Search

A procedure for quantifying the U $5f$ electrons' covalence and degree of localization in U intermetallic compounds is presented. To this end, bulk sensitive hard and soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were utilized in combination with density-functional theory (DFT) plus dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) calculations. The energy dependence of the photoionization cross-sections allows the disentanglement of the U\,$5f$ contribution to the valence band from the various other atomic subshells so that the computational parameters in the DFT\,+\,DMFT can be reliably determined. Applying this method to UGa$_2$ and UB$_2$ as model compounds from opposite ends of the (de)localization range, we have achieved excellent simulations of the valence band and core-level spectra. The width in the distribution of atomic U\,$5f$ configurations contributing to the ground state, as obtained from the calculations, quantifies the correlated nature and degree of localization of the U\,5$f$. The findings permit answering the longstanding question why different spectroscopic techniques give seemingly different numbers for the U 5$f$ valence in intermetallic U compounds., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures

In the realm of ferroelectric memories, HfO2-based ferroelectrics stand out because of their exceptional CMOS compatibility and scalability. Nevertheless, their switchable polarization and switching speed are not on par with those of perovskite ferroelectrics. It is widely acknowledged that defects play a crucial role in stabilizing the metastable polar phase of HfO2. Simultaneously, defects also pin the domain walls and impede the switching process, ultimately rendering the sluggish switching of HfO2. Herein, we present an effective strategy involving acceptor-donor co-doping to effectively tackle this dilemma. Remarkably enhanced ferroelectricity and the fastest switching process ever reported among HfO2 polar devices are observed in La3+-Ta5+ co-doped HfO2 ultrathin films. Moreover, robust macro-electrical characteristics of co-doped films persist even at a thickness as low as 3 nm, expanding potential applications of HfO2 in ultrathin devices. Our systematic investigations further demonstrate that synergistic effects of uniform microstructure and smaller switching barrier introduced by co-doping ensure the enhanced ferroelectricity and shortened switching time. The co-doping strategy offers an effective avenue to control the defect state and improve the ferroelectric properties of HfO2 films.

The application of pressure as well as the successive substitution of Ru with Fe in the hidden order (HO) compound URu$_2$Si$_2$ leads to the formation of the large moment antiferromagnetic phase (LMAFM). Here we have investigated the substitution series URu$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Si$_2$ from $x$\,=\,0.0 to 2.0 by U\,4$f$ core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and have observed non-monotonic changes in the spectra. The initial increase and subsequent decrease of the spectral weight of the 4$f$ core level satellite with increasing $x$ stands for a non-monotonic 5$f$ filling across the substitution series. The competition of chemical pressure and increase of the density of states at the Fermi energy, both due to substitution of Ru with Fe, can explain such a behavior. An extended Doniach phase diagram including the $x$ dependence of the density of states is proposed. Also in URu$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Si$_2$ the ground state is a singlet or quasi-doublet state consisting of two singlets. Hence, the formation of magnetic order in the URu$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Si$_2$ substitution series must be explained within a singlet magnetism model., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures

Using high resolution tender-x-ray resonant inelastic scattering and hard-x-ray non-resonant inelastic scattering beyond the dipole limit we were able to detect electronic excitations in intermetallic UGa$_2$ that are highly atomic in nature. Analysis of the spectral lineshape reveals that the local $5f^2$ configuration characterizes the correlated nature of this ferromagnet. The orientation and directional dependence of the spectra indicate that the ground state is made of the $\Gamma_1$ singlet and/or $\Gamma_6$ doublet symmetry. With the ordered moment in the $ab$ plane, we infer that the magnetism originates from the higher lying $\Gamma_6$ doublet being mixed with the $\Gamma_1$ singlet due to inter-site exchange, qualifying UGa$_2$ to be a true quantum magnet. The ability to observe atomic excitations is crucial to resolve the on-going debate about the degree of localization versus itineracy in U intermetallics., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures

The hexagonal perovskite BaNiO3, prepared via non-ceramic approaches, is known to act as a good catalyst for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. Here we report our observation that BaNiO3 synthesized via KOH flux growth and high O2 pressure ceramic synthesis have different magnetic properties. We show that this is because the KOH flux-grown crystals made in open-air are actually a hydroxide-containing form of BaNiO3 that can be dried upon annealing in O2 flow. This work not only unveils a previously unknown aspect of the BaNiO3 OER catalyst and offers some insights into the underlying mechanism, but also suggests that hydroxide ions may be present in other hexagonal perovskite oxides prepared in wet conditions., Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures

The origin of insulating ferromagnetism in epitaxial LaCoO3 films under tensile strain remains elusive despite extensive research efforts have been devoted. Surprisingly, the spin state of its Co ions, the main parameter of its ferromagnetism, is still to be determined. Here, we have systematically investigated the spin state in epitaxial LaCoO3 thin films to clarify the mechanism of strain induced ferromagnetism using element-specific x-ray absorption spectroscopy and dichroism. Combining with the configuration interaction cluster calculations, we unambiguously demonstrate that Co3+ in LaCoO3 films under compressive strain (on LaAlO3 substrate) are practically a low spin state, whereas Co3+ in LaCoO3 films under tensile strain (on SrTiO3 substrate) have mixed high spin and low spin states with a ratio close to 1:3. From the identification of this spin state ratio, we infer that the dark strips observed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy indicate the position of Co3+ high spin state, i.e., an observation of a spin state disproportionation in tensile-strained LaCoO3 films. This consequently explains the nature of ferromagnetism in LaCoO3 films.

Motivated by the recent results in the standard model (SM) Higgs boson search at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) we investigate the SM-like CP-even Higgs boson of the U(1)'-extended minimal supersymmetric standard model (UMSSM) and its branching ratio into the b b-bar, W W*, and \chi^0_1 \chi^0_1 modes. In the Summer 2011, a 2 sigma excess was reported in the channel H -> W W* -> l+ nu l- nu-bar around 130 - 140 GeV range. Later on in December 2011 announcements were made that an excess was seen in the 124-126 GeV range, while the SM Higgs boson above 131 GeV up to about 600 GeV is ruled out. We examine two scenarios of these mass ranges: (i) 130 GeV < M_{h_{SM-like}} < 141 GeV and show that the Higgs boson can decay into invisible neutralinos to evade the SM bound; and (ii) 120 GeV < M_{h_{\rm SM-like}} < 130 GeV and show that the Higgs boson can avoid decaying into neutralinos and thus gives enhanced rates into visible particles. We use the \eta model of E_6 with TeV scale supersymmetry to illustrate the idea by scanning the parameter space to realize these two different scenarios., Comment: 23 pages and 4 figures

The decay of the Z' boson into supersymmetric particles is studied. We investigate how these supersymmetric modes affect the current limits from the Tevatron and project the expected sensitivities at the LHC. Employing three representative supersymmetric Z' models, namely, E_6, U(1)_{B-L}, and the sequential model, we show that the current limits of the Z' mass from the Tevatron could be reduced substantially due to the weakening of the branching ratio into leptonic pairs. The mass reach for the E_6 Z' bosons is about 1.3-1.5 TeV at the LHC-7 (1 fb^{-1}), about 2.5 - 2.6 TeV at the LHC-10 (10 fb^{-1}), and about 4.2 - 4.3 TeV at the LHC-14 (100 fb^{-1}). A similar mass reach for the U(1)_{B-L} Z' is also obtained. We also examine the potential of identifying various supersymmetric decay modes of the Z' boson because it may play a crucial role in the detailed dynamics of supersymmetry breaking., Comment: 30 pages, including 13 figures. improvements to the presentation and references added

We perform a global fit on parity-conserving electron-quark interactions via spin-1 unparticle exchange. Besides the peculiar features of unparticle exchange due to non-integral values for the scaling dimension d_U and a non-trivial phase factor exp (-id_U \pi) associated with a time-like unparticle propagator, the energy dependence s^{-2 + d_U} of the unparticle contributions in the scattering amplitudes are also taken into account. The high energy data sets taken into consideration in our analysis are from (1) deep inelastic scattering at high Q^2 from ZEUS and H1, (2) Drell-Yan production at Run II of CDF and DO, and (3) e^+e^- --> hadrons at LEPII. The hadronic data at LEPII by itself indicated a 3-4 sigma preference of new physics over the Standard Model. However, when all data sets are combined, no preference for unparticle effects can be given. We thus deduce an improved 95% confidence level limit on the unparticle energy scale \Lambda_\U., Comment: 14 pages, 2 tables, no figures. Published Version

Elastic photon-photon scattering can only occur via loop diagrams in the standard model and is naturally suppressed. Unparticle can induce tree-level photon-photon scattering through the operator F_{\mu\nu} F^{\mu\nu} O_\U for spin-0 unparticle or F_{\mu\alpha} F^{\alpha}_{\nu} O^{\mu\nu}_\U for spin-2 unparticle. Due to the peculiar CP-conserving phase \exp(-i d_\U \pi) associated with the s-channel unparticle propagator, its interference effects with the t- and u-channels on the total cross section and the angular distribution are found to be some significance. In addition, we show that the cross sections via unparticle exchange can be substantially larger than the standard model contribution., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures