Chiral Point Research Articles

Analysis of unconventional chiral fermions in a noncentrosymmetric chiral crystal PtAl

Symmetry protected nontrivial states in chiral topological materials hold immense potential for fundamental science and technological advances. Here, we report electrical transport, quantum oscillations, and electronic structure results of a single crystal of chiral quantum material PtAl. Based on the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations, we show that the smallest Fermi pocket $(\ensuremath{\alpha})$ possesses a nontrivial Berry phase $1.16\ensuremath{\pi}$. The band associated with this Fermi pocket carries a linear energy dispersion over a substantial energy window of $\ensuremath{\sim}700\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$ that is further consistent with the calculated optical conductivity. First principles calculations unfold that PtAl is a higher fold chiral fermion semimetal where structural chirality drives the chiral fermions to lie at the high symmetry $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ and $R$ points of the cubic Brillouin zone. In the absence of spin orbit coupling, the band crossings at $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ and $\mathrm{R}$ points are three and fourfold degenerate with a chiral charge of $\ensuremath{-}2$ and $+2$, respectively. The inclusion of spin orbit coupling transforms these crossing points into four and sixfold degenerate points with a chiral charge of $\ensuremath{-}4$ and $+4$. Nontrivial surface states on the (001) surface connect the bulk projected chiral points through the long helical Fermi arcs that spread over the entire surface Brillouin zone.

Roper-like singly heavy baryons in a chiral model

We investigate the Roper-like singly heavy baryons such as Λc(2765) and Ξc(2967) in a chiral model. Based on chiral symmetry of diquarks inside the baryons, we propose that the Roper-like baryons are mostly pentaquark states (Qqqqq¯ ) while the corresponding ground-state ones Λc(2286) and Ξc(2470) are three-quark states (Qqq). Besides, the mass spectrum of negative-parity Λc and Ξc which are heavy quark spin-singlet is predicted by the linear representation of chiral symmetry. We also derive a sum rule of the heavy baryon masses and an extended Goldberger-Treiman relation. In addition to them, we demonstrate the parity-partner structure of the Λc’s and Ξc’s by showing mass degeneracies of them at the chiral restoration point. We expect that the present investigation leads to a better understanding of the diquarks inside hadrons from the viewpoint of chiral symmetry.

Reconfigurable chiral exceptional point and tunable non-reciprocity in a non-Hermitian system with phase-change material.

Non-Hermitian optics has emerged as a feasible and versatile platform to explore many extraordinary wave phenomena and novel applications. However, owing to ineluctable systematic errors, the constructed non-Hermitian phenomena could be easily broken, thus leading to a compromising performance in practice. Here we theoretically proposed a dynamically tunable mechanism through GST-based phase-change material (PCM) to achieve a reconfigurable non-Hermitian system, which is robust to access the chiral exceptional point (EP). Assisted by PCM that provides tunable coupling efficiency, the effective Hamiltonian of the studied doubly-coupled-ring-based non-Hermitian system can be effectively modulated to resist the external perturbations, thus enabling the reconfigurable chiral EP and a tunable non-reciprocal transmission. Moreover, such tunable properties are nonvolatile and require no static power consumption. With these superior performances, our findings pave a promising way for reconfigurable non-Hermitian photonic devices, which may find applications in tunable on-chip sensors, isolators and so on.

Exceptional Photon Blockade: Engineering Photon Blockade with Chiral Exceptional Points (Laser Photonics Rev. 16(7)/2022)

Single-Photon Blockade In article number 2100430, Hui Jing, Şahin K. Özdemir, Franco Nori, Ran Huang and colleagues show that a purely quantum effect, known as single-photon blockade, emerges in a non-Hermitian microring resonator with chiral exceptional points induced by two nanotips. A striking feature of this photon blockade is that it emerges at two-photon resonance which in Hermitian systems will only lead to bunched light [] but not to single photons [].

Chiral exceptional point in transformation cavity.

Unlike the ideal circular whispering gallery cavities, those without mirror symmetry intrinsically support resonant modes exhibiting chirality which indicates an imbalance between clockwise and counterclockwise wave components. In extreme cases, nearly degenerate pairs of copropagating modes can be found around the chiral exceptional points (EPs) in parameter spaces. The chiral EPs have been studied in various schemes; however, most attention has been focused on the cases with piecewise constant or periodic refractive index profiles. In this Letter, we report the formation of a chiral EP in a gradient-index cavity designed by conformal transformation optics. Here, the mirror symmetry of the cavity is broken solely by its gradient index profile, and the parameter space is constructed with coordinate transformation parameters. We unveil the chirality, nonorthogonality, and complex-square-root topology near the chiral EP, which can be explained by the non-Hermitian model Hamiltonian.

Structure and principles of self-assembly of giant “sea urchin” type sulfonatophenyl porphine aggregates

Principles of molecular self-assembly into giant hierarchical structures of hundreds of micrometers in size are studied in aggregates of meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine (TPPS4). The aggregates form a central tubular core, which is covered with radially protruding filamentous non-branching aggregates. The filaments cluster and orient at varying angles from the core surface and some filaments form bundles. Due to shape resemblance, the structures are termed giant sea urchin (GSU) aggregates. Spectrally resolved fluorescence microscopy reveals J- and H-bands of TPPS4 aggregates in both the central core and the filaments. The fluorescence of the core is quenched while filaments exhibit strong fluorescence. Upon drying, the filament fluorescence gets quenched while the core is less affected, showing stronger relative fluorescence. Fluorescence-detected linear dichroism (FDLD) microscopy reveals that absorption dipoles corresponding to J-bands are oriented along the filament axis. The comparison of FDLD with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the structure of central core comprised of multilayer ribbons, which wind around the core axis forming a tube. Polarimetric second-harmonic generation (SHG) and third-harmonic generation microscopy exhibits strong signal from the filaments with nonlinear dipoles oriented close to the filament axis, while central core displays very low SHG due to close to centrosymmetric organization. Large chiral nonlinear susceptibility points to helical arrangement of the filaments. The investigation shows that TPPS4 molecules form distinct aggregate types, including chiral nanotubes and nanogranular aggregates that associate into the hierarchical GSU structure, prototypical to complex biological structures. The chiral TPPS4 aggregates can serve as harmonophores for nonlinear microscopy.

Bridging chiral de-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes: Optical resolution based on column chromatography and structural characterization

Abstract As the third-generation supramolecular main structure, calixarenes, especially chiral calixarenes, have been applied to various fields. In this study, the bridging chiral de-tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives with an amide group attached to a chiral point was synthesized for the first time, which provided a new group for its structural derivation at the bridging chiral position. The racemic compound 2 was optically resolved by column chromatography on silica gel with the aid of the chiral auxiliary (1S)-(+)-10-camphorsulfonyl chloride, and finally a pair of optically pure bridging chiral de-tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives 4a and 4b were obtained. The results of experimental and calculated ECD showed that compounds 4a and 4b were a pair of enantiomers, and their absolute configurations were designated S and R, respectively. This study provides new idea for the derivatization of specific chiral groups based on bridging chiral calix[4]arenes and their chiral resolution.

Air-Stable Dy(III)-Macrocycle Enantiomers: From Chiral to Polar Space Group

Air-Stable Dy(III)-Macrocycle Enantiomers: From Chiral to Polar Space Group

Transport near the chiral critical point

The evolution of a heavy ion collision passes close to the O(4) critical point of QCD, where fluctuations of the order parameter are expected to be enhanced. Using the appropriate stochastic hydrodynamic equations in mean field near the the pseudo-critical point, we compute how these enhanced fluctuations modify the transport coefficients of QCD. Finally, we estimate the expected critical enhancement of soft pion yields, which provides a plausible explanation for the excess seen in experiment relative to ordinary hydrodynamic computations.

Highly Chiral Exceptional Point in Perturbed Coupled Resonators

Exceptional point (EP) is a non-Hermitian spectral degeneracy that has application in ultrasensitive sensors and laser mode selectivity. By employing strong chirality in an optical system, the direction of light propagation can be controlled and subwavelength particles can be detected. Here, we show that EP with high chirality can appear in the coupled resonators perturbed by a scatterer, in which both the distance and position of the scatterer can be tuned. We achieve strong chiral EP in two different distances between the resonators, with chirality around 0.99 in both cases.

Observation of 1D Fermi arc states in Weyl semimetal TaAs.

Fermi arcs on Weyl semimetals exhibit many exotic quantum phenomena. Usually found on atomically flat surfaces with approximate translation symmetry, Fermi arcs are rooted in the peculiar topology of bulk Bloch bands of 3D crystals. The fundamental question of whether a 1D Fermi arc can be probed remains unanswered. Such an answer could significantly broaden potential applications of Weyl semimetals. Here, we report a direct observation of robust edge states on atomic-scale ledges in TaAs using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. Spectroscopic signatures and theoretical calculations reveal that the 1D Fermi arcs arise from the chiral Weyl points of bulk crystals. The crossover from 2D Fermi arcs to eventual complete localization on 1D edges was arrested experimentally on a sequence of surfaces. Our results demonstrate extreme robustness of the bulk-boundary correspondence, which offers topological protection for Fermi arcs, even in cases in which the boundaries are at the atomic-scale. The persistent 1D Fermi arcs can be profitably exploited in miniaturized quantum devices.

Triply degenerate point in three-dimensional spinless systems

We study the possibility of triply-degenerate points (TPs) that can be stabilized in spinless crystalline systems. Based on an exhaustive search over all 230 space groups, we find that the spinless TPs can exist at both high-symmetry points and high-symmetry paths, and they may have either linear or quadratic dispersions. For TPs located at high-symmetry points, they all share a common minimal set of symmetries, which is the point group $T$. The TP protected solely by the $T$ group is chiral and has a Chern number of $\pm2$. By incorporating additional symmetries, this TP can evolve into chiral pseudospin-1 point, linear TP without chirality, or quadratic contact TP. For accidental TPs residing on a high-symmetry path, they are not chiral but can have either linear or quadratic dispersions in the plane normal to the path. We further construct effective $k\cdot p$ models and minimal lattice models for characterizing these TPs. Distinguished phenomena for the chiral TPs are discussed, including the extensive surface Fermi arcs and the chiral Landau bands.

New chiral generalized minimal massive gravity

We study the generalized minimal massive gravity (GMMG) in Compere, Song, and Strominger boundary conditions employing a semiproduct of Virasoro and $\stackrel{^}{u}(1)$ Kac-Moody current algebras as the asymptotic symmetry algebra. We calculate the entropy of Ba\~nados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black holes via the degeneracy of states belonging to a Warped conformal field theory. We compute the linearized energy excitations by using the representations of the algebra $\stackrel{^}{u}(1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SL(2,R{)}_{R}$ and show that energies of excitations are non-negative at (two) chiral points in the parameter space. At these special points, the charge algebra is described by either Virasoro algebra or Kac-Moody algebra. We also consider some special limits of the GMMG theory which correspond to $2+1$-dimensional massive gravity theories such as new massive and minimal massive gravity theories.

Soft pions and transport near the chiral critical point

During the expansion of a heavy ion collision, the system passes close to the $O(4)$ critical point of QCD, and thus the fluctuations of the order parameter $(\sigma, \vec{\pi})$ are expected to be enhanced. Our goal is to compute how these enhanced fluctuations modify the transport coefficients of QCD near the pseudo-critical point. We also make a phenomenological estimate for how chiral fluctuations could effect the momentum spectrum of soft pions. We first formulate the appropriate stochastic hydrodynamic equations close to the $O(4)$ critical point. Then, working in mean field, we determine the correlation functions of the stress tensor and the currents which result from this stochastic real time theory, and use these correlation functions to determine the scaling behavior of the transport coefficients. The hydrodynamic theory also describes the propagation of pion waves, fixing the scaling behavior of the dispersion curve of soft pions. We present scaling functions for the shear viscosity and the charge conductivities near the pseudo-critical point, and estimate the absolute magnitude of the critical fluctuations to these parameters and the bulk viscosity. Using the calculated pion dispersion curve, we estimate the expected critical enhancement of soft pion yields, and this estimate provides a plausible explanation for the excess seen in experiment relative to ordinary hydrodynamic computations. Our results motivate further phenomenological and numerical work on the implications of chiral symmetry on real time properties of thermal QCD near the pseudo-critical point.

Layering transitions and metastable structures of cholesteric liquid crystals in cylindrical confinement

Our study of cholesteric lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals in cylindrical confinement reveals the topological aspects of cholesteric liquid crystals. The double-twist configurations we observe exhibit discontinuous layering transitions, domain formation, metastability, and chiral point defects as the concentration of chiral dopant is varied. We demonstrate that these distinct layer states can be distinguished by chiral topological invariants. We show that changes in the layer structure give rise to a chiral soliton similar to a toron, comprising a metastable pair of chiral point defects. Through the applicability of the invariants we describe to general systems, our work has broad relevance to the study of chiral materials.

Particlization of an interacting hadron resonance gas with global conservation laws for event-by-event fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions

We revisit the problem of particlization of a QCD fluid into hadrons and resonances at the end of the fluid dynamical stage in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in a context of fluctuation measurements. The existing methods sample an ideal hadron resonance gas, therefore, they do not capture the non-Poissonian nature of the grand-canonical fluctuations, expected due to QCD dynamics such as the chiral transition or QCD critical point. We address the issue by partitioning the particlization hypersurface into locally grand-canonical fireballs populating the space-time rapidity axis that are constrained by global conservation laws. The procedure allows to quantify the effect of global conservation laws, volume fluctuations, thermal smearing and resonance decays on fluctuation measurements in various rapidity acceptances, and can be used in fluid dynamical simulations of heavy-ion collisions. As a first application, we study event-by-event fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC using an excluded volume hadron resonance gas model matched to lattice QCD susceptibilities, with a focus on (pseudo)rapidity acceptance dependence of net baryon, net proton, and net charge cumulants. We point out large differences between net proton and net baryon cumulant ratios that make direct comparisons between the two unjustified. We observe that the existing experimental data on net-charge fluctuations at the LHC shows a strong suppression relative to a hadronic description.

New perspective on chiral exceptional points with application to discrete photonics

Chiral exceptional points (CEPs) have been shown to emerge in traveling wave resonators via asymmetric back scattering from two or more nano-scatterers. Here, we provide a new perspective on the formation of CEPs based on the coupled oscillator model. Our approach provides an intuitive understanding for the modal coalescence that signals the emergence of CEPs and emphasizes the role played by dissipation throughout this process. In doing so, our model also unveils an otherwise unexplored connection between CEPs and other types of exceptional points associated with parity-time symmetric photonic arrangements. In addition, our model also explains qualitative results observed in recent experimental work involving CEPs. Importantly, the tight-binding nature of our approach allows us to extend the notion of CEP to discrete photonics setups that consist of coupled resonator and waveguide arrays, thus opening new avenues for exploring the exotic features of CEPs in conjunction with other interesting physical effects such as nonlinearities and topological protections.

Kramers Weyl semimetals as quantum solenoids and their applications in spin-orbit torque devices

Kramers Weyl semimetals are Weyl semimetals that have Weyl points pinned at the time reversal invariant momenta. Recently it has been discovered that all chiral crystals host Weyl points at time reversal invariant momenta, so metals with chiral lattice symmetry all belong to the category of Kramers Weyl semimetals. In this work, we show that due to the chiral lattice symmetry, Kramers Weyl semimetals have the unique longitudinal magnetoelectric effect in which the charge current induced spin and orbital magnetization is parallel to the direction of the current. This feature allows Kramers Weyl semimetals to act as nanoscale quantum solenoids with both orbital and spin magnetization. As the moving electrons of Kramers Weyl semimetal can generate longitudinal magnetization, Kramers Weyl semimetals can be used for new designs of spin-orbit torque devices with all electric control of magnetization switching for magnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

Tunable double Weyl phonons driven by chiral point group symmetry

Different from spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Weyl points which are robust due to the protection of topology, the unconventional chiral quasiparticles usually require extra crystalline symmetries for their existence, indicating that such quasiparticles are sensitive to perturbation. Herein, we present that the spin-1 Weyl can transform into quadratic Weyl phonons depending on symmetry variation. Specifically, the spin-1 Weyl nodes arisen from three-dimensional (3D) irreducible representations (IRs) of chiral point groups, $O$(432) or $T$(23), are verified to split into quadratic Weyl points if symmetry breaking decomposes 3D IRs into two-dimensional IRs. Symmetry analysis and low-energy effective models are performed to identify the splitting mechanisms. The evolution of Berry curvature and surface states driven by symmetry breaking is obtained in real materials. Our work not only builds the connection between double Weyl phonons but also offers guidance for exploring the transition among unconventional quasiparticles.

Isospin Effect on Baryon and Charge Fluctuations from the pNJL Model

We have studied the possible isospin corrections on the skewness and kurtosis of net-baryon and net-charge fluctuations in the isospin asymmetric matter formed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC-BES energies, based on a 3-flavor Polyakov-looped Nambu–Jona–Lasinio model. With typical scalar–isovector and vector–isovector couplings leading to the splitting of u and d quark chiral phase transition boundaries and critical points, we have observed considerable isospin effects on the susceptibilities, especially those of net-charge fluctuations. Reliable experimental measurements at even lower collision energies are encouraged to confirm the observed isospin effects.