Electronic structures and photoemission spectroscopy

Abstract:

Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy is a surface-sensitive probe of magnetisation with micron-sized lateral resolution. Here, we present a low-temperature, focused polar MOKE microscope for the simultaneous magnetooptical and magneto-transport measurements, which has a temperature range of 1.6-300 K and is equipped with a magnet capable of delivering a field of up to 9 T. In this microscope, all optical components are integrated in a free-standing probe, allowing for the straightforward incorporation into many non-optical cryostat systems. Two-dimensional magnetisation scans on patterned ferromagnetic [CoFeB/Pt]n films demonstrate a magnetisation sensitivity of 10 µrad (Kerr angle) and a spatial resolution of 2.2 µm. The combination of optical and electrical measurements provides complementary temperature-dependent information, as demonstrated by the study of magnetic topological insulator thin films with out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. Using this complementary approach, we study the effects of a secondary phase in Cr and V co-doped Sb2Te3 thin films, which show a combination of weak antilocalization and anisotropic magnetoresistance effects above 70 K. Our results highlight the virtue of MOKE and electrical transport to optimise exotic topological magnetic materials, paving the way for energy-efficient spintronic devices.

Abstract:

Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs), the unique open Fermi-surfaces (FSs) discovered recently in topological Weyl semimetals (TWSs), are unlike closed FSs in conventional materials and can give rise to many exotic phenomena, such as anomalous SFA-mediated quantum oscillations, chiral magnetic effects, three-dimensional quantum Hall effect, non-local voltage generation and anomalous electromagnetic wave transmission. Here, by using in-situ surface decoration, we demonstrate successful manipulation of the shape, size and even the connections of SFAs in a model TWS, NbAs, and observe their evolution that leads to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition not caused by the change of the carrier concentration. The phase transition teleports the SFAs between different parts of the surface Brillouin zone. Despite the dramatic surface evolution, the existence of SFAs is robust and each SFA remains tied to a pair of Weyl points of opposite chirality, as dictated by the bulk topology.

Abstract:

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Abstract:

The recent discovery of intrinsic ferromagnetic order in the atomically thin van der Waals crystal CrXTe_{3} (X=Si, Ge) stimulates intensive studies on the nature of low-dimensional magnetism because the presence of long-range magnetic order in two-dimensional systems with continuous symmetry is strictly prohibited by thermal fluctuations. By combining advanced many-body calculations with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we investigate CrSiTe_{3} single crystals and unveil the pivotal role played by the strong electronic correlations at both high- and low-temperature regimes. Above the Curie temperature (T_{c}), Coulomb repulsion (U) drives the system into a charge transfer insulating phase. In contrast, below T_{c} the crystal field arranges the Cr-3d orbitals such that the ferromagnetic superexchange profits, giving rise to the bulk ferromagnetic ground state with which the electronic correlations compete. The excellent agreement between theory and experiment establishes CrSiTe_{3} as a prototype low-dimensional crystal with the cooperation and interplay of electronic correlation and ferromagnetism.