BaNi$_2$As$_2$ exhibits a first order structural transition at 130 K. Understanding this structural transition is a crucial step towards understanding the electronic properties of the material. We present a combined optical spectroscopy and band structure calculation study on the compound across the transition. The study reveals that BaNi$_2$As$_2$ is a good metal with a rather high plasma frequency. The phase transition leads to a small reduction of conducting carriers. We identify that this reduction is caused by the removal of several small Fermi surface sheets contributed dominantly from the As-As bonding and Ni-As antibonding states.
We have performed an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of BaNi$_2$P$_2$ which shows a superconducting transition at $T_c$ $\sim$ 2.5 K. We observed hole and electron Fermi surfaces (FSs) around the Brillouin zone center and corner, respectively, and the shapes of the hole FSs dramatically changed with photon energy, indicating strong three-dimensionality. The observed FSs are consistent with band-structure calculation and de Haas-van Alphen measurements. The mass enhancement factors estimated in the normal state were $m^*$/$m_b$ $\leq$ 2, indicating weak electron correlat…
BaNi$_{2}$As$_{2}$ is a non-magnetic analogue of BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, the parent compound of a prototype pnictide high-temperature superconductor, displaying superconductivity already at ambient pressure. Recent diffraction studies demonstrated the existence of two types of periodic lattice distortions above and below the triclinic phase transition, suggesting the existence of an unconventional charge-density-wave (CDW) order. The suppression of CDW order upon doping results in a sixfold increase in the superconducting transition temperature and enhanced nematic fluctuations, suggesting CDW is …
BaNi$_2$As$_2$, with a first order phase transition around 131 K, is studied by the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The measured electronic structure is compared to the local density approximation calculations, revealing similar large electronlike bands around $\bar{M}$ and differences along $\barΓ$-$\bar{X}$. We further show that the electronic structure of BaNi$_2$As$_2$ is distinct from that of the sibling iron pnictides. Particularly, there is no signature of band folding, indicating no collinear SDW related magnetic ordering. Moreover, across the strong first order phase transi…
Electronic nematicity, the breaking of the crystal lattice rotational symmetry by the electronic fluid, is a fascinating quantum state of matter. Recently, BaNi$_2$As$_2$ has emerged as a promising candidate for a novel type of nematicity triggered by charge fluctuations. In this work, we scrutinize the electronic nematicity of BaNi$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ with $0 \leq x \leq 0.10$ using electronic transport measurements under strain. We report a large $B_{1g}$ elastoresistance coefficient that is maximized at a temperature slightly higher than the first-order triclinic transition, and that c…
A detailed investigation of BaNi2(As,P)2 single crystals using high-resolution thermal-expansion, heat-capacity,Young-modulus and resistivity measurements is presented. The experimental data are complemented by density-functional calculations. The phase diagram of BaNi2(As,P)2 is shown to be much richer than suggested by the original data of Kudo et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 097002 (2012)]. The transition to the commensurate charge-density-wave (C-CDW) is always preceded by a four-fold symmetry-breaking transition associated with the long-range ordering of a strongly fluctuating unidirectiona…
We investigate the electronic state and structure transition of BaNi2As2, which shows a similar superconducting phase diagram as Fe-based superconductors. We construct the ten-orbital tight-binding model for BaNi2As2 by using the maximally localized Wannier function method. The Coulomb and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions are treated within the random-phase approximation. We obtain the strong developments of charge quadrupole susceptibilities driven by the in-plane and out-of-plane oscillations of Ni ions. The largest susceptibility is either O_{X^2-Y^2}-quadrupole susceptibility at q = (pi,…
We present electron-tunneling spectroscopy of oxygen over- and under-doped Bi-2212 single crystals in a temperature range between 14 K and 290 K using a break-junction technique. In over- and under-doped samples we observe a pseudogap with T* = 280 - 290 K and T* > 290 K, respectively. In order to explain the data we consider possible models for the pseudogap, namely, (i) a precursor pairing; (ii) a charge-density-wave gap; (iii) a spin-gap due to antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations. Analyzing all data we show unambiguously that the only model which fits the data is a gap due to AF correlation…
The direct observation of the phase separation between the metallic and insulating states of 75 %-deuterated $κ$-(ET)$_2$Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br ($d33$) using infrared magneto-optical imaging spectroscopy is reported, as well as the associated temperature, cooling rate, and magnetic field dependencies of the separation. The distribution of the center of spectral weight ($< ω>$) of $d33$ did not change under any of the conditions in which data were taken and was wider than that of the non-deuterated material. This result indicates that the inhomogenity of the sample itself is important as part of the o…
We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on single-layered cuprate Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_6$ to clarify the origin of the pseudogap. By using various photon energies, we have succeeded in directly observing two different pseudogaps with two different energy scales which coexist in the antinodal region: one reflects the $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave pairing strength while the other has a larger energy scale suggesting an origin distinct from superconductivity. The observed two-pseudogap behavior provides a key to fully understand the pseudogap phenomena in cuprates.
We report on a detailed study of the optical properties of CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ at a large number of temperatures above and below the charge-density-wave (CDW) transition. Above the CDW transition, the low-frequency optical conductivity reveals two Drude components with distinct widths. An examination of the band structure allows us to ascribe the narrow Drude to multiple light and Dirac bands, and the broad Drude to the heavy bands near the $M$ points which form saddle points near the Fermi level. Upon entering the CDW state, the opening of the CDW gap is clearly observed. A large portion of the…
We have performed systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on single-layered cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CuO6 to elucidate the origin of shadow band. We found that the shadow band is exactly the c(2x2) replica of the main band irrespective of the carrier concentration and its intensity is invariable with respect to temperature, doping, and substitution constituents of block layers. This result rules out the possibility of antiferromagnetic correlation and supports the structural origin of shadow band. ARPES experiments on optimally doped La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 also clarified the…
The complete scenario of high-Tc superconductivity based on experimental data from electron-tunneling spectroscopy on underdoped, overdoped and Ni-doped Bi2212 single crystals using a break-junction technique is presented. There are two different types of superconductivity in cuprates: superconductivity due to pairing of spinons on charged stripes and magnetic superconductivity mediated by spin-waves. The coherent state of the spinon superconductivity is established via the magnetic superconductivity. In NCCO, there is only the spinon superconductivity and the coherent state is established due…
New tunneling data are reported in underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-d using superconductor-insulator-superconductor break junctions. Energy gaps, Delta, of 51+2, 54+2 and 57+3 meV are observed for three crystals with Tc=77, 74, and 70 K respectively. These energy gaps are nearly three times larger than for overdoped crystals with similar Tc. Detailed examination of tunneling spectra over a wide doping range from underdoped to overdoped, including the Josephson IcRn product, indicate that these energy gaps are predominantly of superconducting origin.
Pressure dependence of the electronic and crystal structures of K$_{x}$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_{2}$, which has pressure-induced two superconducting domes of SC I and SC II, was investigated by x-ray emission spectroscopy and diffraction. X-ray diffraction data show that compressibility along the c-axis changes around 12 GPa, where a new superconducting phase of SC II appears. This suggests a possible tetragonal to collapsed tetragonal phase transition. X-ray emission spectroscopy data also shows the change in the electronic structure around 12 GPa. These results can be explained by the scenario that the…
We performed optical spectroscopy measurement on single crystals of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ and SrFe$_2$As$_2$, the parent compounds of FeAs based superconductors. Both are found to be quite metallic with fairly large plasma frequencies at high temperature. Upon entering the spin-density-wave (SDW) state, formation of partial energy gaps was clearly observed with the presence of surprisingly two different energy scales. A large part of the Drude component was removed by the gapping of Fermi surfaces (FS). Meanwhile, the carrier scattering rate was even more dramatically reduced. We elaborate that the S…
To establish the mechanism of unconventional superconductivity in Sr$_2$RUO$_4$, a prerequisite is direct information concerning the momentum-space structure of the energy gaps $Δ_i(k)$, and in particular whether the pairing strength is stronger ("dominant") on the quasi-1D ($α$ and $β$) or on the quasi-2D ($γ$) Fermi surfaces. We present scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements of the density-of-states spectra in the superconducting state of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ for $0.1 T_C<T<T_C$, and analyze them, along with published thermodynamic data, using a simple phenomenological model. We show that…
In an experimental study of Andreev reflection (AR) in normal metal/superconductor (N-S) devices featuring a superconducting topological insulator CuxBi2Se3 [arXiv:1301.1030], Peng et. al. reported the reproducible experimental observation of archetypical double-peak AR spectra for finite barrier strength in N-S junctions, which clearly indicates the absence of zero-energy peak in density of states and thus rules out theoretically predicted zero-energy Majorana fermions in CuxBi2Se3. This report casts doubt on previous claims of CuxBi2Se3 as a topological superconductor. Here we clarify an ina…
Our comprehensive analysis suggests the heating origin of key findings by the authors of the commented letter, hence rendering irrelevant their conclusions.
We perform, as a function of uniaxial stress, an optical-reflectivity investigation of the representative 'parent' ferropnictide BaFe$_2$As$_2$ in a broad spectral range, across the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic phase transition and the onset of the long-range antiferromagnetic order (AFM). The infrared response reveals that the $dc$ transport anisotropy in the orthorhombic AFM state is determined by the interplay between the Drude spectral weight and the scattering rate, but that the dominant effect is clearly associated with the metallic spectral weight. In the paramagnetic tetragonal phase, th…
We employ Momentum-Resolved Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (M-EELS) on Bi2.1Sr1.9CaCu2O8+x to resolve the issue of the kink feature in the electron dispersion widely observed in the cuprates. To this end, we utilize the GW approximation to relate the density response function measured in in M-EELS to the self-energy, isolating contributions from phonons, electrons, and the momentum dependence of the effective interaction to the decay rates. The phononic contributions, present in the M-EELS spectra due to electron-phonon coupling, lead to kink features in the corresponding single-particle sp…
We study the surface Andreev bound state (ABS) of superconducting Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, which is a candidate material for the realization of the chiral $p$-wave superconducting state. In order to clarify the role of chiral edge modes as ABSs, the surface density of states and the tunneling conductance is calculated in the normal metal/Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ junction within the framework of recursive Green's function method, while taking into account the orbital degrees of freedom (including Spin-Orbit interactions) with realistic material parameters. In Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, there are two bands $α$ and $β$ originati…
We investigated SrFe$\mathrm{_2}$(As$\mathrm{_{1-x}}$P$\mathrm{_x}$)$\mathrm{_2}$ single crystals with four different phosphorus concentrations x in the superconducting phase (x = 0.35, 0.46) and in the magnetic phase (x = 0, 0.2). The superconducting samples display a V-shaped superconducting gap, which suggests nodal superconductivity. Furthermore we determined the superconducting coherence length by measuring the spatially resolved superconducting density of states (DOS). Using inelastic tunneling spectroscopy we investigated excitations in the samples with four different phosphorus concent…
We present a combined study of the electronic structure of the superconducting skutterudite derivative SrPt4Ge12 by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and full potential band structure calculations including an analysis of the chemical bonding. We establish that the states at the Fermi level originate predominantly from the Ge 4p electrons and that the Pt 5d shell is effectively full. We find excellent agreement between the measured and the calculated valence band spectra, thereby validating that band structure calculations in combination with photoelectron spectroscopy can provide a so…
