The pseudogap state between T c and the temperature T*, below which the gap in the DOS occurs, has been the subject of a wide range of theoretical proposals-from those focused on superconducting pairing correlations without phase coherence 14,15 to those based on some form of competing electronic order or proximity to the Mott state [6][7][8][9] . Some

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Identifying the mechanism of superconductivity in the high-temperature cuprate superconductors is one of the major outstanding problems in physics. We report local measurements of the onset of superconducting pairing in the high-transition temperature (Tc) superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta using a lattice-tracking spectroscopy technique with a scanning tunneling microscope. We can determine the temperature dependence of the pairing energy gaps, the electronic excitations in the absence of pairing, and the effect of the local coupling of electrons to bosonic excitations. Our measurements reveal that the strength of pairing is determined by the unusual electronic excitations of the normal state, suggesting that strong electron-electron interactions rather than low-energy (<0.1 volts) electron-boson interactions are responsible for superconductivity in the cuprates.

The origin of spin–orbit torques, which are generated by the conversion of charge-to-spin currents in non-magnetic materials, is of considerable debate. One of the most interesting materials is tungsten, for which large spin–orbit torques have been found in thin films that are stabilized in the A15 (β-phase) structure. Here we report large spin Hall angles of up to approximately –0.5 by incorporating oxygen into tungsten. While the incorporation of oxygen into the tungsten films leads to significant changes in their microstructure and electrical resistivity, the large spin Hall angles measured are found to be remarkably insensitive to the oxygen-doping level (12–44%). The invariance of the spin Hall angle for higher oxygen concentrations with the bulk properties of the films suggests that the spin–orbit torques in this system may originate dominantly from the interface rather than from the interior of the films.

Understanding the mechanism by which d wave superconductivity in the cuprates emerges and is optimized by doping the Mott insulator is one of the major outstanding problems in condensed-matter physics. Our high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements of the high-transition temperature (Tc) superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta show that samples with different Tc values in the low doping regime follow a remarkably universal d wave low-energy excitation spectrum, indicating a doping-independent nodal gap. We demonstrate that Tc instead correlates with the fraction of the Fermi surface over which the samples exhibit the universal spectrum. Optimal Tc is achieved when all parts of the Fermi surface follow this universal behavior. Increasing the temperature above Tc turns the universal spectrum into an arc of gapless excitations, whereas overdoping breaks down the universal nodal behavior.

A domain wall (DW) in a ferromagnetic nanowire (NW) is composed of elementary topological bulk and edge defects with integer and fractional winding numbers, respectively; whose relative spatial arrangement determines the chirality of the DW. Here we show how we can understand and control the trajectory of DWs in magnetic branched networks, composed of connected NWs, by a consideration of their fractional elementary topological defects and how they interact with those innate to the network. We first develop a highly reliable mechanism for the injection of a DW of a given chirality into a NW and show that its chirality determines which branch the DW follows at a symmetric Y--shaped magnetic junction --the fundamental

Abstract. Breaking the time-reversal symmetry (TRS) in topological insulators (TIs) through ferromagnetic doping is an essential prerequisite for unlocking novel physical phenomena and exploring potential device applications. Here, we report the successful growth of high-quality (Dy x Bi 1−x ) 2 Te 3 thin films with Dy concentrations up to x = 0.355 by molecular beam epitaxy. Bulk-sensitive magnetisation studies using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry find paramagnetic behaviour down to 2 K for the entire doping series. The effective magnetic moment, µ eff , is strongly doping concentration-dependent and reduces from ∼12.6 µ B /Dy for x = 0.023 to ∼4.3 µ B /Dy for x = 0.355. X-ray absorption spectra and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Dy M 4,5 edge are employed to provide a deeper insight into the magnetic nature of the Dy 3+ -doped films. XMCD, measured in surfacesensitive total-electron-yield detection, gives µ eff = 4.2 µ B /Dy. The large measured moments make Dy-doped films interesting TI systems in which the TRS may be broken via the proximity effect due to an adjacent ferromagnetic insulator.

Incorporation of magnetic dopants into topological insulators to break time-reversal symmetry is a prerequisite for observing the quantum anomalous Hall (QAHE) effect and other novel magnetoelectric phenomena. GdBiTe3 with a Gd:Bi ratio of 1:1 is a proposed QAHE system, however, the reported solubility limit for Gd doping into Bi2Te3 bulk crystals is between ∼0.01 and 0.05. We present a magnetic study of molecular beam epitaxy grown (GdxBi1–x)2Te3 thin films with a high Gd concentration, up to x ≈ 0.3. Magnetometry reveals that the films are paramagnetic down to 1.5 K. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the Gd M4,5 edge at 1.5 K reveals a saturation field of ∼6 T, and a slow decay of the magnetic moment with temperature up to 200 K. The Gd3+ ions, which are substitutional on Bi sites in the Bi2Te3 lattice, exhibit a large atomic moment of ∼7 μB, as determined by bulk-sensitive superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. Surface oxidation and the formation of Gd2O3 lead to a reduced moment of ∼4 μB as determined by surface-sensitive x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Their large atomic moment makes these films suitable for incorporation into heterostructures, where interface polarization effects can lead to the formation of magnetic order within the topological insulators.