Publications
Wiedemann-Franz law in the underdoped cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3 Oy
The electrical and thermal Hall conductivities of the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3Oy, σxy and κxy, were measured in a magnetic field up to 35 T, at a hole concentration (doping) p=0.11. In the T=0 limit, we find that the Wiedemann-Franz law, κxy/T=(π2/3)(kB/e)2σxy, is satisfied for fields immediately above the vortex-melting field Hvs. This rules out the existence of a vortex liquid at T=0 and it puts a clear constraint on the nature of the normal state in underdoped cuprates, in a region of the doping phase diagram where charge-density-wave order is known to exist.
Formation of Periodically-Ordered Calcium Phosphate Nanostructures by Block Copolymer-Directed Self-Assembly
Structuring ionic solids at the nanoscale with block copolymers (BCPs) is notoriously difficult due to solvent incompatibilities and strong driving forces for crystallization of the inorganic material.
Atomic-scale electronic structure of the cuprate d-symmetry form factor density wave state
Research on high-temperature superconducting cuprates is at present focused on identifying the relationship between the classic 'pseudogap'phenomenon and the more recently investigated density wave state. This state is generally characterized by a wavevector Q parallel to the planar Cu-O-Cu bonds along with a predominantly d-symmetry form factor (dFF-DW).
High Dynamic Range Pixel Array Detector for Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
We describe a hybrid pixel array detector (electron microscope pixel array detector, or EMPAD) adapted for use in electron microscope applications, especially as a universal detector for scanning transmission electron microscopy. The 128×128 pixel detector consists of a 500 μm thick silicon diode array bump-bonded pixel-by-pixel to an application-specific integrated circuit. The in-pixel circuitry provides a 1,000,000:1 dynamic range within a single frame, allowing the direct electron beam to be imaged while still maintaining single electron sensitivity.
Ising pairing in superconducting NbSe2 atomic layers
The properties of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides arising from strong spin-orbit interactions and valley-dependent Berry curvature effects have recently attracted considerable interest. Although single-particle and excitonic phenomena related to spin-valley coupling have been extensively studied, the effects of spin-valley coupling on collective quantum phenomena remain less well understood.
Reduction of lattice disorder in protein crystals by high-pressure cryocooling
High-pressure cryocooling (HPC) has been developed as a technique for reducing the damage that frequently occurs when macromolecular crystals are cryocooled at ambient pressure. Crystals are typically pressurized at around 200 MPa and then cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature under pressure; this process reduces the need for penetrating cryoprotectants, as well as the damage due to cryocooling, but does not improve the diffraction quality of the as-grown crystals.
Surface photovoltage characterizations of Si nanopillar arrays for verifying field-effect passivation using a SiNx layer
The surface photovoltage (SPV) characteristics of periodic nanopillar (NP) arrays formed on Si wafers were investigated. The NP arrays exhibited broadband omnidirectional antireflection effects with Mie resonance. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) revealed that the positive fixed charges in SiNx layers induced band bending at the Si surface and increased surface photovoltage (SPV) at the NP top surface. Estimated SPV values, determined by the amount of surface band bending, were similar in NPs and planar counterparts.
Evolution of coherence during ramps across the Mott-insulator-superfluid phase boundary
We calculate how correlations in a Bose lattice gas grow during a finite-speed ramp from the Mott to the superfluid regime. We use an interacting doublon-holon model, applying a mean-field approach for implementing hard-core constraints between these degrees of freedom. Our solutions are valid in any dimension and agree with experimental results and with density matrix renormalization group calculations in one dimension. We find that the final energy density of the system drops quickly with increased ramp time for ramps shorter than one hopping time, JÏ„ramp1.
Differential conductance and defect states in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5
We demonstrate that the electronic band structure extracted from quasiparticle interference spectroscopy [Nat. Phys. 9, 468 (2013)1745-247310.1038/nphys2671] and the theoretically computed form of the superconducting gaps [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 111, 11663 (2014)PNASA60027-842410.1073/pnas.1409444111] can be used to understand the dI/dV line shape measured in the normal and superconducting state of CeCoIn5 [Nat. Phys. 9, 474 (2013)1745-247310.1038/nphys2672].
Existence of featureless paramagnets on the square and the honeycomb lattices in 2+1 dimensions
The peculiar features of quantum magnetism sometimes forbid the existence of gapped "featureless" paramagnets which are fully symmetric and unfractionalized. The Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem is an example of such a constraint, but it is not known what the most general restriction might be. We focus on the existence of featureless paramagnets on the spin-1 square lattice and the spin-1 and spin-1/2 honeycomb lattice with spin rotation and space group symmetries in 2+1 dimensions.