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Magnetic materials with noncolinear spin configurations have engendered significant interest in condensed matter physics due to their intriguing physical properties. In this study, we direct our attention towards the magnetic properties and critical behavior of single-crystal SmMn$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$, an itinerant magnet with numerous temperature-dependent magnetic phase transitions. Notably, SmMn$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$ displays significant magnetic anisotropy with easy magnetization direction switching from the $ c $ axis to the $ab$ plane as temperature decreases. The critical behavior of the ferromagnetic transition occurring above room temperature is thoroughly examined. Reliable and self-consistent critical exponents, including $ \beta = 0.292(2) $, $ \gamma=0.924(8) $, and $ \delta = 4.164(6)$, along with the Curie temperature, $T_{\rm c}=347$ K, are extracted through various methods, which provide evidence for the coexistence of multiple magnetic interactions in SmMn$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$. Further analysis reveals that the magnetic interaction of SmMn$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$ is a long-range type with the interaction distance decaying as $ J(r)\sim r^{-4.35} $.

Revealing the ultrafast dynamics of three-dimensional (3D) Dirac fermions upon photoexcitation is critical for both fundamental science and device applications. So far, how the cooling of 3D Dirac fermions differs from that of two-dimensional (2D) Dirac fermions and whether there is population inversion are fundamental questions that remain to be answered. Here we reveal the ultrafast dynamics of Dirac fermions in a model 3D Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ by ultrafast time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TrARPES) with a tunable probe photon energy from 5.3 - 6.9 eV. The energy- and momentum-resolved relaxation rate shows a linear dependence on the energy, suggesting Dirac fermion cooling through intraband relaxation. Moreover, a population inversion is reported based on the observation of accumulated photoexcited carriers in the conduction band with a lifetime of $\tau_n$ = 3.0 ps. Our work provides direct experimental evidence for a long-lived population inversion in a 3D Dirac semimetal, which is in contrast to 2D graphene where the interband relaxation occurs on a much faster timescale.

Recent optical stimulation suggests a vital non-contact pathway to manipulate both macroscopic and microscopic ferroelectric properties and paves the foundation for optoelectronics devices. However, up to date, most optical-related manipulation of ferroelectric properties is restricted due to their intrinsic bandgap and limited visible light spectrum absorption. Here, we reveal non-oxide Sn2P2S6 single crystal possesses full-visible-spectrum absorption (from 300 to 800 nm) with a unique disproportionation mechanism of photoexcited Sn ions and Urbach tail, which is not contradicting to the intrinsic band gap. Interestingly, we observed the existence of conductive domain walls (c-DW) and the light illumination induced significant enhancement of the domain wall conductivity caused by such disproportionation reaction. In addition, the domains separated by c-DW also exhibited noticeable electrical conductivity difference in the presence of optical illumination owing to the interfacial polarization charge with opposite signs. The result provides a novel opportunity for understanding the electrical conductivity behavior of the domains and domain walls in ferroelectrics with full-visible-spectrum absorption and achieving greatly enhanced performances for optoelectronics.

MnBi$_8$Te$_{13}$ is an intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) topological insulator with different complex surface terminations. Resolving the electronic structures of different termination surfaces and manipulation of the electronic state are important. Here, by using micrometer spot time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy ($\mu$-TrARPES), we resolve the electronic structures and reveal the ultrafast dynamics upon photoexcitation. Photoinduced filling of the surface state hybridization gap is observed for the Bi$_2$Te$_3$ quintuple layer directly above MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ accompanied by a nontrivial shift of the surface state, suggesting light-tunable interlayer interaction. Relaxation of photoexcited electrons and holes is observed within 1-2 ps. Our work reveals photoexcitation as a potential control knob for tailoring the interlayer interaction and surface state of MnBi$_8$Te$_{13}$.

We perform a detailed analysis of the magnetotransport and de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations in crystal PdGa which is predicted to be a typical chiral Fermion semimetal from CoSi family holding a large Chern number. The unsaturated quadratic magnetoresistance (MR) and nonlinear Hall resistivity indicate that PdGa is a multi-band system without electron-hole compensation. Angle-dependent resistivity in PdGa shows weak anisotropy with twofold or threefold symmetry when the magnetic field rotates within the (1$\bar{1}$0) or (111) plane perpendicular to the current. Nine or three frequencies are extracted after the fast Fourier-transform analysis (FFT) of the dHvA oscillations with B//[001] or B//[011], respectively, which is confirmed to be consistent with the Fermi surfaces (FSs) obtained from first-principles calculations with spin-orbit coupling (SOC) considered., 8 pages, 7 figures

Quantum limit is quite easy to achieve once the band crossing exists exactly at the Fermi level ($E_F$) in topological semimetals. In multilayered Dirac fermion system, the density of Dirac fermions on the zeroth Landau levels (LLs) increases in proportion to the magnetic field, resulting in intriguing angle- and field-dependent interlayer tunneling conductivity near the quantum limit. BaGa$_2$ is an example of multilayered Dirac semimetal with anisotropic Dirac cone close to $E_F$, providing a good platform to study its interlayer transport properties. In this paper, we report the negative interlayer magnetoresistance (NIMR, I//c and B//c) induced by the tunneling of Dirac fermions on the zeroth LLs of neighbouring Ga layers in BaGa$_2$. When the field deviates from the c-axis, the interlayer resistivity $\rho_{zz}(\theta)$ increases and finally results in a peak with the field perpendicular to the c-axis. These unusual interlayer transport properties (NIMR and resistivity peak with B$\perp$c) are observed together for the first time in Dirac semimetal under ambient pressure and are well explained by the model of tunneling between Dirac fermions in the quantum limit., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, with supplementary materials

MnBi

The interplay between time-reversal symmetry (TRS) and band topology plays a crucial role in topological states of quantum matter. In time-reversal-invariant (TRI) systems, the inversion of spin-degenerate bands with opposite parity leads to nontrivial topological states, such as topological insulators and Dirac semimetals. When the TRS is broken, the exchange field induces spin splitting of the bands. The inversion of a pair of spin-splitting subbands can generate more exotic topological states, such as quantum anomalous Hall insulators and magnetic Weyl semimetals. So far, such topological phase transitions driven by the TRS breaking have not been visualized. In this work, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we have demonstrated that the TRS breaking induces a band inversion of a pair of spin-splitting subbands at the TRI points of Brillouin zone in EuB$_6$, when a long-range ferromagnetic order is developed. The dramatic changes in the electronic structure result in a topological phase transition from a TRI ordinary insulator state to a TRS-broken topological semimetal (TSM) state. Remarkably, the magnetic TSM state has an ideal electronic structure, in which the band crossings are located at the Fermi level without any interference from other bands. Our findings not only reveal the topological phase transition driven by the TRS breaking, but also provide an excellent platform to explore novel physical behavior in the magnetic topological states of quantum matter., Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. X

We investigate the magnetic transport properties and electronic structures of single crystal CoSi via angle-dependent quantum oscillation measurements. Prominent de Haas--van Alphen oscillations have been observed with the magnetic field tilting from $B\ensuremath{\parallel}[001]$ to $B\ensuremath{\parallel}[110]$, from which three fundamental frequencies are extracted. The low frequency ${F}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$, first observed in quantum oscillations, presents the contribution from the hole pocket at the Brillouin zone (BZ) center $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point. Two high frequencies ${F}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ and ${F}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, accompanied with asymmetrical peaks in the fast Fourier-transform spectra, are confirmed to stem from the electron pockets with spin-orbit coupling (SOC) at the BZ corner $R$ point. Combined with the analysis of first-principles calculations, the asymmetry of peaks originate from the SOC-induced band splitting when $B\ensuremath{\parallel}[110]$ and the irregular Fermi pockets when $B\ensuremath{\parallel}[001]$, respectively.

${\mathrm{TaAs}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{NbAs}}_{2}$ are members of the ${MPn}_{2}$ family with weak topological invariants of ${Z}_{2}$ = [0;111]. Here, we report the tip-induced superconductivity achieved on both materials using the point-contact technique. Although the weak ${Z}_{2}$ number leads to strongly crystal-orientation-dependent surface states, we observed a universal relationship between the zero-temperature upper critical field ${H}_{c2}(0)$ and the critical temperature ${T}_{c}$ for different crystal orientations. Combined with first-principles calculations, the findings here could identify a bulk band, instead of the much speculated surface bands, playing the dominant role in the induced superconductivity. These results predict a great possibility to realize superconductivity in other members of the ${MPn}_{2}$ family possessing similar band structures and provide clues to understand the mechanism of tip-induced superconductivity.

The vanadium doping effects on the superconductivity and magnetism of iron pnictides are investigated in $\mathrm{Ba}{({\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.92\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Co}}_{0.08}{\mathrm{V}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ by transport, susceptibility, and neutron scattering measurements. The doping of magnetic impurity V causes a fast suppression of superconductivity with ${T}_{C}$ reduced at a rate of approximately 7.4 K/1% V. On the other hand, for $x\ensuremath{\ge}0.02$, long-range $C$-type antiferromagnetic order is recovered upon V doping, in contrast to the $x=0$ sample with no detectable magnetic order. The value of ordered magnetic moments of $\mathrm{Ba}{({\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.92\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Co}}_{0.08}{\mathrm{V}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ follows a domelike evolution versus doping concentration $x$. A possible Griffiths-type antiferromagnetic region of multiple coexisting phases in the phase diagram of $\mathrm{Ba}{({\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.92\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Co}}_{0.08}{\mathrm{V}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ is identified, in accordance with previous theoretical predictions based on the cooperative behavior of magnetic impurities and conduction electrons mediating the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions between them.

We report the magnetoresistance(MR), de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations and the electronic structures of single crystal PtGa. The large unsaturated MR is observed with the magnetic field B//[111]. Evident dHvA oscillations with B//[001] configuration have been observed, from which twelve fundamental frequencies are extracted and the spin-orbit coupling effect (SOC) induced band splitting is revealed. The light cyclotron effective masses are extracted from the fitting by the thermal damping term of the Lifshitz-Kosevich (LK) formula. Combining with the calculated frequencies from the first-principles calculations, the dHvA frequencies F$_1$/F$_3$ and F$_{11}$/F$_{12}$ are confirmed to originate from the electron pockets at $\Gamma$ and R, respectively. The first-principles calculations also reveal the existence of spin-3/2 RSW fermion and time-reversal (TR) doubling of the spin-1 excitation at $\Gamma$ and R with large Chern number $\pm4$ when SOC is included., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

In materials chiral fermions such as Weyl fermions are characterized by nonzero chiral charges, which are singular points of Berry curvature in momentum space. Recently, new types of chiral fermions beyond Weyl fermions have been discovered in structurally chiral crystals CoSi, RhSi and PtAl. Here, we have synthesized RhSn single crystals, which have opposite structural chirality to the CoSi crystals we previously studied. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we show that the bulk electronic structures of RhSn are consistent with the band calculations and observe evident surface Fermi arcs and helical surface bands, confirming the existence of chiral fermions in RhSn. It is noteworthy that the helical surface bands of the RhSn and CoSi crystals have opposite handedness, meaning that the chiral fermions are reversed in the crystals of opposite structural chirality. Our discovery establishes a direct connection between chiral fermions in momentum space and chiral lattices in real space., Exotic chiral fermions beyond Weyl fermions have recently been discovered in a series of chiral crystals such as CoSi. Here, the authors report the evidences of chiral fermions in RhSn with opposite handedness compared to those observed in CoSi, where the structural chirality is also opposite.

Extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) has been explored in many nonmagnetic topologically nontrivial/trivial semimetals, while it is experimentally ambiguous which mechanism should be responsible in a specific material due to the complex electronic structures. In this paper, the magnetoresistance origin of single crystal CaAl4 with C2/m structure at low temperature is investigated, exhibiting unsaturated magnetoresistance of ∼ 3000% at 2.5 K and 14 T as the fingerprints of XMR materials. By the combination of ARPES and the first-principles calculations, we elaborate multiband features and anisotropic Fermi surfaces, which can explain the mismatch of isotropic two-band model. Although the structural phase transition from I4/mmm to C2/m has been recognized, the subtle impact on electronic structure is revealed by our ARPES measurements. Considering that both charge compensation and potential topologically nontrivial band structure exist in CaAl4, our findings report CaAl4 as a new reference material for exploring the XMR phenomena.

Hierarchical β -NaGdF 4 nanobundles are synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method with the use of sodium acetate (NaAc). A NaGdF 4 -GdF 3 -NaGdF 4 products transformation with the increase of fluoride source (NaF) is observed. Results show that NaAc is the key factor in the synthesis of β -NaGdF 4 at a low NaF/Gd 3+ ratio and NaAc also plays a significant role in the formation of the hierarchical morphology. Meanwhile, the size of nanobundles increases with the increased ratio of NaF/NaAc. With altering the ratio of reactants, dumbbell-like, urchin-like or rod-like β -NaGdF 4 nanobundles are obtained. The photoluminescent properties of β -NaGdF 4 : 2%Eu 3+ are also measured.

Different sizes of hexagonal spherical NaGdF4:Eu3+ particles are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method with the use of ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG) or butylene glycol (BG) as another solvent. The particle size decreases with the addition of EG, PG or BG and the decreasing trend in BG/H2O system is significantly more than that in the other two systems. Meanwhile, results show that luminescent properties of NaGdF4:Eu3+ are enhanced along with the decrease of particle size. Besides, the energy transfer from Dy3+ to Eu3+ is directly observed in the PL spectra of NaGdF4:Eu3+/Dy3+.

We report the effects of cobalt doping on the magnetic properties of two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GeTe2. Single crystals of (Fe{1-x}Cox)3GeTe2 with x=0-0.78 were successfully synthesized and characterized with x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and magnetization measurements. Both the Curie-Weiss temperature and ferromagnetic (FM) ordered moment of Fe3GeTe2 are gradually suppressed upon Co doping. A kink in zero-field-cooling low field M(T) curve which is previously explained as an antiferromagnetic transition is observed for samples with x=0-0.58. Our detailed magnetization measurements and theoretical calculations strongly suggest that this kink is originated from the pinning of magnetic domain walls. The domain pinning effects are suddenly enhanced when the doping concentration of cobalt is around 50%, both the coercive field Hc and the magnetic remanence to saturated magnetization ratio MR/MS are largely improved and a hard magnetic phase emerges in bulk single crystal samples. The strong doping dependent magnetic properties suggest more spintronic applications of Fe3GeTe2., 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted by PRB

Van der Waals (vdW) layered materials have rather weaker interlayer bonding than the intra-layer bonding, therefore the exfoliation along the stacking direction enables the achievement of monolayer or few layers vdW materials with emerging novel physical properties and functionalities. The ferroelectricity in vdW materials recently attracts renewed interest for the potential use in high-density storage devices. As the thickness going thinner, the competition between the surface energy, depolarization field and interfacial chemical bonds may give rise to the modification of ferroelectricity and crystalline structure, which has limited investigations. In this work, combining the piezoresponse force microscope scanning, contact resonance imaging, we report the existence of the intrinsic in-plane polarization in vdW ferroelectrics CuInP2S6 (CIPS) single crystals, whereas below a critical thickness between 90-100 nm, the in-plane polarization disappears. The Young's modulus also shows an abrupt stiffness at the critical thickness. Based on the density functional theory calculations, we ascribe these behaviors to a structural phase transition from monoclinic to trigonal structure, which is further verified by transmission electron microscope technique. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the foundational importance of structural phase transition for enhancing the rich functionality and broad utility of vdW ferroelectrics.

We present experimental evidence of an intriguing phase transition between distinct topological states in the type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe2. We observe anomalies in the Raman phonon frequencies and linewidths as well as electronic quasielastic peaks around 70 K, which, together with structural, thermodynamic measurements, and electron-phonon coupling calculations, demonstrate a temperature-induced transition between two topological phases previously identified by contrasting spectroscopic measurements. An analysis of experimental data suggests electron-phonon coupling as the main driving mechanism for the change of key topological characters in the electronic structure of MoTe2.We also find the phase transition to be sensitive to sample conditions distinguished by synthesis methods. These discoveries of temperature and material condition-dependent topological phase evolutions and transitions in MoTe2 advance the fundamental understanding of the underlying physics and enable an effective approach to tuning Weyl semimetal states for technological applications., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

We report the tip-induced superconductivity on the topological semimetal NbSb2, similar to the observation on TaAs2 and NbAs2. Belonging to the same family of MPn 2, all these materials possess similar band structures, indicating that the tip-induced superconductivity may be closely related to their topological nature and share a common mechanism. Further analysis suggests that a bulk band should play the dominant role in such local superconductivity most likely through interface coupling. In addition, the compatibility between the induced superconductivity and tips’ ferromagnetism gives an evidence for its unconventional nature. These results provide further clues to elucidate the mechanism of the tip-induced superconductivity observed in topological materials.

Magnetic nanoparticle clusters with magnetization of about 80 emu/g and tunable size between 55 and 500 nm were synthesized through a bisolvent solvothermal process in the presence of ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG) or 1,2-propanediol (PG) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. It was found that the volume ratio of EG to the other polyol played an important role in controlling the size and morphology of Fe 3 O 4 . Effect of the concentration of Ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl 3 ·6H 2 O) and original reactants on controlling the size of Fe 3 O 4 particles was also discussed.

The optical, thermal and electrical properties of ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) crystal materials are highly related to their thickness. Therefore, identifying the atomic planes of few-layer crystal materials rapidly is crucial to fundamental study. Here, a simple technique was demonstrated based on optical contrast for counting atomic planes (n) of few-layer MoSe2 on SiO2/Si substrates. It is found that the optical contrast of single-layer MoSe2 depends on light wavelength and thickness of SiO2 on Si substrate. The data calculated based on a Fresnel law-based model as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements fit well with the values measured by spectroscopic ellipsometer. Furthermore, the calculated and measured contrasts were integral and plotted, which can be used to determine the MoSe2 atomic planes (1 ≤ n ≤ 4) accurately and rapidly. The optical contrast of thin-layer (1 ≤ n ≤ 4) MoSe2 sample was calculated by Fresnel’s law, and the contrast was measured by OM image. By combining these two group data, a function of layer numbers and contrast was developed: C (contrast) = 0.07N + 0.177. This proves that contrast is linear to layer numbers of MoSe2 when layer number is less than 4.

Iron-based superconductors have the second-highest superconducting transition temperature next to cuprate superconductors. There are many electronic phases such as superconducting, antiferromagnetic and nematic phases, coexisting in the family of iron pnictides. The charge/spin orders are the key factors for understanding the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. In this paper we have performed a Raman scattering study of parent compound BaFe2As2. A relatively strong electron–phonon coupling is observed for B1g phonon mode and is weakened after the structural transition at ∼140 K. Through a careful symmetry analysis, we revealed the possibility that B1g mode can be effectively coupled with dxz and dyz orbits. The coupling can remove the degeneracy of the two orbits and further cause the fluctuations of electronic nematic phases. The study suggests that electron–phonon coupling can be a possible origin of nematic phase.

We report the doping effects of cobalt on van der Waals (vdW) magnet Fe$_5$GeTe$_2$. A series of (Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_5$GeTe$_2$ (0$\leq$x$\leq$0.44) single crystals have been successfully grown, their structural, magnetic and transport properties are investigated. For x=0.20, The Curie temperature $T_C$ increases from 276~K to 337~K. Moreover, the magnetic easy-axis is reoriented to the $ab$-plane from the $c$-axis in undoped Fe$_5$GeTe$_2$ with largely enhanced magnetic anisotropy. These magnetic properties would make (Fe$_{0.8}$Co$_{0.2}$)$_5$GeTe$_2$ more effective in stabilizing magnetic order in the two-dimensional limit. A complex magnetic phase diagram is identified on the higher doping side. The x=0.44 crystal first orders ferromagnetically at $T_C$=363~K then undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at $T_N$=335~K. Furthermore magnetic-field-induced spin-flop transitions are observed for the AFM ground state. Our work reveals (Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_5$GeTe$_2$ as promising candidates for developing new spin-related applications and proposes a method to engineer the magnetic properties of vdW magnet., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

BaAgAs and its family materials MRPn (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, R = Ag, Au, Pn = As, Bi) were theoretically predicted to hold various topological phases. In this paper, the growth method of MRPn family materials was investigated and single crystals were successfully obtained by flux method. The crystal composition was confirmed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Crystal structure and surface planes were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements from 2.5 K to 300 K reveal that all the samples are metallic.

We report the magneto-transport properties of CaAl$_4$ single crystals with $C2/m$ structure at low temperature. CaAl$_4$ exhibits large unsaturated magnetoresistance $\sim$3000$\%$ at 2.5 K and 14 T. The nonlinear Hall resistivity is observed, which indicates the multi-band feature. The first-principles calculations show the electron-hole compensation and the complex Fermi surface in CaAl$_4$, to which the two-band model with over-simplified carrier mobility can't completely apply. Evident quantum oscillations have been observed with B//c and B//ab configurations, from which the nontrivial Berry phase is extracted by the multi-band Lifshitz-Kosevich formula fitting. An electron-type quasi-2D Fermi surface is found by the angle-dependent Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, de Haas-van Alphen oscillations and the first-principles calculations. The calculations also elucidate that CaAl$_4$ owns a Dirac nodal line type band structure around the $\Gamma$ point in the $Z$-$\Gamma$-$L$ plane, which is protected by the mirror symmetry as well as the space inversion and time reversal symmetries. Once the spin-orbit coupling is included, the crossed nodal line opens a negligible gap (less than 3 meV). The open-orbit topology is also found in the electron-type Fermi surfaces, which is believed to help enhance the magnetoresistance observed., Comment: 6 pages, two column

Dirac semimetals (DSMs), which host Dirac fermions and represent new state of quantum matter, have been studied intensively in condensed matter physics. The exploration of new materials with topological states is im- portant in both physics and materials science. In this article, we report the synthesis and the transport properties of high quality single crystals of YbMnSb$_2$. YbMnSb$_2$ is a new compound with metallic behavior. Quantum oscillations, including Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation and de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) type oscillation, have been observed at low temperature and high magnetic field. Small effective masses and nontrivial Berry phase are extracted from the analyses of quantum oscillations, which provide the transport evidence for the possible existence of Dirac fermions in YbMnSb$_2$. The measurements of angular-dependent interlayer magnetoresistance (MR) indicate the interlayer transport is coherent. The Fermi surface (FS) of YbMnSb$_2$ possesses quasi-two dimensional (2D) characteristic as determined by the angular dependence of SdH oscillation frequency. These findings suggest that YbMnSb$_2$ is a new candidate of topological Dirac semimetal., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, two column

We report the magnetotransport properties of HoSb, a semimetal with antiferromagnetic ground state. HoSb shows extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation at low temperature and high magnetic field. Different from previous reports in other rare earth monopnictides, kinks in $\rho(B)$ and $\rho_{xy}(B)$ curves and the field dependent resistivity plateau are observed in HoSb, which result from the magnetic phase transitions. The fast Fourier transform analysis of the SdH oscillation reveals the split of Fermi surfaces induced by the nonsymmetric spin-orbit interaction. The Berry phase extracted from SdH oscillation indicates the possible nontrivial electronic structure of HoSb in the presence of magnetic field. The Hall measurements suggest that the XMR originates from the electron-hole compensation and high mobility., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

We report the magneto-transport properties and the electronic structure of TmSb. TmSb exhibits extremely large transverse magnetoresistance and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation at low temperature and high magnetic field. Interestingly, the split of Fermi surfaces induced by the nonsymmetric spin-orbit interaction has been observed from SdH oscillation. The analysis of the angle-dependent SdH oscillation illustrates the contribution of each Fermi surface to the conductivity. The electronic structure revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and first-principles calculations demonstrates a gap at $X$ point and the absence of band inversion. Combined with the trivial Berry phase extracted from SdH oscillation and the nearly equal concentrations of electron and hole from Hall measurements, it is suggested that TmSb is a topologically trivial semimetal and the observed XMR originates from the electron-hole compensation and high mobility., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

We report the magneto-transport properties and electronic structures of BaZnBi$_2$. BaZnBi$_2$ is a quasi-two-dimensional (2D) material with metallic behavior. The transverse magnetoresistance (MR) depends on magnetic field linearly and exhibits Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation at low temperature and high field. The observed linear MR may originate from the disorder in samples or the edge conductivity in compensated two-component systems. The first-principles calculations reveal the absence of stable gapless Dirac fermion. Combining with the trivial Berry phase extracted from SdH oscillation, BaZnBi$_2$ is suggested to be a topologically trivial semimetal. Nearly compensated electron-like Fermi surfaces (FSs) and hole-like FSs coexist in BaZnBi$_2$., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

We comparably performed polarized Raman scattering studies of $\mathrm{MoT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ and $\mathrm{WT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$. By rotating crystals to tune the angle between the principal axis of the crystals and the polarization of the incident/scattered light, we obtained the angle dependence of the intensities for all the observed modes, which is perfectly consistent with careful symmetry analysis. Combining these results with first-principles calculations, we clearly identified the observed phonon modes in the different phases of both crystals. Fifteen Raman-active phonon modes $(10\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{A}_{g}+5\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{B}_{g})$ in the high-symmetry phase $1{T}^{\ensuremath{'}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{MoT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ (300 K) were well assigned, and all the symmetry-allowed Raman modes $(11\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{A}_{1}+6\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{A}_{2})$ in the low-symmetry phase ${T}_{d}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{MoT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ (10 K) and 12 Raman phonons $(8\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{A}_{1}+4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{A}_{2})$ in ${T}_{d}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{WT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ were observed and identified. The present paper provides basic information about the lattice dynamics in transition-metal dichalcogenides and may shed some light on the understanding of the extremely large magnetoresistance in this class of materials.

We have performed polarized and temperature-dependent Raman scattering measurements on extremely large magnetoresistance compounds ${\mathrm{TaAs}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{NbAs}}_{2}$. In both crystals, all the Raman active modes, including six ${A}_{g}$ modes and three ${B}_{g}$ modes, are clearly observed and well assigned with the combination of symmetry analysis and first-principles calculations. The well-resolved periodic intensity modulations of the observed modes with rotating crystal orientations verify the symmetry of each assigned mode and are fitted to experimentally determine the elements of Raman tensor matrices. The broadening of two ${A}_{g}$ modes seen in both compounds allows us to estimate the electron-phonon coupling constant, which suggests a relatively small electron-phonon coupling in the semimetals ${\mathrm{TaAs}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{NbAs}}_{2}$. The present study provides the fundamental lattice dynamics information on ${\mathrm{TaAs}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{NbAs}}_{2}$ and may shed light on the understanding of their extraordinary large magnetoresistance.

In topological insulators (TIs), metallic surface conductance saturates the insulating bulk resistance with de- creasing temperature, resulting in resistivity plateau at low temperatures as a transport signature originating from metallic surface modes protected by time reversal symmetry (TRS). Such characteristic has been found in several materials including Bi2Te2Se, SmB6 etc. Recently, similar behavior has been observed in metallic com- pound LaSb, accompanying an extremely large magetoresistance (XMR). Shubnikov-de Hass (SdH) oscillation at low temperatures further confirms the metallic behavior of plateau region under magnetic fields. LaSb[1] has been proposed by the authors as a possible topological semimetal (TSM), while negative magnetoresistance is absent at this moment. Here, high quality single crystals of NbAs2/TaAs2 with inversion symmetry have been grown and the resistivity under magnetic field is systematically investigated. Both of them exhibit metallic behavior under zero magnetic field, and a metal-to-insulator transition occurs when a nonzero magnetic field is applied, resulting in XMR (1.0*105% for NbAs2 and 7.3*105% for TaAs2 at 2.5 K & 14 T). With tempera- ture decreased, a resistivity plateau emerges after the insulator-like regime and SdH oscillation has also been observed in NbAs2 and TaAs2.

YSb crystals are grown and the transport properties under magnetic field are measured. The resistivity exhibits metallic behavior under zero magnetic field and the low temperature resistivity shows a clear upturn once a moderate magnetic field is applied. The upturn is greatly enhanced by increasing magnetic field, finally resulting in a metal-to-insulator-like transition. With temperature further decreased, a resistivity plateau emerges after the insulator-like regime. At low temperature (2.5 K) and high field (14 T), the transverse magnetoresistance (MR) is quite large (3.47 $\times 10^4\%$ ). In addition, Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation has also been observed in YSb. Periodic behavior of the oscillation amplitude reveals the related information about Fermi surface and two major oscillation frequencies can be obtained from the FFT spectra of the oscillations. The trivial Berry phase extracted from SdH oscillation, band structure revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and first-principles calculations demonstrate that YSb is a topologically trivial material., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures

We present here the structures and magnetism of two quasi-1D linear chain compounds of BiM(2)BP(2)O(10) (M = Co, Ni), which were synthesized by traditional solid-state reactions for the first time. Two title compounds crystallize in the monoclinic system with space group P2(1)/c and feature novel 3D structures with a linear chain structure of {MO(6)}(n) further connected by [BP(2)O(10)](7-) anionic groups. The results of magnetic property measurements evidence the antiferromagnetic properties of both compounds in low magnetic field and a field-dependent metamagnetic transition from the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic ground state of the BiCo(2)BP(2)O(10) complex.

Self-assembled magnetic nanohead-FeSi nanowire (NW) epitaxial heterojunctions by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are reported. Free-standing FeSi NWs, ∼30 nm in diameter and several micrometers long, were grown by reduction of Fe2O3 in a H2 atmosphere on a heated silicon substrate at 750 °C. These NWs shows very uniform dimensions, which is thought to be due to a higher diffusion activation energy for the nanostructure. A magnetic Fe3O4 head with a diameter of ∼30 nm was observed on each FeSi NW. The epitaxial relationship of these junctions is Si[001]//Fe3O4[201], Si(001)//Fe3O4(102). Ferromagnetic behavior of the nanoheads was identified, and the coercivity was characterized as ∼220 Oe at 10 K. This one-step CVD approach for self-assembling epitaxially magnetic heads could enable device integration for spintronics and sensors. Particularly, such FeSi nanowires with highly localized magnetic nanoheads are ideal for high resolution magnetic force microscopy (MFM).

We report an investigation of the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of Ba(Fe(1-x)V(x))2As2 using x-ray, transport, magnetic susceptibility and neutron scattering measurements. The vanadium substitutions in Fe sites are possible up to 40\%. Hall effect measurements indicate strong hole-doping effect through V doping, while no superconductivity is observed in all samples down to 2K. The antiferromagnetic and structural transition temperature of BaFe2As2 is gradually suppressed to finite temperature then vanishes at x=0.245 with the emergence of spin glass behavior, suggesting an avoided quantum critical point (QCP). Our results demonstrate that the avoided QCP and spin glass state which were previously reported in the superconducting phase of Co/Ni-doped BaFe2As2 can also be realized in non-superconducting Ba(Fe(1-x)V(x))2As2., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures

We report the synthesis of single crystals of α -ZrSb 2 / α -HfSb 2 and their magneto-transport properties. Both of α -ZrSb 2 and α -HfSb 2 exhibit metallic behavior. The T 3 behavior of zero-field resistivity for both compounds below 30 K indicates interband electron-phonon scattering. The magnetoresistance (MR) is found to obey Kohler's rule for ZrSb 2 while the MR of HfSb 2 deviates from this rule. A possible explanation for the results of Kohler's plot is considered, which is confirmed with the results of the Hall effect. The positive linear Hall resistivity of ZrSb 2 suggests hole-type carriers and a mobility of , while the existence of two types of carriers in HfSb 2 is confirmed from the nonlinear Hall resistivity.