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47
1997-06-20
Stationary perturbations and infinitesimal rotations of static Einstein-Yang-Mills configurations with bosonic matter
Using the Kaluza-Klein structure of stationary spacetimes, a framework for analyzing stationary perturbations of static Einstein-Yang-Mills configurations with bosonic matter fields is presented. It is shown that the perturbations giving rise to non-vanishing ADM angular momentum are governed by a self-adjoint system of equations for a set of gauge invariant scalar amplitudes. The method is illustrated for SU(2) gauge fields, coupled to a Higgs doublet or a Higgs triplet. It is argued that slowly rotating black holes arise generically in self-gravitating non-Abelian gauge theories with bosonic matter, whereas, in general, soliton solutions do not have rotating counterparts.
9706064v1
1999-06-22
The generalization of the Regge-Wheeler equation for self-gravitating matter fields
It is shown that the dynamical evolution of perturbations on a static spacetime is governed by a standard pulsation equation for the extrinsic curvature tensor. The centerpiece of the pulsation equation is a wave operator whose spatial part is manifestly self-adjoint. In contrast to metric formulations, the curvature-based approach to gravitational perturbation theory generalizes in a natural way to self-gravitating matter fields. For a certain relevant subspace of perturbations the pulsation operator is symmetric with respect to a positive inner product and therefore allows spectral theory to be applied. In particular, this is the case for odd-parity perturbations of spherically symmetric background configurations. As an example, the pulsation equations for self-gravitating, non-Abelian gauge fields are explicitly shown to be symmetric in the gravitational, the Yang Mills, and the off-diagonal sector.
9906090v1
1999-10-18
Perturbation theory for self-gravitating gauge fields I: The odd-parity sector
A gauge and coordinate invariant perturbation theory for self-gravitating non-Abelian gauge fields is developed and used to analyze local uniqueness and linear stability properties of non-Abelian equilibrium configurations. It is shown that all admissible stationary odd-parity excitations of the static and spherically symmetric Einstein-Yang-Mills soliton and black hole solutions have total angular momentum number $\ell = 1$, and are characterized by non-vanishing asymptotic flux integrals. Local uniqueness results with respect to non-Abelian perturbations are also established for the Schwarzschild and the Reissner-Nordstr\"om solutions, which, in addition, are shown to be linearly stable under dynamical Einstein-Yang-Mills perturbations. Finally, unstable modes with $\ell = 1$ are also excluded for the static and spherically symmetric non-Abelian solitons and black holes.
9910059v1
2001-03-09
The topology of the off-diagonal terms of the semiclassical form factor
The semiclassical origin of the logarithmic singularity at the Heisenberg time of the symplectic form factor is deduced by combining the result of M. Sieber and K. Richter for the first term of the loop-expansion in the orthogonal case with the contribution that arises due to the spin. We are able to make a quantitative statement about the topology of all non-diagonal contributions in terms of integrals over SU(2) leading to the conclusion that the same perturbative loop expansion is responsible for the form factor in the region $0 < \tau < 2$ in the orthogonal and symplectic case taking into account Kramers' degeneracy; the only difference being a phase factor arising due to the spin.
0103007v4
2006-01-11
The i11/2 f5/2 and i11/2 p3/2 neutron particle-hole multiplets in 208Pb
Inelastic proton scattering via isobaric analog resonances allows to derive rather complete information about neutron particle-hole states. We applied this method to the doubly-magic nucleus 208Pb by measuring angular distributions of 208Pb(p, p') on top of the isobaric analog resonances in 209Bi with the Q3D magnetic spectrograph at M\"unchen. We identify the six states of the i11/2 f5/2 multiplet and the four states of the i11/2 p3/2 multiplet in the energy range 4.6 MeV < Ex < 5.3 MeV. Firm spin assignments for the ten states are given, some of them new. Additional measurements of the reaction 207Pb(d, p) confirm the fragmented i11/2 p1/2 multiplet.
0601016v1
2006-11-10
On the mixing strength in the two lowest 0- states in 208Pb
With a resolution of 3 keV, the two lowest 0- states in 208Pb are identified by measurements of the reaction 207Pb(d, p) with the Muenchen Q3D magnetic spectrograph in a region where the average level spacing is 6 keV. Precise relative spectroscopic factors are determined. Matrix elements of the residual interaction among one-particle one-hole configurations in a two-level scheme are derived for the two lowest 0- states in 208Pb. The off-diagonal mixing strength is determined as 105 +-10(experimental) +-40(systematic) keV. Measurements of the reaction 208Pb(p,p') via isobaric analog resonances in 209Bi support the structure information obtained.
0611013v1
2007-08-24
Influence of the L21 ordering degree on the magnetic properties in Co2MnSi Heusler films
We report on the influence of the improved L21 ordering degree on the magnetic properties of Co2MnSi Heusler films. Different fractions of the L21 phase are obtained by different post-growth annealing temperatures ranging from 350 degC to 500 degC. Room temperature magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements reveal an increase of the coercivity at an intermediate annealing temperature of 425 degC, which is a fingerprint of an increased number of pinning centers at this temperature. Furthermore, Brillouin light scattering studies show that the improvement of the L21 order in the Co2MnSi films is correlated with a decrease of the saturation magnetization by about 9%. The exchange stiffness constant of Co2MnSi, however, increases by about 8% when the L21 order is improved. Moreover, we observe a drop of the cubic anisotropy constant K1 by a factor of 10 for an increasing amount of the L21 phase.
0708.3303v1
2008-09-29
Hall effect in laser ablated Co_2(Mn,Fe)Si thin films
Pulsed laser deposition was employed to grow thin films of the Heusler compounds Co_2MnSi and Co_2FeSi. Epitaxial growth was realized both directly on MgO (100) and on a Cr or Fe buffer layer. Structural analysis by x-ray and electron diffraction shows for both materials the ordered L2_1 structure. Bulk magnetization was determined with a SQUID magnetometer. The values agree with the Slater-Pauling rule for half-metallic Heusler compounds. On the films grown directly on the substrate measurements of the Hall effect have been performed. The normal Hall effect is nearly temperature independent and points towards a compensated Fermi surface. The anomalous contribution is found to be dominated by skew scattering. A remarkable sign change of both normal and anomalous Hall coefficients is observed on changing the valence electron count from 29 (Mn) to 30 (Fe).
0809.4978v1
2008-10-05
Determination of exchange constants of Heusler compounds by Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy: application to Co$_2$MnSi
Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy from so-called standing spin waves in thin magnetic films is often used to determine the magnetic exchange constant. The data analysis of the experimentally determined spin-wave modes requires an unambiguous assignment to the correct spin wave mode orders. Often additional investigations are needed to guarantee correct assignment. This is particularly important in the case of Heusler compounds where values of the exchange constant vary substantially between different compounds. As a showcase, we report on the determination of the exchange constant (exchange stiffness constant) in Co$_2$MnSi, which is found to be $A=2.35\pm0.1$ $\mu$erg/cm ($D=575\pm20$ meV \AA$^2$), a value comparable to the value of the exchange constant of Co.
0810.0834v3
2008-11-27
Electron correlations in Co$_2$Mn$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$Si Heusler compounds
This study presents the effect of local electronic correlations on the Heusler compounds Co$_2$Mn$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$Si as a function of the concentration $x$. The analysis has been performed by means of first-principles band-structure calculations based on the local approximation to spin-density functional theory (LSDA). Correlation effects are treated in terms of the Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (DMFT) and the LSDA+U approach. The formalism is implemented within the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green's function method. In good agreement with the available experimental data the magnetic and spectroscopic properties of the compound are explained in terms of strong electronic correlations. In addition the correlation effects have been analysed separately with respect to their static or dynamical origin. To achieve a quantitative description of the electronic structure of Co$_2$Mn$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$Si both static and dynamic correlations must be treated on equal footing.
0811.4625v1
2009-03-29
The semiclassical origin of curvature effects in universal spectral statistics
We consider the energy averaged two-point correlator of spectral determinants and calculate contributions beyond the diagonal approximation using semiclassical methods. Evaluating the contributions originating from pseudo-orbit correlations in the same way as in [S. Heusler {\textit {et al.}}\ 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. {\textbf{98}}, 044103] we find a discrepancy between the semiclassical and the random matrix theory result. A complementary analysis based on a field-theoretical approach shows that the additional terms occurring in semiclassics are cancelled in field theory by so-called curvature effects. We give the semiclassical interpretation of the curvature effects in terms of contributions from multiple transversals of periodic orbits around shorter periodic orbits and discuss the consistency of our results with previous approaches.
0903.5091v1
2010-11-10
Ab initio prediction of ferrimagnetism, exchange interactions and Curie temperatures in Mn2TiZ Heusler compounds
The Heusler compounds Mn$_2$TiZ (Z = Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, Sb) are of large interest due to their potential ferrimagnetic properties and high spin polarization. Here, we present calculations of the structural and magnetic properties of these materials. Their magnetic moment follows the Slater-Pauling rule $m = N_V - 24$. None of them is actually a perfect half-metallic ferrimagnet, but some exhibit more than 90% spin polarization and Curie temperatures well above room temperature. The exchange interactions are complex, direct and indirect exchange contributions are identified. The Curie temperature scales with the total magnetic moment, and it has a positive pressure dependence. The role of the Z element is investigated: it influences the properties of the compounds mainly via its valence electron number and its atomic radius, which determines the lattice parameter. Based on these results, Mn$_2$TiSi, Mn$_2$TiGe, and Mn$_2$TiSn are proposed as candidates for spintronic applications.
1011.2486v1
2010-11-26
Weak itinerant ferromagnetism in Heusler type Fe2VAl0.95
We report measurements of the magnetic, transport and thermal properties of the Heusler type compound Fe2VAl0.95. We show that while stoichiometric Fe2VAl is a non-magnetic semi-metal a 5% substitution on the Al-site with the 3d elements Fe and V atoms leads to a ferromagnetic ground state with a Curie temperature TC = 33+-3 K and a small ordered moment ms = 0.12 mB/Fe in Fe2VAl0.95. The reduced value of the ratio ms/mp = 0.08, where mp = 1.4 mB/Fe is the effective Curie-Weiss moment, together with the analysis of the magnetization data M(H,T), show magnetism is of itinerant nature. The specific heat shows an unusual temperature variation at low temperatures with an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient, g = 12 mJK-2mol-1. The resistivity, r(T), is metallic and follows a power law behavior r(T) = r0+AT^n with n = 1.5 below TC. With applying pressure, TC decreases with the rate of (1/TC)(dTC /dP) = -0.061 GPa-1. We conclude substitution on the Al-site with Fe and V atoms results in itinerant ferromagnetism with a low carrier density.
1011.5704v1
2011-02-25
CuMn-V compounds: a transition from semimetal low-temperature to semiconductor high-temperature antiferromagnets
We report on a theoretical and experimental study of CuMn-V antiferromagnets. Previous works showed low-temperature antiferomagnetism and semimetal electronic structure of the semi-Heusler CuMnSb. In this paper we present theoretical predictions of high-temperature antiferromagnetism in the stable orthorhombic phases of CuMnAs and CuMnP. The electronic structure of CuMnAs is at the transition from a semimetal to a semiconductor and we predict that CuMnP is a semiconductor. We show that the transition to a semiconductor-like band structure upon introducing the lighter group-V elements is present in both the metastable semi-Heusler and the stable orthorhombic crystal structures. On the other hand, the orthorhombic phase is crucial for the high N\'eel temperature. Results of X-ray diffraction, magnetization, transport, and neutron diffraction measurements we performed on chemically synthesized CuMnAs are consistent with the theory predictions.
1102.5373v1
2011-07-04
Influence of tetragonal distortion on the topological electronic structure of the half-Heusler compound LaPtBi from first principles
The electronic structures of tetragonally distorted half-Heuselr compound LaPtBi in the C1b structure are investigated in the framework of density functional theory using the full potential linearized augmented plane with local spin density approximation method. The calculation results show that both the band structures and the Fermi level can be tuned by using either compressive or tensile in-plane strain. A large bulk band gap of 0.3 eV can be induced through the application of a compressive in-pane strain in LaPtBi with the assumption of a relaxed volume of the unit cell. Our results could serve as a guidance to realize topological insulators in half-Heusler compounds by strain engineering.
1107.0531v1
2011-07-25
Half-Heusler semiconductors as piezoelectrics
One of the central challenges in materials science is the design of functional and multifunctional materials, in which large responses are produced by applied fields and stresses. A rapidly developing paradigm for the rational design of such materials is based on the first-principles study of a large materials family, the perovskite oxides being the prototypical case. Specifically, first-principles calculations of structure and properties are used to explore the microscopic origins of the functional properties of interest and to search a large space of equilibrium and metastable phases to identify promising candidate systems. In this paper, we use a first-principles rational-design approach to demonstrate semiconducting half-Heusler compounds as a previously-unrecognized class of piezoelectric materials, and to provide guidance for the experimental realization and further investigation of high-performance materials suitable for practical applications.
1107.5078v2
2012-05-28
Stationary Black Holes: Uniqueness and Beyond
The spectrum of known black-hole solutions to the stationary Einstein equations has been steadily increasing, sometimes in unexpected ways. In particular, it has turned out that not all black-hole-equilibrium configurations are characterized by their mass, angular momentum and global charges. Moreover, the high degree of symmetry displayed by vacuum and electro-vacuum black-hole spacetimes ceases to exist in self-gravitating non-linear field theories. This text aims to review some developments in the subject and to discuss them in light of the uniqueness theorem for the Einstein-Maxwell system.
1205.6112v1
2012-07-27
Half-Metallic Ferromagnetism in the Heusler Compound Co$_2$FeSi revealed by Resistivity, Magnetoresistance, and Anomalous Hall Effect measurements
We present electrical transport data for single-crystalline Co$_2$FeSi which provide clear-cut evidence that this Heusler compound is truly a half-metallic ferromagnet, i.e. it possesses perfect spin-polarization. More specifically, the temperature dependence of $\rho$ is governed by electron scattering off magnons which are thermally excited over a sizeable gap $\Delta\approx 100 K$ ($\sim 9 meV$) separating the electronic majority states at the Fermi level from the unoccupied minority states. As a consequence, electron-magnon scattering is only relevant at $T\gtrsim\Delta$ but freezes out at lower temperatures, i.e., the spin-polarization of the electrons at the Fermi level remains practically perfect for $T\lesssim\Delta$. The gapped magnon population has a decisive influence on the magnetoresistance and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE): i) The magnetoresistance changes its sign at $T\sim 100 K$, ii) the anomalous Hall coefficient is strongly temperature dependent at $T\gtrsim 100 K$ and compatible with Berry phase related and/or side-jump electronic deflection, whereas it is practically temperature-independent at lower temperatures.
1207.6611v1
2012-09-29
Realization of spin gapless semiconductors: the Heusler compound Mn2CoAl
Recent studies have reported an interesting class of semiconductor materials that bridge the gap between semiconductors and halfmetallic ferromagnets. These materials, called spin gapless semiconductors, exhibit a bandgap in one of the spin channels and a zero bandgap in the other and thus allow for tunable spin transport. Here, a theoretical and experimental study of the spin gapless Heusler compound Mn2CoAl is presented. It turns out that Mn2CoAl is a very peculiar ferrimagnetic semiconductor with a magnetic moment of 2 {\mu}B and a high Curie temperature of 720 K. Below 300 K, the compound exhibits nearly temperature-independent conductivity, very low, temperature-independent carrier concentration, and a vanishing Seebeck coefficient. The magnetoresistance changes sign with temperature. In high fields, it is positive and non-saturating at low temperatures, but negative and saturating at high temperatures. The anomalous Hall effect is comparatively low, which is explained by the close antisymmetry of the Berry curvature for kz of opposite sign.
1210.0148v1
2012-10-22
Fabrication and characterization of the gapless half-Heusler YPtSb thin films
Half-Heusler YPtSb thin films were fabricated by magnetron co-sputtering method on MgO-buffered SiO2/Si(001) substrates. X-ray diffraction pattern and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the high-quality growth and stoichiometry. The temperature dependence of the resistivity shows a semiconducting-type behavior down to low temperature. The Hall mobility was determined to be 450 cm2/Vs at 300K, which is much higher than the bulk value (300 cm2/Vs). In-plane magnetoresistance (MR) measurements with fields applied along and perpendicular to the current direction show opposite MR signs, which suggests the possible existence of the topological surface states.
1210.5808v1
2012-12-13
First-principles study of the structural stability of Mn3Z (Z=Ga, Sn and Ge) Heusler compounds
We investigate the structural stability and magnetic properties of cubic, tetragonal and hexagonal phases of Mn3Z (Z=Ga, Sn and Ge) Heusler compounds using first-principles density-functional theory. We propose that the cubic phase plays an important role as an intermediate state in the phase transition from the hexagonal to the tetragonal phases. Consequently, Mn3Ga and Mn3Ge behave differently from Mn3Sn, because the relative energies of the cubic and hexagonal phases are different. This result agrees with experimental observations from these three compounds. The weak ferromagnetism of the hexagonal phase and the perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the tetragonal phase obtained in our calculations are also consistent with experiment.
1212.3144v1
2013-02-08
Superconductivity in the noncentrosymmetric half-Heusler compound LuPtBi : A possible topological superconductor
We report superconductivity in the ternary half-Heusler compound LuPtBi, with Tc = 1.0 K and Hc2 = 1.6 T. The crystal structure of LuPtBi lacks inversion symmetry, hence the material is a noncentrosymmetric superconductor. Magnetotransport data show semimetallic behavior in the normal state, which is evidence for the importance of spin-orbit interaction. Theoretical calculations indicate that the strong spin-orbit interaction in LuPtBi should cause strong band inversion, making this material a promising candidate for 3D topological superconductivity.
1302.1943v2
2013-02-11
Phase stability of chromium based compensated ferrimagnets with inverse Heusler structure
Chromium based inverse Heusler compounds of the type Cr2YZ (Y=Co, Fe; Z=Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn) have been proposed as fully compensated half-metallic ferrimagnets. Such materials are of large interest for spintronics because they combine small magnetic moment with high spin polarization over a wide temperature range. We assess their thermodynamic stability by their formation enthalpies obtained from density functional theory calculations. All compounds under investigation are unstable. Cr2FeSi and Cr2CoAl are stable with respect to the elemental constituents, but decompose into binary phases. Cr2FeGe, Cr2CoGa, Cr2FeSn and Cr2CoIn are found to be unstable with respect to their elemental constituents. We identify possible binary decompositions.
1302.2487v2
2013-10-17
Superconductivity and magnetic order in the non-centrosymmetric Half Heusler compound ErPdBi
We report superconductivity at $T_c = 1.22$ K and magnetic order at $T_N = 1.06$ K in the semi-metallic noncentrosymmetric Half Heusler compound ErPdBi. The upper critical field, $B_{c2}$, has an unusual quasi-linear temperature variation and reaches a value of 1.6 T for $T \rightarrow 0$. Magnetic order is found below $T_c$ and is suppressed at $B{_M} \sim 2.5$ T for $T \rightarrow 0$. Since $T_c \simeq T_N$, the interaction of superconductivity and magnetism is expected to give rise to a complex ground state. Moreover, electronic structure calculations show ErPdBi has a topologically nontrivial band inversion and thus may serve as a new platform to study the interplay of topological states, superconductivity and magnetic order.
1310.4592v1
2014-02-24
Experimental realization of a semiconducting full Heusler compound: Fe2TiSi
Single-phase films of the full Heusler compound Fe2TiSi have been prepared by magnetron sputtering. The compound is found to be a semiconductor with a gap of 0.4eV. The electrical resistivity has a logarithmic temperature dependence up to room temperature due to Kondo scattering of a dilute free electron gas off superparamagnetic impurities. The origin of the electron gas is extrinsic due to disorder or off-stoichiometry. Density functional theory calculations of the electronic structure are in excellent agreement with electron energy loss, optical, and x-ray absorption experiments. Fe2TiSi may find applications as a thermoelectric material.
1402.5755v1
2014-03-11
Spin Dependent Lifetimes and Spin-orbit Hybridization Points in Heusler Compounds
We present an ab initio calculation of the k and spin-resolved electronic lifetimes in the half-metallic Heusler compounds Co(2)MnSi and Co(2)FeSi. We determine the spin-flip and spin-conserving contributions to the lifetimes and study in detail the behavior of the lifetimes around states that are strongly spin-mixed by spin-orbit coupling. We find that, for non-degenerate bands, the spin mixing alone does not determine the energy dependence of the (spin-flip) lifetimes. Qualitatively, the lifetimes reflect the lineup of electron and hole bands. We predict that different excitation conditions lead to drastically different spin-flip dynamics of excited electrons and may even give rise to an enhancement of the non-equilibrium spin polarization.
1403.2590v2
2014-08-01
NMR evidence for enhanced orbital diamagnetism in topologically nontrivial half-Heusler semimetals
209Bi nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed to probe potential spin-orbit effects on orbital diamagnetism in YPtBi and YPdBi crystals. The observed opposite sign and temperature dependent magnitude of 209Bi NMR shifts of both crystals reveal experimental signatures of enhanced orbital diamagnetism induced by spin-orbit interactions. This investigation indicates that NMR isotropic shifts might be beneficial in search of interesting spin-electronic phases among a vast number of topological nontrivial half-Heusler semimetals.
1408.0078v2
2014-08-02
Bending strain-tunable magnetic anisotropy in Co2FeAl Heusler thin film on Kapton
Bending effect on the magnetic anisotropy in 20 nm Co$_{2}$FeAl Heusler thin film grown on Kapton\textregistered{} has been studied by ferromagnetic resonance and glued on curved sample carrier with various radii. The results reported in this letter show that the magnetic anisotropy is drastically changed in this system by bending the thin films. This effect is attributed to the interfacial strain transmission from the substrate to the film and to the magnetoelastic behavior of the Co$_{2}$FeAl film. Moreover two approaches to determine the in-plane magnetostriction coefficient of the film, leading to a value that is close to $\lambda^{CFA}=14\times10^{-6}$, have been proposed.
1408.0379v1
2014-12-10
Chemical disorder as engineering tool for spin-polarizationin Mn3Ga-based Heusler systems
Our study highlights spin-polarization mechanisms in metals, by focusing on the mobilities of conducting electrons with different spins instead of their quantities. Here, we engineer electron mobility by applying chemical disorder induced by non-stoichiometric variations. As a practical example, we discuss the scheme that establishes such variations in tetragonal Mn3Ga Heusler material. We justify this approach using first-principles calculations of the spin-projected conductivity components based on the Kubo-Greenwood formalism. It follows that, in majority of the cases, even a small substitution of some other transition element instead of Mn may lead to a substantial increase in spin-polarization along the tetragonal axis.
1412.3394v2
2015-03-15
Magnetic structure of the antiferromagnetic half-Heusler compound NdBiPt
We present results of single crystal neutron diffraction experiments on the rare-earth, half-Heusler antiferromagnet (AFM) NdBiPt. This compound exhibits an AFM phase transition at $T_{\mathrm N}=2.18$~K with an ordered moment of $1.78(9)$~$\mu_{\mathrm B}$ per Nd atom. The magnetic moments are aligned along the $[001]$-direction, arranged in a type-I AFM structure with ferromagnetic planes, alternating antiferromagnetically along a propagation vector $\tau$ of $(100)$. The $R$BiPt ($R$= Ce-Lu) family of materials has been proposed as candidates of a new family of antiferromagnetic topological insulators (AFTI) with magnetic space group that corresponds to a type-II AFM structure where ferromagnetic sheets are stacked along the space diagonal. The resolved structure makes it unlikely, that NdBiPt qualifies as an AFTI.
1503.04487v3
2015-04-13
Magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of the half-Heusler topological semimetal HoPdBi
We report a study of the magnetic and electronic properties of the non-centrosymmetric half-Heusler antiferromagnet HoPdBi ($T_N = 2.0$ K). Magnetotransport measurements show HoPdBi has a semimetallic behaviour with a carrier concentration $n=3.7 \times 10^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$ extracted from the Shubnikov-de Haas effect. The magnetic phase diagram in the field-temperature plane has been determined by transport, magnetization and thermal expansion measurements: magnetic order is suppressed at $B_M\sim 3.6$ T for $T \rightarrow 0$. Superconductivity with $T_c \sim 1.9$ K is found in the antiferromagnetic phase. Ac-susceptibility measurements provide solid evidence for bulk superconductivity below $T_c = 0.75$ K with a screening signal close to a volume fraction of 100 %. The upper critical field shows an unusual linear temperature variation with $B_{c2}(T \rightarrow 0) = 1.1$ T. We also report electronic structure calculations that classify HoPdBi as a new topological semimetal, with a non-trivial band inversion of 0.25 eV.
1504.03181v1
2015-10-21
Titanium Nitride as a Seed Layer for Heusler Compounds
Titanium nitride (TiN) shows low resistivity at room temperature, high thermal stability and thus has the potential to serve as seed layer in magnetic tunnel junctions. High quality TiN thin films with regard to the crystallographic and electrical properties were grown and characterized by X-ray diffraction and 4-terminal transport measurements. Element specific X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed pure TiN in the bulk. To investigate the influence of a TiN seed layer on a ferro(i)magnetic bottom electrode, an out-of-plane magnetized Mn2.45Ga as well as in- and out-of-plane magnetized Co2FeAl thin films were deposited on a TiN buffer, respectively. The magnetic properties were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and anomalous Hall effect (AHE) for Mn2.45Ga. Magneto optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements were carried out to investigate the magnetic properties of Co2FeAl. TiN buffered Mn2.45Ga thin films showed higher coercivity and squareness ratio compared to unbuffered samples. The Heusler compound Co2FeAl showed already good crystallinity when grown at room temperature.
1510.06256v3
2015-10-23
Laser-induced THz magnetization precession for a tetragonal Heusler-like nearly compensated ferrimagnet
Laser-induced magnetization precessional dynamics was investigated in epitaxial films of Mn$_3$Ge, which is a tetragonal Heusler-like nearly compensated ferrimagnet. The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) mode was observed, the precession frequency for which exceeded 0.5 THz and originated from the large magnetic anisotropy field of approximately 200 kOe for this ferrimagnet. The effective damping constant was approximately 0.03. The corresponding effective Landau-Lifshitz constant of approximately 60 Mrad/s and is comparable to those of the similar Mn-Ga materials. The physical mechanisms for the Gilbert damping and for the laser-induced excitation of the FMR mode were also discussed in terms of the spin-orbit-induced damping and the laser-induced ultrafast modulation of the magnetic anisotropy, respectively.
1510.06793v1
2015-10-27
Spin-resolved Fermi surface of the localized ferromagnetic Heusler compound Cu$_2$MnAl measured with spin-polarized positron annihilation
We determined the bulk electronic structure in the prototypical Heusler compound Cu$_2$MnAl by measuring the Angular Correlation of Annihilation Radiation (2D-ACAR) using spin-polarized positrons. To this end, a new algorithm for reconstructing 3D densities from projections is introduced that allows us to corroborate the excellent agreement between our electronic structure calculations and the experimental data. The contribution of each individual Fermi surface sheet to the magnetization was identified, and summed to a total spin magnetic moment of $3.6\,\pm\,0.5\,\mu_B/\mathrm{f.u.}$.
1510.07808v1
2015-11-26
Symmetry-protected ideal Weyl semimetal in HgTe-class materials
Ideal Weyl semimetals with all Weyl nodes exactly at the Fermi level and no coexisting trivial Fermi surfaces in the bulk, similar to graphene, could feature deep physics such as exotic transport phenomena induced by the chiral anomaly. Here, we show that HgTe and half-Heusler compounds, under a broad range of in-plane compressive strain, could be materials in nature realizing ideal Weyl semimetals with four pairs of Weyl nodes and topological surface Fermi arcs. Generically, we find that the HgTe-class materials with nontrivial band inversion and noncentrosymmetry provide a promising arena to realize ideal Weyl semimetals. Such ideal Weyl semimetals could further provide a unique platform to study emergent phenomena such as the interplay between ideal Weyl fermions and superconductivity in the half-Heusler compound LaPtBi.
1511.08284v2
2016-04-05
Composition induced metal-insulator quantum phase transition in the Heusler type Fe2VAl
We report the magnetism and transport properties of the Heusler compound Fe2+xV1-xAl at -0.10 < x < 0.10 under pressure and a magnetic field. A metal-insulator quantum phase transition occurred at x = -0.05. Application of pressure or a magnetic field facilitated the emergence of finite zero-temperature conductivity around the critical point, which scaled approximately according to the power law. At x < -0.05, a localized paramagnetic spin appeared, whereas above the ferromagnetic quantum critical point at x = 0.05, itinerant ferromagnetism was established. At the quantum critical points at x = -0.05 and 0.05, the resistivity and specific heat exhibited singularities characteristic of a Griffiths phase appearing as an inhomogeneous electronic state.
1604.01114v2
2016-04-21
Magnetic properties and Curie temperatures of disordered Heusler compounds: Co(1+x)Fe(2-x)Si
The local atomic environments and magnetic properties were investigated for a series of Co(1+x)Fe(2-x)Si (0<x<1) Heusler compounds. While the total magnetic moment in these compounds increases with the number of valance electrons, the highest Curie temperature (Tc) in this series was found for Co1.5Fe1.5Si, with a Tc of 1069 K (24 K higher than the well known Co2FeSi). 57Fe M\"ossbauer spectroscopy was used to characterize the local atomic order and to estimate the Co and Fe magnetic moments. Consideration of the local magnetic moments and the exchange integrals is necessary to understand the trend in Tc.
1604.06235v1
2016-10-18
Magnetic properties of low-moment ferrimagnetic Heusler Cr2CoGa thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy
Recently, theorists have predicted many materials with a low magnetic moment and large spin-polarization for spintronic applications. These compounds are predicted to form in the inverse Heusler structure, however, many of these compounds have been found to phase segregate. In this study, ordered Cr2CoGa thin films were synthesized without phase segregation using molecular beam epitaxy. The present as-grown films exhibit a low magnetic moment from antiferromagnetically coupled Cr and Co atoms as measured with SQUID magnetometry and soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Electrical measurements demonstrated a thermally-activated semiconductor-like resistivity with an activation energy of 87 meV. These results confirm spin gapless semiconducting behavior, which makes these thin films well positioned for future devices.
1610.05808v1
2016-11-24
Design of L2_1-type antiferromagnetic semiconducting full-Heusler compounds: A first principles DFT+GW study
Antiferromagnetic spintronics is an on-going growing field of research. Employing both standard density functional theory and the $GW$ approximation within the framework of the FLAPW method, we study the electronic and magnetic properties of seven potential antiferromagnetic semiconducting Heusler compounds with 18 (or 28 when Zn is present) valence electrons per unit cell. We show that in these compounds G-type antiferromagnetism is the ground state and that they are all either emiconductors (Cr$_2$ScP, Cr$_2$TiZn, V$_2$ScP, V$_2$TiSi, and V$_3$Al) or semimetals (Mn$_2$MgZn and Mn$_2$NaAl). The many-body corrections have a minimal effect on the electronic band structure with respect to the standard electronic structure calculations.
1611.08080v2
2017-03-03
Discovery of Magnetic Antiskyrmions Beyond Room Temperature in Tetragonal Heusler Materials
Skyrmions, topologically stable spin textures, are of great interest for new generations of spintronic devices. In general, the stabilization of skyrmions has been achieved in systems with broken inversion symmetry, where the asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) modifies the uniform magnetic state to a swirling state. Depending on the crystal symmetries, two distinct types of skyrmions, Bloch and N\'eel types, have been observed experimentally. Here, we present, the experimental manifestation of a special type of spin-swirling, namely antiskyrmions, in a family of acentric tetragonal Heusler compounds with D2d crystal symmetry. A spiral magnetic ground-state, which propagates in the tetragonal basal plane, is transformed into a skyrmion lattice-state under magnetic fields applied along the tetragonal axis over a wide temperature interval. Direct imaging by Lorentz Transmission Electron Microscopy (LTEM) shows field stabilized antiskyrmion lattices and isolated antiskyrmions between 100 K and 400 K, and zero-field metastable antiskyrmions at low temperatures.
1703.01017v1
2017-03-06
A first-principles DFT+GW study of spin-filter and spin-gapless semiconducting Heusler compounds
Among Heusler compounds, the ones being magnetic semiconductors (also known as spin-filter materials) are widely studied as they offer novel functionalities in spintronic/magnetoelectronic devices. The spin-gapless semiconductors are a special case. They possess a zero or almost-zero energy gap in one of the two spin channels. We employ the $GW$ approximation, which allows an elaborate treatment of the electronic correlations, to simulate the electronic band structure of these materials. Our results suggest that in most cases the use of $GW$ self energy instead of the usual density functionals is important to accurately determine the electronic properties of magnetic semiconductors.
1703.02142v2
2017-08-15
Electronic fitness function for screening semiconductors as thermoelectric materials
We introduce a simple but efficient electronic fitness function (EFF) that describes the electronic aspect of the thermoelectric performance. This EFF finds materials that overcome the inverse relationship between $\sigma$ and $S$ based on the complexity of the electronic structures regardless of specific origin (e.g., isosurface corrugation, valley degeneracy, heavy-light bands mixture, valley anisotropy or reduced dimensionality). This function is well suited for application in high throughput screening. We applied this function to 75 different thermoelectric and potential thermoelectric materials including full- and half-Heuslers, binary semiconductors and Zintl phases. We find an efficient screening using this transport function. The EFF identifies known high performance $p$- and $n$-type Zintl phases and half-Heuslers. In addition, we find some previously unstudied phases with superior EFF.
1708.04499v2
2017-09-13
Hole-doped cobalt-based Heusler phases as prospective high-performance high-temperature thermoelectrics
Materials design based on first-principles electronic calculations has proven a fruitful strategy to identify new thermoelectric materials with a favorable figure of merit. Recent electronic structure calculations predict that in cobalt-based half-Heusler systems a power factor higher than in CoTiSb can be achieved upon p-type doping of CoVSn, CoNbSn, CoTaSn, CoMoIn, and CoWIn. Here, using a first-principles approach and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory, we investigate the electrical and thermal transport properties of these materials. The calculated thermal conductivity at room temperature of all the systems is lower than that of CoTiSb, with CoMoIn and CoWIn having an almost 3-fold lower thermal conductivity than CoTiSb. We also provide conservative estimates of the figure of merit for these systems which all turn out to be higher than in CoTiSb and to have a maximum value for CoWIn.
1709.04243v1
2018-01-24
Origin of efficient thermoelectric performance in half-Heusler FeNb$_{0.8}$Ti$_{0.2}$Sb
A half-Heusler material FeNb$_{0.8}$Ti$_{0.2}$Sb has been identified as a promising thermoelectric material due to its excellent thermoelectric performance at high temperatures. The origins of the efficient thermoelectric performance are investigated through a series of low-temperature (2 - 400 K) measurements. The high data coherence of the low and high temperatures is observed. An optimal and nearly temperature-independent carrier concentration is identified, which is ideal for the power factor. The obtained single type of hole carrier is also beneficial to the large Seebeck coefficient. The electronic thermal conductivity is found to be comparable to the lattice thermal conductivity and becomes the dominant component above 200 K. These findings again indicate that electron scattering plays a key role in the electrical and thermal transport properties. The dimensionless figure of merit is thus mainly governed by the electronic properties. These effects obtained at low temperatures with the avoidance of possible thermal fluctuations together offer the physical origin for the excellent thermoelectric performance in this material.
1801.07935v1
2018-01-25
Heusler compounds -- how to tune the magnetocrystalline anisotropy
Tailoring and controlling magnetic properties is an important factor for materials design. Here, we present a case study for Ni-based Heusler compounds of the type Ni$_2$YZ with Y = Mn, Fe, Co and Z = B, Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn based on first principles electronic structure calculations. These compounds are interesting since the materials properties can be quite easily tuned by composition and many of them possess a non-cubic ground state being a prerequisite for a finite magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MAE). We discuss systematically the influence of doping at the Y and Z sublattice as well of lattice deformation on the MAE. We show that in case of Ni$_2$CoZ the phase stability and the MAE can be improved using quaternary systems with elements from group 13 and 14 on the Z sublattice whereas changing the Y sublattice occupation by adding Fe does not lead to an increase of the MAE. Furthermore, we studied the influence of the lattice ratio on the MAE. Showing that small deviations can lead to a doubling of the MAE as in case of Ni$_2$FeGe. Even though we demonstrate this for a limited set of systems the findings may carry over to other related systems.
1801.08511v1
2018-06-11
Positron annihilation spectroscopy for the pure and Niobium doped ZrCo$_2$Sn Heusler compound
We perform spin-polarized two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation (2D-ACAR) calculations for the recently predicted ZrCo$_2$Sn-Weyl Heusler compound within the density functional theory using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and its extension GGA+U. We confirm that within the GGA+U method, a pair of Weyl-points are revealed, and that by doping with Niobium, for the composition Nb$_{0.3}$Zr$_{0.7}$Co$_2$Sn, the Weyl points are reaching the Fermi level. Our 2D-ACAR results indicate the existence of the Weyl points, however, within the present calculation, it is uncertain if the smearing at the Fermi level can be attributed to the positron wave function.
1806.04093v1
2018-06-14
Superconductivity in half-Heusler compound TbPdBi
We have studied the half-Heusler compound TbPdBi through resistivity, magnetization, Hall effect and heat capacity measurements. A semimetal behavior is observed in its normal state transport properties, which is characterized by a large negative magnetoresistance below 100 K. Notably, we find the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in this compound. The superconducting transition appears at 1.7 K, while the antiferromagnetic phase transition takes place at 5.5 K. The upper critical field $H_{c2}$ shows an unusual linear temperature dependence, implying unconventional superconductivity. Moreover, when the superconductivity is suppressed by magnetic field, its resistivity shows plateau behavior, a signature often seen in topological insulators/semimetals. These findings establish TbPdBi as a platform for study of the interplay between superconductivity, magnetism and non-trivial band topology.
1806.05314v1
2018-11-12
Interface spin polarization of the Heusler compound Co2MnSi probed by unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance
Many Heusler compounds are predicted to be ferromagnetic half metals in the bulk, which makes them promising compounds for spintronics. However, for devices the transport spin polarization at specific interfaces requires optimization. We show that investigations of the unidirectional magnetoresistance provide an alternative approach to access this quantity. Based on a Wheatstone-bridge design we probed the unidirectional magnetoresistance of Co2MnSi/(Ag, Cu, or Cr)(0.5 nm)/Pt (or Ta) multilayers and separate the spin-dependent unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance from other contributions. We demonstrated that by the insertion of a thin epitaxial Ag layer the spin-dependent contribution is doubled corresponding to a significant increase of the transport spin polarization, which is discussed in the framework of highly spin polarized interface states.
1811.04592v2
2020-01-22
Characterization of rattling in relation to thermal conductivity: ordered half-Heusler semiconductors
The factors that affect the thermal conductivity of semiconductors is a topic of great scientific interest, especially in relation to thermoelectrics. Key developments have been the concept of the phonon-glass-electron-crystal (PGEC) and the related idea of rattling to achieve this. We use first principles phonon and thermal conductivity calculations in order to explore the concept of rattling for stoichiometric ordered half-Heusler compounds. These compounds can be regarded as filled zinc blende materials, and the filling atom could be viewed as a rattler if it is weakly bound. We use two simple metrics, one related to the frequency and the other to bond frustration and anharmonicity. We find that both measures correlate with thermal conductivity. This suggests that both may be useful in screening materials for low thermal conductivity.
2001.08029v1
2021-07-15
Microstructure manipulation by laser-surface remelting of a full-Heusler compound to enhance thermoelectric properties
There is an increasing reckoning that the thermoelectric performance of a material is dependent on its microstructure. However, the microstructure-properties relationship often remains elusive, in part due to the complexity of the hierarchy and scales of features that influence transport properties. Here, we focus on the promising Heusler-Fe2VAl compound. We directly correlate microstructure and local properties, using advanced scanning electron microscopy methods including in-situ four-point-probe technique for electron transport measurements. The local thermal conductivity is investigated by scanning thermal microscopy. Finally, atom probe tomography provides near-atomic scale compositional analysis. To locally manipulate the microstructure, we use laser surface remelting. The rapid quenching creates a complex microstructure with a high density of dislocations and small, elongated grains. We hence showcase that laser surface remelting can be employed to manipulate the microstructure to reduce the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity, leading to a demonstrated enhancement of the thermoelectric performance at room temperature.
2107.07327v1
2017-05-11
Pursuit of thermoelectric properties in a novel Half Heusler compound: HfPtPb
We explore the structural, electronic, mechanical and thermoelectric properties of a new half Heusler compound, HfPtPb which is all metallic heavy element and has been recently been proposed to be stable [Nature Chem 7 (2015) 308]. In the present work, we employ density functional theory and semiclassical Boltzmann transport equations with constant relaxation time approximation. The mechanical properties such as Shear modulus, Young modulus, elastic constants, Poisson ratio, and shear anisotropy factor are investigated. The elastic and phonon properties reveal that this compound is mechanically and dynamically stable. Pugh and Frantsevich ratio demonstrates the ductile behavior and Shear anisotropic factor reflects the anisotropic nature of HfPtPb. The calculation of band structure predicts that this compound is semiconductor in nature with band gap 0.86 eV. The thermoelectric transport parameters such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and electronic thermal conductivity and lattice thermal conductivity have been calculated as a function of temperature. The highest value of Seebeck coefficient is obtained for n-type doping at optimal carrier concentration. We predict the maximum value of the figure of merit 0.25 at 1000 K. Our investigation suggests that this material is n-type semiconductor.
1705.04015v1
2017-05-23
Integration of antiferromagnetic Heusler compound Ru$_2$MnGe into spintronic devices
We report on the first integration of an antiferromagnetic Heusler compound acting as a pinning layer into magnetic tunneling junctions. The antiferromagnet Ru$_2$MnGe is used to pin the magnetization direction of a ferromagnetic Fe layer in MgO based thin film tunnelling magnetoresistance stacks. The samples were prepared using magnetron co-sputtering. We investigate the structural properties by X-ray diffraction and reflection, as well as atomic force and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. We find an excellent crystal growth quality with low interface roughnesses of 1-3 \r{A}, which is crucial for the preparation of working tunnelling barriers. Using Fe as a ferromagnetic electrode material we prepared magnetic tunneling junctions and measured the magnetoresistance. We find a sizeable maximum magnetoresistance value of 135%, which is comparable to other common Fe based MTJ systems.
1705.08420v1
2017-05-30
Heteroepitaxial growth of tetragonal Mn$_{2.7-x}$Fe$_{x}$Ga$_{1.3}$ (0 $\leqslant$ x $\leqslant$ 1.2) Heusler films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
This work reports on the structural and magnetic properties of Mn$_{2.7-x}$Fe$_{x}$Ga$_{1.3}$ Heusler films with different Fe content x (0 $\leqslant$ x $\leqslant$ 1.2). The films were deposited heteroepitaxially on MgO single crystal substrates, by magnetron sputtering. Mn$_{2.7-x}$Fe$_{x}$Ga$_{1.3}$ films with the thickness of 35 nm were crystallized in tetragonal D0$_{22}$ structure with (001) preferred orientation. Tunable magnetic properties were achieved by changing the Fe content x. Mn$_{2.7-x}$Fe$_{x}$Ga$_{1.3}$ thins films exhibit high uniaxial anisotropy Ku $\geqslant$ 1.4 MJ/m3, coercivity from 0.95 to 0.3 T and saturation magnetization from 290 to 570 kA/m. The film with Mn$_{1.6}$Fe$_{1.1}$Ga$_{1.3}$ composition shows high Ku of 1.47 MJ/m3 and energy product ${(BH)_{max}}$ of 37 kJ/m3, at room temperature. These findings demonstrate that Mn$_{2.7-x}$Fe$_{x}$Ga$_{1.3}$ films have promising properties for mid-range permanent magnet and spintronic applications.
1705.10668v1
2019-07-09
Magnetic instabilities in doped Fe$_2YZ$ full-Heusler thermoelectric compounds
Thermoelectricity is a promising avenue for harvesting energy but large-scale applications are still hampered by the lack of highly-efficient low-cost materials. Recently, Fe$_2YZ$ Heusler compounds were predicted theoretically to be interesting candidates with large thermoelectric power factor. Here, we show that under doping conditions compatible with thermoelectric applications, these materials are prone to an unexpected magnetic instability detrimental to their thermoelectric performance. We rationalize the physics at the origin of this instability, provide guidelines for avoiding it and discuss its impact on the thermoelectric power factor. Doing so, we also point out the shortcomings of the rigid band approximation commonly used in high-throughput theoretical searches of new thermoelectrics.
1907.04267v2
2012-09-17
Nonlinear emission of spin-wave caustics from an edge mode of a micro-structured Co2Mn0.6Fe0.4Si waveguide
Magnetic Heusler materials with very low Gilbert damping are expected to show novel magnonic transport phenomena. We report nonlinear generation of higher harmonics leading to the emission of caustic spin-wave beams in a low-damping, micro-structured Co2Mn0.6Fe0.4Si Heusler waveguide. The source for the higher harmonic generation is a localized edge mode formed by the strongly inhomogeneous field distribution at the edges of the spin-wave waveguide. The radiation characteristics of the propagating caustic waves observed at twice and three times the excitation frequency are described by an analytical calculation based on the anisotropic dispersion of spin waves in a magnetic thin film.
1209.3669v2
2018-02-01
Stability of Room Temperature Compensated Half-Metallicity in Cr-based Inverse-Heusler Compounds
Using three correlated band approaches, namely the conventional band approach plus on-site Coulomb repulsion $U$, the modified Becke-Johnson functional, and hybrid functional, we have investigated inverse-Heusler ferrimagnets Cr$_2$Co${\cal Z}$ (${\cal Z}$=Al, Ga, In). These approaches commonly indicate that the Cr$_2$CoAl synthesized recently is a precise compensated half-metal (CHM), whereas Cr$_2$CoGa and Cr$_2$CoIn are ferrimagnets with a small moment. This is also confirmed by the fixed spin moment approach. Analysis of the Bader charge decomposition and the radial charge densities indicates that this contrast is due to chemical differences among the ${\cal Z}$ ions. Additionally, in Cr$_2$CoAl, changing the volume by $\pm$ 5% or the ratio of $c/a$ by $\pm$ 2% does not alter the CHM state, suggesting that this state is robust even under application of moderate pressure or strain. Considering the observed high Curie temperature of 750 K, our results suggest that Cr$_2$CoAl is a promising candidate for robust high $T_C$ CHMs. Furthermore, the electronic structure of the CHM Cr$_2$CoAl is discussed.
1802.00125v2
2018-02-20
Signature of a highly spin polarized resonance state at Co2MnSi(001)/Ag(001) interfaces
We investigated interfaces of halfmetallic Co2MnSi(100) Heusler thin films with Ag(100), Cr(100), Cu and Al layers relevant for spin valves by high energy x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES). Experiments on Co2MnSi samples with an Ag(100) interface showed a characteristic spectral shoulder feature close to the Fermi edge, which is strongly diminished or suppressed at Co2MnSi (100) interfaces with the other metallic layers. This feature is found to be directly related to the Co2MnSi(100) layer, as reflected by control experiments with reference non-magnetic films, i.e. without Heusler layer. By comparison with HAXPES calculations, the shoulder feature is identified as originating from an interface state related to a highly spin polarized surface resonance of Co2MnSi (100).
1802.07005v1
2018-08-21
Negative longitudinal magnetoresistance as a sign of a possible chiral magnetic anomaly in the half-Heusler antiferromagnet DyPdBi
Magnetotransport investigation of a half-Heusler antiferromagnet DyPdBi revealed hallmark features of Weyl semimetal: huge negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect. Both effects have recently been linked to chiral magnetic anomaly - axial charge pumping between Weyl nodes. Magnetoresistance (MR) of single crystals of DyPdBi is very pronounced. In magnetic field longitudinal to electrical current direction it reaches -80% and its relative difference with respect to that measured in transverse field (expressed as anisotropic magnetoresistance) is extremely strong: -60% at 10K and 14 T. The planar Hall effect in DyPdBi depends on temperature and magnetic field in non-monotonous way, which has not been previously reported. We compare magnetoresistance measured with voltage contacts on mid-line of the sample with that measured with contacts on its edge, and show that the role of current-jetting, an extrinsic source of anisotropic negative magnetoresistance, is marginal. We discuss that nature of the compound and sample quality exclude intrinsic sources of negative and anisotropic magnetoresistance other than weak localization and the chiral magnetic anomaly.
1808.06856v2
2020-08-07
Magnetoelastic and Magnetostrictive Properties of Co$_2$XAl Heusler Compounds
We present a comprehensive first principles electronic structure study of the magnetoelastic and magnetostrictive properties in the Co-based Co$_2$XAl (X = V, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe) full Heusler compounds. In addition to the commonly used total energy approach, we employ torque method to calculate the magnetoelastic tensor elements. We show that the torque based methods are in general computationally more efficient, and allow to unveil the atomic- and orbital-contributions to the magnetoelastic constants in an exact manner, as opposed to the conventional approaches based on second order perturbation with respect to the spin-orbit coupling. The magnetostriction constants are in good agreement with available experimental data. The results reveal that the main contribution to the magnetostriction constants, $\lambda_{100}$ and $\lambda_{111}$, arises primarily from the strained-induced modulation of the $\langle d_{x^2-y^2}|\hat{L}_z|d_{xy}\rangle$ and $\langle d_{z^2}|\hat{L}_x|d_{yz}\rangle$ spin orbit coupling matrix elements, respectively, of the Co atoms.
2008.03005v1
2016-03-15
Quasiparticle band structure of the almost-gapless transition-metal-based Heusler semiconductors
Transition-metal-based Heusler semiconductors are promising materials for a variety of applications ranging from spintronics to thermoelectricity. Employing the $GW$ approximation within the framework of the FLAPW method, we study the quasi-particle band structure of a number of such compounds being almost gapless semiconductors. We find that in contrast to the \textit{sp}-electron based semiconductors such as Si and GaAs, in these systems the many-body corrections have a minimal effect on the electronic band structure and the energy band gap increases by less than 0.2~eV, which makes the starting point density functional theory (DFT) a good approximation for the description of electronic and optical properties of these materials. Furthermore, the band gap can be tuned either by the variation of the lattice parameter or by the substitution of the \emph{sp}-chemical element.
1603.04677v1
2017-02-15
Stability of Weyl points in magnetic half-metallic Heusler compounds
We employ {\it ab-initio} fully-relativistic electronic structure calculations to study the stability of the Weyl points in the momentum space within the class of the half-metallic ferromagnetic full Heusler materials, by focusing on Co$_2$TiAl as a well-established prototype compound. Here we show that both the number of the Weyl points together with their $k$-space coordinates can be controlled by the orientation of the magnetization. This alternative degree of freedom, which is absent in other topological materials (e.g. in Weyl semimetals), introduces novel functionalities, specific for the class of half-metallic ferromagnets. Of special interest are Weyl points which are preserved irrespectively of any arbitrary rotation of the magnetization axis.
1702.04558v1
2019-03-28
Surface resonance of the Heusler half metal Co2MnSi probed by SX-ARPES
Heusler compounds are promising materials for spintronics with adjustable electronic properties including 100% spin polarization at the Fermi energy. We investigate the electronic states of AlOx capped epitaxial thin films of the ferromagnetic half metal Co2MnSi ex-situ by soft X-ray angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES). Good agreement between the experimental SX- ARPES results and photoemission calculations including surface effects was obtained. In particular, we observed in line with our calculations a large photoemission intensity at the center of the Brillouin zone, which does not originate from bulk states, but from a surface resonance. This provides strong evidence for the validity of the previously proposed model based on this resonance, which was applied to explain the huge spin polarization of Co2MnSi observed by angular-integrating UV-photoemission spectroscopy.
1903.11840v1
2019-03-28
Anisotropic Topological Hall Effect with Real and Momentum Space Berry Curvature in the Antiskrymion Hosting Heusler Compound Mn$_{1.4}$PtSn
The topological Hall effect (THE) is one of the key signatures of topologically non-trivial magnetic spin textures, wherein electrons feel an additional transverse voltage to the applied current. The magnitude of THE is often small compared to the anomalous Hall effect. Here, we find a large THE of 0.9 $\mu\Omega$cm that is of the same order of the anomalous Hall effect in the single crystalline antiskyrmion hosting Heusler compound Mn$_{1.4}$PtSn, a non-centrosymmetric tetragonal compound. The THE is highly anisotropic and survives in the whole temperature range where the spin structure is noncoplanar (<170 K). The THE is zero above the spin reorientation transition temperature of 170 K, where the magnetization will have a collinear and ferromagnetic alignment. The large value of the THE entails a significant contribution from the momentum space Berry curvature along with real space Berry curvature, which has never been observed earlier.
1903.12037v1
2019-05-25
Magnetic 2D electron liquid at the surface of Heusler semiconductors
Conducting and magnetic properties of a material often change in some confined geometries. However, a situation where a non-magnetic semiconductor becomes both metallic and magnetic at the surface is quite rare, and to the best of our knowledge has never been observed in experiment. In this work, we employ first-principles electronic structure theory to predict that such a peculiar magnetic state emerges in a family of quaternary Heusler compounds. We investigate magnetic and electronic properties of CoCrTiP, FeMnTiP and CoMnVAl. For the latter material, we also analyse the magnetic exchange interactions and use them for parametrizing an effective spin Hamiltonian. According to our results, magnetism in this material should persist at temperatures at least as high as 155 K.
1905.10541v1
2019-09-06
The interplay of large two-magnon ferromagnetic resonance linewidths and low Gilbert damping in Heusler thin films
We report on broadband ferromagnetic resonance linewidth measurements performed on epitaxial Heusler thin films. A large and anisotropic two-magnon scattering linewidth broadening is observed for measurements with the magnetization lying in the film plane, while linewidth measurements with the magnetization saturated perpendicular to the sample plane reveal low Gilbert damping constants of $(1.5\pm0.1)\times 10^{-3}$, $(1.8\pm0.2)\times 10^{-3}$, and $<8\times 10^{-4}$ for Co$_2$MnSi/MgO, Co$_2$MnAl/MgO, and Co$_2$FeAl/MgO, respectively. The in-plane measurements are fit to a model combining Gilbert and two-magnon scattering contributions to the linewidth, revealing a characteristic disorder lengthscale of 10-100 nm.
1909.02738v2
2019-09-24
Understanding the origin of the magneto-caloric effects in substitutional Ni-Mn-Sb-Z (Z=Fe, Co, Cu) compounds: insights from first-principles calculations
Ni-Mn based ternary Heusler compounds have drawn attentions lately as significant magneto-caloric effects in some of them have been observed. Substitution of Ni and Mn by other $3d$ transition metals in controlled quantity have turned out to be successful in enhancing the effect and bring the operational temperatures closer to the room temperature. Using density functional theory calculations, in this work, we have systematically explored the roles of various factors such as site occupancies, magnetic interactions, and compositions associated with the constituents of Mn-excess Ni$_{2}$MnSb Heusler compounds upon substitution of Ni and/or Mn by $3d$ transition metals Fe, Co and Cu. Our calculations unveiled the physics behind the variations of physical properties associated with the magneto-caloric effects, and thus interpreted the available experimental results successfully. The work also provided important information on the compounds and the composition ranges where significant magneto-caloric effects may be realised and further experimental investigations need to be done.
1909.10667v1
2019-12-09
Intrinsically high thermoelectric figure of merit of half-Heusler ZrRuTe
The electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of ZrRuTe-based Half-Heusler compounds are studied using density functional theory (DFT) and Boltzmann transport formalism. Based on rigorous computations of electron relaxation time $\tau$ considering electron-phonon interactions and lattice thermal conductivity $\kappa_l$ considering phonon-phonon interactions, we find ZrRuTe to be an intrinsically good thermoelectric material. It has a high power factor of $\sim 2\times 10^{-3}$ W/m-K$^{2}$ and low $\kappa_l\sim 10$ W/m-K at 800 K. The thermoelectric figure of merit $ZT \sim 0.13$ at 800 K is higher than similar other compounds. We have also studied the properties of the material as a function of doping and find the thermoelectric properties to be substantially enhanced for $p$-doped ZrRuTe with the $ZT$ value raised to $\sim 0.2$ at this temperature. The electronic, thermodynamic, and transport properties of the material are thoroughly studied and discussed
1912.03883v3
2019-12-17
Type-II Dirac states in full Heusler compounds XInPd2 (X = Ti, Zr and Hf)
We predict three full Heusler compounds XInPd2 (X = Zr, Hf and Ti) to be potential candidates for type-II Dirac semimetals. The crystal symmetry of these compounds have appropriate chemical environment with a unique interplay of inversion, time reversal and mirror symmetry. These symmetries help to give six pairs of type-II Dirac nodes on the C_4 rotation axis, closely located at/near the Fermi level. Using first principle calculations, symmetry arguments and crystal field splitting analysis, we illustrate the occurrence of such Dirac nodes in these compounds. Bulk Fermi surfaces have been studied to understand the Lorentz symmetry breaking and Lifshitz transition (LT) of Fermi surfaces. Bulk nodes are projected on the (001) and (111) surfaces which form the surface Fermi arcs, that can further be detected by probes such as angle resolved photo-emission and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. By analyzing the evolution of arcs with changing chemical potential, we prove the fragile nature and the absence of topological protection of the Dirac arcs. Our predicted compounds overcome the limitations of the previously reported PtTe2 class of compounds.
1912.07807v1
2020-03-06
Unexpected band gap increase in the Fe2VAl Heusler compound
Knowing the electronic structure of a material is essential in energy applications to rationalize its performance and propose alternatives. Materials for thermoelectric applications are generally small-gap semiconductors and should have a high figure of merit ZT. Even if the Fe2VAl Heusler compound has a decent ZT, its conductive nature (semi-metal or semiconductor) is not yet clarified especially at low temperature. In this paper, we focus our DFT calculations on the effect of temperature on the bandgap of Fe2VAl. In contrast to what is usually observed, we show that both the temperature increase and the formation of thermally-activated Al/V inversion defects (observed experimentally), open the bandgap. Such an unusual behavior is the key for reconciling all bandgap measurements performed on the Fe2VAl compound using a standard GGA functional and could be an efficient way for improving the thermoelectric properties of this family of materials.
2003.03166v1
2020-03-14
Exceptionally large anomalous Hall effect due to anticrossing of spin-split bands in the antiferromagnetic half-Heusler compound TbPtBi
We have investigated magnetotransport properties and the topological electronic structure of the half-Heusler compound TbPtBi. Our experiments reveal an exceptionally large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the canted antiferromagnetic state of TbPtBi with the anomalous Hall angle (AHA) reaching ~0.68-0.76, which is a few times larger than the previously reported record in GdPtBi. First-principles electronic structure and the associated anomalous Hall conductivity were computed in order to interpret the experimental results. Our analysis shows that the AHE in TbPtBi does not originate from the Weyl points but that it is driven by the large net Berry curvature produced by the anticrossing of spin-split bands near the Fermi level in TbPtBi.
2003.06688v1
2020-09-07
Strain driven emergence of topological non-triviality in YPdBi thin films
Half-Heusler compounds exhibit a remarkable variety of emergent properties such as heavy-fermion behaviour, unconventional superconductivity and magnetism. Several of these compounds have been predicted to host topologically non-trivial electronic structures. Remarkably, recent theoretical studies have indicated the possibility to induce non-trivial topological surface states in an otherwise trivial half-Heusler system by strain engineering. Here, using magneto-transport measurements and first principles DFT-based simulations, we demonstrate topological surface states on strained [110] oriented thin films of YPdBi grown on (100) MgO. These topological surface states arise in an otherwise trivial semi-metal purely driven by strain. Furthermore, we observe the onset of superconductivity in these strained films highlighting the possibility of engineering a topological superconducting state. Our results demonstrate the critical role played by strain in engineering novel topological states in thin film systems for developing next-generation spintronic devices.
2009.03018v3
2020-12-08
Importance of Electronic Correlation in the Intermetallic Half-Heusler Compounds
Low temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy of HfNiSn shows a V^m(m < 1) zero bias anomaly around the Fermi level. This local density of states with a fractional power law shape is well known to be a consequence of electronic correlations. For comparison, we have also measured the tunneling conductances of other half-Heusler compounds with 18 valence electrons. ZrNiPb shows a metal-like local density of states, whereas ZrCoSb and NbFeSb show a linear and V^2 anomaly. One interpretation of these anomalies is that a correlation gap is opening in these compounds. By analyzing the magnetoresistance of HfNiSn, we demonstrate that at low temperatures, electron-electron scattering dominates. The T^m(m < 1) temperature dependence of the conductivity confirms that the electronic correlations are a bulk rather than a surface property.
2012.04184v1
2021-06-24
A first-principles investigation of band inversion in topologically nontrivial Na2AgX (X= As, Sb and Bi) full Heusler compounds
Topological nontrivial nature are the latest phases to be discovered in condensed matter physics with insulating bulk band gaps and topologically protected metallic surface states; they are one of the current hot topics because of their unique properties and potential applications. In this paper, we have highlighted a first-principles study of the structural stability and electronic behavior of the Na${}_{2}$AgX (X= As, Sb and Bi) full Heusler compounds, using the Full-Potential Linear Muffin-Tin Orbital (FP-LMTO) method. We have originated that the Hg${}_{2}$CuTi structure is appropriate in all studied materials. The negative values of the calculated formation energies mean that these compounds are energetically stable. The band structure is studied for the two cases relating the existence and the absence of spin-orbital couplings, where all materials are shown to be topologically non-trivial compounds. Spin orbital couplings were noticed to have no significant effect on the electronic properties such as the topological order.
2106.13184v1
2021-09-02
A first-principles investigation of pressure induced topological phase transition in Half-Heusler AgSrBi
Topological Insulators (TI) are materials with novel quantum states which exhibit a bulk insulating gap while the edge/surface is conducting. This has been extensively explored in several Half-Heusler (HH) compounds hosting the exotic TI behaviour. In the present work we employ, first-principles based Density Functional Theory to perform thorough investigations of pressure induced topological phase transition (TPT) in HH AgSrBi which belongs to the F-43m space group. AgSrBi is intrinsically semi-metallic in nature which, under isotropic pressure exhibits semi-metal to trivial insulator transition retaining the cubic symmetry whereas, on breaking the cubic symmetry we observe the much sought after non-trivial semi-metal to TI phase transition. We also explore the effect of lowering crystal symmetry in realizing TI nature. Following this we perform qualitative analysis of the electronic properties to understand the origin of this non-trivial behavior followed by the quantitative analysis of the Z$_2$ classification which indicates that AgSrBi is a strong TI (i.e., Z$_2$ = (1, 101)). We thus, propose AgSrBi as a dynamically stable TI which can be used as ultra-thin films thermoelectric and nanoelectronic applications.
2109.01108v1
2021-11-28
Electronic properties of the Weyl semimetals Co$_2$MnX (X=Si, Ge, Sn)
Using first-principles electronic structure calculations, we show that ferromagnetic Heusler compounds Co$_2$MnX (X= Si, Ge, Sn) present non-trivial topological characteristics and belong to the category of Weyl semimetals. These materials exhibit two topologically interesting band crossings near the Fermi level. These band crossings have complex 3D geometries in the Brillouin zone and are characterized by non-trivial topology as Hopf links and chain-like nodal lines, that are protected by the perpendicular mirror planes. The spin-orbit interaction split these nodal lines into several zero-dimensional Weyl band crossings. Unlike previously known topologically non-trivial Heusler materials, these majority-spin band crossings lie in the band gap of minority spin bands, potentially facilitating its experimental realization.
2111.14135v1
2021-12-16
Spin Hall Conductivity and Anomalous Hall Conductivity in Full Heusler compounds
The spin Hall conductivity (SHC) and anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) in more than 120 full Heusler compounds are calculated using density functional theory in a high-throughtput way. The electronic structures are mapped to the Wannier basis and the linear response theory is used to get the conductivity. Our results show that the mechanism under the SHC or AHC cannot be simply related to the valence electron numbers or atomic weights, is related to the very details of the electronic structure, which can only be obtained by calculations. A high throughput calculation is efficient to screen out the desired materials. According to our present results, Cu2CoSn, as well as Co2MnAl and Co2MnGa are candidates in spintronic materials regarding to their high SHC and AHC values, which can benefit the spin-torque-driven nanodevices.
2112.08630v1
2021-12-18
Structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the half-Heusler ScPtSb and YPtSb compounds under pressure
First-principles calculations using the plane-wave pseudopotential method within the generalized gradient approximation method were performed to study the pressure dependence of the structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties for the half-Heusler compounds ScPtSb and YPtSb in a cubic MgAgAs-type structure. The calculations were performed with the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical values. The crystal rigidity and mechanical stability were discussed using the elastic constants and related parameters, namely bulk modulus, shear modulus, Debye temperature, Poisson's coefficient, Young's modulus and isotropic sound velocities. The calculated electronic band structures show that ScPtSb has an indirect gap of $\Gamma-X $ type, whereas YPtSb has a direct band gap of $\Gamma -\Gamma $ type. Furthermore, the effect of pressure on the optical properties, namely the dielectric function, absorption spectrum, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity and energy-loss spectrum is investigated for both compounds ScPtSb and YPtSb.
2112.09940v1
2022-04-28
Observation of Griffiths-like phase in the quaternary Heusler compound NiFeTiSn
The quaternary Heusler compound NiFeTiSn can be considered to be derived from the exotic pseudogap-compound Fe2TiSn by the replacement of one Fe atom by Ni. In contrast to Fe2TiSn, which shows a disorder-induced ferromagnetic phase, the ground state of NiFeTiSn is antiferromagnetic with the signature of spin canting. Interestingly, NiFeTiSn shows a Griffiths-like phase characterized by isolated ferromagnetic clusters before attaining the antiferromagnetic state. The Griffiths-like phase is possibly associated with the antisite disorder between Fe and Ti sites as evident from our powder X-ray diffraction study. The compound also shows rather an unusual temperature dependence of resistivity, which can be accounted for by the prevailing structural disorder in the system. NiFeTiSn turned out to be a rare example where a Griffiths-like phase is observed in a semiconducting 3d transition metal-based intermetallic compound with an antiferromagnetic ground state.
2204.13462v1
2022-09-21
Effect of Co Substitution on Ferrimagnetic Heusler compound Mn3Ga
Effect of Co substitution on Mn$_3$Ga is investigated using first-principles study for structural and magnetic properties. Without Co, ferrimagnetic Heusler compound Mn3Ga is in tetragonal phase. With Co substitution, depending on Co concentration (x) Mn$_3$Ga prefers tetragonal (cubic) phase when x \leq 0.5 (x \geq 0.5). Ferrimagnetism is robust regardless of x in both phases. While magnetic moments of two Mn do not vary significantly with x, Co magnetic moment in two phases exhibit different behaviors, leading to distinct features in total magnetic moment (M_{tot}). When x \leq 0.5, in tetragonal phase, Co magnetic moment is vanishingly small, resulting in a decrease of M_{tot} with x. In contrast, when x \geq 0.5, in cubic phase, Co magnetic moment is roughly 1$\mu_B$, which is responsible for an increase of Mtot. Electronic structure is analyzed with partial density of states for various x. To elucidate the counterintuitively small Co moment, the magnetic exchange interaction is investigated where exchange coefficient between Co and Mn is much smaller in x \leq 0.5 case than x \geq 0.5 one.
2209.10216v1
2022-11-23
Molecular Beam Epitaxy of a Half-Heusler Topological Superconductor Candidate YPtBi
The search for topological superconductivity has motivated investigations into materials that combine topological and superconducting properties. The half-Heusler compound YPtBi appears to be such a material, however experiments have thus far been limited to bulk single crystals, drastically limiting the scope of available experiments. This has made it impossible to investigate the potential topological nature of the superconductivity in this material. Experiments to access details about the superconducting state require sophisticated lithographic structures, typically based on thin films. Here we report on the establishment of high crystalline quality epitaxial thin films of YPtBi(111), grown using molecular beam epitaxy on Al2O3(0001) substrates. A robust superconducting state is observed, with both critical temperature and critical field consistent with that previously reported for bulk crystals. Moreover we find that AlOx capping sufficiently protects the sample surface from degradation to allow for proper lithography. Our results pave a path towards the development of advanced lithographic structures, that will allow the exploration of the potentially topological nature of superconductivity in YPtBi.
2211.13106v1
2023-04-12
Large Violation of the Wiedemann Franz Law in Heusler, Ferromagnetic, Weyl Semimetal Co$_2$MnAl
The Wiedemann-Franz (WF) law relates the electronic component of the thermal conductivity to the electrical conductivity in metals through the Lorenz number. The WF law has proven to be remarkably robust, however violations have been observed in many topological materials. In this work, we report thermoelectric measurements conducted on Heusler, ferromagnetic, Weyl semimetal Co$_2$MnAl which shows a drastic, temperature dependent violation of the WF law below 300 K. We then discuss our result in the context of known physical explanations for WF law violation. Both the magnitude and temperature dependence of the violation in Co2MnAl are extreme, indicating that there may be more than one effect contributing to the violation in this system.
2304.05595v1
2023-12-06
First-principles prediction of energy band gaps in 18-valence electron semiconducting half-Heusler compounds: Exploring the role of exchange and correlation
The choice of exchange functional is a critical factor in determining the energy bandgap of semiconductors. Ab initio calculations using different exchange functionals, including the conventional generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) functionals, meta-GGA functionals, and hybrid functionals, show significant differences in the calculated energy bandgap for semiconducting half-Heusler compounds. These compounds, which have 18 valence electrons per unit cell, are of great interest due to their thermoelectric properties, making them suitable for energy conversion applications. In addition, accounting for electronic correlations using the GW method also affects the calculated energy bandgaps compared to standard GGA calculations. The variations in calculated energy bandgaps are specific to each material when using different functionals. Hence, a detailed investigation of the electronic properties of each compound is necessary to determine the most appropriate functional for an accurate description of the electronic properties. Our results indicate that no general rules can be established and a comparison with experimental results is required to determine the most appropriate functional.
2312.03321v2
2023-12-28
Possible Unconventional Surface Superconductivity in the Half-Heusler YPtBi
We report an extensive extensive study of the noncentrosymmetric half-Heusler topological superconductor YPtBi, revealing unusual relation between bulk superconductivity and the appearance of surface superconductivity at temperatures up to 3 times the bulk transition temperature. Transport measurements confirmed the low carrier density of the material and its bulk superconducting transition, which was also observed in ac susceptibility through mutual inductance (MI) measurements. However, a weak signature of superconductivity in the MI measurements appeared much above the bulk transition temperature, which was further observed in scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Polar Kerr effect measurements suggest that while the bulk superconductor may exhibit an unusual nodal superconducting state, only the surface state breaks time reversal symmetry. Complementary tunneling measurements on LuPtBi are used to establish the observations on YPtBi, while density-functional theory (DFT) calculations may shed light on the origin of this unusual surface state.
2312.17213v1
2024-03-24
Ideal spin-polarized Weyl-half-semimetal with a single pair of Weyl points in half-Heusler compounds XCrTe (X=K, Rb)
Realizing ideal Weyl semimetal state with a single pair of Weyl points has been a long-sought goal in the field of topological semimetals. Here, we reveal such a state in the Cr-based half-Heusler compounds XCrTe (X=K, Rb). We show that these materials have a half metal ground state, with Fermi level crossing only one spin channel. Importantly, the Fermi surface is clean, consisting of the minimal number (i.e., a single pair) of spin-polarized Weyl points, so the state represents an ideal Weyl half semimetal. We show that the locations of the two Weyl points and the associated Chern vector can be flexibly tuned by rotating the magnetization vector. The minimal surface Fermi arc pattern and its contribution to anomalous Hall transport are discussed. Our finding offers an ideal material platform for exploring magnetic Weyl fermions, which will also facilitate the interplay between Weyl physics and spintronics.
2403.16195v1
2005-02-16
Dependence of the electronic structure of self-assembled InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots on height and composition
While electronic and spectroscopic properties of self-assembled In_{1-x}Ga_{x}As/GaAs dots depend on their shape, height and alloy compositions, these characteristics are often not known accurately from experiment. This creates a difficulty in comparing measured electronic and spectroscopic properties with calculated ones. Since simplified theoretical models (effective mass, k.p, parabolic models) do not fully convey the effects of shape, size and composition on the electronic and spectroscopic properties, we offer to bridge the gap by providing accurately calculated results as a function of the dot height and composition. Prominent results are the following. (i) Regardless of height and composition, the electron levels form shells of nearly degenerate states. In contrast, the hole levels form shells only in flat dots and near the highest hole level (HOMO). (ii) In alloy dots, the electrons' ``s-p'' splitting depends weakly on height, while the ``p-p'' splitting depends non-monotonically. In non-alloyed InAs/GaAs dots, both these splittings depend weakly on height. For holes in alloy dots, the ``s-p'' splitting decreases with increasing height, whereas the ``p-p'' splitting remains nearly unchaged. Shallow, non-alloyed dots have a ``s-p'' splitting of nearly the same magnitude, whereas the ``p-p'' splitting is larger. (iii) As height increases, the ``s'' and ``p'' character of the wavefunction of the HOMO becomes mixed, and so does the heavy- and light-hole character. (iv) In alloy dots, low-lying hole states are localized inside the dot. Remarkably, in non-alloyed InAs/GaAs dots these states become localized at the interface as height increases. This localization is driven by the biaxial strain present in the nanostructure.
0502409v1
2008-07-17
Ab initio study of element segregation and oxygen adsorption on PtPd and CoCr binary alloy surfaces
The segregation behavior of the bimetallic alloys PtPd and CoCr in the case of bare surfaces and in the presence of an oxygen ad-layer has been studied by means of first-principles modeling based on density-functional theory (DFT). For both systems, change of the d-band filling due to charge transfer between the alloy components, resulting in a shift of the d-band center of surface atoms compared to the pure components, drives the surface segregation and governs the chemical reactivity of the bimetals. In contrast to previous findings but consistent with analogous PtNi alloy systems, enrichment of Pt atoms in the surface layer and of Pd atoms in the first subsurface layer has been found in Pt-rich PtPd alloy, despite the lower surface energy of pure Pd compared to pure Pt. Similarly, Co surface and Cr subsurface segregation occurs in Co-rich CoCr alloys. However, in the presence of adsorbed oxygen, Pd and Cr occupy preferentially surface sites due to their lower electronegativity and thus stronger oxygen affinity compared to Pt and Co, respectively. In either cases, the calculated oxygen adsorption energies on the alloy surfaces are larger than on the pure components when the more noble components are present in the subsurface layers.
0807.2787v1
2009-11-28
Band-gap bowing and p-type doping of (Zn, Mg, Be)O wide-gap semiconductor alloys: a first-principles study
Using a first-principles band-structure method and a special quasirandom structure (SQS) approach, we systematically calculate the band gap bowing parameters and \emph{p}-type doping properties of (Zn, Mg, Be)O related random ternary and quaternary alloys. We show that the bowing parameters for ZnBeO and MgBeO alloys are large and dependent on composition. This is due to the size difference and chemical mismatch between Be and Zn(Mg) atoms. We also demonstrate that adding a small amount of Be into MgO reduces the band gap indicating that the bowing parameter is larger than the band-gap difference. We select an ideal N atom with lower \emph{p} atomic energy level as dopant to perform \emph{p}-type doping of ZnBeO and ZnMgBeO alloys. For N doped in ZnBeO alloy, we show that the acceptor transition energies become shallower as the number of the nearest neighbor Be atoms increases. This is thought to be because of the reduction of \emph{p}-\emph{d} repulsion. The N$_{\rm{O}}$ acceptor transition energies are deep in the ZnMgBeO quaternary alloy lattice-matched to GaN substrate due to the lower valence band maximum. These decrease slightly as there are more nearest neighbor Mg atoms surrounding the N dopant. The important natural valence band alignment between ZnO, MgO, BeO, ZnBeO, and ZnMgBeO quaternary alloy is also investigated.
0911.5375v1
2011-09-10
Phonon dynamics of Zn(Mg,Cd)O alloy nanostructures and their phase segregation
In this paper we report phonon dynamics in chemically synthesized Zn1- xMgxO (0\leqx\leq0.07) and Zn1-yCdyO (0\leqy\leq0.03) alloy nanostructures of sizes ~10 nm using non-resonant Raman and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Substitution by Mg makes the unit cell compact while Cd substitution leads to unit cell expansion. On alloying, both A1(LO) and E1(LO) mode of wurtzite ZnO show blue shift for Zn1-xMgxO and red shift for Zn1-yCdyO alloy nanostructures due to mass defect and volume change induced by the impurity atoms. Significant shift has been observed in E1(LO) mode for Zn1-xMgxO (73 cm-1 for x = 0.07) and Zn1-yCdyO (17 cm-1 for y = 0.03) nanostructures. The variation in Zn(Mg,Cd)-O bond length determined from the blue (red) shift of IR bands on alloying with Mg (Cd) is consistent with their respective ionic sizes and the structural changes predicted by X-ray diffraction study. However, on progressive alloying one can detect phase segregation (due to presence of interstitial Mgand Cd ions) in the alloy nanostructures for relatively higher Mg and Cd concentrations. This is confirmed by the gradual absence of the characteristic IR and Raman bands of wurtzite ZnO near 400-600 cm-1 as well as by X-Ray and TEM studies.
1109.2252v1
2013-10-22
Master equation approach to the theory of diffusion in alloys and calculations of enhancement factors for tracer solvent and tracer solute diffusion in FCC alloys
The earlier-suggested master equation approach is used to develop the consistent statistical theory of diffusion in alloys using the five-frequency model of FCC alloys as an example. Expressions for the Onsager coefficients in terms of microscopic interatomic interactions and some statistical averages are presented. We discuss methods of calculations of these averages using both the mean-field and the pair-cluster approximation to describe influence of vacancy-solute and solute-solute interactions, and both the nearest-neighbor and the second-shell approximation to describe vacancy correlation effects. The methods developed are used for calculations of enhancement factors which determine the concentration dependence of tracer self-diffusion and tracer solute diffusion in dilute FCC alloys. For the tracer self-diffusion, we show that some significant contribution to the enhancement factor related to the thermodynamic activity of vacancies was missed in the previous treatments of this problem. It implies that the most of existing estimates of parameters of the five-frequency model for real alloys should be revised. For the tracer solute diffusion, the expression for the enhancement factor seems to be presented for the first time. The results obtained are used to estimate the microscopic parameters important for diffusion, including the vacancy-solute interaction, in several FCC alloys for which necessary experimental data are available.
1310.5808v2
2016-11-19
Alloying, de-alloying and reentrant alloying in (sub-)monolayer growth of Ag on Pt(111)
An in-situ nanoscopic investigation of the prototypical surface alloying system Ag/Pt(111) is reported. The morphology and the structure of the ultrathin Ag-Pt film is studied using Low Energy Electron Microscopy during growth at about 800 K. An amazingly rich dynamic behaviour is uncovered in which stress relieve plays a governing role. Initial growth leads to surface alloying with prolonged and retarded nucleation of ad-islands. Beyond 50% coverage de-alloying proceeds, joined by partial segregation of Pt towards the centre of large islands in violent processes. Upon coalescence the irregularly shaped vacancy clusters are filled by segregating Pt, which then take a compact shape (black spots). As a result at around 85% coverage the strain of the initially pseudo-morphological film is almost completely relieved and Pt-segregation is at its maximum. Further deposition of Ag leads to transient re-entrant alloying and recovery of the pseudo-morphological layer. The black spots persist even in/on several layers thick films. Ex-situ atomic force microscopy data confirm that these are constituted by probably amorphous Pt(-rich) structures. The (sub-)monolayer films are very much heterogeneous.
1611.06354v1
2017-12-06
Exploration of the High Entropy Alloy Space as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem
High Entropy Alloys (HEAs), Multi-principal Component Alloys (MCA), or Compositionally Complex Alloys (CCAs) are alloys that contain multiple principal alloying elements. While many HEAs have been shown to have unique properties, their discovery has been largely done through costly and time-consuming trial-and-error approaches, with only an infinitesimally small fraction of the entire possible composition space having been explored. In this work, the exploration of the HEA composition space is framed as a Continuous Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CCSP) and solved using a novel Constraint Satisfaction Algorithm (CSA) for the rapid and robust exploration of alloy thermodynamic spaces. The algorithm is used to discover regions in the HEA Composition-Temperature space that satisfy desired phase constitution requirements. The algorithm is demonstrated against a new (TCHEA1) CALPHAD HEA thermodynamic database. The database is first validated by comparing phase stability predictions against experiments and then the CSA is deployed and tested against design tasks consisting of identifying not only single phase solid solution regions in ternary, quaternary and quinary composition spaces but also the identification of regions that are likely to yield precipitation-strengthened HEAs.
1712.02442v3
2017-12-26
The effect of Si addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of casting Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-1.2Fe alloys
In this work, we studied the effect of Si on the microstructure and tensile properties of the as-cast Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-1.2Fe alloys which were produced by casting with or without applied pressure. The results show that the addition of Si can significantly influence the microstructure and tensile properties of the alloys. For the alloys produced without pressure, the addition of Si can promote the formation of Chinese script {\alpha}-Fe, suppress the precipitation of plate-like Al3(FeMn) and Chinese script Al6(FeMn) and increase the volume percent of porosity, resulting in a remarkable decrease in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS). For the alloys produced with a pressure of 75 MPa, the addition of Si can also promote the formation of fine Chinese script {\alpha}-Fe and high number density Al2Cu ({\theta}) phases, resulting in a slight increase in UTS and YS. The strength and elongation of the alloys increases with increasing applied pressure at the same Si level, which are attributed to the elimination of porosity, grain refinement strengthening and solid-solution strengthening. The alloy with addition of 1.1 % Si produced under the applied pressure of 75 MPa shows the best tensile properties, where the UTS, YS and elongation is 237 MPa, 140 MPa and 9.8%, respectively.
1712.09177v2
2018-06-08
Band gap and band offset of Ga$_2$O$_3$ and (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ alloys
Ga$_2$O$_3$ and (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ alloys are promising materials for solar-blind UV photodetectors and high-power transistors. Basic key parameters in the device design, such as band gap variation with alloy composition and band offset between Ga$_2$O$_3$ and (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$, are yet to be established. Using density functional theory with the HSE hybrid functional, we compute formation enthalpies, band gaps, and band edge positions of (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ alloys in the monoclinic ($\beta$) and corundum ($\alpha$) phases. We find the formation enthlapies of (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ alloys are significantly lower than of (In$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$, and that (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ with $x$=0.5 can be considered as an ordered compound AlGaO$_3$ in the monoclinic phase, with Al occupying the octahedral sites and Ga occupying the tetrahedral sites. The direct band gaps of the alloys range from 4.69 to 7.03 eV for $\beta$-(Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ and from 5.26 to 8.56 eV for $\alpha$-(Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$. Most of the band offset of the (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$ alloy arises from the discontinuity in the conduction band. Our results are used to explain the available experimental data, and consequences for designing modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs) based on (Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$)$_2$O$_3$/Ga$_2$O$_3$ are discussed.
1806.03360v2
2019-11-14
Electronic structure evolution in dilute carbide Ge$_{1-x}$C$_{x}$ alloys and implications for device applications
We present a theoretical analysis of electronic structure evolution in the highly-mismatched dilute carbide group-IV alloy Ge$_{1-x}$C$_{x}$. For ordered alloy supercells, we demonstrate that C incorporation strongly perturbs the conduction band (CB) structure by driving hybridisation of $A_{1}$-symmetric linear combinations of Ge states lying close in energy to the CB edge. This leads, in the ultra-dilute limit, to the alloy CB edge being formed primarily of an $A_{1}$-symmetric linear combination of the L-point CB edge states of the Ge host matrix semiconductor. Our calculations describe the emergence of a "quasi-direct" alloy band gap, which retains a significant admixture of indirect Ge L-point CB edge character. We then analyse the evolution of the electronic structure of realistic (large, disordered) Ge$_{1-x}$C$_{x}$ alloy supercells for C compositions up to $x = 2$%. We show that short-range alloy disorder introduces a distribution of localised states at energies below the Ge CB edge, with these states acquiring minimal direct ($\Gamma$) character. Our calculations demonstrate strong intrinsic inhomogeneous energy broadening of the CB edge Bloch character, driven by hybridisation between Ge host matrix and C-related localised states. The trends identified by our calculations are markedly different to those expected based on a recently proposed interpretation of the CB structure based on the band anti-crossing model. The implications of our findings for device applications are discussed.
1911.06186v1
2021-07-13
A pathway towards high throughput Quantum Monte Carlo simulations for alloys: A case study of two-dimensional (2D) $GaS_xSe_{1-x}$
The study of alloys using computational methods has been a difficult task due to the usually unknown stoichiometry and local atomic ordering of the different structures experimentally. In order to combat this, first-principles methods have been coupled with statistical methods such as the Cluster Expansion formalism in order to construct the energy hull diagram, which helps to determine if an alloyed structure can exist in nature. Traditionally, density functional theory (DFT) has been used in such workflows. In this work we propose to use chemically accurate many-body variational Monte Carlo (VMC) and diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) methods to construct the energy hull diagram of an alloy system, due to the fact that such methods have a weaker dependence on the starting wavefunction and density functional, scale similarly to DFT with the number of electrons, and have had demonstrated success for a variety of materials. To carry out these simulations in a high-throughput manner, we propose a method called Jastrow sharing, which involves recycling the optimized Jastrow parameters between alloys with different stoichiometries. We show that this eliminates the need for extra VMC Jastrow optimization calculations and results in a significant computational cost savings (on average 1/4 savings of total computational time). Since it is a novel post-transition metal chalcogenide alloy series that has been synthesized in its few-layer form, we used monolayer $GaS_xSe_{1-x}$ as a case study for our workflow. By extensively testing our Jastrow sharing procedure for monolayer $GaS_xSe_{1-x}$ and quantifying the cost savings, we demonstrate how a pathway towards chemically accurate high-throughput simulations of alloys can be achieved using many-body VMC and DMC methods.
2107.06128v1
2021-03-20
Towards Superior High Temperature Properties in Low Density AlCrFeNiTi Compositionally Complex Alloys
Three novel precipitation strengthened bcc alloys which exhibit a smooth microstructural gradient with composition have been fabricated in bulk form by induction casting. All three alloys are comprised of a mixture of disordered A2-(Fe, Cr) and L2$_1$-ordered (Ni, Fe)$_{2}$AlTi type phases both as-cast and after long-term annealing at 900 $^{\circ}$C. The ratio of disordered to ordered phase, primary dendrite fraction, and overall microstructural coarseness all decrease as Cr is replaced by Al and Ti. Differences in phase composition are quantified through domain averaged principal component analysis of energy dispersive spectroscopy data obtained during scanning transmission electron microscopy. Bulk tensile testing reveals retained strengths of nearly 250 MPa up to 900 $^{\circ}$C for the alloys which contain a nanoscale maze-like arrangement of ordered and disordered phases. One alloy, containing a duplex microstructure with ductile dendritic regions and highly creep resistant interdendritic regions, shows a promising balance between high temperature ductility and strength. For this alloy, tension creep testing was carried out at 700, 750, and 800 $^{\circ}$C for a broad range of loading conditions and revealed upper bound creep rates which surpass similar ferritic superalloys and rival those of several conventionally employed high temperature structural alloys, including Inconel 617 and 718, at much lower density and raw material cost.
2103.11173v1
2021-03-25
Design of a V-Ti-Ni alloy with superelastic nano-precipitates
Stress-induced martensitic transformations enable metastable alloys to exhibit enhanced strain hardening capacity, leading to improved formability and toughness. As is well-known from transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels, however, the resulting martensite can limit ductility and fatigue life due to its intrinsic brittleness. In this work, we explore an alloy design strategy that utilizes stress-induced martensitic transformations but does not retain the martensite phase. This strategy is based on the introduction of superelastic nano-precipitates, which exhibit reverse transformation after initial stress-induced forward transformation. To this end, utilizing ab-initio simulations and thermodynamic calculations we designed and produced a V45Ti30Ni25 (at%) alloy. In this alloy, TiNi is present as nano-precipitates uniformly distributed within a ductile V-rich base-centered cubic (bcc) beta matrix, as well as being present as a larger matrix phase. We characterized the microstructure of the produced alloy using various scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The bulk mechanical properties of the alloy are demonstrated through tensile tests, and the reversible transformation in each of the TiNi morphologies were confirmed by in-situ TEM micro-pillar compression experiments, in-situ high-energy diffraction synchrotron cyclic tensile tests, indentation experiments, and differential scanning calorimetry experiments. The observed transformation pathways and variables impacting phase stability are critically discussed
2103.13978v2
2022-02-28
Machine learning-enabled high-entropy alloy discovery
High-entropy alloys are solid solutions of multiple principal elements, capable of reaching composition and feature regimes inaccessible for dilute materials. Discovering those with valuable properties, however, relies on serendipity, as thermodynamic alloy design rules alone often fail in high-dimensional composition spaces. Here, we propose an active-learning strategy to accelerate the design of novel high-entropy Invar alloys in a practically infinite compositional space, based on very sparse data. Our approach works as a closed-loop, integrating machine learning with density-functional theory, thermodynamic calculations, and experiments. After processing and characterizing 17 new alloys (out of millions of possible compositions), we identified 2 high-entropy Invar alloys with extremely low thermal expansion coefficients around 2*10-6 K-1 at 300 K. Our study thus opens a new pathway for the fast and automated discovery of high-entropy alloys with optimal thermal, magnetic and electrical properties.
2202.13753v1
2019-08-07
Comparison of first principles and semi-empirical models of the structural and electronic properties of Ge$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$ alloys
We present and compare three distinct atomistic models -- based on first principles and semi-empirical approaches -- of the structural and electronic properties of Ge$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$ alloys. Density functional theory calculations incorporating Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) and modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) exchange-correlation functionals are used to perform structural relaxation and electronic structure calculations for a series of Ge$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$ alloy supercells. Based on HSE calculations, a semi-empirical valence force field (VFF) potential and $sp^{3}s^{\ast}$ tight-binding (TB) Hamiltonian are parametrised. Comparing the HSE, mBJ and TB models, and using the HSE results as a benchmark, we demonstrate that: (i) mBJ calculations provide an accurate first principles description of the electronic structure at reduced computational cost, (ii) the VFF potential is sufficiently accurate to circumvent the requirement to perform first principles structural relaxation, and (iii) TB calculations provide a good quantitative description of the alloy electronic structure in the vicinity of the band edges. Our results also emphasise the importance of Sn-induced band mixing in determining the nature of the conduction band structure of Ge$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$ alloys. The theoretical models and benchmark calculations we present inform and enable predictive, computationally efficient and scalable atomistic calculations for disordered alloys and nanostructures. This provides a suitable platform to underpin further theoretical investigations of the properties of this emerging semiconductor alloy.
1908.02833v1
2020-03-04
Physics-informed machine learning for composition-process-property alloy design: shape memory alloy demonstration
Machine learning (ML) is shown to predict new alloys and their performances in a high dimensional, multiple-target-property design space that considers chemistry, multi-step processing routes, and characterization methodology variations. A physics-informed featured engineering approach is shown to enable otherwise poorly performing ML models to perform well with the same data. Specifically, previously engineered elemental features based on alloy chemistries are combined with newly engineered heat treatment process features. The new features result from first transforming the heat treatment parameter data as it was previously recorded using nonlinear mathematical relationships known to describe the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformations in alloys. The ability of the ML model to be used for predictive design is validated using blind predictions. Composition - process - property relationships for thermal hysteresis of shape memory alloys (SMAs) with complex microstructures created via multiple melting-homogenization-solutionization-precipitation processing stage variations are captured, in addition to the mean transformation temperatures of the SMAs. The quantitative models of hysteresis exhibited by such highly processed alloys demonstrate the ability for ML models to design for physical complexities that have challenged physics-based modeling approaches for decades.
2003.01878v3