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Two-dimensional (2D) materials have gained increasing prominence not only in fundamental research but also in daily applications. However, to fully harness their potential, it is crucial to optimize their properties with an external parameter and track the electronic structure simultaneously. Magnetotransport over a wide magnetic field range is a powerful method to probe the electronic structure and, for metallic 2D materials, quantum oscillations superimposed on the transport signals encode Fermi surface parameters. In this manuscript, we utilize biaxial strain as an external tuning parameter and investigate the effects of strain on the electronic properties of two quasi-2D superconductors, MoTe$_2$ and RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, by measuring their magnetoresistance in pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T. With a careful selection of insulating substrates, we demonstrate the possibility of both the compressive and tensile biaxial strain, imposed on MoTe$_2$ and RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, respectively. For both systems, the applied strain has led to superconducting critical temperature enhancement compared to their free-standing counterparts, proving the effectiveness of this biaxial strain method at cryogenic temperatures. Clear quantum oscillations in the magnetoresistance -- the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect -- are obtained in both samples. In strained MoTe$_2$, the magnetoresistance exhibits a nearly quadratic dependence on the magnetic field and remains non-saturating even at the highest field. Whereas in strained RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, two SdH frequencies showed a substantial enhancement in effective mass values, hinting at a possible enhancement of charge fluctuations. Our results demonstrate that combining biaxial strain and pulsed magnetic field paves the way for studying 2D materials under unprecedented conditions., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Job scheduling is a critical component of workload management systems that can significantly influence system performance, e.g., in HPC clusters. The scheduling objectives are often mixed, such as maximizing resource utilization and minimizing job waiting time. An increasing number of researchers are moving from heuristic-based approaches to Deep Reinforcement Learning approaches in order to optimize scheduling objectives. However, the job scheduler's state space is partially observable to a DRL-based agent because the job queue is practically unbounded. The agent's observation of the state space is constant in size since the input size of the neural networks is predefined. All existing solutions to this problem intuitively allow the agent to observe a fixed window size of jobs at the head of the job queue. In our research, we have seen that such an approach can lead to "window staleness" where the window becomes full of jobs that can not be scheduled until the cluster has completed sufficient work. In this paper, we propose a novel general technique that we call \emph{split window}, which allows the agent to observe both the head \emph{and tail} of the queue. With this technique, the agent can observe all arriving jobs at least once, which completely eliminates the window staleness problem. By leveraging the split window, the agent can significantly reduce the average job waiting time and average queue length, alternatively allowing the use of much smaller windows and, therefore, faster training times. We show a range of simulation results using HPC job scheduling trace data that supports the effectiveness of our technique., Comment: This paper has been accepted for presentation at HPCC, 2022

Releasing the epitaxial oxide heterostructures from substrate constraints leads to the emergence of various correlated electronic phases and paves the way for integrations with advanced semiconductor technologies. Identifying a suitable water-soluble sacrificial layer, compatible with the high-quality epitaxial growth of oxide heterostructures, is currently the key to the development of large-scale freestanding oxide membranes. In this study, we unveil the super-tetragonal Sr4Al2O7 (SAOT) as a promising water-soluble sacrificial layer. The distinct low-symmetric crystal structure of SAOT enables a superior capability to sustain epitaxial strain, thus allowing for broad tunability in lattice constants. The resultant structural coherency and defect-free interface in perovskite ABO3/SAOT heterostructures effectively restrain crack formations during the water-assisted release of freestanding oxide membranes. For a variety of non-ferroelectric oxide membranes, the crack-free areas can span up to a few millimeters in length scale. These compelling features, combined with the inherent high-water solubility, make SAOT a versatile and feasible sacrificial layer for producing high-quality freestanding oxide membranes, thereby boosting their potential for innovative oxide electronics and flexible device designs., Comment: 5 figures and SI, it is the second version of this manuscript

As a prototypical half-metallic ferromagnet, La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) has been extensively studied due to its versatile physical properties and great potential in spintronic applications. However, the weak perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) limits the controllability and detection of magnetism in LSMO, thus hindering the realization of oxide-based spintronic devices with low energy consumption and high integration level. Motivated by this challenge, we develop an experimental approach to enhance the PMA of LSMO epitaxial films. By cooperatively introducing 4d Ru doping and a moderate compressive strain, the maximum uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Ru-doped LSMO can reach 3.0 to 1E5 J/m3 at 10 K. Furthermore, we find a significant anisotropic magnetoresistance effect in these Ru-doped LSMO films, which is dominated by the strong PMA. Our findings offer an effective pathway to harness and detect the orientations of magnetic moments in LSMO films, thus promoting the feasibility of oxide-based spintronic devices, such as spin valves and magnetic tunnel junctions.

In transition-metal-oxide heterostructures, the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is a powerful tool for detecting the magnetic state and revealing intriguing interfacial magnetic orderings. However, achieving a larger AHE at room temperature in oxide heterostructures is still challenging due to the dilemma of mutually strong spin-orbit coupling and magnetic exchange interactions. Here, we exploit the Ru doping-enhanced AHE in LSMRO epitaxial films. As the B-site Ru doping level increases up to 20 percent, the anomalous Hall resistivity at room temperature can be enhanced from nOhmcm to uOhmcm scale. Ru doping leads to strong competition between ferromagnetic double-exchange interaction and antiferromagnetic super-exchange interaction. The resultant spin frustration and spin-glass state facilitate a strong skew-scattering process, thus significantly enhancing the extrinsic AHE. Our findings could pave a feasible approach for boosting the controllability and reliability of oxide-based spintronic devices.

Oxygen vacancies in the perovskite insulator SrTiO$_3$ free electrons that couple with other physical degrees of freedom such as lattice, orbital, and spin. This leads to the emergence of exotic quantum states such as superconductivity and unusual ferromagnetism. We perform density-functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory calculations and demonstrate that the orientation and ordering of the TiO$_5$ pentahedra plays a crucial role. Specifically, for vacancy-rich SrTiO$_{3-\delta}$ ($\delta\sim$0.5), we find a chiral ordering of the TiO$_5$ pentahedra in a sixfold superlattice. This chiral structure is accompanied by a chiral magnetic state with a net moment in the (111) direction at room temperature, which can explain several experimental observations., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures including supplementary materials

Materials with AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=K, Rb, Cs) stoichiometry are recently discovered kagome superconductors with the electronic structure featuring a Dirac band, van Hove singularities and flat bands. These systems undergo anomalous charge-density-wave (CDW) transitions at $T_{\rm CDW}$~80-100 K, resulting in the reconstruction of the Fermi surface from the pristine phase. Although comprehensive investigations of the electronic structure via quantum oscillations (QOs) have been performed on the sister compounds CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ and RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, a detailed QO study of KV$_3$Sb$_5$ is so far absent. Here, we report the Shubnikov-de Haas QO study in KV$_3$Sb$_5$. We resolve a large number of new frequencies with the highest frequency of 2202 T (occupying ~54% of the Brillouin zone area in the $k_x$-$k_y$ plane). The Lifshitz-Kosevich analysis further gives relatively small cyclotron effective masses, and the angular dependence study reveals the two-dimensional nature of the frequencies with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we compare the QO spectra for all three AV$_3$Sb$_5$ compounds collected under the same conditions, enabling us to point out the similarities and differences across these systems. Our results fill in the gap of the QO study in KV$_3$Sb$_5$ and provide valuable data to understand the band structure of all three members of AV$_3$Sb$_5$., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

The kagome metal CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ features an unusual competition between the charge-density-wave (CDW) order and superconductivity. Evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) inside the CDW phase has been accumulating. Hence, the superconductivity in CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ emerges from a TRSB normal state, potentially resulting in an exotic superconducting state. To reveal the pairing symmetry, we first investigate the effect of nonmagnetic impurity. Our results show that the superconducting critical temperature is insensitive to disorder, pointing to conventional $s$-wave superconductivity. Moreover, our measurements of the self-field critical current ($I_{c,sf}$), which is related to the London penetration depth, also confirm conventional $s$-wave superconductivity with strong coupling. Finally, we measure $I_{c,sf}$ where the CDW order is removed by pressure and superconductivity emerges from the pristine normal state. Our results show that $s$-wave gap symmetry is retained, providing strong evidence for the presence of conventional $s$-wave superconductivity in CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ irrespective of the presence of the TRSB, Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Nano Letters (in press)

AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=Cs, K, Rb) are recently discovered superconducting systems ($T_{\rm c}\sim0.9-2.5$ K) in which the vanadium atoms adopt the kagome structure. Intriguingly, these systems enter a charge-density-wave (CDW) phase ($T_{\rm CDW}\sim80-100$ K), and further evidence shows that the time-reversal symmetry is broken in the CDW phase. Concurrently, the anomalous Hall effect has been observed in KV$_3$Sb$_5$ and CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ inside the novel CDW phase. Here, we report a comprehensive study of a high-quality RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ single crystal with magnetotransport measurements. Our data demonstrate the emergence of anomalous Hall effect in RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ when the charge-density-wave state develops. The magnitude of anomalous Hall resistivity at the low temperature limit is comparable to the reported values in KV$_3$Sb$_5$ and CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. The magnetoresistance channel further reveals a rich spectrum of quantum oscillation frequencies, many of which have not been reported before. In particular, a large quantum oscillation frequency (2235 T), which occupies $\sim$56% of the Brillouin zone area, has been recorded. For the quantum oscillation frequencies with sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, we further perform field-angle dependent measurements and our data indicate two-dimensional Fermi surfaces in RbV$_3$Sb$_5$. Our results provide indispensable information for understanding the anomalous Hall effect and band structure in kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. J. Phys. Mater. (in press)

Interfaces formed by correlated oxides offer a critical avenue for discovering emergent phenomena and quantum states. However, the fabrication of oxide interfaces with variable crystallographic orientations and strain states integrated along a film plane is extremely challenge by conventional layer-by-layer stacking or self-assembling. Here, we report the creation of morphotropic grain boundaries (GBs) in laterally interconnected cobaltite homostructures. Single-crystalline substrates and suspended ultrathin freestanding membranes provide independent templates for coherent epitaxy and constraint on the growth orientation, resulting in seamless and atomically sharp GBs. Electronic states and magnetic behavior in hybrid structures are laterally modulated and isolated by GBs, enabling artificially engineered functionalities in the planar matrix. Our work offers a simple and scalable method for fabricating unprecedented innovative interfaces through controlled synthesis routes as well as provides a platform for exploring potential applications in neuromorphics, solid state batteries, and catalysis., Comment: 38 pages, 4 main figures

Laplacian dynamics on signed digraphs have a richer behavior than those on nonnegative digraphs. In particular, for the so-called "repelling" signed Laplacians, the marginal stability property (needed to achieve consensus) is not guaranteed a priori and, even when it holds, it does not automatically lead to consensus, as these signed Laplacians may loose rank even in strongly connected digraphs. Furthermore, in the time-varying case, instability can occur even when switching in a family of systems each of which corresponds to a marginally stable signed Laplacian with the correct corank. In this paper we present conditions guaranteeing consensus of these signed Laplacians based on the property of eventual positivity, a Perron-Frobenius type of property for signed matrices. The conditions cover both time-invariant and time-varying cases. A particularly simple sufficient condition valid in both cases is that the Laplacians are normal matrices. Such condition can be relaxed in several ways. For instance in the time-invariant case it is enough that the Laplacian has this Perron-Frobenius property on the right but not on the left side (i.e., on the transpose). For the time-varying case, convergence to consensus can be guaranteed by the existence of a common Lyapunov function for all the signed Laplacians. All conditions can be easily extended to bipartite consensus., Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure

Electric fields have played a key role in discovering and controlling exotic electronic states of condensed matter. However, electric fields usually do not work in metals as free carriers tend to screen electrostatic fields. While a pseudo-electric field generated by inhomogeneous lattice strain, namely a flexoelectric field, can in principle work in all classes of materials, it remains experimentally unexplored in metals. Here, using heteroepitaxy and atomic-scale imaging, we show that flexoelectric fields can polarize a metallic oxide SrRuO3 with unexpectedly large Ru off-center displacements. We also observe that the flexoelectrically induced polar state of SrRuO3 leads to sizable lattice expansion, similar to the electrostrictive expansion caused by ionic displacements in dielectrics under an external electric field. We further suggest that flexoelectrically driven Ru off-centering promotes strong coupling between lattice and electronic degrees of freedom, possibly enhancing the ferromagnetism of SrRuO3. Beyond conventional electric fields, flexoelectric fields may universally engender novel electronic states and their control via pure atomic displacements in a nondestructive and fast manner., Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures

Kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$~(A = K, Rb, Cs) are recently discovered platforms featuring an unusual charge-density-wave (CDW) order and superconductivity. The electronic band structure of a kagome lattice can host both flat bands as well as Dirac-like bands, offering the possibility to stabilize various quantum states. Here, we probe the band structure of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ via Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations on both bulk single crystals and thin flakes. Although our frequency spectra are broadly consistent with the published data, we unambiguously reveal the existence of new frequencies with large frequencies ranging from $\sim$2085~T to $\sim$2717~T in thin flakes when the magnetic field is along the $c$-axis. These quasi-two-dimensional frequencies correspond to $\sim$52\% to 67\% of the CDW-distorted Brillouin zone volume. The Lifshitz-Kosevich analysis further uncovers surprisingly small cyclotron effective masses, of the order of $\sim$0.1~$m_e$, for these frequencies. Consequently, a large number of high-velocity carriers exists in the thin flake of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. Comparing with our band structure calculations, we argue that an orbital-selective modification of the band structure is active. Our results provide indispensable information for understanding the fermiology of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, paving a way for understanding how an orbital-selective mechanism can become an effective means to tune its electronic properties., Comment: 6 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. B