectional and 2a0X2a0 charge order. Remarkably, we discover a 3Q PDW accompanied by bidirectional 4a0/3 spatial modulations of the superconducting gap, coherence peak and gap-depth in the tunneling conductance. We term this novel quantum state a roton-PDW associated with an underlying vortex-antivortex lattice that can account for the observed conductance modulations. Probing the electronic states in the vortex halo in an applied magnetic field, in strong-field that suppresses superconductivity, and in zero-field above Tc reveals that the PDW is a primary state responsible for an emergent pseudogap and intertwined electronic order. Our findings show striking analogies and distinctions to the phenomenology of high-Tc cuprate superconductors, and provide groundwork for understanding the microscopic origin of correlated electronic states and superconductivity in vanadium-based kagome metals., Comment: Nature (2021)

High-temperature iron-based superconductivity develops in a structure with unusual lattice-orbital geometry, based on a planar layer of Fe atoms with 3d orbitals and tetrahedrally coordinated by anions. Here we elucidate the electronic role of anions in the iron-based superconductors utilizing state-of-the-art scanning tunneling microscopy. By measuring the local electronic structure, we find that As anion in Ba0.4K0.6Fe2As2 has a striking impact on the electron pairing. The superconducting electronic feature can be switched off/on by removing/restoring As atoms on Fe layer at the atomic scale. Our analysis shows that this remarkable atomic switch effect is related to the geometrical cooperation between anion mediated hopping and unconventional pairing interaction. Our results uncover that the local Fe-anion coupling is fundamental for the pairing interaction of iron-based superconductivity, and promise the potential of bottom-up engineering of electron pairing.

Layered copper oxides have highest superconducting transition temperatures at ambient pressure. Its mechanism remains a grand challenge in condensed matter physics. The essential physics lying in 2-dimensional copper-oxygen layers is well described by a single band Hubbard model or its strong coupling limit t-J model in 2-dimensional square lattice. Recently discovered high temperature superconductor Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ with $\delta \sim 0.2$ has different crystal structure with large portion of in-plane oxygen vacancies. We observe that an oxygen vacancy breaks the bond of its two neighboring copper atoms, and propose ordered vacancies in Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ lead to extended t-J model on an effective brick-wall lattice. For the nearest neighbor hopping, the brick-wall model can be mapped onto t-J model on honeycomb lattice. Our theory explains the superconductivity of Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ at high charge carrier density, and predict a time reversal symmetry broken pairing state., Comment: to be published in PRB Rapid communications, 5 pages, 5 figures

We employ the Hartree-Fock approximation to identify the magnetic ground state of the Hubbard model on a frustrated square lattice. We investigate the phase diagram as a function of the Coulomb repulsion's strength $U$, and the ratio $t'/t$ between the nearest and next nearest neighbor hoppings $t$ and $t'$. At half-filling and for a sufficiently large $U$, an antiferromagnetic chiral spin density wave order with nonzero spin chirality emerges as the ground state in a wide regime of the phase diagram near $t'/t=1/\sqrt{2}$, where the Fermi surface is well-nested for both $(\pi,\pi)$ and $(\pi,0)/(0,\pi)$ wave vectors. This triple-${\bf Q}$ chiral phase is sandwiched by a single-${\bf Q}$ N\'{e}el phase and a double-${\bf Q}$ coplanar spin-vortex crystal phase, at smaller and larger $t'/t$, respectively. The energy spectrum in the chiral spin density wave phase consists of four pairs of degenerate bands. These give rise to two pairs of Dirac cones with the same chirality at the point $({\pi \over 2},{\pi\over 2})$ of the Brillouin zone. We demonstrate that the application of a diagonal strain induces a $d_{xy}$-wave next nearest neighbor hopping which, in turn, opens gaps in the two Dirac cones with opposite masses. As a result, four pairs of well-separated topologically-nontrivial bands emerge, and each pair of those contributes with a Chern number $\pm1$. At half-filling, this leads to a zero total Chern number and renders the topologically-notrivial properties observable only in the ac response regime. Instead, we show that at $3/4$ filling, the triple-${\bf Q}$ chiral phase yields a Chern insulator exhibiting the quantum anomalous Hall effect., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures

The Mott metal-insulator transition in the Hubbard model is studied by constructing a dynamical slave-boson mean-field theory in the limit of large lattice coordination number $z$ that incorporates the binding between doubly occupied (doublon) and empty (holon) sites. On the Mott insulating side where all doublons and holons bond in real space into excitonic pairs leading to the charge gap, the theory simplifies considerably to leading order in $1/\sqrt{z}$, and becomes exact on the infinite-$z$ Bethe lattice. An asymptotic solution is obtained for a continuous Mott transition associated with the closing of the charge gap at a critical value of the Hubbard $U_c$ and the corresponding doublon density $n_d^c$, hopping $\chi_d^c$ and doublon-holon pairing $\Delta_d^c$ amplitudes. We find $U_c=U_{\rm BR} [1 -2n_d^c -\sqrt{z} (\chi_d^c +\Delta_d^c))] \simeq0.8U_{\rm BR}$, where $U_{\rm BR}$ is the critical value for the Brinkman-Rice transition in the Gutzwiller approximation captured in the static mean-field solution of the slave-boson formulation of Kotliar and Ruckenstein. Thus, the Mott transition can be viewed as the quantum correction to the Brinkman-Rice transition due to doublon-holon binding. Quantitative comparisons are made to the results of the dynamical mean-field theory, showing good agreement. In the absence of magnetic order, the Mott insulator is a $U(1)$ quantum spin liquid with nonzero intersite spinon hopping that survives the large-$z$ limit and lifts the $2^N$-fold degeneracy of the local moments. We show that the spinons are coupled to the doublons/holons by a dissipative compact $U(1)$ gauge field in the deconfined phase, realizing the spin-charge separated gapless spin liquid Mott insulator., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1605.03597

We investigate a new class of topological antiferromagnetic (AF) Chern insulators driven by electronic interactions in two-dimensional systems without inversion symmetry. Despite the absence of a net magnetization, AF Chern insulators (AFCI) possess a nonzero Chern number $C$ and exhibit the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). Their existence is guaranteed by the bifurcation of the boundary line of Weyl points between a quantum spin Hall insulator and a topologically trivial phase with the emergence of AF long-range order. As a concrete example, we study the phase structure of the honeycomb lattice Kane-Mele model as a function of the inversion-breaking ionic potential and the Hubbard interaction. We find an easy $z$-axis $C=1$ AFCI phase and a spin-flop transition to a topologically trivial $xy$-plane collinear antiferromagnet. We propose experimental realizations of the AFCI and QAHE in correlated electron materials and cold atom systems., Comment: 5 pages 4 figures + supplementary material. To be published in Physical Review Letters

Analogs of the high-T$_c$ cuprates have been long sought after in transition metal oxides. Due to the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the $5d$ perovskite iridates Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ exhibit a low-energy electronic structure remarkably similar to the cuprates. Whether a superconducting state exists as in the cuprates requires understanding the correlated spin-orbit entangled electronic states. Recent experiments discovered hidden order in the parent and electron doped iridates, some with striking analogies to the cuprates, including Fermi surface pockets, Fermi arcs, and pseudogap. Here, we study the correlation and disorder effects in a five-orbital model derived from the band theory. We find that the experimental observations are consistent with a $d$-wave spin-orbit density wave order that breaks the symmetry of a joint two-fold spin-orbital rotation followed by a lattice translation. There is a Berry phase and a plaquette spin flux due to spin procession as electrons hop between Ir atoms, akin to the intersite SOC in quantum spin Hall insulators. The associated staggered circulating $J_\text{eff}=1/2$ spin current can be probed by advanced techniques of spin-current detection in spintronics. This electronic order can emerge spontaneously from the intersite Coulomb interactions between the spatially extended iridium $5d$ orbitals, turning the metallic state into an electron doped quasi-2D Dirac semimetal with important implications on the possible superconducting state suggested by recent experiments., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures + supplementary material (4 pages with 3 figures), published version

An analytical solution of the Mott transition is obtained for the Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice in the large coordination number ($z$) limit. The excitonic binding of doublons (doubly occupied sites) and holons (empty sites) is shown to be the origin of a continuous Mott transition between a metal and an emergent quantum spin liquid insulator. The doublon-holon binding theory enables a different large-$z$ limit and a different phase structure than the dynamical meanfield theory by allowing intersite spinon correlations to lift the $2^N$-fold degeneracy of the local moments in the insulating phase. We show that the spinons are coupled to doublons/holons by a dissipative compact U(1) gauge field that is in the deconfined phase, stabilizing the spin-charge separated gapless spin liquid Mott insulator., Comment: Revised Version, 5 pages, 3 figures