Zaher Salman

Dimensionality Control of Electronic Phase Transitions in Nickel-Oxide Superlattices

The structure of metal-oxide superlattices is used to control the electronic order of the system. The competition between collective quantum phases in materials with strongly correlated electrons depends sensitively on the dimensionality of the electron system, which is difficult to control by standard solid-state chemistry. We have fabricated superlattices of the paramagnetic metal lanthanum nickelate (LaNiO3) and the wide-gap insulator lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) with atomically precise layer sequences. We used optical ellipsometry and low-energy muon spin rotation to show that superlattices with LaNiO3 as thin as two unit cells undergo a sequence of collective metal-insulator and antiferromagnetic transitions as a function of decreasing temperature, whereas samples with thicker LaNiO3 layers remain metallic and paramagnetic at all temperatures. Metal-oxide superlattices thus allow control of the dimensionality and collective phase behavior of correlated-electron systems.

Interfacial dominated ferromagnetism in nanograined ZnO: a μSR and DFT study

Diamagnetic oxides can, under certain conditions, become ferromagnetic at room temperature and therefore are promising candidates for future material in spintronic devices. Contrary to early predictions, doping ZnO with uniformly distributed magnetic ions is not essential to obtain ferromagnetic samples. Instead, the nanostructure seems to play the key role, as room temperature ferromagnetism was also found in nanograined, undoped ZnO. However, the origin of room temperature ferromagnetism in primarily non–magnetic oxides like ZnO is still unexplained and a controversial subject within the scientific community. Using low energy muon spin relaxation in combination with SQUID and TEM techniques, we demonstrate that the magnetic volume fraction is strongly related to the sample volume fraction occupied by grain boundaries. With molecular dynamics and density functional theory we find ferromagnetic coupled electron states in ZnO grain boundaries. Our results provide evidence and a microscopic model for room temperature ferromagnetism in oxides.

Surface and bulk electronic structure of the strongly correlated system SmB6 and implications for a topological Kondo insulator

Recent theoretical calculations and experimental results suggest that the strongly correlated material SmB6 may be a realization of a topological Kondo insulator. We have performed an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on SmB6 in order to elucidate elements of the electronic structure relevant to the possible occurrence of a topological Kondo insulator state. The obtained electronic structure in the whole three-dimensional momentum space reveals one electron-like 5d bulk band centered at the X point of the bulk Brillouin zone that is hybridized with strongly correlated f electrons, as well as the opening of a Kondo band gap (Delta(B) similar to 20 meV) at low temperature. In addition, we observe electron-like bands forming three Fermi surfaces at the center Gamma point and boundary (X) over bar point of the surface Brillouin zone. These bands are not expected from calculations of the bulk electronic structure, and their observed dispersion characteristics are consistent with surface states. Our results suggest that the unusual low-temperature transport behavior of SmB6 is likely to be related to the pronounced surface states sitting inside the band hybridization gap and/or the presence of a topological Kondo insulating state.

Nanoscale Layering of Antiferromagnetic and Superconducting Phases in Rb 2 Fe 4 Se 5 Single Crystals

We studied phase separation in the single-crystalline antiferromagnetic superconductor Rb(2)Fe(4)Se(5) (RFS) using a combination of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy and low-energy muon spin rotation (LE-μSR). We demonstrate that the antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases segregate into nanometer-thick layers perpendicular to the iron-selenide planes, while the characteristic in-plane size of the metallic domains reaches 10  μm. By means of LE-μSR we further show that in a 40-nm thick surface layer the ordered antiferromagnetic moment is drastically reduced, while the volume fraction of the paramagnetic phase is significantly enhanced over its bulk value. Self-organization into a quasiregular heterostructure indicates an intimate connection between the modulated superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases.

Point-contact spectroscopy of Cu0.2Bi2Se3single crystals

We report point contact measurements in high quality single crystals of Cu0.2Bi2Se3. We observe three different kinds of spectra: (1) Andreev-reflection spectra, from which we infer a superconducting gap size of 0.6mV; (2) spectra with a large gap which closes above Tc at about 10K; and (3) tunneling-like spectra with zero-bias conductance peaks. These tunneling spectra show a very large gap of ~2meV (2Delta/KTc ~ 14).

Evolution of the Fermi surface of a doped topological insulator with carrier concentration

In an ideal bulk topological-insulator (TI) conducting surface states protected by time reversal symmetry enfold an insulating crystal. However, the archetypical TI, Bi2Se3, is actually never insulating; it is in fact a relatively good metal. Nevertheless, it is the most studied system among all the TIs, mainly due to its simple band-structure and large spin-orbit gap. Recently it was shown that copper intercalated Bi2Se3 becomes superconducting and it was suggested as a realization of a topological superconductor (TSC). Here we use a combination of techniques that are sensitive to the shape of the Fermi surface (FS): the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to study the evolution of the FS shape with carrier concentration, n. We find that as n increases, the FS becomes 2D-like. These results are of crucial importance for understanding the superconducting properties of CuxBi2Se3.

Muonium emission into vacuum from mesoporous thin films at cryogenic temperatures

We report on muonium (Mu) emission into vacuum following μ(+) implantation in mesoporous thin SiO(2) films. We obtain a yield of Mu into vacuum of (38±4)% at 250 K and (20±4)% at 100 K for 5 keV μ(+) implantation energy. From the implantation energy dependence of the Mu vacuum yield we determine the Mu diffusion constants in these films: D(Mu)(250 K)=(1.6±0.1)×10(-4)  cm(2)/s and D(Mu)(100 K)=(4.2±0.5)×10(-5) cm(2)/s. Describing the diffusion process as quantum mechanical tunneling from pore to pore, we reproduce the measured temperature dependence ∼T(3/2) of the diffusion constant. We extract a potential barrier of (-0.3±0.1) eV which is consistent with our computed Mu work function in SiO(2) of [-0.3,-0.9] eV. The high Mu vacuum yield, even at low temperatures, represents an important step toward next generation Mu spectroscopy experiments.

Intrinsic Paramagnetic Meissner Effect Due to s-Wave Odd-Frequency Superconductivity

In 1933, Meissner and Ochsenfeld reported the expulsion of magnetic flux, the diamagnetic Meissner effect, from the interior of superconducting lead. This discovery was crucial in formulating the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory of superconductivity. In exotic superconducting systems BCS theory does not strictly apply. A classical example is a superconductor-magnet hybrid system where magnetic ordering breaks time-reversal symmetry of the superconducting condensate and results in the stabilisation of an odd-frequency superconducting state. It has been predicted that under appropriate conditions, odd-frequency superconductivity should manifest in the Meissner state as fluctuations in the sign of the magnetic susceptibility meaning that the superconductivity can either repel (diamagnetic) or attract (paramagnetic) external magnetic flux. Here we report local probe measurements of faint magnetic fields in a Au/Ho/Nb trilayer system using low energy muons, where antiferromagnetic Ho (4.5 nm) breaks time-reversal symmetry of the proximity induced pair correlations in Au. From depth-resolved measurements below the superconducting transition of Nb we observe a local enhancement of the magnetic field in Au that exceeds the externally applied field, thus proving the existence of an intrinsic paramagnetic Meissner effect arising from an odd-frequency superconducting state.

The phase diagram of electron-doped La 2− x Ce x CuO 4− δ

Superconductivity is a striking example of a quantum phenomenon in which electrons move coherently over macroscopic distances without scattering. The high-temperature superconducting oxides (cuprates) are the most studied class of superconductors, composed of two-dimensional CuO2 planes separated by other layers that control the electron concentration in the planes. A key unresolved issue in cuprates is the relationship between superconductivity and magnetism. Here we report a sharp phase boundary of static three-dimensional magnetic order in the electron-doped superconductor La(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4-δ), where small changes in doping or depth from the surface switch the material from superconducting to magnetic. Using low-energy spin-polarized muons, we find that static magnetism disappears close to where superconductivity begins and well below the doping level at which dramatic changes in the transport properties are reported. These results indicate a higher degree of symmetry between the electron and hole-doped cuprates than previously thought.

Robust Magnetic Properties of a Sublimable Single-Molecule Magnet

The organization of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) on surfaces via thermal sublimation is a prerequisite for the development of future devices for spintronics exploiting the richness of properties offered by these magnetic molecules. However, a change in the SMM properties due to the interaction with specific surfaces is usually observed. Here we present a rare example of an SMM system that can be thermally sublimated on gold surfaces while maintaining its intact chemical structure and magnetic properties. Muon spin relaxation and ac susceptibility measurements are used to demonstrate that, unlike other SMMs, the magnetic properties of this system in thin films are very similar to those in the bulk, throughout the full volume of the film, including regions near the metal and vacuum interfaces. These results exhibit the robustness of chemical and magnetic properties of this complex and provide important clues for the development of nanostructures based on SMMs.