Approaching the Ground State of Frustrated A-site Spinels: A Combined Magnetization and Polarized Neutron Scattering Study

We re-investigate the magnetically frustrated, {\it diamond-lattice-antiferromagnet} spinels FeAl$_2$O$_4$ and MnAl$_2$O$_4$ using magnetization measurements and diffuse scattering of polarized neutrons. In FeAl$_2$O$_4$, macroscopic measurements evidence a "cusp" in zero field-cooled susceptibility around 13~K. Dynamic magnetic susceptibility and {\it memory effect} experiments provide results that do not conform with a canonical spin-glass scenario in this material. Through polarized neutron scattering studies, absence of long-range magnetic order down to 4~K is confirmed in FeAl$_2$O$_4$. By modeling the powder averaged differential magnetic neutron scattering cross-section, we estimate that the spin-spin correlations in this compound extend up to the third nearest-neighbour shell. The estimated value of the Land\'{e} $g$ factor points towards orbital contributions from Fe$^{2+}$. This is also supported by a Curie-Weiss analysis of the magnetic susceptibility. MnAl$_2$O$_4$, on the contrary, undergoes a magnetic phase transition into a long-range ordered state below $\approx$ 40~K, which is confirmed by macroscopic measurements and polarized neutron diffraction. However, the polarized neutron studies reveal the existence of prominent spin-fluctuations co-existing with long-range antiferromagnetic order. The magnetic diffuse intensity suggests a similar short range order as in FeAl$_2$O$_4$. Results of the present work supports the importance of spin-spin correlations in understanding magnetic response of frustrated magnets like $A$-site spinels which have predominant short-range spin correlations reminiscent of the "spin liquid" state.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, double-column, accepted in Phys. Rev. B, 201

Spin-Wave and Electromagnon Dispersions in Multiferroic MnWO4 as Observed by Neutron Spectroscopy: Isotropic Heisenberg Exchange versus Anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction

High resolution inelastic neutron scattering reveals that the elementary magnetic excitations in multiferroic MnWO4 consist of low energy dispersive electromagnons in addition to the well-known spin-wave excitations. The latter can well be modeled by a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with magnetic exchange coupling extending to the 12th nearest neighbor. They exhibit a spin-wave gap of 0.61(1) meV. Two electromagnon branches appear at lower energies of 0.07(1) meV and 0.45(1) meV at the zone center. They reflect the dynamic magnetoelectric coupling and persist in both, the collinear magnetic and paraelectric AF1 phase, and the spin spiral ferroelectric AF2 phase. These excitations are associated with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction, which is significant due to the rather large spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review

The space group classification of topological band insulators

Topological band insulators (TBIs) are bulk insulating materials which feature topologically protected metallic states on their boundary. The existing classification departs from time-reversal symmetry, but the role of the crystal lattice symmetries in the physics of these topological states remained elusive. Here we provide the classification of TBIs protected not only by time-reversal, but also by crystalline symmetries. We find three broad classes of topological states: (a) Gamma-states robust against general time-reversal invariant perturbations; (b) Translationally-active states protected from elastic scattering, but susceptible to topological crystalline disorder; (c) Valley topological insulators sensitive to the effects of non-topological and crystalline disorder. These three classes give rise to 18 different two-dimensional, and, at least 70 three-dimensional TBIs, opening up a route for the systematic search for new types of TBIs.Comment: Accepted in Nature Physic

NONLINEAR POLARIZATION SPECTROSCOPY (FREQUENCY DOMAIN) STUDIES OF EXCITED STATE PROCESSES: THE B800–850ANTENNA OF RHODOBACTER SPHAEROIDES

Nonlinear polarization spectroscopy in the frequency domain allows rate constant determinations of fast electronic energy and phase relaxations together with characterization of the type of line broadening. Application of this method to the B850 component of the isolated B800–850antenna ofRhodobacter sphaeroides at room temperature shows that B850 is inhomogeneously broadened, with homogeneous widths between 30 and 200 cm−1, depending on the spectral position of the subforms. The corresponding phase relaxation times are clearly in the subpicosecond range. There is also indication of an up-to-now unspecified1–5 ps energy relaxation channel per subunit

Imaging rotational dynamics of nanoparticles in liquid by 4D electron microscopy

In real time and space, four-dimensional electron microscopy (4D EM) has enabled observation of transient structures and morphologies of inorganic and organic materials. We have extended 4D EM to include liquid cells without the time resolution being limited by the response of the detector. Our approach permits the imaging of the motion and morphological dynamics of a single, same particle on nanometer and ultrashort time scales. As a first application, we studied the rotational dynamics of gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution. A full transition from the conventional diffusive rotation to superdiffusive rotation and further to a ballistic rotation was observed with increasing asymmetry of the nanoparticle morphology. We explored the underlying physics both experimentally and theoretically according to the morphological asymmetry of the nanoparticles

Approaching the Ground State of Frustrated A-site Spinels: A Combined Magnetization and Polarized Neutron Scattering Study

We re-investigate the magnetically frustrated, {\it diamond-lattice-antiferromagnet} spinels FeAl$_2$O$_4$ and MnAl$_2$O$_4$ using magnetization measurements and diffuse scattering of polarized neutrons. In FeAl$_2$O$_4$, macroscopic measurements evidence a "cusp" in zero field-cooled susceptibility around 13~K. Dynamic magnetic susceptibility and {\it memory effect} experiments provide results that do not conform with a canonical spin-glass scenario in this material. Through polarized neutron scattering studies, absence of long-range magnetic order down to 4~K is confirmed in FeAl$_2$O$_4$. By modeling the powder averaged differential magnetic neutron scattering cross-section, we estimate that the spin-spin correlations in this compound extend up to the third nearest-neighbour shell. The estimated value of the Land\'{e} $g$ factor points towards orbital contributions from Fe$^{2+}$. This is also supported by a Curie-Weiss analysis of the magnetic susceptibility. MnAl$_2$O$_4$, on the contrary, undergoes a magnetic phase transition into a long-range ordered state below $\approx$ 40~K, which is confirmed by macroscopic measurements and polarized neutron diffraction. However, the polarized neutron studies reveal the existence of prominent spin-fluctuations co-existing with long-range antiferromagnetic order. The magnetic diffuse intensity suggests a similar short range order as in FeAl$_2$O$_4$. Results of the present work supports the importance of spin-spin correlations in understanding magnetic response of frustrated magnets like $A$-site spinels which have predominant short-range spin correlations reminiscent of the "spin liquid" state.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, double-column, accepted in Phys. Rev. B, 201

Quantum control without access to the controlling interaction

In our model a fixed Hamiltonian acts on the joint Hilbert space of a quantum system and its controller. We show under which conditions measurements, state preparations, and unitary implementations on the system can be performed by quantum operations on the controller only. It turns out that a measurement of the observable A and an implementation of the one-parameter group exp(iAr) can be performed by almost the same sequence of control operations. Furthermore measurement procedures for A+B, for (AB+BA), and for i[A,B] can be constructed from measurements of A and B. This shows that the algebraic structure of the set of observables can be explained by the Lie group structure of the unitary evolutions on the joint Hilbert space of the measuring device and the measured system. A spin chain model with nearest neighborhood coupling shows that the border line between controller and system can be shifted consistently.Comment: 10 pages, Revte

Correlated electron emission in laser-induced nonsequence double ionization of Helium

In this paper, we have investigated the correlated electron emission of the nonsequence double ionization (NSDI) in an intense linearly polarized field. The theoretical model we employed is the semiclassical rescattering model, the model atom we used is the helium. We find a significant correlation between magnitude and direction of the momentum of two emission electrons, and give a good explanation for this striking phenomenon by observing the classical collisional trajectories. We argue that this correlation phenomenon is universal in NSDI process, as revealed by the recent experiment on the argon.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Competition between glassiness and order in a multi-spin glass

A mean-field multi-spin interaction spin glass model is analyzed in the presence of a ferromagnetic coupling. The static and dynamical phase diagrams contain four phases (paramagnet, spin glass, ordinary ferromagnet and glassy ferromagnet) and exhibit reentrant behavior. The glassy ferromagnet phase has anomalous dynamical properties. The results are consistent with a nonequilibrium thermodynamics that has been proposed for glasses.Comment: revised version, 4 pages Revtex, 2 eps-figures. Phys. Rev. E, Rapid Communication, to appea

Strain-induced partially flat band, helical snake states, and interface superconductivity in topological crystalline insulators

Topological crystalline insulators in IV-VI compounds host novel topological surface states consisting of multi-valley massless Dirac fermions at low energy. Here we show that strain generically acts as an effective gauge field on these Dirac fermions and creates pseudo-Landau orbitals without breaking time-reversal symmetry. We predict the realization of this phenomenon in IV-VI semiconductor heterostructures, due to a naturally occurring misfit dislocation array at the interface that produces a periodically varying strain field. Remarkably, the zero-energy Landau orbitals form a flat band in the vicinity of the Dirac point, and coexist with a network of snake states at higher energy. We propose that the high density of states of this flat band gives rise to interface superconductivity observed in IV-VI semiconductor multilayers at unusually high temperatures, with non-BCS behavior. Our work demonstrates a new route to altering macroscopic electronic properties to achieve a partially flat band, and paves the way for realizing novel correlated states of matter.Comment: Accepted by Nature Physic