Direct Visualization of Trimerized States in 1T^{'}-TaTe_{2}.

Transition-metal dichalcogenides containing tellurium anions show remarkable charge-lattice modulated structures and prominent interlayer character. Using cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), we map the atomic-scale structures of the high temperature (HT) and low temperature (LT) modulated phases in 1T^{'}-TaTe_{2}. At HT, we directly show in-plane metal distortions which form trimerized clusters and staggered, three-layer stacking.

Manipulation of the van der Waals Magnet CrGeTe by Spin-Orbit Torques.

We report measurements of current-induced thermoelectric and spin-orbit torque effects within devices in which multilayers of the semiconducting two-dimensional van der Waals magnet CrGeTe (CGT) are integrated with Pt and Ta metal overlayers. We show that the magnetic orientation of the CGT can be detected accurately either electrically (using an anomalous Hall effect) or optically (using magnetic circular dichroism) with good consistency. The samples exhibit large thermoelectric effects, but nevertheless, the spin-orbit torque can be measured quantitatively using the angle-dependent second harmonic Hall technique.

Current-Induced Torques with Dresselhaus Symmetry Due to Resistance Anisotropy in 2D Materials.

We report measurements of current-induced torques in heterostructures of Permalloy (Py) with TaTe, a transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material possessing low crystal symmetry, and observe a torque component with Dresselhaus symmetry. We suggest that the dominant mechanism for this Dresselhaus component is not a spin-orbit torque but rather the Oersted field arising from a component of current that flows perpendicular to the applied voltage due to resistance anisotropy within the TaTe. This type of transverse current is not present in wires made from a single uniform layer of a material with resistance anisotropy but will result whenever a material with resistance anisotropy is integrated into a heterostructure with materials having different resistivities, thereby producing a spatially nonuniform pattern of current flow.

Spin-Orbit Torques in NbSe/Permalloy Bilayers.

We present measurements of current-induced spin-orbit torques generated by NbSe, a fully metallic transition-metal dichalcogenide material, made using the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) technique with NbSe/Permalloy bilayers. In addition to the out-of-plane Oersted torque expected from current flow in the metallic NbSe layer, we also observe an in-plane antidamping torque with torque conductivity σ ≈ 10 (ℏ/2e)(Ωm) and indications of a weak field-like contribution to the out-of-plane torque oriented opposite to the Oersted torque. Furthermore, in some samples we also measure an in-plane field-like torque with the form m̂ × ẑ, where m̂ is the Permalloy magnetization direction and ẑ is perpendicular to the sample plane.

Magnetic structure and ordering of multiferroic hexagonal LuFeO_{3}.

We report on the magnetic structure and ordering of hexagonal LuFeO_{3} films of variable thickness grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on YSZ (111) and Al_{2}O_{3} (0001) substrates. These crystalline films exhibit long-range structural uniformity dominated by the polar P6_{3}cm phase, which is responsible for the paraelectric to ferroelectric transition that occurs above 1000 K. Using bulk magnetometry and neutron diffraction, we find that the system orders into a ferromagnetically canted antiferromagnetic state via a single transition below 155 K regardless of film thickness, which is substantially lower than that previously reported in hexagonal LuFeO_{3} films.