Femtosecond time-evolution of mid-infrared spectral line shapes of Dirac fermions in topological insulators.

Mid-infrared (MIR) light sources have much potential in the study of Dirac-fermions (DFs) in graphene and topological insulators (TIs) because they have a low photon energy. However, the topological surface state transitions (SSTs) in Dirac cones are veiled by the free carrier absorption (FCA) with same spectral line shape that is always seen in static MIR spectra. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish the SST from the FCA, especially in TIs.

Proof of the elusive high-temperature incommensurate phase in CuO by spherical neutron polarimetry.

CuO is the only known binary multiferroic compound, and due to its high transition temperature into the multiferroic state, it has been extensively studied. In comparison to other prototype multiferroics, the nature and even the existence of the high-temperature incommensurate paraelectric phase (AF3) were strongly debated-both experimentally and theoretically-since it is stable for only a few tenths of a kelvin just below the Néel temperature. Until now, there is no proof by neutron diffraction techniques owing to its very small ordered Cu magnetic moment.

Robustness of a Topologically Protected Surface State in a SbTeSe Single Crystal.

A topological insulator (TI) is a quantum material in a new class with attractive properties for physical and technological applications. Here we derive the electronic structure of highly crystalline SbTeSe single crystals studied with angle-resolved photoemission spectra. The result of band mapping reveals that the SbTeSe compound behaves as a p-type semiconductor and has an isolated Dirac cone of a topological surface state, which is highly favored for spintronic and thermoelectric devices because of the dissipation-less surface state and the decreased scattering from bulk bands.

Magnetoelectric effect and phase transitions in CuO in external magnetic fields.

Apart from being so far the only known binary multiferroic compound, CuO has a much higher transition temperature into the multiferroic state, 230 K, than any other known material in which the electric polarization is induced by spontaneous magnetic order, typically lower than 100 K. Although the magnetically induced ferroelectricity of CuO is firmly established, no magnetoelectric effect has been observed so far as direct crosstalk between bulk magnetization and electric polarization counterparts. Here we demonstrate that high magnetic fields of ≈ 50 T are able to suppress the helical modulation of the spins in the multiferroic phase and dramatically affect the electric polarization.

The structural state of lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics under pressure.

The exceptional properties of lead-based perovskite-type (ABO(3)) relaxor ferroelectrics are due to their structural inhomogeneities. At ambient conditions, the average structure is pseudocubic but rich in ferroic nanoregions too small to be directly studied by conventional diffraction analysis. However, combining in situ temperature and pressure diffraction and Raman scattering allows us to resolve the structural complexity of relaxors.

Octahedral tilting in Pb-based relaxor ferroelectrics at high pressure.

We have employed a combination of powder neutron diffraction and single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction to characterize the pressure-induced phase transitions that occur in the perovskite-type relaxor ferroelectric PbSc(0.5)Ta(0.5)O(3) (PST) and Pb(0.