Cheng-Ping Zhang

Alternating twisted multilayer graphene presents a compelling multiband system, with a coexistence of Dirac bands and flat bands, for exploring superconductivity. However, the roles of flat bands and Dirac bands played in determining the superconductivity remain elusive. Here, we focus on the alternating twisted quadralayer graphene to reveal unconventional superconducting behaviors. We disentangle Dirac bands and flat bands, revealing a Coulomb interaction-induced band broadening effect. We further quantify the electric-field-dependent evolution of the critical temperature and coherence length, and estimate the flat-band Fermi velocity and superfluid stiffness via critical current measurements. Our results demonstrate an electric-field-tunable coupling strength within the superconducting phase, revealing unconventional properties with vanishing Fermi velocity and large superfluid stiffness. Combined with our theoretical analysis, these observations support a picture in which displacement-field-driven hybridization between flat and Dirac-like bands enhances the quantum-metric contribution to superconductivity, offering new insight into multiband flat-band superconductivity in moiré systems.

Diode effects are of great interest for both fundamental physics and modern technologies. Electrical diode effects (nonreciprocal transport) have been observed in Weyl systems. Optical diode effects arising from the Weyl fermions have been theoretically considered but not probed experimentally. Here, we report the observation of a nonlinear optical diode effect (NODE) in the magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi, where the magnetization introduces a pronounced directionality in the nonlinear optical second-harmonic generation (SHG). We demonstrate a six-fold change of the measured SHG intensity between opposite propagation directions over a bandwidth exceeding 250 meV. Supported by density-functional theory, we establish the linearly dispersive bands emerging from Weyl nodes as the origin of this broadband effect. We further demonstrate current-induced magnetization switching and thus electrical control of the NODE. Our results advance ongoing research to identify novel nonlinear optical/transport phenomena in magnetic topological materials and further opens new pathways for the unidirectional manipulation of light.

Materials showing second-order nonlinear transport under time reversal symmetry can be used for Radio Frequency (RF) rectification, but practical application demands room temperature operation and sensitivity to microwatts level RF signals in the ambient. In this study, we demonstrate that BiTeBr exhibits a giant nonlinear response which persists up to 350 K. Through scaling and symmetry analysis, we show that skew scattering is the dominant mechanism. Additionally, the sign of the nonlinear response can be electrically switched by tuning the Fermi energy. Theoretical analysis suggests that the large Rashba spin-orbit interactions (SOI), which gives rise to the chirality of the Bloch electrons, provide the microscopic origin of the observed nonlinear response. Our BiTeBr rectifier is capable of rectifying radiation within the frequency range of 0.2 to 6 gigahertz at room temperature, even at extremely low power levels of −15 dBm, and without the need for external biasing. Our work highlights that materials exhibiting large Rashba SOI have the potential to exhibit nonlinear responses at room temperature, making them promising candidates for harvesting high-frequency and low-power ambient electromagnetic energy.

In recent years, it has been shown that Berry curvature monopoles and dipoles play essential roles in the anomalous Hall and the nonlinear Hall effects, respectively. In this work, we demonstrate that Berry curvature multipoles (the higher moments of Berry curvatures at the Fermi energy) can induce higher-order nonlinear anomalous Hall (NLAH) effects. Specifically, an AC Hall voltage perpendicular to the current direction emerges, where the frequency is an integer multiple of the frequency of the applied current. Importantly, by analyzing the symmetry properties of all the 3D and 2D magnetic point groups, we note that the quadrupole, hexapole, and even higher Berry curvature moments can cause the leading-order frequency multiplication in certain materials. To provide concrete examples, we point out that the third-order NLAH voltage can be the leading-order Hall response in certain antiferromagnets due to Berry curvature quadrupoles, and the fourth-order NLAH voltage can be the leading response in the surface states of topological insulators induced by Berry curvature hexapoles. Our results are established by symmetry analysis, effective Hamiltonian, and first-principles calculations. Other materials which support the higher-order NLAH effect are further proposed, including 2D antiferromagnets and ferromagnets, Weyl semimetals, and twisted bilayer graphene near the quantum anomalous Hall phase.

Recently, it has been pointed out that the twisting of bilayer WSe₂ would generate topologically non-trivial flat bands near the Fermi energy. In this work, we show that twisted bilayer WSe₂ (tWSe₂) with uniaxial strain exhibits a large nonlinear Hall (NLH) response due to the non-trivial Berry curvatures of the flat bands. Moreover, the NLH effect is greatly enhanced near the topological phase transition point which can be tuned by a vertical displacement field. Importantly, the nonlinear Hall signal changes sign across the topological phase transition point and provides a way to identify the topological phase transition and probe the topological properties of the flat bands. The strong enhancement and high tunability of the NLH effect near the topological phase transition point renders tWSe₂ and related moire materials available platforms for rectification and second harmonic generations.

In recent years, it has been shown that Berry curvature monopoles and dipoles play essential roles in the anomalous Hall effect and the nonlinear Hall effect respectively. In this work, we demonstrate that Berry curvature multipoles (the higher moments of Berry curvatures at the Fermi energy) can induce higher-order nonlinear anomalous Hall (NLAH) effect. Specifically, an AC Hall voltage perpendicular to the current direction emerges, where the frequency is an integer multiple of the frequency of the applied current. Importantly, by analyzing the symmetry properties of all the 3D and 2D magnetic point groups, we note that the quadrupole, hexapole and even higher Berry curvature moments can cause the leading-order frequency multiplication in certain materials. To provide concrete examples, we point out that the third-order NLAH voltage can be the leading-order Hall response in certain antiferromagnets due to Berry curvature quadrupoles, and the fourth-order NLAH voltage can be the leading response in the surface states of topological insulators induced by Berry curvature hexapoles. Our results are established by symmetry analysis, effective Hamiltonian and first-principles calculations. Other materials which support the higher-order NLAH effect are further proposed, including 2D antiferromagnets and ferromagnets, Weyl semimetals and twisted bilayer graphene near the quantum anomalous Hall phase.