Extreme electron-hole drag and negative mobility in the Dirac plasma of graphene.

Coulomb drag between adjacent electron and hole gases has attracted considerable attention, being studied in various two-dimensional systems, including semiconductor and graphene heterostructures. Here we report measurements of electron-hole drag in the Planckian plasma that develops in monolayer graphene in the vicinity of its Dirac point above liquid-nitrogen temperatures. The frequent electron-hole scattering forces minority carriers to move against the applied electric field due to the drag induced by majority carriers.

One-dimensional proximity superconductivity in the quantum Hall regime.

Extensive efforts have been undertaken to combine superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect so that Cooper-pair transport between superconducting electrodes in Josephson junctions is mediated by one-dimensional edge states. This interest has been motivated by prospects of finding new physics, including topologically protected quasiparticles, but also extends into metrology and device applications. So far it has proven challenging to achieve detectable supercurrents through quantum Hall conductors.

Scanning SQUID-on-tip microscope in a top-loading cryogen-free dilution refrigerator.

The scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) fabricated on the tip of a sharp quartz pipette (SQUID-on-tip) has emerged as a versatile tool for the nanoscale imaging of magnetic, thermal, and transport properties of microscopic devices of quantum materials. We present the design and performance of a scanning SQUID-on-tip microscope in a top-loading probe of a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. The microscope is enclosed in a custom-made vacuum-tight cell mounted at the bottom of the probe and is suspended by springs to suppress vibrations caused by the pulse tube cryocooler.

Giant magnetoresistance of Dirac plasma in high-mobility graphene.

The most recognizable feature of graphene's electronic spectrum is its Dirac point, around which interesting phenomena tend to cluster. At low temperatures, the intrinsic behaviour in this regime is often obscured by charge inhomogeneity but thermal excitations can overcome the disorder at elevated temperatures and create an electron-hole plasma of Dirac fermions. The Dirac plasma has been found to exhibit unusual properties, including quantum-critical scattering and hydrodynamic flow.

Polarized blazar X-rays imply particle acceleration in shocks.

Most of the light from blazars, active galactic nuclei with jets of magnetized plasma that point nearly along the line of sight, is produced by high-energy particles, up to around 1 TeV. Although the jets are known to be ultimately powered by a supermassive black hole, how the particles are accelerated to such high energies has been an unanswered question. The process must be related to the magnetic field, which can be probed by observations of the polarization of light from the jets.

Polarized x-rays constrain the disk-jet geometry in the black hole x-ray binary Cygnus X-1.

A black hole x-ray binary (XRB) system forms when gas is stripped from a normal star and accretes onto a black hole, which heats the gas sufficiently to emit x-rays. We report a polarimetric observation of the XRB Cygnus X-1 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The electric field position angle aligns with the outflowing jet, indicating that the jet is launched from the inner x-ray-emitting region.

Black hole spin-orbit misalignment in the x-ray binary MAXI J1820+070.

The observational signatures of black holes in x-ray binary systems depend on their masses, spins, accretion rate, and the misalignment angle between the black hole spin and the orbital angular momentum. We present optical polarimetric observations of the black hole x-ray binary MAXI J1820+070, from which we constrain the position angle of the binary orbital. Combining this with previous determinations of the relativistic jet orientation, which traces the black hole spin, and the inclination of the orbit, we determine a lower limit of 40° on the spin-orbit misalignment angle.

Out-of-equilibrium criticalities in graphene superlattices.

In thermodynamic equilibrium, current in metallic systems is carried by electronic states near the Fermi energy, whereas the filled bands underneath contribute little to conduction. Here, we describe a very different regime in which carrier distribution in graphene and its superlattices is shifted so far from equilibrium that the filled bands start playing an essential role, leading to a critical-current behavior. The criticalities develop upon the velocity of electron flow reaching the Fermi velocity.

Graphene's non-equilibrium fermions reveal Doppler-shifted magnetophonon resonances accompanied by Mach supersonic and Landau velocity effects.

Oscillatory magnetoresistance measurements on graphene have revealed a wealth of novel physics. These phenomena are typically studied at low currents. At high currents, electrons are driven far from equilibrium with the atomic lattice vibrations so that their kinetic energy can exceed the thermal energy of the phonons.

Magnetization Signature of Topological Surface States in a Non-Symmorphic Superconductor.

Superconductors with nontrivial band structure topology represent a class of materials with unconventional and potentially useful properties. Recent years have seen much success in creating artificial hybrid structures exhibiting the main characteristics of 2D topological superconductors. Yet, bulk materials known to combine inherent superconductivity with nontrivial topology remain scarce, largely because distinguishing their central characteristic-the topological surface states-has proved challenging due to a dominant contribution from the superconducting bulk.

Out-of-Plane Dielectric Susceptibility of Graphene in Twistronic and Bernal Bilayers.

We describe how the out-of-plane dielectric polarizability of monolayer graphene influences the electrostatics of bilayer graphene-both Bernal (BLG) and twisted (tBLG). We compare the polarizability value computed using density functional theory with the output from previously published experimental data on the electrostatically controlled interlayer asymmetry potential in BLG and data on the on-layer density distribution in tBLG. We show that monolayers in tBLG are described well by polarizability α = 10.

Long-range ballistic transport of Brown-Zak fermions in graphene superlattices.

In quantizing magnetic fields, graphene superlattices exhibit a complex fractal spectrum often referred to as the Hofstadter butterfly. It can be viewed as a collection of Landau levels that arise from quantization of Brown-Zak minibands recurring at rational (p/q) fractions of the magnetic flux quantum per superlattice unit cell. Here we show that, in graphene-on-boron-nitride superlattices, Brown-Zak fermions can exhibit mobilities above 10 cm V s and the mean free path exceeding several micrometers.

Electronic phase separation in multilayer rhombohedral graphite.

Of the two stable forms of graphite, hexagonal and rhombohedral, the former is more common and has been studied extensively. The latter is less stable, which has so far precluded its detailed investigation, despite many theoretical predictions about the abundance of exotic interaction-induced physics. Advances in van der Waals heterostructure technology have now allowed us to make high-quality rhombohedral graphite films up to 50 graphene layers thick and study their transport properties.

Publisher Correction: Control of electron-electron interaction in graphene by proximity screening.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Minibands in twisted bilayer graphene probed by magnetic focusing.

Magnetic fields force ballistic electrons injected from a narrow contact to move along skipping orbits and form caustics. This leads to pronounced resistance peaks at nearby voltage probes as electrons are effectively focused inside them, a phenomenon known as magnetic focusing. This can be used not only for the demonstration of ballistic transport but also to study the electronic structure of metals.

Control of electron-electron interaction in graphene by proximity screenings.

Electron-electron interactions play a critical role in many condensed matter phenomena, and it is tempting to find a way to control them by changing the interactions' strength. One possible approach is to place a studied system in proximity of a metal, which induces additional screening and hence suppresses electron interactions. Here, using devices with atomically-thin gate dielectrics and atomically-flat metallic gates, we measure the electron-electron scattering length in graphene and report qualitative deviations from the standard behavior.

Giant oscillations in a triangular network of one-dimensional states in marginally twisted graphene.

At very small twist angles of ∼0.1°, bilayer graphene exhibits a strain-accompanied lattice reconstruction that results in submicron-size triangular domains with the standard, Bernal stacking. If the interlayer bias is applied to open an energy gap inside the domain regions making them insulating, such marginally twisted bilayer graphene is expected to remain conductive due to a triangular network of chiral one-dimensional states hosted by domain boundaries.

Strong magnetophonon oscillations in extra-large graphene.

Van der Waals materials and their heterostructures offer a versatile platform for studying a variety of quantum transport phenomena due to their unique crystalline properties and the exceptional ability in tuning their electronic spectrum. However, most experiments are limited to devices that have lateral dimensions of only a few micrometres. Here, we perform magnetotransport measurements on graphene/hexagonal boron-nitride Hall bars and show that wider devices reveal additional quantum effects.

Measuring Hall viscosity of graphene's electron fluid.

An electrical conductor subjected to a magnetic field exhibits the Hall effect in the presence of current flow. Here, we report a qualitative deviation from the standard behavior in electron systems with high viscosity. We found that the viscous electron fluid in graphene responds to nonquantizing magnetic fields by producing an electric field opposite to that generated by the ordinary Hall effect.

Fluidity onset in graphene.

Viscous electron fluids have emerged recently as a new paradigm of strongly-correlated electron transport in solids. Here we report on a direct observation of the transition to this long-sought-for state of matter in a high-mobility electron system in graphene. Unexpectedly, the electron flow is found to be interaction-dominated but non-hydrodynamic (quasiballistic) in a wide temperature range, showing signatures of viscous flows only at relatively high temperatures.

Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes.

Graphene has recently been shown to be permeable to thermal protons , the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, which sparked interest in its use as a proton-conducting membrane in relevant technologies. However, the influence of light on proton permeation remains unknown. Here we report that proton transport through Pt-nanoparticle-decorated graphene can be enhanced strongly by illuminating it with visible light.

Molecular magnetic dichroism in spectra of white dwarfs.

We present novel calculations of the magnetic dichroism appearing in molecular bands in the presence of a strong magnetic field, which perturbs the internal structure of the molecule and results in net polarization due to the Paschen-Back effect. Based on that, we analyze new spectropolarimetric observations of the cool magnetic helium-rich white dwarf G99-37, which shows strongly polarized molecular bands in its spectrum. In addition to previously known molecular bands of the C2 Swan and CH A-X systems, we find a firm evidence for the violet CH B-X bands at 390 nm and C2 Deslandres-d'Azambuja bands at 360 nm.

Direct measurement of the phi(1020) leptonic branching ratio.

The process e(+)e(-)-->mu(+)mu(-) has been studied by the SND detector at the VEPP-2M e(+)e(-) collider in the phi(1020)-resonance energy region. The measured effective phi meson leptonic branching ratio B(phi-->l(+)l(-)) identical with square root of B(phi-->e(+)e(-))B(phi-->mu(+)mu(-))] = (2.89 +/- 0.