Enhanced conductivity and weakened magnetism in Pb-doped Sr_(2)IrO_(4)

Group IV element Pb has been selected as the dopant to dope at the Sr site of Sr_(2)IrO_(4). It is exciting to find that the single-phase crystal structure could be maintained with a high Pb doping level of up to x=0.3 in Sr_(2-x)Pb_(x)IrO_(4). The mapping data obtained from energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analyses give solid evidence that the Pb ions are uniformly distributed in the Sr_(2)IrO_(4) matrix. The incorporation of Pb leads to a moderate depression of the canted antiferromagnetic ordering state. The electrical conductivity could be greatly enhanced when the Pb doping content is higher than x=0.2.The present results give a fresh material base to explore new physics in doped Sr_(2)IrO_(4) systems.

Towards magnetism in pigeon MagR: Iron- and iron-sulfur binding work indispensably and synergistically

The ability to navigate long distances is essential for many animals to locate shelter,food,and breeding grounds.Magnetic sense has evolved in various migratory and homing species to orient them based on the geomagnetic field.A highly conserved ironsulfur cluster assembly protein IscA is proposed as an animal magnetoreceptor(MagR).Iron-sulfur cluster binding is also suggested to play an essential role in MagR magnetism and is thus critical in animal magnetoreception.In the current study,we provide evidence for distinct iron binding and iron-sulfur cluster binding in MagR in pigeons,an avian species that relies on the geomagnetic field for navigation and homing.Pigeon MagR showed significantly higher total iron content from both iron-and ironsulfur binding.Y65 in pigeon MagR was shown to directly mediate mononuclear iron binding,and its mutation abolished iron-binding capacity of the protein.Surprisingly,both iron binding and iron-sulfur binding demonstrated synergistic effects,and thus appear to be integral and indispensable to pigeon MagR magnetism.These results not only extend our current understanding of the origin and complexity of MagR magnetism,but also imply a possible molecular explanation for the huge diversity in animal magnetoreception.

Nonreciprocal transport in the superconducting state of the chiral crystal NbGe_(2)

Due to the lack of inversion,mirror or other roto-inversion symmetries,chiral crystals possess a well-defined handedness which,when combined with time-reversal symmetry breaking from the application of magnetic fields,can give rise to directional dichroism of the electrical transport phenomena via the magnetochiral anisotropy.In this study,we investigate the nonreciprocal magneto-transport in microdevices of NbGe_(2),a superconductor with structural chirality.A giant nonreciprocal signal from vortex motions is observed during the superconducting transition,with the ratio of nonreciprocal resistance to the normal resistanceγreaching 6×10^(5)T^(-1)·A^(-1).Interestingly,the intensity can be adjusted and even sign-reversed by varying the current,the temperature,and the crystalline orientation.Our findings illustrate intricate vortex dynamics and offer ways of manipulation on the rectification effect in superconductors with structural chirality.

Observation of Giant Topological Hall Effect in Room-Temperature Ferromagnet Cr_(0.82)Te

Novel magnetic materials with non-trivial magnetic structures have led to exotic magnetic transport properties and significantly promoted the development of spintronics in recent years.Among them is the Crx Tey family,the magnetism of which can persist above room temperature,thus providing an ideal system for potential spintronic applications.Here we report the synthesis of a new compound,Cr_(0.82)Te,which demonstrates a record-high topological Hall effect at room temperature in this family.Cr_(0.82)Te displays soft ferromagnetism below the Curie temperature of 340 K.The magnetic measurement shows an obvious magneto-crystalline anisotropy with the easy axis located in the ab plane.The anomalous Hall effect can be well explained by a dominating skew scattering mechanism.Intriguing,after removing the normal Hall effect and anomalous Hall effect,a topological Hall effect can be observed up to 300 K and reaches up to 1.14μΩ·cm at 10 K,which is superior to most topological magnetic structural materials.This giant topological Hall effect possibly originates from the noncoplanar spin configuration during the spin flop process.Our work extends a new Cr_(x)Te_(y)system with topological non-trivial magnetic structure and broad prospects for spintronics applications in the future.

Linear dichroism transition and polarization-sensitive photodetector of quasi-one-dimensional palladium bromide

Perpendicular optical reversal of the linear dichroism transition has promising applications in polarization-sensitive optoelectronic devices. We perform a systematical study on the in-plane optical anisotropy of quasi-one-dimensional PdBr_(2) by using combined measurements of the angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy(ARPRS) and anisotropic optical absorption spectrum. The analyses of ARPRS data validate the anisotropic Raman properties of the PdBr_(2) flake.And anisotropic optical absorption spectrum of PdBr_(2) nanoflake demonstrates distinct optical linear dichroism reversal. Photodetector constructed by PdBr_(2) nanowire exhibits high responsivity of 747 A·W^(-1) and specific detectivity of 5.8×10^(12) Jones. And the photodetector demonstrates prominent polarization-sensitive photoresponsivity under 405-nm light irradiation with large photocurrent anisotropy ratio of 1.56, which is superior to those of most of previously reported quasi-one-dimensional counterparts. Our study offers fundamental insights into the strong optical anisotropy exhibited by PdBr_(2), establishing it as a promising candidate for miniaturization and integration trends of polarization-related applications.

Pressure-induced magnetic phase and structural transition in SmSb_(2)

Motivated by the recent discovery of unconventional superconductivity around a magnetic quantum critical point in pressurized CeSb_(2),here we present a high-pressure study of an isostructural antiferromagnetic(AFM) SmSb_(2) through electrical transport and synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements.At P_C~2.5 GPa,we found a pressure-induced magnetic phase transition accompanied by a Cmca→P4/nmm structural phase transition.In the pristine AFM phase below P_C,the AFM transition temperature of SmSb_(2) is insensitive to pressure;in the emergent magnetic phase above P_C,however,the magnetic critical temperature increases rapidly with increasing pressure.In addition,at ambient pressure,the magnetoresistivity(MR) of SmSb_(2) increases suddenly upon cooling below the AFM transition temperature and presents linear nonsaturating behavior under high field at 2 K.With increasing pressure above P_C,the MR behavior remains similar to that observed at ambient pressure,both in terms of temperature-and field-dependent MR.This leads us to argue an AFM-like state for SmSb_(2) above P_C.Within the investigated pressure of up to 45.3 GPa and the temperature of down to 1.8 K,we found no signature of superconductivity in SmSb_(2).

Linear magnetoresistance and structural distortion in layered SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) single crystals

We report a systematic study on layered metal SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) single crystals via transport, magnetization, thermodynamic measurements and structural characterization. We find that the crystals show large linear magnetoresistance without any sign of saturation with a magnetic field up to 30T. We also observe a phase transition with significant anomalies in resistivity and heat capacity at T_(p)~140 K. Thermal expansion measurement reveals a subtle lattice parameter variation near Tp, i.e.,?L_(c)/L_(c)~0.062%. The structural characterization confines that there is no structure transition below and above T_(p). All these results suggest that the nonmagnetic transition of SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) could be associated with structural distortion.

Low-energy spin dynamics in a Kitaev material Na_(3)Ni_(2)BiO_(6) investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance

We perform ^(23)Na nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and magnetization measurements on an S=1,quasi-2D honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet Na_(3)Ni_(2)BiO_(6).A large positive Curie-Weiss constant of 22.9 K is observed.The NMR spectra at low fields are consistent with a zigzag magnetic order,indicating a large easy-axis anisotropy.With the field applied along the c*axis,the NMR spectra confirm the existence of a 1/3-magnetization plateau phase between 5.1 T and 7.1 T.The transition from the zigzag order to the 1/3-magnetization plateau phase is also found to be a first-order type.A monotonic decrease of the spin gap is revealed in the 1/3-magnetization plateau phase,which reaches zero at a quantum critical field H_(C)≈8.35 T before entering the fully polarized phase.These data suggest the existence of exchange frustration in the system along with strong ferromagnetic interactions,hosting the possibility for Kitaev physics.Besides,well below the ordered phase,the 1/T_(1) at high fields shows either a level off or an enhancement upon cooling below 3 K,which suggests the existence of low-energy fluctuations.

Unexpected divergence in magnetoreceptor MagR from robin and pigeon linked to two sequence variations

Birds exhibit extraordinary mobility and remarkable navigational skills,obtaining guidance cues from the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and long-distance movement.Bird species also show tremendous diversity in navigation strategies,with considerable differences even within the same taxa and among individuals from the same population.The highly conserved iron and iron-sulfur cluster binding magnetoreceptor(MagR)protein is suggested to enable animals,including birds,to detect the geomagnetic field and navigate accordingly.Notably,MagR is also implicated in other functions,such as electron transfer and biogenesis of iron-sulfur clusters,raising the question of whether variability exists in its biochemical and biophysical features among species,particularly birds.In the current study,we conducted a comparative analysis of MagR from two different bird species,including the migratory European robin(Erithacus rubecula)and the homing pigeon(Columba livia).Sequence alignment revealed an extremely high degree of similarity between the MagRs of these species,with only three sequence variations.Nevertheless,two of these variations underpinned significant differences in metal binding capacity,oligomeric state,and magnetic properties.These findings offer compelling evidence for the marked differences in MagR between the two avian species,potentially explaining how a highly conserved protein can mediate such diverse functions.

Revisit of the anisotropic vortex states of 2H-NbSe_(2) towards the zero-field limit

We revisited the vortex states of 2H-Nb Se2towards zero fields by a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope.Fine structures of the anisotropic vortex states were distinguished, one is a spatially non-splitting zero bias peak, and the other is an in-gap conductance anomaly resembling evolved crossing features around the center of the three nearest vortices.Both of them distribute solely along the next nearest neighboring direction of the vortex lattice and become unresolved in much higher magnetic fields, implying an important role played by the vortex–vortex interactions. To clarify these issues,we have studied the intrinsic vortex states of the isolated trapped vortex in zero fields at 0.45 K. It is concluded that the anisotropic zero bias peak is attributed to the superconducting gap anisotropy, and the spatially evolved crossing features are related to the vortex–vortex interaction. The vortex core size under the zero-field limit is determined. These results provide a paradigm for studying the inherent vortex states of type-II superconductors especially based on an isolated vortex.

Low temperature magnetism in the rare-earth perovskite GdScO3

The magnetic phase diagram of rare-earth perovskite compound,GdScO3,has been investigated by magnetization and heat capacity.The system undergoes an antiferromagnetic phase transition at TN=2.6 K,with an easy axis of magnetization along the a axis.The magnetization measurements show that it exists a spin-flop transition around 0.3 T for the applied field along the a axis.The critical magnetic field for the antiferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic transition is near 3.2 T when temperature approaches zero.By scaling susceptibilities,we presume this point(B=3.2 T,T=0 K)might be a fieldinduced quantum critical point and the magnetic critical fluctuations can even be felt above TN.

Pressure Tuning of Magnetism and Drastic Increment of Thermal Conductivity under Applied Magnetic Field in HgCr_2S_4

HgCr2S4 is a typical compound manifesting competing ferromagnetic （FM） and antiferromagnetic （AFM） exchanges as well as strong spin-lattice coupling. Here we study these effects by intentionally choosing a combination of magnetization under external hydrostatic pressure and thermal conductivity at various magnetic fields. Upon applying pressure up to 10 kbar at 1 kOe, while the magnitude of magnetization reduces progressively, the AFM ordering temperature TN enhances concomitantly at a rate of about 1.5 K/kbar. Strikingly, at lO kOe the field polarized FM state is found to be driven readily back to an AFM one even at only 5kbar. In addition, the thermal conductivity exhibits drastic increments at various fields in the temperature range with strong spin fluctuations, reaching about 30% at 50 kOe. Consequently, the results give new experimental evidence of spin-lattice coupling. Apart from the colossal magnetoeapacitance and colossal magnetoresistance reported previously, the findings here may enable new promising functionalities for potential applications.

Dynamic Cantilever Magnetometry of Paramagnetism with Slow Relaxation

Dynamic cantilever magnetometry is a sensitive method that has been widely used in studying magnetic anisotropy in ferromagnetic materials and Fermi surface in quantum materials.We study a cobalt-iridium metal-metalloligand coordination polymer using dynamic cantilever magnetometry.The experimental data of dynamic cantilever magnetometry are well explained using the proposed model for Langevin paramagnetism with slow relaxation.Based on the proposed model,we calculate the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility of paramagnetic materials from frequency shifts of a cantilever.The extracted magnetization and magnetic susceptibility are consistent with those obtained from conventional DC and AC magnetometry.The proposed slow relaxation picture is probably a general model for explaining dynamic cantilever magnetometry data of paramagnetic materials,including previously observed dynamic cantilever magnetometry data of paramagnetic metals[Gysin et al.2011 Nanotechnology22285715].

Effects of gradient high-field static magnetic fields on diabetic mice

Although 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) has been tested in healthy volunteers,its safety in diabetic patients is unclear.Furthermore,the effects of high static magnetic fields(SMFs),especially gradient vs.uniform fields,have not been investigated in diabetics.Here,we investigated the consequences of exposure to 1.0-9.4 T high SMFs of different gradients(>10 T/m vs.0-10 T/m)on type 1 diabetic(T1D) and type 2 diabetic(T2D) mice.We found that 14 h of prolonged treatment of gradient(as high as 55.5 T/m) high SMFs(1.0-8.6 T) had negative effects on T1D and T2D mice,including spleen,hepatic,and renal tissue impairment and elevated glycosylated serum protein,blood glucose,inflammation,and anxiety,while 9.4 T quasi-uniform SMFs at 0-10 T/m did not induce the same effects.In regular T1D mice(blood glucose>16.7 mmol/L),the>10 T/m gradient high SMFs increased malondialdehyde(P<0.01) and decreased superoxide dismutase(P<0.05).However,in the severe T1D mice(blood glucose≥30.0 mmol/L),the>10 T/m gradient high SMFs significantly increased tissue damage and reduced survival rate.In vitro cellular studies showed that gradient high SMFs increased cellular reactive oxygen species and apoptosis and reduced MS-1 cell number and proliferation.Therefore,this study showed that prolonged exposure to high-field(1.0-8.6 T)>10 T/m gradient SMFs(35-1 380 times higher than that of current clinical MRI)can have negative effects on diabetic mice,especially mice with severe T1D,whereas 9.4 T high SMFs at 0-10T/m did not produce the same effects,providing important information for the future development and clinical application of SMFs,especially high-field MRI.

Stability of the topological quantum critical point between multi-Weyl semimetal and band insulator

One could tune a topological double-Weyl semimetal or a topological triple-Weyl semimetal to become a topologically trivial insulator by opening a band gap.This kind of quantum phase transition is characterized by the change of certain topological invariant.A new gapless semimetallic state emerges at each topological quantum critical point.Here we perform a renormalization group analysis to investigate the stability of such critical points against perturbations induced by random scalar potential and random vector potential.We find that the quantum critical point between double-Weyl semimetal and band insulator is unstable and can be easily turned into a compressible diffusive metal by any type of weak disorder.The quantum critical point between triple-Weyl semimetal and band insulator flows to a stable strong-coupling fixed point if the system contains a random vector potential merely along the z-axis,but becomes a compressible diffusive metal when other types of disorders exist.

Weak localization in disordered spin-1 chiral fermions

We theoretically investigate the quantum interference theory of magnetotransport of the three-component or spin-1 chiral fermions, which possess two linear Dirac bands and a flat band. For isotropic scalar impurities, the correction of conductivity from the coherent backscatter and non-coherent backscatter contributions cancel out in the intravalley scattering, leading to a weak localization correction to the Drude conductivity from the intervalley scattering. For the anisotropic impurities, the above cancelation is removed, we find the approximative quantum interference conductivity in the weak anisotropy case. The contributions from the chiral anomaly and classical Lorentz force are also discussed. Our work reveals some intriguing and detectable transport signatures of the novel spin-1 chiral fermions.

Unconventional Nonreciprocal Voltage Transition in Ag_(2)Te Nanobelts

Nonreciprocal effects are consistently observed in noncentrosymmetric materials due to the intrinsic symmetry breaking and in high-conductivity systems due to the extrinsic thermoelectric effect. Meanwhile, nonreciprocal charge transport is widely utilized as an effective experimental technique for detecting intrinsic unidirectional electrical contributions. Here, we show an unconventional nonreciprocal voltage transition in topological insulator Ag_(2)Te nanobelts. The nonreciprocal voltage develops from nearly zero to giant values under the applied current I_(ac) and external magnetic fields, while remaining unchanged under various current I_(dc). This unidirectional electrical contribution is further evidenced by the differential resistance(dV/dI) measurements. Furthermore, the transition possesses two-dimensional properties under a tilted magnetic field and occurs when the voltage between two electrodes exceeds a certain value. We propose a possible mechanism based on the development of edge channels in Ag_(2)Te nanobelts to interpret the phenomenon. Our results not only introduce a peculiar nonreciprocal voltage transition in topological materials but also enrich the understanding of the intrinsic mechanism that strongly affects nonreciprocal charge transport.

Magnetic and magnetotransport properties of layered TaCoTe_(2) single crystals

We present the synthesis of TaCoTe_(2) single crystals and a systematic investigation of the physical properties of bulk crystals and thin flakes.The crystal shows a semiconducting behavior with temperature decreasing from room temperature and turns to a metallic behavior below 38 K.When the magnetic field is applied,the temperature-dependent resistivity curves show an upturn below 10 K.Furthermore,we find that the TaCoTe_(2) single crystal can be easily exfoliated from the bulk crystal by the micromechanical exfoliation method.Our measurements suggest that the nanoflakes have properties similar to those of the bulk crystal when the thickness is lowered to 18 nm.

Bismuth doping enhanced tunability of strain-controlled magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial Y_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)(111) films

Y_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)(YIG) and Bi Y_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)(Bi:YIG) films were epitaxially grown on a series of(111)-oriented garnet substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Structural and ferromagnetic resonance characterizations demonstrated the high epitaxial quality, extremely low magnetic loss and coherent strain state in these films. Using these epitaxial films as model systems, we systematically investigated the evolution of magnetic anisotropy(MA) with epitaxial strain and chemical doping. For both the YIG and Bi:YIG films, the compressive strain tends to align the magnetic moment in the film plane while the tensile strain can compete with the demagnetization effect and stabilize perpendicular MA. We found that the strain-induced lattice elongation/compression along the out-of-plane [111] axis is the key parameter that determines the MA. More importantly, the strain-induced tunability of MA can be enhanced significantly by Bi doping;meanwhile, the ultralow damping feature persists. We clarified that the cooperation between strain and chemical doping could realize an effective control of MA in garnet-type ferrites, which is essential for spintronic applications.

Magneto-Orientated Graphite Double-Layer Homo-Structure with Broadband Microwave Absorption

We utilized magnetic fields as an efficient tool to manipulate the orientation and electromagnetic properties of graphite micro-flakes(GMFs).As a result,we successfully developed a GMF double-layer homo-structure,which shows excellent electromagnetic absorption properties.By tuning the direction of a small magnetic field(850 G),vertical and horizontal aligned GMFs are produced.Their electromagnetic parameters are effectively tailored by this magneto-orientation effect,and the vertical and horizontal aligned GMFs achieve good results in terms of impedance matching and microwave absorption.With the combination of these two magneto-orientated layers,vertically oriented as the surficial impedance matching layer and horizontally oriented as the inner loss layer,we design a GMF-based double-layer homo-structure.After thickness optimization,-38.2 d B minimum reflection loss and 6.4 GHz(11.6–18.0 GHz)absorption bandwidth are achieved.Our findings further emphasize the importance of material orientation freedom and provide a magneto-strategy to design multiple-layer structures and to produce high-performance microwave devices.