Proximity Driven Interface Phenomena and Field Effects in Quantum Materials
ABSTRACT :
One of the niche areas of condensed matter physics that has seen upsurge of activity in recent times is the field of quantum materials (QMs). The aim is to discover emergent ground states seeking unusual phenomena while assessing their properties for qubit technology development. The field of proximity effects has high potential in this regard, where two QMs are proximity coupled for a platform resulting new ground states [1, 2]. Choosing some examples among myriads of effects reported, I will provide an overview of proximity coupled systems such as topological insulators, 2D materials and superconductors focusing on our work in recent years.
My talk will begin with the behavior of the archetypical topological insulating systems, the consequences of magnetic proximity in them. Here, we observed that a combination of large spin orbit coupling and inversion symmetry breaking at the interface, results in non-trivial spin textures at the interface [3]. Here, I will discuss the importance of planar Hall Effect and its sensitivity to magnetic spin textures [4, 5]. In the next part, I will present our experiments on superconducting micro bridges. We demonstrate an enhancement of critical current up to 30% by back gating [6]; I will discuss plausible mechanisms for this enhancement. Lastly, I will give a glimpse of very recent activities pertaining to the unexpected behavior in conventional superconductors under magnetic fields.
1. P. Wei et. al., Nature Materials 15, 711 (2016) 2. F. Katmis et. al., Nature 533, 513 (2016) 3. D. Suri et al., arXiv: 2107.03596 4. D. Suri et al., Applied Physics Letters 118, 241901 (2021) 5. D. Suri et al., Journal of Physics Condensed Matter 33, 335301 (2021) 6. D. Suri et al., Nano Letters 21, 216 (2021)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dhavala Suri obtained her PhD from BITS Pilani, KK Birla Goa Campus and then pursued Post-doctoral Research at Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory & Plasma Science and Fusion Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Prof. Jagadeesh S. Moodera. She was also a Fellow at the Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM), Harvard University. Following that she pursued post-doctoral research at TIFR-Hyderabad. Presently, she is pursuing her research at TU Munich, Germany. Her research interests include Topological Insulators, Superconductivity, Proximity Effects and Layered 2D Materials