Latest News

Here you find current and previous news from the PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences. 

Tustin et al npj

From magnetic order to quantum disorder in the Zn-barlowite series of S = 1/2 kagomé antiferromagnets

We report a comprehensive muon spectroscopy study of the Zn-barlowite series of S=1/2 kagomé antiferromagnets, ZnxCu4−x(OH)6FBr, for x = 0.00 to 0.99(1). By combining muon spin relaxation and rotation measurements with state-of-the-art density-functional theory muon-site calculations, we observe the formation of both μ–F and μ–OH complexes in Zn-barlowite. From these stopping sites, implanted muon spins reveal the suppression of long-range magnetic order into a possible quantum spin liquid state upon the increasing concentration of Zn-substitution.

 

Front passivation

Front passivation of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells using Al2O3: Culprits and benefits

In the past years, the strategies used to break the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) light to power conversion effi- ciency world record value were based on improvements of the absorber optoelectronic and crystalline properties, mainly using complex post-deposition treatments. To reach even higher efficiency values, fur- ther advances in the solar cell architecture are needed, in particular, with respect to the CIGS interfaces. In this study, we evaluate the structural, morphological and optoelectronic impact of an Al2O3 layer as a potential front passivation layer on the CIGS properties, as well as an Al2O3 tunneling layer between CIGS and CdS.

 

Antognin PRL 2

Demonstration of Muon-Beam Transverse Phase-Space Compression

We demonstrate efficient transverse compression of a 12.5 MeV=c muon beam stopped in a helium gas target featuring a vertical density gradient and crossed electric and magnetic fields. The muon stop distribution extending vertically over 14 mm was reduced to a 0.25 mm size (rms) within 3.5 μs. The simulation including cross sections ...

 

Pip Small

Electroless Deposition of Ni–Fe Alloys on Scaffolds for 3D Nanomagnetism

3D magnetic nanostructures are of great interest due to the possibility to design novel properties and the benefits for both technological applications such as high-density data storage, as well as more fundamental studies.

One of the main challenges facing the realization of these three-dimensional systems is their fabrication, which includes the deposition of magnetic materials on 3D surfaces. In this work, the electroless deposition of Ni–Fe

on a 3D-printed, non-conductive microstructure is presented.

 

Hagelstein

Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione grant for Franziska Hagelstein

Franziska Hagelstein has been awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione grant with PSI as host institution. She joined the particle theory group (NUM, Laboratory of Particle Physics LTP) in October 2020. In the near future she will be accompanied by a PhD student.

Kanazawa PRL

Direct Observation of the Statics and Dynamics of Emergent Magnetic Monopoles in a Chiral Magnet

In the three-dimensional (3D) Heisenberg model, topological point defects known as spin hedgehogs behave as emergent magnetic monopoles, i.e., quantized sources and sinks of gauge fields that couple strongly to conduction electrons, and cause unconventional transport responses such as the gigantic Hall effect. We observe a dramatic change in the Hall effect upon the transformation of a spin hedgehog crystal in a chiral magnet MnGe through combined measurements of magnetotransport and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS).

 

Gao_Nature

Fractional antiferromagnetic skyrmion lattice induced by anisotropic couplings

Magnetic skyrmions are topological solitons with a nanoscale winding spin texture that hold promise for spintronics applications. Skyrmions have so far been observed in a variety of magnets that exhibit nearly parallel alignment for neighbouring spins, but theoretically skyrmions with anti-parallel neighbouring spins are also possible. Such antiferromagnetic skyrmions may allow more flexible control than conventional ferromagnetic skyrmions. Here, by combining neutron scattering measurements and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that a fractional antiferromagnetic skyrmion lattice is stabilized in MnSc2S4 through anisotropic couplings.

 

Paris et al PNAS

Strain engineering of the charge and spin-orbital interactions in Sr2IrO4

Understanding the relationship between entangled degrees of freedom (DOF) is a central problem in correlated materials and the possibility to influence their balance is promising toward realizing novel functionalities. In Sr2IrO4, the interaction between spin–orbit coupling and electron correlations induces an exotic ground state with magnetotransport properties promising for antiferromagnetic spintronics applications.

 

Vopicka et al

One-pot neutron imaging of surface phenomena, swelling and diffusion during methane absorption in ethanol and n-decane under high pressure

We study the gas diffusion in still liquids under gas high pressures. We demonstrate that the pressure-induced gas diffusion, liquid swelling and the liquid surface tension can be measured simultaneously in a one-pot experiment. The measurements are performed using the high-resolution neutron imaging in a non-tactile way. A major advantage of this new method is that the determination of surface tension necessitate no assumptions imposed on the properties of the liquid.

Kundu PRL

Signatures of a Spin-1/2 Cooperative Paramagnet in the Diluted Triangular Lattice of Y2CuTiO6

We present a combination of thermodynamic and dynamic experimental signatures of a disorder driven dynamic cooperative paramagnet in a 50% site diluted triangular lattice spin-1/2 system: Y2CuTiO6. Magnetic ordering and spin freezing are absent down to 50 mK, far below the Curie-Weiss scale (-θCW) of ∼134 K. 

Yin Nat Comm

Spin-orbit quantum impurity in a topological magnet

Quantum states induced by single-atomic impurities are at the frontier of physics and material science. While such states have been reported in high-temperature superconductors and dilute magnetic semiconductors, they are unexplored in topological magnets which can feature spin-orbit tunability. Here we use spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/ spectroscopy (STM/S) to study the engineered quantum impurity in a topological magnet Co3Sn2S2. We find that each substituted In impurity introduces a striking localized bound state.

 

Guguchia_PRL

Using Uniaxial Stress to Probe the Relationship between Competing Superconducting States in a Cuprate with Spin-stripe Order

We report muon spin rotation and magnetic susceptibility experiments on in-plane stress effects on the static spin-stripe order and superconductivity in the cuprate system La2−xBaxCuO4 with x = 0.115. An extremely low uniaxial stress of ∼0.1 GPa induces a substantial decrease in the magnetic volume fraction and a dramatic rise in the onset of 3D superconductivity, from ∼10 to 32 K.

Coutinho PRL

Global Fit to Modified Neutrino Couplings and the Cabibbo-Angle Anomaly

Recently, discrepancies of up to 4σ between the different determinations of the Cabibbo angle were observed. In this context, we point out that this “Cabibbo-angle anomaly” can be explained by lepton flavor universality violating new physics in the neutrino sector. However, modified neutrino couplings to standard model gauge bosons also affect many other observables sensitive to lepton flavor universality violation, which have to be taken into account in order to assess the viability of this explanation.

Lehmann Nat Nanotech

Relation between microscopic interactions and macroscopic properties in ferroics

The driving force in materials to spontaneously form states with magnetic or electric order is of fundamental importance for basic research and device technology. The macroscopic properties and functionalities of these ferroics depend on the size, distribution and morphology of domains; that is, of regions across which such uniform order is maintained. Typically, extrinsic factors such as strain profiles, grain size or annealing procedures control the size and shape of the domains, whereas intrinsic parameters are often difficult to extract due to the complexity of a processed material. Here, we achieve this separation ...

 

mu3e

Mu3e magnet arrived at PSI

After almost three years of planning, design and construction, the 31-ton, 2.6 Tesla superconducting magnet for the Mu3e experiment arrived today at PSI. The magnet delivery is an important milestone in the Mu3e experiment at the Laboratory of Particle Physics LTP, which will search for New Physics in muon decays over the next years.

 

Rosa et al

Colossal magnetoresistance in a nonsymmorphic antiferromagnetic insulator

Here we investigate antiferromagnetic Eu5In2Sb6, a nonsymmorphic Zintl phase. Our electrical transport data show that Eu5In2Sb6 is remarkably insulating and exhibits an exceptionally large negative magnetoresistance, which is consistent with the presence of magnetic polarons. From ab initio calculations, the paramagnetic state of Eu5In2Sb6 is a topologically nontrivial semimetal within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), whereas an insulating state with trivial topological indices is obtained using a modified Becke−Johnson potential.

 

Zhang et al PRL

Many-Body Resonance in a Correlated Topological Kagome Antiferromagnet

We use scanning tunneling microscopy to elucidate the atomically resolved electronic structure in the strongly correlated kagome Weyl antiferromagnet Mn3Sn. In stark contrast to its broad single-particle electronic structure, we observe a pronounced resonance with a Fano line shape at the Fermi level resembling the many-body Kondo resonance. We find that this resonance does not arise from the step edges or atomic impurities but the intrinsic kagome lattice.

 

Sessi et al

Handedness-dependent quasiparticle interference in the two enantiomers of the topological chiral semimetal PdGa

It has recently been proposed that combining chirality with topological band theory results in a totally new class of fermions. Understanding how these unconventional quasiparticles propagate and interact remains largely unexplored so far. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to visualize the electronic properties of the prototypical chiral topological semimetal PdGa.

 

Soter

Anna Sótér appointed Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich

Anna Sótér, currently Lecturer and SNSF Ambizione Fellow at ETH Zurich, formerly member of the PSI Laboratory for Particle Physics and member of the PSI Fellow program, has been appointed Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Low Energy Particle Physics. Anna Sótér’s research is in the area of exotic atoms, where particle physics, atomic physics and quantum optics meet.

Krieger et al

Proximity-Induced Odd-Frequency Superconductivity in a Topological Insulator

At an interface between a topological insulator (TI) and a conventional superconductor (SC), superconductivity has been predicted to change dramatically and exhibit novel correlations. In particular, the induced superconductivity by an s-wave SC in a TI can develop an order parameter with a p-wave component. Here we present experimental evidence for an unexpected proximity-induced novel super- conducting state in a thin layer of the prototypical TI, Bi2Se3 proximity coupled to Nb.

Park et al

Momentum-Dependent Magnon Lifetime in the Metallic Noncollinear Triangular Antiferromagnet CrB2

Noncollinear magnetic order arises for various reasons in several magnetic systems and exhibits interesting spin dynamics. Despite its ubiquitous presence, little is known of how magnons, otherwise stable quasiparticles, decay in these systems, particularly in metallic magnets. Using inelastic neutron scattering, we examine the magnetic excitation spectra in a metallic noncollinear antiferromagnet CrB2, in which Cr atoms form a triangular lattice and display incommensurate magnetic order. Our data show intrinsic magnon damping ...

 

npj

Macroscopic manifestation of domain-wall magnetism and magnetoelectric effect in a Néel-type skyrmion host

We report a magnetic state in GaV4Se8 which emerges exclusively in samples with mesoscale polar domains and not in polar mono- domain crystals. It is manifested by a sharp anomaly in the magnetic susceptibility and the magnetic torque, distinct from other anomalies observed also in polar mono-domain samples upon transitions between the cycloidal, the Néel-type skyrmion lattice and the ferromagnetic states.

 

webinar 3

LENS Webinar on New Directions in Instrumentation

On June 25 the League of Advanced European Neutron Source LENS organized a second webinar on "New Directions in Instrumentation". Artur Glavic (LIN) gave a presentation on "Neutrons for Magnetic Nanostructures on Surfaces: Beyond the Specular Intensity Wars", which is still available online.

Mena PRL

Thermal Control of Spin Excitations in the Coupled Ising-Chain Material RbCoCl3

We have used neutron spectroscopy to investigate the spin dynamics of the quantum (S=1/2) antiferromagnetic Ising chains in RbCoCl3. The structure and magnetic interactions in this material conspire to produce two magnetic phase transitions at low temperatures, presenting an ideal opportunity for thermal control of the chain environment. The high-resolution spectra we measure ...

 

Birjukovs et al

Phase boundary dynamics of bubble flow in a thick liquid metal layer under an applied magnetic field

We investigate argon bubble flow in liquid gallium within a container large enough to avoid wall effects. Flow with and without applied horizontal magnetic field is studied. We demonstrate the successful capture and quantification of the effects of applied magnetic field using dynamic neutron radiography and the previously developed and validated robust image processing pipeline, supported by the in silico reproduction of our experiment.

 

Cho et al

Z3-vestigial nematic order due to superconducting fluctuations in the doped topological insulators NbxBi2Se3 and CuxBi2Se3

A state of matter with a multi-component order parameter can give rise to vestigial order. In the vestigial phase, the primary order is only partially melted, leaving a remaining symmetry breaking behind, an effect driven by strong classical or quantum fluctuations. Vestigial states due to primary spin and charge-density-wave order have been discussed in iron-based and cuprate materials. Here we present the observation of a partially melted superconductivity in which pairing fluctuations condense at a separate phase transition and form a nematic state with broken Z3, i.e., three-state Potts-model symmetry.

 

Zooming in on water splitting, teaser

Zooming in on water splitting

Perovskite oxynitride materials can act as effective photocatalysts for water splitting driven by visible light. A combined neutron and x-ray study now provides unique insight into the underlying processes at the solid–liquid interface and highlights how solar-to-hydrogen conversion can be improved.

CDonnelly_photo_

Young Scientist Award 2020

The Young Scientist Award 2020 of the European Magnetism Association (EMA) goes to Claire Donnelly for advances in the experimental characterization of spin textures and their dynamics in three dimensions with X-ray techniques.

Claire Donnelly, a former Ph.D. and postdoc at PSI in the Mesoscopic Systems Group, is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow in the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. She received her PhD in 2017 from the ETH Zurich for her work on hard X-ray tomography of three-dimensional magnetic structures based at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Following a postdoc at the ETH Zurich, she moved to the University of Cambridge and the Cavendish in January 2019, where she is focusing on the dynamics of three-dimensional magnetic nanostructures.

Her research focuses on three dimensional magnetic systems, which she studies using sophisticated synchorotron X-rays to determine the three-dimensional magnetic configurations, and their dynamic behaviour, at the nanoscale.