- Award ID(s):
- 2112550
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10352923
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2D Materials
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2053-1583
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 015026
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
Realization of ferromagnetic (FM) interlayer coupling in magnetic topological insulators (TIs) of the MnBi 2 Te 4 family of materials (MBTs) may pave the way for realizing the high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall effect (high- T QAHE). Here we propose a generic dual d-band (DDB) model to elucidate the energy difference (Δ E = E AFM − E FM ) between the AFM and FM coupling in transition-metal (TM)-doped MBTs, where the valence of TMs splits into d-t 2g and d-e g sub-bands. Remarkably, the DDB shows that Δ E is universally determined by the relative position of the dopant (X) and Mn d-e g / t 2g bands, . If Δ E d > 0, then Δ E > 0 and the desired FM coupling is favored. This surprisingly simple rule is confirmed by first-principles calculations of hole-type 3d and 4d TM dopants. Significantly, by applying the DDB model, we predict the high- T QAHE in the V-doped Mn 2 Bi 2 Te 5 , where the Curie temperature is enhanced by doubling of the MnTe layer, while the topological order mitigated by doping can be restored by strain.more » « less
-
Abstract Magnetism in topological materials creates phases exhibiting quantized transport phenomena with potential technological applications. The emergence of such phases relies on strong interaction between localized spins and the topological bands, and the consequent formation of an exchange gap. However, this remains experimentally unquantified in intrinsic magnetic topological materials. Here, this interaction is quantified in MnBi2Te4, a topological insulator with intrinsic antiferromagnetism. This is achieved by optically exciting Bi‐Te p states comprising the bulk topological bands and interrogating the consequent Mn 3d spin dynamics, using a multimodal ultrafast approach. Ultrafast electron scattering and magneto‐optic measurements show that the p states demagnetize via electron‐phonon scattering at picosecond timescales. Despite being energetically decoupled from the optical excitation, the Mn 3d spins, probed by resonant X‐ray scattering, are observed to disorder concurrently with the p spins. Together with atomistic simulations, this reveals that the exchange coupling between localized spins and the topological bands is at least 100 times larger than the superexchange interaction, implying an optimal exchange gap of at least 25 meV in the surface states. By quantifying this exchange coupling, this study validates the materials‐by‐design strategy of utilizing localized magnetic order to manipulate topological phases, spanning static to ultrafast timescales.
-
Abstract Magnetic topological materials are promising for realizing novel quantum physical phenomena. Among these, bulk Mn-rich MnSb 2 Te 4 is ferromagnetic due to Mn Sb antisites and has relatively high Curie temperatures (T C ), which is attractive for technological applications. We have previously reported the growth of materials with the formula (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 1−x (MnSb 2 Te 4 ) x , where x varies between 0 and 1. Here we report on their magnetic and transport properties. We show that the samples are divided into three groups based on the value of x (or the percent septuple layers within the crystals) and their corresponding T C values. Samples that contain x < 0.7 or x > 0.9 have a single T C value of 15–20 K and 20–30 K, respectively, while samples with 0.7 < x < 0.8 exhibit two T C values, one (T C1 ) at ~ 25 K and the second (T C2 ) reaching values above 80 K, almost twice as high as any reported value to date for these types of materials. Structural analysis shows that samples with 0.7 < x < 0.8 have large regions of only SLs, while other regions have isolated QLs embedded within the SL lattice. We propose that the SL regions give rise to a T C1 of ~ 20 to 30 K, and regions with isolated QLs are responsible for the higher T C2 values. Our results have important implications for the design of magnetic topological materials having enhanced properties.more » « less
-
Abstract The interface between 2D topological Dirac states and an
s ‐wave superconductor is expected to support Majorana‐bound states (MBS) that can be used for quantum computing applications. Realizing these novel states of matter and their applications requires control over superconductivity and spin‐orbit coupling to achieve spin‐momentum‐locked topological interface states (TIS) which are simultaneously superconducting. While signatures of MBS have been observed in the magnetic vortex cores of bulk FeTe0.55Se0.45, inhomogeneity and disorder from doping make these signatures unclear and inconsistent between vortices. Here superconductivity is reported in monolayer (ML) FeTe1–ySey(Fe(Te,Se)) grown on Bi2Te3by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Spin and angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SARPES) directly resolve the interfacial spin and electronic structure of Fe(Te,Se)/Bi2Te3heterostructures. Fory = 0.25, the Fe(Te,Se) electronic structure is found to overlap with the Bi2Te3TIS and the desired spin‐momentum locking is not observed. In contrast, fory = 0.1, reduced inhomogeneity measured by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and a smaller Fe(Te,Se) Fermi surface with clear spin‐momentum locking in the topological states are found. Hence, it is demonstrated that the Fe(Te,Se)/Bi2Te3system is a highly tunable platform for realizing MBS where reduced doping can improve characteristics important for Majorana interrogation and potential applications. -
Abstract The intrinsic magnetic topological insulator, Mn(Bi1−xSbx)2Te4, has been identified as a Weyl semimetal with a single pair of Weyl nodes in its spin-aligned strong-field configuration. A direct consequence of the Weyl state is the layer dependent Chern number,
. Previous reports in MnBi2Te4thin films have shown higher$$C$$ states either by increasing the film thickness or controlling the chemical potential. A clear picture of the higher Chern states is still lacking as data interpretation is further complicated by the emergence of surface-band Landau levels under magnetic fields. Here, we report a tunable layer-dependent$$C$$ = 1 state with Sb substitution by performing a detailed analysis of the quantization states in Mn(Bi1−xSbx)2Te4dual-gated devices—consistent with calculations of the bulk Weyl point separation in the doped thin films. The observed Hall quantization plateaus for our thicker Mn(Bi1−xSbx)2Te4films under strong magnetic fields can be interpreted by a theory of surface and bulk spin-polarised Landau level spectra in thin film magnetic topological insulators.$$C$$