Li-Xian Wang

Giant negative magnetoresistance induced by the chiral anomaly in individual Cd3As2 nanowires

Dirac electronic materials beyond graphene and topological insulators have recently attracted considerable attention. Cd3As2 is a Dirac semimetal with linear dispersion along all three momentum directions and can be viewed as a three-dimensional analogue of graphene. By breaking of either time-reversal symmetry or spatial inversion symmetry, the Dirac semimetal is believed to transform into a Weyl semimetal with an exotic chiral anomaly effect, however the experimental evidence of the chiral anomaly is still missing in Cd3As2. Here we show a large negative magnetoresistance with magnitude of −63% at 60 K and −11% at 300 K in individual Cd3As2 nanowires. The negative magnetoresistance can be modulated by gate voltage and temperature through tuning the density of chiral states at the Fermi level and the inter-valley scatterings between Weyl nodes. The results give evidence of the chiral anomaly effect and are valuable for understanding the Weyl fermions in Dirac semimetals.

Large magnetoresistance in high mobility topological insulator Bi2Se3

We report the magnetotransport properties of individual Bi2Se3 nanoplates. The carrier Hall mobility is up to 104 cm2/Vs. A large positive linear magnetoresistance (MR) approaching to 400% without sign of saturation was observed at 14 T. By angular dependence measurements, we demonstrate that the linear MR originates from a two-dimensional transport. Furthermore, by comparing the Hall mobility and longitudinal resistance under different temperatures, we give very clear evidence that reveals the close relationship between magnetoresistance and mobility.

Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 nanowires.

Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals, three-dimensional analogues of graphene, are unusual quantum materials with massless Dirac fermions, which can be further converted to Weyl fermions by breaking time reversal or inversion symmetry. Topological surface states with Fermi arcs are predicted on the surface and have been observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments. Although the exotic transport properties of the bulk Dirac cones have been demonstrated, it is still a challenge to reveal the surface states via transport measurements due to the highly conductive bulk states. Here, we show Aharonov–Bohm oscillations in individual single-crystal Cd3As2 nanowires with low carrier concentration and large surface-to-volume ratio, providing transport evidence of the surface state in three-dimensional Dirac semimetals. Moreover, the quantum transport can be modulated by tuning the Fermi level using a gate voltage, enabling a deeper understanding of the rich physics residing in Dirac semimetals.

Zeeman effect on surface electron transport in topological insulator Bi2Se3 nanoribbons

Topological insulators have exotic surface states that are massless Dirac fermions, manifesting special magnetotransport properties, such as the Aharonov-Bohm effect, Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, and weak antilocalization effects. In the surface Dirac cone, the band structures are typically closely related to the p-orbitals and possess helical orbital texture. Here we report on the tunability of the transport properties via the interaction between the magnetic field and the spin-orbital angular momentum of the surface states in individual Bi2Se3 nanoribbons. Because the surface states have a large Landé factor and helical spin-orbital texture, the in-plane magnetic field induced Zeeman energy will result in the deformation of the Dirac cone, which gives rise to spin polarization of the surface states. The spin-dependent scattering of the conducting electrons on the existing local magnetic moments produces a giant negative magnetoresistance. The negative magnetoresistance is robust with a ratio of -20% at 2 K and -0.5% at 300 K under 14 T. The results are valuable for possible orbital-electronics based on topological insulators.

Gate-tuned Aharonov-Bohm interference of surface states in a quasiballistic Dirac semimetal nanowire

We report an observation of a topologically protected transport of surface carriers in a quasi-ballistic Cd3As2 nanowire.The nanowire is thin enough for the spin-textured surface carriers to form 1D subbands, demonstrating conductance oscillations with gate voltage even without magnetic field. The {\pi} phase-shift of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations can periodically appear or disappear by tuning gate voltage continuously. Such a {\pi} phase shift stemming from the Berrys phase demonstrates the topological nature of surface states.The topologically protected transport of the surface states is further revealed by four-terminal nonlocal measurements.

Gate-modulated weak anti-localization and carrier trapping in individual Bi2Se3 nanoribbons

We report a gate-voltage modulation on the weak anti-localization of individual topological insulator Bi2Se3 nanoribbons. The phase coherence length decreases with decreasing the carrier density of the surface states on the bottom surface of the Bi2Se3 nanoribbon as tuning the gate voltage from 0 to −100 V, indicating that the electron-electron interaction dominates the decoherence at low carrier density. Furthermore, we observe an abnormal conductance decline at positive gate voltage regime, which is ascribed to the capture of surface carriers by the trapping centers in the surface oxidation layer.

Magnetotransport properties near the Dirac point of Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 nanowires

Three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetals are featured by 3D linear energy-momentum dispersion relation, which have been proposed to be a desirable system to study Dirac fermions in 3D space and Weyl fermions in solid-state materials. Significantly, to reveal exotic transport properties of Dirac semimetals, the Fermi level should be close to the Dirac point, around which the linear dispersion is retained. Here we report the magnetotransport properties near the Dirac point in Cd3As2 nanowires, manifesting the evolution of band structure under magnetic field. Ambipolar field effect is observed with the Dirac point at V g  =  3.9 V. Under high magnetic field, there is a resistivity dip in transfer curve at the Dirac point, which is caused by the Zeeman splitting enhanced density of state around the Dirac point. Furthermore, the low carrier density in the nanowires makes it feasible to enter into the quantum limit regime, resulting in the quantum linear magnetoresistance being observed even at room temperature. Besides, the dramatic reduction of bulk conductivity due to the low carrier density, together with a large surface to volume ratio of the nanowire, collectively help to reveal the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations from the surface states. Our studies on transport properties around the Dirac point therefore provide deep insights into the emerging exotic physics of Dirac and Weyl fermions.

Laser enhancement of radiation detection sensitivity of a YBCO film

We report experimental results which demonstrate the laser enhancement of the sensitivity of a YBa2Cu8O7- delta film as a radiation detector and the existence of a non-thermal optical response. The bias continuous wave laser beam enhances the sensitivity at higher chopping frequency range (more than 80 Hz) near the critical temperature of the film. The enhancement shows the non-bolometer response.