Nanoscale imaging and control of altermagnetism in MnTe.

Nanoscale detection and control of the magnetic order underpins a spectrum of condensed-matter research and device functionalities involving magnetism. The key principle involved is the breaking of time-reversal symmetry, which in ferromagnets is generated by an internal magnetization. However, the presence of a net magnetization limits device scalability and compatibility with phases, such as superconductors and topological insulators.

Altermagnetic lifting of Kramers spin degeneracy.

Lifted Kramers spin degeneracy (LKSD) has been among the central topics of condensed-matter physics since the dawn of the band theory of solids. It underpins established practical applications as well as current frontier research, ranging from magnetic-memory technology to topological quantum matter. Traditionally, LKSD has been considered to originate from two possible internal symmetry-breaking mechanisms.

Persistence of Structural Distortion and Bulk Band Rashba Splitting in SnTe above Its Ferroelectric Critical Temperature.

The ferroelectric semiconductor α-SnTe has been regarded as a topological crystalline insulator, and the dispersion of its surface states has been intensively measured with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) over the past decade. However, much less attention has been given to the impact of the ferroelectric transition on its electronic structure, and in particular on its bulk states. Here, we investigate the low-energy electronic structure of α-SnTe with ARPES and follow the evolution of the bulk-state Rashba splitting as a function of temperature, across its ferroelectric critical temperature of about ≈ 110 K.

Efficient magnetic switching in a correlated spin glass.

The interplay between spin-orbit interaction and magnetic order is one of the most active research fields in condensed matter physics and drives the search for materials with novel, and tunable, magnetic and spin properties. Here we report on a variety of unique and unexpected observations in thin multiferroic GeMnTe films. The ferrimagnetic order parameter in this ferroelectric semiconductor is found to switch direction under magnetostochastic resonance with current pulses many orders of magnitude lower as for typical spin-orbit torque systems.

A spatial beam property analyzer based on dispersive crystal diffraction for low-emittance X-ray light sources.

The advent of low-emittance synchrotron X-ray sources and free-electron lasers urges the development of novel diagnostic techniques for measuring and monitoring the spatial source properties, especially the source sizes. This work introduces an X-ray beam property analyzer based on a multi-crystal diffraction geometry, including a crystal-based monochromator and a Laue crystal in a dispersive setting to the monochromator. By measuring the flat beam and the transmitted beam profiles, the system can provide a simultaneous high-sensitivity characterization of the source size, divergence, position, and angle in the diffraction plane of the multi-crystal system.

Field-induced ultrafast modulation of Rashba coupling at room temperature in ferroelectric α-GeTe(111).

Rashba materials have appeared as an ideal playground for spin-to-charge conversion in prototype spintronics devices. Among them, α-GeTe(111) is a non-centrosymmetric ferroelectric semiconductor for which a strong spin-orbit interaction gives rise to giant Rashba coupling. Its room temperature ferroelectricity was recently demonstrated as a route towards a new type of highly energy-efficient non-volatile memory device based on switchable polarization.

Triple-Point Fermions in Ferroelectric GeTe.

Ferroelectric α-GeTe is unveiled to exhibit an intriguing multiple nontrivial topology of the electronic band structure due to the existence of triple-point and type-II Weyl fermions, which goes well beyond the giant Rashba spin splitting controlled by external fields as previously reported. Using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with ab initio density functional theory, the unique spin texture around the triple point caused by the crossing of one spin-degenerate and two spin-split bands along the ferroelectric crystal axis is derived. This consistently reveals spin winding numbers that are coupled with time-reversal symmetry and Lorentz invariance, which are found to be equal for both triple-point pairs in the Brillouin zone.

Wavefront sensing at X-ray free-electron lasers.

Here a direct comparison is made between various X-ray wavefront sensing methods with application to optics alignment and focus characterization at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). Focus optimization at XFEL beamlines presents unique challenges due to high peak powers as well as beam pointing instability, meaning that techniques capable of single-shot measurement and that probe the wavefront at an out-of-focus location are desirable. The techniques chosen for the comparison include single-phase-grating Talbot interferometry (shearing interferometry), dual-grating Talbot interferometry (moiré deflectometry) and speckle tracking.

Towards X-ray transient grating spectroscopy.

The extension of transient grating spectroscopy to the x-ray regime will create numerous opportunities, ranging from the study of thermal transport in the ballistic regime to charge, spin, and energy transfer processes with atomic spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution. Studies involving complicated split-and-delay lines have not yet been successful in achieving this goal. Here we propose a novel, simple method based on the Talbot effect for converging beams, which can easily be implemented at current x-ray free electron lasers.

X-ray grating interferometer for in situ and at-wavelength wavefront metrology.

A wavefront metrology setup based on the X-ray grating interferometry technique for spatially resolved, quantitative, in situ and at-wavelength measurements of the wavefront at synchrotron radiation and hard X-ray free-electron laser beamlines is reported. Indeed, the ever-increasing demands on the optical components to preserve the wavefront shape and the coherence of the delivered X-ray beam call for more and more sensitive diagnostic instruments. Thanks to its angular sensitivity, X-ray grating interferometry has been established in recent years as an adequate wavefront-sensing technique for quantitatively assessing the quality of the X-ray wavefront under working conditions and hence for the in situ investigation of X-ray optical elements.

Entanglement and manipulation of the magnetic and spin-orbit order in multiferroic Rashba semiconductors.

Entanglement of the spin-orbit and magnetic order in multiferroic materials bears a strong potential for engineering novel electronic and spintronic devices. Here, we explore the electron and spin structure of ferroelectric α-GeTe thin films doped with ferromagnetic Mn impurities to achieve its multiferroic functionality. We use bulk-sensitive soft-X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES) to follow hybridization of the GeTe valence band with the Mn dopants.

Fermi Surface of Three-Dimensional La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 Explored by Soft-X-Ray ARPES: Rhombohedral Lattice Distortion and its Effect on Magnetoresistance.

Electronic structure of the three-dimensional colossal magnetoresistive perovskite La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 has been established using soft-x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with its intrinsically sharp definition of three-dimensional electron momentum. The experimental results show much weaker polaronic coupling compared to the bilayer manganites and are consistent with the theoretical band structure including the empirical Hubbard parameter U. The experimental Fermi surface unveils the canonical topology of alternating three-dimensional electron spheres and hole cubes, with their shadow contours manifesting the rhombohedral lattice distortion.

Mixed dimensionality of confined conducting electrons in the surface region of SrTiO3.

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we show that the recently discovered surface state on SrTiO(3) consists of nondegenerate t(2g) states with different dimensional characters. While the d(xy) bands have quasi-2D dispersions with weak k(z) dependence, the lifted d(xz)/d(yz) bands show 3D dispersions that differ significantly from bulk expectations and signal that electrons associated with those orbitals permeate the near-surface region. Like their more 2D counterparts, the size and character of the d(xz)/d(yz) Fermi surface components are essentially the same for different sample preparations.

Soft-X-ray ARPES facility at the ADRESS beamline of the SLS: concepts, technical realisation and scientific applications.

Soft-X-ray angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) with photon energies around 1 keV combines the momentum space resolution with increasing probing depth. The concepts and technical realisation of the new soft-X-ray ARPES endstation at the ADRESS beamline of SLS are described. The experimental geometry of the endstation is characterized by grazing X-ray incidence on the sample to increase the photoyield and vertical orientation of the measurement plane.

The Materials Science beamline upgrade at the Swiss Light Source.

The Materials Science beamline at the Swiss Light Source has been operational since 2001. In late 2010, the original wiggler source was replaced with a novel insertion device, which allows unprecedented access to high photon energies from an undulator installed in a medium-energy storage ring. In order to best exploit the increased brilliance of this new source, the entire front-end and optics had to be redesigned.

Three-dimensional electron realm in VSe2 by soft-x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: origin of charge-density waves.

The resolution of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) in three-dimensional (3D) momentum k is fundamentally limited by ill defined surface-perpendicular wave vector k(perpendicular) associated with the finite photoelectron mean free path. Pushing ARPES into the soft-x-ray energy region sharpens the k(perpendicular) definition, allowing accurate electronic structure investigations in 3D materials. We apply soft-x-ray ARPES to explore the 3D electron realm in a paradigm transition metal dichalcogenide VSe2.

X-Treme beamline at SLS: X-ray magnetic circular and linear dichroism at high field and low temperature.

X-Treme is a soft X-ray beamline recently built in the Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institut in collaboration with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The beamline is dedicated to polarization-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy at high magnetic fields and low temperature. The source is an elliptically polarizing undulator.

High-resolution soft X-ray beamline ADRESS at the Swiss Light Source for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopies.

The concepts and technical realisation of the high-resolution soft X-ray beamline ADRESS operating in the energy range from 300 to 1600 eV and intended for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) are described. The photon source is an undulator of novel fixed-gap design where longitudinal movement of permanent magnetic arrays controls not only the light polarization (including circular and 0-180 degrees rotatable linear polarizations) but also the energy without changing the gap. The beamline optics is based on the well established scheme of plane-grating monochromator operating in collimated light.

Parity of the pairing bosons in a high-temperature Pb-Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 bilayer superconductor by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

We report the observation of a novel effect in the bilayer Pb-Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Pb-Bi2212) high-T(c) superconductor by means of angle-resolved photoemission with circularly polarized excitation. Different scattering rates, determined as a function of energy separately for the bonding and antibonding copper-oxygen bands, strongly imply that the dominating scattering channel is odd with respect to layer exchange within a bilayer. This is inconsistent with a phonon-mediated scattering and favors the participation of the odd collective spin excitations in the scattering mechanism in near-nodal regions of the k space, suggesting a magnetic nature of the pairing mediator.

Case report: a modified constraint-induced therapy (mCIT) program for the upper extremity of a person with chronic stroke.

The purpose of this case report was to assess the effect of a reduced intensity protocol for daily modified constraint-induced therapy (mCIT) without use of a restraint on the function of the upper extremity (UE) in an individual with a chronic stroke. A 57 year-old patient one year following a stroke participated in a two-hour mCITprogram for ten weekdays over a period of two weeks. During this period, voluntary use of the involved extremity was encouraged for 90% of waking hours at home without use of a restraint.

A novel approach to the control of experimental environments: the ESCA microscopy data-acquisition system at ELETTRA.

An efficient control system is today one of the key points for the successful operation of a beamline at third-generation synchrotron radiation sources. The high cost of these ultra-bright light sources and the limited beam time requires effective instrument handling in order to reduce any waste of measurement time. The basic requirements for such control software are reliability, user-friendliness, modularity, upgradability, as well as the capability of integrating a horde of different instruments, commercial tools and independent pre-existing systems in a possibly distributed environment.

The gas-phase photoemission beamline at Elettra.

This paper reports the present stage of commissioning of the gas-phase photoemission beamline at Elettra, Trieste. The beamline is designed for atomic and molecular science experiments with high-resolution and high-flux synchrotron radiation. It consists of an undulator source, variable-angle spherical-grating monochromator and two experimental stations.

Localization of surface states in disordered step lattices.

The character of the surface state wave function on regularly stepped Cu(111) is reinvestigated. It is shown that the qualitative change at terrace lengths around 17 A observed previously by Ortega et al. [Phys.

Step-lattice-induced band-gap opening at the fermi level.

The interaction of the Shockley surface state with the step lattice of vicinal Cu(111) leads to the formation of an electronic superlattice state. On Cu(443), where the average terrace length forms a "shape resonance" with the Fermi wavelength, we find a step-lattice-induced band-gap opening at the Fermi level. A gap magnitude >200 meV is inferred from high resolution photoemission experiments and line shape analysis.

Oscillations in a chloroplast suspension system.

Results of experimental and theoretical study of a photosynthetic system presented with rather complicated temporal behaviour are shown. Experimental results are comparable with those obtained previously by using the electrical method, and thus provide a support to the applicability of the more convenient spectrophotometric method. A possible explanation of a multimode nature of the oscillations observed is presented.