Photo-induced chirality in a nonchiral crystal.

Chirality, a pervasive form of symmetry, is intimately connected to the physical properties of solids, as well as the chemical and biological activity of molecular systems. However, inducing chirality in a nonchiral material is challenging because this requires that all mirrors and all roto-inversions be simultaneously broken. Here, we show that chirality of either handedness can be induced in the nonchiral piezoelectric material boron phosphate (BPO) by irradiation with terahertz pulses.

Elastic moduli from crystalline micro-mechanical oscillators carved by focused ion beam.

The elastic moduli provide unique insights into the thermodynamics of quantum materials, particularly into the symmetries broken at their phase transition. Here, we present a workflow to carve crystalline resonators via focused ion beam milling from small and oddly shaped crystals unsuitable for traditional measurements of elasticity. The accuracy of this technique is first established in silicon.

Semi-classical origin of the extreme magnetoresistance in PtSn.

The so-called "extreme magnetoresistance" (XMR) found in few conductors poses interesting conceptual challenges which address needs in technology. In contrast to the more common XMR in semi-metals, PtSn stands out as a rare example of a high carrier density multi-band metal exhibiting XMR, sparking an active debate about its microscopic origin. Here we report a sharp sensitivity of its XMR upon the field angle, with an almost complete collapse only for one specific current and field direction (B//b, I//a).

Correlated order at the tipping point in the kagome metal CsVSb.

Spontaneously broken symmetries are at the heart of many phenomena of quantum matter and physics more generally. However, determining the exact symmetries that are broken can be challenging due to imperfections such as strain, in particular when multiple electronic orders are competing. This is exemplified by charge order in some kagome systems, where evidence of nematicity and flux order from orbital currents remains inconclusive due to contradictory measurements.

Nonlinear optical diode effect in a magnetic Weyl semimetal.

Diode effects are of great interest for both fundamental physics and modern technologies. Electrical diode effects (nonreciprocal transport) have been observed in Weyl systems. Optical diode effects arising from the Weyl fermions have been theoretically considered but not probed experimentally.

Controlling crystal cleavage in focused ion beam shaped specimens for surface spectroscopy.

Our understanding of quantum materials is commonly based on precise determinations of their electronic spectrum by spectroscopic means, most notably angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy. Both require atomically clean and flat crystal surfaces, which are traditionally prepared by in situ mechanical cleaving in ultrahigh vacuum chambers. We present a new approach that addresses three main issues of the current state-of-the-art methods: (1) Cleaving is a highly stochastic and, thus, inefficient process; (2) fracture processes are governed by the bonds in a bulk crystal, and many materials and surfaces simply do not cleave; and (3) the location of the cleave is random, preventing data collection at specified regions of interest.

Layered metals as polarized transparent conductors.

The quest to improve transparent conductors balances two key goals: increasing electrical conductivity and increasing optical transparency. To improve both simultaneously is hindered by the physical limitation that good metals with high electrical conductivity have large carrier densities that push the plasma edge into the ultra-violet range. Technological solutions reflect this trade-off, achieving the desired transparencies only by reducing the conductor thickness or carrier density at the expense of a lower conductance.

Solidification of concentrated pea protein-pectin mixtures as potential binder.

Background: Binders in plant-based meat analogues allow different components, such as extrudate and fat particles, to stick together. Typically, binders then are solidified to transform the mass into a non-sticky, solid product. As an option for a clean-label binder possessing such properties, the solidification behavior of pea protein-pectin mixtures (250 g kg , r = 2:1, pH 6) was investigated upon heating, and upon addition of calcium, transglutaminase, and laccase, or by combinations thereof.

Comparison of Binding Properties of a Laccase-Treated Pea Protein-Sugar Beet Pectin Mixture with Methylcellulose in a Bacon-Type Meat Analogue.

A bacon-type meat analogue consists of different structural layers, such as textured protein and a fat mimetic. To obtain a coherent and appealing product, a suitable binder must glue those elements together. A mixture based on pea protein and sugar beet pectin (r = 2:1, 25% / solids, pH 6) with and without laccase addition and a methylcellulose hydrogel (6% /) serving as benchmark were applied as binder between textured protein and a fat mimetic.

Switchable chiral transport in charge-ordered kagome metal CsVSb.

When electric conductors differ from their mirror image, unusual chiral transport coefficients appear that are forbidden in achiral metals, such as a non-linear electric response known as electronic magnetochiral anisotropy (eMChA). Although chiral transport signatures are allowed by symmetry in many conductors without a centre of inversion, they reach appreciable levels only in rare cases in which an exceptionally strong chiral coupling to the itinerant electrons is present. So far, observations of chiral transport have been limited to materials in which the atomic positions strongly break mirror symmetries.

Homogenization improves foaming properties of insoluble pea proteins.

Foams are essential in many food applications and require surface-active ingredients such as proteins for formation and stabilization. We investigated the influence of high-pressure homogenization on foaming properties of insoluble pea protein dispersions (5% w/w) at pH 3 and 5. Unhomogenized insoluble pea protein dispersions did not foam at either pH 3 or 5, as they consisted of large insoluble pea protein aggregates with limited surface activity.

Quasi-symmetry protected topology in a semi-metal.

The crystal symmetry of a material dictates the type of topological band structures it may host, and therefore symmetry is the guiding principle to find topological materials. Here we introduce an alternative guiding principle, which we call 'quasi-symmetry'. This is the situation where a Hamiltonian has an exact symmetry at lower-order that is broken by higher-order perturbation terms.

Ionic Liquid Gating of SrTiO Lamellas Fabricated with a Focused Ion Beam.

In this work, we combine two previously incompatible techniques for defining electronic devices: shaping three-dimensional crystals by focused ion beam (FIB), and two-dimensional electrostatic accumulation of charge carriers. The principal challenge for this integration is nanometer-scale surface damage inherent to any FIB-based fabrication. We address this by using a sacrificial protective layer to preserve a selected pristine surface.

Low-symmetry nonlocal transport in microstructured squares of delafossite metals.

Intense work studying the ballistic regime of electron transport in two-dimensional systems based on semiconductors and graphene had been thought to have established most of the key experimental facts of the field. In recent years, however, additional forms of ballistic transport have become accessible in the quasi-two-dimensional delafossite metals, whose Fermi wavelength is a factor of 100 shorter than those typically studied in the previous work and whose Fermi surfaces are nearly hexagonal in shape and therefore strongly faceted. This has some profound consequences for results obtained from the classic ballistic transport experiment of studying bend and Hall resistances in mesoscopic squares fabricated from delafossite single crystals.

Temperature dependence of quantum oscillations from non-parabolic dispersions.

The phase offset of quantum oscillations is commonly used to experimentally diagnose topologically nontrivial Fermi surfaces. This methodology, however, is inconclusive for spin-orbit-coupled metals where π-phase-shifts can also arise from non-topological origins. Here, we show that the linear dispersion in topological metals leads to a T-temperature correction to the oscillation frequency that is absent for parabolic dispersions.

Evidence of a coupled electron-phonon liquid in NbGe.

Whereas electron-phonon scattering relaxes the electron's momentum in metals, a perpetual exchange of momentum between phonons and electrons may conserve total momentum and lead to a coupled electron-phonon liquid. Such a phase of matter could be a platform for observing electron hydrodynamics. Here we present evidence of an electron-phonon liquid in the transition metal ditetrelide, NbGe, from three different experiments.

Scanning SQUID microscopy in a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator.

We report a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope in a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator with a base temperature at the sample stage of at least 30 mK. The microscope is rigidly mounted to the mixing chamber plate to optimize thermal anchoring of the sample. The microscope housing fits into the bore of a superconducting vector magnet, and our design accommodates a large number of wires connecting the sample and sensor.

Sondheimer oscillations as a probe of non-ohmic flow in WP crystals.

As conductors in electronic applications shrink, microscopic conduction processes lead to strong deviations from Ohm's law. Depending on the length scales of momentum conserving (l) and relaxing (l) electron scattering, and the device size (d), current flows may shift from ohmic to ballistic to hydrodynamic regimes. So far, an in situ methodology to obtain these parameters within a micro/nanodevice is critically lacking.

Crystal Structures of AlCr and MoSi : Same Structure Type vs. Different Bonding Pattern.

In a joint effort utilizing modified sample preparation, microscopy, X-ray diffraction and micro-fabrication, it became possible to prepare single crystals of the "hidden" phase AlCr . High-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis is described in detail for two crystals with the similar overall composition, but different degree of disorder, which seems to be the main cause for the differing unit cell parameters. Chemical bonding analysis of AlCr in comparison to prototypical MoSi shows pronounced differences reflecting the interchange of main group element vs.

Non-monotonic pressure dependence of high-field nematicity and magnetism in CeRhIn.

CeRhIn provides a textbook example of quantum criticality in a heavy fermion system: Pressure suppresses local-moment antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and induces superconductivity in a dome around the associated quantum critical point (QCP) near p ≈ 23 kbar. Strong magnetic fields also suppress the AFM order at a field-induced QCP at B ≈ 50 T. In its vicinity, a nematic phase at B ≈ 28 T characterized by a large in-plane resistivity anisotropy emerges.

/ oscillations in interlayer transport of delafossites.

Microstructures can be carefully designed to reveal the quantum phase of the wave-like nature of electrons in a metal. Here, we report phase-coherent oscillations of out-of-plane magnetoresistance in the layered delafossites PdCoO and PtCoO The oscillation period is equivalent to that determined by the magnetic flux quantum, , threading an area defined by the atomic interlayer separation and the sample width, where is Planck's constant and is the charge of an electron. The phase of the electron wave function appears robust over length scales exceeding 10 micrometers and persisting up to temperatures of T > 50 kelvin.