Bad Metal Research Articles

Synthesis and Characterization of Eu2InTe5: A New Layered Multitelluride and Its Thermoelectric Properties

The new layered Eu2InTe5 single crystals are grown via the self flux approach. The single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis reveals that this new material has a crystallographic structure in the tetragonal structure with space group I4/mmm (no. 139) and cell parameters a = b = 4.5981(2) Å, c = 24.302(3) Å. The electrical resistivity and Hall effect measurements demonstrate a “bad metal” with a low charge carrier concentration. The thermoelectric analysis gives the values of the thermopower and the figure of merit at room temperature ≈270 μV K−1 and ≈0.1, respectively, making Eu2InTe5 and its derivatives promising for thermoelectric applications.

Bad metal and negative compressibility transitions in a two-band Hubbard model

We analyze the paramagnetic state of a two-band Hubbard model with finite Hund's coupling close to integer filling at $n=2$ in two spacial dimensions. Previously, a Mott metal-insulator transition was established at $n=2$ with a coexistence region of a metallic and a bad metal state in the vicinity of that integer filling. The coexistence region ends at a critical point beyond which a charge instability persists. Here we investigate the transition into negative electronic compressibility states for an extended filling range close to $n=2$ within a slave boson setup. We analyze the separate contributions from the (fermionic) quasiparticles and the (bosonic) multiparticle incoherent background and find that the total compressibility depends on a subtle interplay between the quasiparticle excitations and collective fields. Implementing a Blume-Emery-Griffiths model approach for the slave bosons, which mimics the bosonic fields by Ising-like pseudospins, we suggest a feedback mechanism between these fields and the fermionic degrees of freedom. We argue that the negative compressibility can be sustained for heterostructures of such strongly correlated planes and results in a large capacitance of these structures. The strong density dependence of these capacitances allows to tune them through small electronic density variations. Moreover, by resistive switching from a Mott insulating state to a metallic state through short electric pulses, transitions between fairly different capacitances are within reach.

Magnetic field induced transition from a vortex liquid to Bose metal in ultrathin a -MoGe thin film

We identify a magnetic field induced transition from a vortex liquid to Bose metal in a 2-dimensional amorphous superconductor, a-MoGe, using a combination of magnetotransport and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS). Below the superconducting transition, Tc ~ 1.36 K, the magnetoresistance isotherms cross at a nearly temperature independent magnetic field, H_c^*~ 36 kOe. Above this field, the temperature coefficient of resistance is weakly negative, but the resistance remains finite as T --> 0, as expected in a bad metal. From STS conductance maps at 450 mK we observe a very disordered vortex lattice at very low fields that melts into a vortex liquid above 3 kOe. Up to H_c^* the tunnelling spectra display superconducting gap and coherence peak over a broad background caused by electron-electron interactions, as expected in a vortex liquid. However, above H_c^* the tunnelling spectra continue to display the gap but the coherence peak gets completely suppressed, suggesting that Cooper pairs lose their phase coherence. We conclude that H_c^* demarcates a transition from a vortex liquid to Bose metal, that eventually transforms to a regular metal at a higher field H* where the gap vanishes in the electronic spectrum.

Orbital-selective Mott phase and non-Fermi liquid in FePS3

The layered metal phosphorous trisulfide FePS$_3$ is reported to be a Mott insulator at ambient conditions and to undergo structural and insulator-metal phase transitions under pressure. However, the character of the resulting metallic states has not been understood clearly so far. Here, we theoretically study the phase transitions of FePS$_3$ using first-principles methods based on density functional theory and embedded dynamical mean field theory. We find that the Mott transition in FePS$_3$ can be orbital-selective, with $t_{2g}$ states undergoing a correlation-induced insulator-to-metal transition while $e_g$ states remain gapped. We show that this orbital-selective Mott phase, which occurs only when non-hydrostatic pressure is used, is a bad metal (or non-Fermi liquid) with large fluctuating moments due to Hund's coupling. Further application of pressure increases the crystal-field splitting and converts the system to a conventional Fermi liquid with low-spin configurations dominant. Our results show that FePS$_3$ is a novel example of a system that realizes an orbital-selective Mott phase, allowing tuning between correlated and uncorrelated metallic properties in an accessible pressure range ($\leq$ 18 GPa).

Absence of long-range magnetic order in Fe1−δTe2 ( δ ≈ 0.1) crystals

Transition metal dichalcogenides attract considerable attention due to a variety of interesting properties, including long-range magnetism in nanocrystals. Here we investigate the magnetic, thermal, and electrical properties of an ${\mathrm{FeTe}}_{2}$ single crystal with iron vacancy defects. Magnetic measurements show a paramagnetic state and the absence of magnetic order with low anisotropy in the magnetic susceptibility. Fe $3d$ orbitals are well hybridized, contributing to the bad metal electrical resistivity. Observed thermal conductivity values below room temperature are rather low and comparable to those of high-performance thermoelectric materials. Our results indicate that ${\mathrm{FeTe}}_{2}$ can form in a highly defective marcasite crystal structure which can be exploited in future materials design.

Colossal Magnetoresistance in Ti Lightly Doped Cr2Se3 Single Crystals with a Layered Structure.

Stoichiometric Cr2Se3 single crystals are particular layer-structured antiferromagnets, which possess a noncollinear spin configuration, weak ferromagnetic moments, moderate magnetoresistance (MR ∼14.3%), and poor metallic conductivity below the antiferromagnetic phase transition. Here, we report an interesting >16 000% colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect in Ti (1.5 atomic percent) lightly doped Cr2Se3 single crystals. Such a CMR is approximately 1143 times larger than that of the stoichiometric Cr2Se3 crystals and is rarely observed in layered antiferromagnets and is attributed to the frustrated spin configuration. Moreover, the Ti doping not only dramatically changes the electronic conductivity of the Cr2Se3 crystal from a bad metal to a semiconductor with a gap of ∼15 meV but also induces a change in the magnetic anisotropy of the Cr2Se3 crystal from strong out-of-plane to weak in-plane. Further, magnetotransport measurements reveal that the low-field MR scales with the square of the reduced magnetization, which is a signature of CMR materials. The layered Ti:Cr2Se3 with the CMR effect could be used as two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure building blocks to provide colossal negative MR in spintronic devices.

Orbital selectivity in the normal state of KFe2Se2 superconductor

Using density functional dynamical mean-field theory, we show how correlation effects lead to pseudogap and Kondo-quasiparticle features in the electronic structure of pure and doped KFe2Se2 superconductor. Therein, correlation- and doping-induced orbital differentiation are linked to the emergence of an incoherent-coherent crossover in the normal state of KFe2Se2 superconductor. This crossover explains the puzzling temperature- and doping-dependent evolution of resistivity and Hall coefficient, seen in experiments of alkali-metal intercalated iron-selenide superconductors. Our microscopic description emphasises the role of incoherent and coherent electronic excitations towards unconventional transport responses of strange, bad metals.

Displaced Drude peak and bad metal from the interaction with slow fluctuations.

Scattering by slowly fluctuating degrees of freedom can cause a transient localization of the current-carrying electrons in metals, driving the system away from normal metallic behavior. We illustrate and characterize this general phenomenon by studying how signatures of localization emerge in the optical conductivity of electrons interacting with slow bosonic fluctuations. The buildup of quantum localization corrections manifests itself in the emergence of a displaced Drude peak (DDP), whose existence strongly alters the low frequency optical response and suppresses the d.c. conductivity. We find that for sufficiently strong interactions, many-body renormalization of the fluctuating field induced at metallic densities enhances electron localization and the ensuing DDP phenomenon in comparison with the well-studied low concentration limit. Our results are compatible with the frequent observation of DDPs in electronic systems where slowly fluctuating degrees of freedom couple significantly to the charge carriers.

Photoinduced strange metal with electron and hole quasiparticles

Photo-doping of Mott insulators or correlated metals can create an unusual metallic state which simultaneously hosts hole-like and electron-like particles. We study the dynamics of this state up to long times, as it passes its kinetic energy to the environment. When the system cools down, it crosses over from a bad metal into a resilient quasiparticle regime, in which quasiparticle bands are formed with separate Fermi levels for electrons and holes, but quasiparticles do not yet satisfy the Fermi liquid paradigm. Subsequently, the transfer of energy to the environment slows down significantly, and the system does not reach the Fermi liquid state even on the timescale of picoseconds. The transient photo-doped strange metal exhibits unusual properties of relevance for ultrafast charge and heat transport: In particular, there can be an asymmetry in the properties of electrons and holes, and strong correlations between electrons and holes, as seen in the spectral properties.

Fully filling-controlled pyrochlore ruthenates: Emergent ferromagnetic-metal state and geometrical Hall effect

Carrier doping to the Mott insulator is essential to produce highly correlated metals with emergent properties. Pyrochlore ruthenates, Pr$_{2}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{7}$ (Ru-$4d$ electron number, $n=4$) and Ca$_{2}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{7}$ ($n=3$), are a Mott insulator and a magnetic bad metal, respectively, due to the strong electron correlation. We investigate magneto-transport properties of (Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$)$_{2}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{7}$ in a whole band-filling range, $0<x<1$. With increasing hole-doping $x$, the system undergoes an insulator-metal transition. When Ca$_{2}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{7}$ is doped with electrons ($0.5<x<0.9$), the enhanced coupling among Ru-$4d$ spins produces a ferromagnetic-metal phase with a large anomalous-Hall angle up to 2 %. We discuss the electronic phase transitions in (Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$)$_{2}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{7}$ in view of Hund's metal.

Unusual high-field metal in a Kondo insulator

Within condensed-matter systems, strong electronic interactions often lead to exotic quantum phases. A recent manifestation of this is the unexpected observation of magnetic quantum oscillations and metallic thermal transport, both properties of systems with Fermi surfaces of itinerant quasiparticles, in the Kondo insulators SmB6 and YbB$_{12}$. To understand these phenomena, it is informative to study their evolution as the energy gap of the Kondo-Insulator state is closed by a large magnetic field. We show here that both the quantum-oscillation frequency and the cyclotron mass display a strong field dependence in the resulting high-field metallic state in $_{12}$. By tracking the Fermi-surface area, we conclude that the same quasiparticle band gives rise to the quantum oscillations in both insulating and metallic states. These data are understood most simply using a two-fluid picture where unusual quasiparticles, contributing little or nothing to charge transport, coexist with conventional fermions. In the metallic state this leads to a heavy-fermion bad metal with negligible magnetoresistance, relatively high resistivity and a very large Kadowaki-Woods ratio, underlining the exotic nature of the fermion ensemble inhabiting $_{12}$.

Orbital-selective coherence-incoherence crossover and metal-insulator transition in Cu-doped NaFeAs

We study the effects of electron-electron interactions and hole doping on the electronic structure of Cu-doped NaFeAs using the density functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory (DFT+DMFT) method. In particular, we employ an effective multi-orbital Hubbard model with a realistic bandstructure of NaFeAs in which Cu-doping was modeled within a rigid band approximation and compute the evolution of the spectral properties, orbital-dependent electronic mass renormalizations, and magnetic properties of NaFeAs upon doping with Cu. In addition, we perform fully charge self-consistent DFT+DMFT calculations for the long-range antiferromagnetically ordered Na(Fe,Cu)As with Cu $x=0.5$ with a real-space ordering of Fe and Cu ions. Our results reveal a crucial importance of strong electron-electron correlations and local potential difference between the Cu and Fe ions for understanding the \textbf{k}-resolved spectra of Na(Fe,Cu)As. Upon Cu-doping, we observe a strong orbital-dependent localization of the Fe $3d$ states accompanied by a large renormalization of the Fe $xy$ and $xz$/$yz$ orbitals. Na(Fe,Cu)As exhibits bad metal behavior associated with a coherence-to-incoherence crossover of the Fe $3d$ electronic states and local moments formation near a Mott metal-insulator transition (MIT). For heavily doped NaFeAs with Cu $x \sim 0.5$ we obtain a Mott insulator with a band gap of $\sim$0.3 eV characterized by divergence of the quasiparticle effective mass of the Fe $xy$ states. In contrast to this, the quasiparticle weights of the Fe $xz$/$yz$ and $e_g$ states remain finite at the MIT. The MIT occurs via an orbital-selective Mott phase to appear at Cu $x\simeq0.375$ with the Fe $xy$ states being Mott localized. We propose the possible importance of Fe/Cu disorder to explain the magnetic properties of Cu-doped NaFeAs.

Rise and fall of Landau\u2019s quasiparticles while approaching the Mott transition

Landau suggested that the low-temperature properties of metals can be understood in terms of long-lived quasiparticles with all complex interactions included in Fermi-liquid parameters, such as the effective mass m⋆. Despite its wide applicability, electronic transport in bad or strange metals and unconventional superconductors is controversially discussed towards a possible collapse of the quasiparticle concept. Here we explore the electrodynamic response of correlated metals at half filling for varying correlation strength upon approaching a Mott insulator. We reveal persistent Fermi-liquid behavior with pronounced quadratic dependences of the optical scattering rate on temperature and frequency, along with a puzzling elastic contribution to relaxation. The strong increase of the resistivity beyond the Ioffe–Regel–Mott limit is accompanied by a ‘displaced Drude peak’ in the optical conductivity. Our results, supported by a theoretical model for the optical response, demonstrate the emergence of a bad metal from resilient quasiparticles that are subject to dynamical localization and dissolve near the Mott transition.

Spin dynamics in NaFeAs and NaFe0.53Cu0.47As probed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

The parent compounds of iron-based superconductors are magnetically-ordered bad metals, with superconductivity appearing near a putative magnetic quantum critical point. The presence of both Hubbard repulsion and Hund's coupling leads to rich physics in these multiorbital systems, and motivated descriptions of magnetism in terms of itinerant electrons or localized spins. The NaFe$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$As series consists of magnetically-ordered bad metal ($x=0$), superconducting ($x\approx0.02$) and magnetically-ordered semiconducing/insulating ($x\approx0.5$) phases, providing a platform to investigate the connection between superconductivity, magnetism and electronic correlations. Here we use X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to study the valence state of Fe and spin dynamics in two NaFe$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$As compounds ($x=0$ and 0.47). We find that magnetism in both compounds arises from Fe$^{2+}$ atoms, and exhibits underdamped dispersive spin waves in their respective ordered states. The dispersion of spin excitations in NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As is consistent with being quasi-one-dimensional. Compared to NaFeAs, the band top of spin waves in NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As is slightly softened with significantly more spectral weight of the spin excitations. Our results indicate the spin dynamics in NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As arise from localized magnetic moments and suggest the iron-based superconductors are proximate to a correlated insulating state with localized iron moments.

Out-of-equilibrium phase diagram of the quantum random energy model

In this paper we study the out-of-equilibrium phase diagram of the quantum version of Derrida's Random Energy Model, which is the simplest model of mean-field spin glasses. We interpret its corresponding quantum dynamics in Fock space as a one-particle problem in very high dimension to which we apply different theoretical methods tailored for high-dimensional lattices: the Forward-Scattering Approximation, a mapping to the Rosenzweig-Porter model, and the cavity method. Our results indicate the existence of two transition lines and three distinct dynamical phases: a completely many-body localized phase at low energy, a fully ergodic phase at high energy, and a multifractal "bad metal" phase at intermediate energy. In the latter, eigenfunctions occupy a diverging volume, yet an exponentially vanishing fraction of the total Hilbert space. We discuss the limitations of our approximations and the relationship with previous studies.

Strong localization in weakly disordered epitaxial graphene

We studied the adsorption of atomic hydrogen on monolayer graphene and quasi free monolayer graphene, epitaxially grown on SiC(0001). By means of in-situ surface transport measurements, a metal-insulator transition was found on both n- and p-type doped two dimensional electron systems. The detailed analysis of the temperature dependent resistivity revealed that even ultra-low concentrations (nH≈1012 cm−2) of locally chemisorbed H-clusters act as effective scattering centers for the propagating electrons and limit the mean-free path L0∝1/nH. Despite the weak disorder due to adsorption, strong localization was found. The activation energy for destroying the phase coherence within the system is around 30 meV. Our analysis rules out the formation of a band insulator or even a”bad metal” due to adsorption of hydrogen.

Possible observation of the signature of the bad metal phase and its crossover to a Fermi liquid in κ–(BEDT–TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 bulk and nanoparticles by Raman scattering

κ‐(BEDT‐TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 has been investigated by Raman scattering in both bulk and nanoparticle compounds. Phonon modes from 20 to 1600 cm−1 have been assigned. Focusing on the unexplored low frequency phonons, a plateau in frequencies is observed in the bulk phonons between 50 and 100 K and assigned to the signature of the bad metal phase. Nanoparticles of κ‐(BEDT‐TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 exhibit anomalies at 50 K associated to the crossover from a bad metal to a Fermi liquid whose origins are discussed.

Studies on DC transport and terahertz conductivity of granular molybdenum thin films for microwave radiation detector applications

The morphological, transport, and terahertz optical properties of DC magnetron-sputtered granular molybdenum thin films with nano-grains embedded in an amorphous molybdenum/molybdenum oxide matrix have been studied in their normal and superconducting states. The superconducting transition temperatures of these films are much higher than that of bulk molybdenum. The optical properties of these thin films have been studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Their properties have been compared with those of the existing materials used for the development of radiation detectors. The films' resistivity lies in the &amp;gt;100 μΩ cm range, ideal for making highly sensitive radiation detectors. Hall measurements indicate holes as the dominant carriers with very small mean free path and mobility. In the normal state, the films are disordered bad metals. However, they have a large superfluid density and stiffness in their superconducting state. The properties of the films in the normal and superconducting states are promising for their use in cryogenic radiation detectors for microwave, terahertz, and far-infrared frequency ranges.

Ca14AlBi11—a new Zintl phase from earth-abundant elements with a great potential for thermoelectric energy conversion

The Zintl phase Ca14AlBi11 has been synthesized and structurally characterized for the first time. Its crystal structure has been carefully determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods, and shown to crystallize in the tetragonal space group I41/acd, No. 142 (Z = 8). Not surprisingly, Ca14AlBi11 adopts the Ca14AlSb11-structure type, although Ca14AlBi11 is the first alumo-bismuthide among the ‘14–1–11’ family whose structure is unequivocally established. In the respective Ca–Al–Bi ternary system, so far, Ca14AlBi11 is only the second identified phase. Electronic structure calculations for this new bismuthide indicate the opening of a small gap at the Fermi level, suggestive of intrinsic semiconducting behavior. Resistivity measurements on as-synthesized single crystalline sample show temperature dependence akin to those of heavily doped semiconductors or the bad metals. In addition to the moderately high electrical conductivity (ρ300 = 1.05 mΩ cm), specimens of Ca14AlBi11 also exhibit excellent thermopower, with high-temperature (HT) values of the Seebeck coefficient approaching and possibly exceeding 200 μV/K. These metrics, coupled with preliminary HT conductivity estimates, are comparable with the best state-of-the-art p-type Zintl thermoelectric materials and are among the best within the known bismuthides with the same atomic arrangements. Therefore, Ca14AlBi11 represents a new platform for the development of a novel, low-cost thermoelectric materials family with first-class transport properties and enhanced thermal stability. Initial data suggest that Ca14AlBi11 is amenable to doping, which opens up many opportunities for tuning charge-carrier concentration and optimizing the transport properties in this new, HT thermoelectric material.

Anomalous dynamics on the ergodic side of the many-body localization transition and the glassy phase of directed polymers in random media

Using the non-interacting Anderson tight-binding model on the Bethe lattice as a toy model for the many-body quantum dynamics, we propose a novel and transparent theoretical explanation of the anomalously slow dynamics that emerges in the bad metal phase preceding the Many-Body Localization transition. By mapping the time-decorrelation of many-body wave-functions onto Directed Polymers in Random Media, we show the existence of a glass transition within the extended regime separating a metallic-like phase at small disorder, where delocalization occurs on an exponential number of paths, from a bad metal-like phase at intermediate disorder, where resonances are formed on rare, specific, disorder dependent site orbitals on very distant generations. The physical interpretation of subdiffusion and non-exponential relaxation emerging from this picture is complementary to the Griffiths one, although both scenarios rely on the presence of heavy-tailed distribution of the escape times. We relate the dynamical evolution in the glassy phase to the depinning transition of Directed Polymers, which results in macroscopic and abrupt jumps of the preferred delocalizing paths when a parameter like the energy is varied, and produce a singular behavior of the overlap correlation function between eigenstates at different energies. By comparing the quantum dynamics on loop-less Cayley trees and Random Regular Graphs we discuss the effect of loops, showing that in the latter slow dynamics and apparent power-laws extend on a very large time-window but are eventually cut-off on a time-scale that diverges at the MBL transition.