Direct observation of the f–c hybridization in the ordered uranium films on W(110)

A key issue in metallic uranium and its related actinide compounds is the character of the f electrons, whether it is localized or itinerant.Here we grew well ordered uranium films on a W(110) substrate.The surface topography was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy.The Fermi surface and band structure of the grown films were studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.Large spectral weight can be observed around the Fermi level, which mainly comes from the f states.Additionally, we provided direct evidence that the f bands hybridize with the conduction bands in the uranium ordered films, which is different from previously reported mechanism of the direct f–f interaction.We propose that the above two mechanisms both exist in this system by manifesting themselves in different momentum spaces.Our results give a comprehensive study of the ordered uranium films and may throw new light on the study of the 5 f-electron character and physical properties of metallic uranium and other related actinide materials.

Electrical transport properties of cerium doped Bi_(2)Te_(3)thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Introducing magnetism into topological insulators(TIs)can tune the topological surface states and produce exotic physical effects.Rare earth elements are considered as important dopant candidates,due to their large magnetic moments from heavily shielded 4f electrons.As the first element with just one 4f electron,cerium(Ce)offers an ideal platform for exploring the doping effect of f-electron in TIs.Here in this work,we have grown cerium-doped topological insulator Bi_(2)Te_(3)thin films on an Al_(2)O_(3)(0001)substrate by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).Electronic transport measurements revealed the Kondo effect,weak anti-localization(WAL)effect and suppression of surface conducting channels by Ce doping.Our research shows the funda-mental doping effects of Ce in Bi_(2)Te_(3)thin films,and demonstrates that such a system could be a good platform for further re-search.

In-Plane Anisotropic Response to Uniaxial Pressure in the Hidden Order State of URu_(2)Si_(2)

We investigate the uniaxial-pressure dependence of resistivity for URu_(2−x)Fe_(x)Si_(2)samples with x=0 and 0.2,which host a hidden order(HO)and a large-moment antiferromagnetic(LMAFM)phase,respectively.For both samples,the elastoresistivityζshows a seemingly divergent behavior above the transition temperature T_(0)and a quick decrease below it.We find that the temperature dependence ofζfor both samples can be well described by assuming the uniaxial pressure effect on the gap or certain energy scale except forζ(110)of the x=0 sample,which exhibits a nonzero residual value at 0 K.We show that this provides a qualitative difference between the HO and LMAFM phases.Our results suggest that there is an in-plane anisotropic response to the uniaxial pressure that only exists in the hidden order state without necessarily breaking the rotational lattice symmetry.

Electronic structure of La (0001) thin films on W (110) studied by photoemission spectroscopy and first principle calculations

Surface states that have a dz2 symmetry around the center of the surface Brillouin zone(BZ)have been regarded common in closely-packed surfaces of rare-earth metals.In this work,we report the electronic structure of dhcp La(0001)thin films by ultrahigh energy resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)and first principle calculations.Our first principle analysis is based on the many-body approach,therefore,density function theory(DFT)combined with dynamic mean-field theory(DMFT).The experimentally observed Fermi surface topology and band structure close to the Fermi energy qualitatively agree with first principle calculations when using a renormalization factor of between 2 and 3 for the DFT bands.Photon energy dependent ARPES measurements revealed clear kZ dependence for the hole-like band around the BZ center,previously regarded as a surface state.The obtained ARPES results and theoretical calculations suggest that the major bands of dhcp La(0001)near the Fermi level originate from the bulk La 5d orbits as opposed to originating from the surface states.

Electronic structure evolution accompanying heavy fermion formation in CeCu2Si2

The cooper pairs in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu2Si2 are formed of heavy fermions.Therefore,the heavy fermions are fundamental to the emergence of unconventional superconductivity and associated non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the normal state.The interplay between localization and itinerancy manifested on the electronic structure is key for understanding the heavyfermion behavior.Here,via the first-principle density functional theory(DFT)combined with single-site dynamical mean-field theory(DMFT),we investigate the temperature(T)evolution of the electronic structure of CeCu2Si2 in the normal state,focusing on the role of the 4f states in the low energy regime.Two characteristic temperature scales of this evolution,which accompanied the heavy-fermion formation,are established.The coherence onset temperature is around 130K,whereas the heavy-fermion band formation temperature is between 40 and 80K;both characteristic temperature scales are higher than the transport coherence temperature.Furthermore,the heavy-fermion formation is confirmed by calculating its effective mass variation with the temperature.Based on the calculated T-dependent evolution of the 4 f orbital occupancy and electronic structure,an explanation on the behavior of the temperature evolution of the correlation strength of CeCu2Si2 is provided.Our results offer a comprehensive microscopic picture of the heavy-fermion formation in CeCu2Si2,which is essential for further understanding the emergent superconducting pairing mechanism.