The electron-hole plasma in charge-neutral graphene is predicted to realize a quantum critical system in which electrical transport features a universal hydrodynamic description, even at room ...temperature
. This quantum critical 'Dirac fluid' is expected to have a shear viscosity close to a minimum bound
, with an interparticle scattering rate saturating
at the Planckian time, the shortest possible timescale for particles to relax. Although electrical transport measurements at finite carrier density are consistent with hydrodynamic electron flow in graphene
, a clear demonstration of viscous flow at the charge-neutrality point remains elusive. Here we directly image viscous Dirac fluid flow in graphene at room temperature by measuring the associated stray magnetic field. Nanoscale magnetic imaging is performed using quantum spin magnetometers realized with nitrogen vacancy centres in diamond. Scanning single-spin and wide-field magnetometry reveal a parabolic Poiseuille profile for electron flow in a high-mobility graphene channel near the charge-neutrality point, establishing the viscous transport of the Dirac fluid. This measurement is in contrast to the conventional uniform flow profile imaged in a metallic conductor and also in a low-mobility graphene channel. Via combined imaging and transport measurements, we obtain viscosity and scattering rates, and observe that these quantities are comparable to the universal values expected at quantum criticality. This finding establishes a nearly ideal electron fluid in charge-neutral, high-mobility graphene at room temperature
. Our results will enable the study of hydrodynamic transport in quantum critical fluids relevant to strongly correlated electrons in high-temperature superconductors
. This work also highlights the capability of quantum spin magnetometers to probe correlated electronic phenomena at the nanoscale.
Conventional optical components are limited to size scales much larger than the wavelength of light, as changes to the amplitude, phase and polarization of the electromagnetic fields are accrued ...gradually along an optical path. However, advances in nanophotonics have produced ultrathin, so-called 'flat' optical components that beget abrupt changes in these properties over distances significantly shorter than the free-space wavelength. Although high optical losses still plague many approaches, phonon polariton (PhP) materials have demonstrated long lifetimes for sub-diffractional modes in comparison to plasmon-polariton-based nanophotonics. We experimentally observe a threefold improvement in polariton lifetime through isotopic enrichment of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Commensurate increases in the polariton propagation length are demonstrated via direct imaging of polaritonic standing waves by means of infrared nano-optics. Our results provide the foundation for a materials-growth-directed approach aimed at realizing the loss control necessary for the development of PhP-based nanophotonic devices.
A general relation is derived between the linear and second-order nonlinear ac conductivities of an electron system in the hydrodynamic regime of frequencies below the interparticle scattering rate. ...The magnitude and tensorial structure of the hydrodynamic nonlinear conductivity are shown to differ from their counterparts in the more familiar kinetic regime of higher frequencies. Due to universality of the hydrodynamic equations, the obtained formulas are valid for systems with an arbitrary Dirac-like dispersion, ranging from solid-state electron gases to free-space plasmas, either massive or massless, at any temperature, chemical potential, or space dimension. Predictions for photon drag and second-harmonic generation in graphene are presented as one application of this theory.
We investigated phonon–polaritons in hexagonal boron nitridea naturally hyperbolic van der Waals materialby means of the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy. Real-space ...nanoimages we have obtained detail how the polaritons are launched when the light incident on a thin hexagonal boron nitride slab is scattered by various intrinsic and extrinsic inhomogeneities, including sample edges, metallic nanodisks deposited on its top surface, random defects, and surface impurities. The scanned tip of the near-field microscope is itself a polariton launcher whose efficiency proves to be superior to all the other types of polariton launchers we studied. Our work may inform future development of polaritonic nanodevices as well as fundamental studies of collective modes in van der Waals materials.
Strongly anisotropic media, where the principal components of the dielectric tensor have opposite signs, are called hyperbolic. Such materials exhibit unique nanophotonic properties enabled by the ...highly directional propagation of slow-light modes localized at deeply sub-diffractional length scales. While artificial hyperbolic metamaterials have been demonstrated, they suffer from high plasmonic losses and require complex nanofabrication, which in turn induces size-dependent limitations on optical confinement. The low-loss, mid-infrared, natural hyperbolic material hexagonal boron nitride is an attractive alternative. Here we report on three-dimensionally confined 'hyperbolic polaritons' in boron nitride nanocones that support four series (up to the seventh order) modes in two spectral bands. The resonant modes obey the predicted aspect ratio dependence and exhibit high-quality factors (Q up to 283) in the strong confinement regime (up to λ/86). These observations assert hexagonal boron nitride as a promising platform for studying novel regimes of light-matter interactions and nanophotonic device engineering.
We calculate the differential, total, and transport cross-sections for scattering of two-dimensional massless Dirac electrons by a circular barrier. For scatterer of a small radius, the ...cross-sections are dominated by quantum effects such as resonant scattering that can be computed using the partial-wave series. Scattering by larger size barriers is better described within the classical picture of reflection and refraction of rays, which leads to phenomena of caustics, rainbow, and critical scattering. Refraction can be negative if the potential of the scatterer is repulsive, so that a p - n junction forms at its boundary. Qualitative differences of this case from the n - N doping case are examined. Quantum interference effects beyond the classical ray picture are also considered, such as normal and anomalous diffraction, and also whispering-gallery resonances. Implications of these results for transport and scanned-probe experiments in graphene and topological insulators are discussed.
We report on infrared (IR) nanoscopy of 2D plasmon excitations of Dirac fermions in graphene. This is achieved by confining mid-IR radiation at the apex of a nanoscale tip: an approach yielding 2 ...orders of magnitude increase in the value of in-plane component of incident wavevector q compared to free space propagation. At these high wavevectors, the Dirac plasmon is found to dramatically enhance the near-field interaction with mid-IR surface phonons of SiO2 substrate. Our data augmented by detailed modeling establish graphene as a new medium supporting plasmonic effects that can be controlled by gate voltage.
Quantum materials are amenable to nonequilibrium manipulation with light, enabling modification and control of macroscopic properties. Light-based augmentation of superconductivity is particularly ...intriguing. Copper-oxide superconductors exhibit complex interplay between spin order, charge order, and superconductivity, offering the prospect of enhanced coherence by altering the balance between competing orders. We utilize terahertz time-domain spectroscopy to monitor the c-axis Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) in La2−xBaxCuO4 (x = 0.115) as a direct probe of superconductivity dynamics following excitation with near-infrared pulses. Starting from the superconducting state, c-axis polarized excitation with a fluence of 100 μJ/cm2 results in an increase of the far-infrared spectral weight by more than an order of magnitude as evidenced by a blueshift of the JPR, interpreted as resulting from nonthermal collapse of the charge order. The photoinduced signal persists well beyond our measurement window of 300 ps and exhibits signatures of spatial inhomogeneity. The electrodynamic response of this metastable state is consistent with enhanced superconducting fluctuations. Our results reveal that La2−xBaxCuO4 is highly sensitive to nonequilibrium excitation over a wide fluence range, providing an unambiguous example of photoinduced modification of order-parameter competition.
Phonon polaritons in van der Waals materials reveal significant confinement accompanied with long propagation length: important virtues for tasks pertaining to the control of light and energy flow at ...the nanoscale. While previous studies of phonon polaritons have relied on relatively thick samples, here reported is the first observation of surface phonon polaritons in single atomic layers and bilayers of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Using antenna‐based near‐field microscopy, propagating surface phonon polaritons in mono‐ and bilayer hBN microcrystals are imaged. Phonon polaritons in monolayer hBN are confined in a volume about one million times smaller than the free‐space photons. Both the polariton dispersion and their wavelength–thickness scaling law are altered compared to those of hBN bulk counterparts. These changes are attributed to phonon hardening in monolayer‐thick crystals. The data reported here have bearing on applications of polaritons in metasurfaces and ultrathin optical elements.
Surface phonon polaritons in monolayer and bilayer hexagonal boron nitride are investigated by direct IR nanoimaging. Phonon polaritons in isolated monolayers are highly confined into the single atomic plane and exhibit dispersion properties at variance with hyperbolic phonon polaritons in bulk crystals.
Optical signatures of Dirac nodal lines in NbAs2 Shao, Yinming; Sun, Zhiyuan; Wang, Ying ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
01/2019, Letnik:
116, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The 3D nodal points in Dirac and/or Weyl semimetals are in the vanguard of quantum materials research. A hallmark of these systems is the linear band dispersion. This latter electronic stricture ...gives rise to unconventional transport and optical phenomena. Here, we demonstrate that solids with dispersive nodal lines in the electronic structure share many common aspects with the response of 3D nodal-points systems. We investigated
N
b
A
s
2
using a combination of optical and magneto-optical techniques and have identified electromagnetic signature of dispersive nodal lines. This particular compound has allowed us to inquire the impact of spin-orbit coupling on the universal characteristic of nodal metals.
Using polarized optical and magneto-optical spectroscopy, we have demonstrated universal aspects of electrodynamics associated with Dirac nodal lines that are found in several classes of unconventional intermetallic compounds. We investigated anisotropic electrodynamics of
N
b
A
s
2
where the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) triggers energy gaps along the nodal lines. These gaps manifest as sharp steps in the optical conductivity spectra
σ
1
(
ω
)
. This behavior is followed by the linear power-law scaling of
σ
1
(
ω
)
at higher frequencies, consistent with our theoretical analysis for dispersive Dirac nodal lines. Magneto-optics data affirm the dominant role of nodal lines in the electrodynamics of
N
b
A
s
2
.
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