Isospin magnetism and spin-polarized superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene

In conventional superconductors, Cooper pairing occurs between electrons of opposite spin. We observe spin-polarized superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene when doped to a saddle-point van Hove singularity generated by large applied perpendicular electric field. We observe a cascade of electrostatic gate-tuned transitions between electronic phases distinguished by their polarization within the isospin space defined by the combination of the spin and momentum-space valley degrees of freedom. Although all of these phases are metallic at zero magnetic field, we observe a transition to a superconducting state at finite B ‖ ≈ 150mT applied parallel to the two-dimensional sheet. Superconductivity occurs near a symmetry breaking transition, and exists exclusively above the B ‖ -limit expected of a paramagnetic superconductor with the observed transition temperature T C ≈ 30mK, consistent with a spin-triplet order parameter.

Спиральное магнитное упорядочение и переход металл--диэлектрик в модели Хаббарда на треугольной решeтке

The magnetic phase diagrams of the two-dimensional Hubbard model for isotropic and anisotropic triangular lattices are constructed within the Hartree-Fock and slave boson approximations. The triangular lattice specific non-collinear and spiral magnetic states, as well as phase separation between them, are shown to be realized in a wide range of model parameters along with collinear magnetic states (stripe antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic). Phase transitions of the first and second order are found, and the boundaries of the phase separation regions are determined. A comparison of the two approximations, Hartree-Fock and slave boson, shows that electronic correlations suppress magnetic states, the region of paramagnetism being expand, for values U/t>5. At the same time, when the Fermi level is near the van Hove singularity, electron correlations do not change the diagrams qualitatively, which is consistent with the previously obtained result for square and cubic lattices. The results are compared with the data available in the literature for other methods and approaches.

Quasi-particle interference of the van Hove singularity in Sr2RuO4

The single-layered ruthenate Sr2RuO4 is one of the most enigmatic unconventional superconductors. While for many years it was thought to be the best candidate for a chiral p-wave superconducting ground state, desirable for topological quantum computations, recent experiments suggest a singlet state, ruling out the original p-wave scenario. The superconductivity as well as the properties of the multi-layered compounds of the ruthenate perovskites are strongly influenced by a van Hove singularity in proximity of the Fermi energy. Tiny structural distortions move the van Hove singularity across the Fermi energy with dramatic consequences for the physical properties. Here, we determine the electronic structure of the van Hove singularity in the surface layer of Sr2RuO4 by quasi-particle interference imaging. We trace its dispersion and demonstrate from a model calculation accounting for the full vacuum overlap of the wave functions that its detection is facilitated through the octahedral rotations in the surface layer.

Boson-peak-like anomaly caused by transverse phonon softening in strain glass

Strain glass is a glassy state with frozen ferroelastic/martensitic nanodomains in shape memory alloys, yet its nature remains unclear. Here, we report a glassy feature in strain glass that was thought to be only present in structural glasses. An abnormal hump is observed in strain glass around 10 K upon normalizing the specific heat by cubed temperature, similar to the boson peak in metallic glass. The simulation studies show that this boson-peak-like anomaly is caused by the phonon softening of the non-transforming matrix surrounding martensitic domains, which occurs in a transverse acoustic branch not associated with the martensitic transformation displacements. Therefore, this anomaly neither is a relic of van Hove singularity nor can be explained by other theories relying on structural disorder, while it verifies a recent theoretical model without any assumptions of disorder. This work might provide fresh insights in understanding the nature of glassy states and associated vibrational properties.