I am passionate about exploring the multifaceted properties of quantum materials, with a focus on their structural, electronic, magnetic, optical, and transport characteristics.
My research extends to various intriguing classes of quantum materials, including semiconductors, topological materials, magnetic materials, and two-dimensional (2D) materials.
These materials exhibit a diverse array of properties that hold great potential across a spectrum of applications, ranging from low-power electronic devices to energy-efficient technologies and catalytic processes.
Project 1/ Controlling spin dynamics in altermagnets by strong coupling
Altermagnetism (AM), a recently identified phase of magnetism, features spin-split electronic band structures without net magnetization. This behavior stems from local symmetry breaking between magnetic sublattices in the crystal.
In this project, we explore the control of spin dynamics in AM by employing strong coupling between magnon quasiparticles in altermagnets and other quasiparticles, such as surface plasmons in topological insulators.
By leveraging this strong coupling, we aim to manipulate magnon dynamics—including spin current—through external stimuli such as optical excitation or thermal gradients.
This work seeks to advance our understanding of spintronic phenomena in altermagnets and their potential integration into next-generation spintronic devices.
Project 2/ Spontaneous development of surface magnetism in non-magnetic materials
RuO2 has long been considered a prototypical altermagnet, exhibiting a critical temperature exceeding room temperature.
However, recent accumulated experimental data suggest that local moments on Ru in RuO2 are vanishingly small, indicating the bulk material is likely non-magnetic.
In this project, we show that, unlike the non-magnetic bulk, spontaneous magnetization can arise at the surface of (110)-oriented RuO2 samples
due to the symmetry breaking at the surface termination, leading to electronic redistribution and enhanced magnetic moments.
This surface magnetism gives rise to spin-polarized surface states, spin-dependent transport effects, and spin-polarized microscopy images,
highlighting the significant role of surface structures in non-magnetic bulk materials.
Project 3/ Tuning band topology of rare-earth monopnictides by dimensionality reduction
Rare-earth monopnictides (RE-Vs) are semimetals with low charge carrier concentration due to small overlap between electron and hole pockets.
Thin films of RE-V semimetals are expected to turn into semiconductors due to quantum confinement effects (QCE),
lifting the overlap between electron pockets at Brillouin zone edges (X) and hole pockets at the zone center (Γ).
In this project, we have shown that, contrary to conventional expectation, bulk semimetallic RE-Vs could be transitioned to a quantum spin Hall insulator phase in ultra-thin films.
Such effect is anticipated to be general in rare-earth monopnictides and may lead to interesting phenomena when coupled with the 4f magnetic moments present in many members of this family of materials.
Project 4/ Tuning band topology of rare-earth monopnictides by epitaxial strain
Rare-earth monopnictide (RE-V) semimetal crystals subjected to hydrostatic pressure have shown interesting trends in magnetoresistance, magnetic ordering, and superconductivity,
with theory predicting pressure-induced band inversion.
In this project, we have shown that the band topology of GdSb, an AFM semimetallic RE-V in bulk, could be tuned going from trivial semimetal to nontrival one by using epitaxial strain.
Employing biaxially strained GdSb(001) epitaxial films we investigated the band topology of the material using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT).
As biaxial strain is tuned from tensile to compressive strain, the gap between the hole and the electron bands dispersed along [001] decreases.
The conduction and valence band shifts seen in DFT and ARPES measurements can be understood by a tight-binding model that accounts for the orbital symmetry of each band.
