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With molecular beam epitaxy, we grew uniformly vanadium-doped Bi2Se3 films which exhibit ferromagnetism with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. A systematic study on the magneto-transport properties of the films revealed the crucial role of topological surface states in ferromagnetic coupling. The enhanced ferromagnetism with reduced carrier density can support quantum anomalous Hall phase in the films, though the anomalous Hall resistance is far from quantization due to high carrier density. The topological surface states of films exhibit a gap of ∼180 meV which is unlikely to be magnetically induced but may significantly influence the quantum anomalous Hall effect in the system.

Based on first-principles calculations, we systematically investigated the topological surface states of Bi and Sb thin films of 1-5 bilayers in (111) orientation without and with H(F) adsorption, respectively. We find that compared with clean Bi and Sb films, a huge band gap advantageous to observe the quantum spin Hall effect can be opened in chemically decorated bilayer Bi and Sb films, and the quantum phase transition from trivial (non-trivial) to non-trivial (trivial) phase is induced for a three bilayer Bi film and single (four) bilayer Sb film. Surface adsorption is an effective tool to manipulate the geometry, electronic structures and topological properties of film materials.

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Low-dimensional materials exhibit exotic properties and have attracted widespread attention. However, many low-dimensional materials are highly sensitive to air, making it challenging to investigate their intrinsic properties with ex situ measurements. To overcome such challenges, here, we developed a system combined with sample growth, electrode deposition, and in situ electrical transport measurement under ultra-high vacuum condition. The in situ deposition of electrodes enables desired ohmic electrical contacts between the probes and samples, which allows continuous temperature dependent resistance (R–T) measurements. Combined with a scanning tunneling microscope, surface morphology, electronic structure, and electrical transport properties of the same sample can be systematically investigated. We demonstrate the performance of this in situ electrical transport measurement system with three-unit-cell thick FeSe films grown on Nb-doped SrTiO3(001) substrates, where a low-noise R–T curve with a zero-resistance superconducting transition temperature of ∼30 K is observed.

Superconducting quantum devices, due to their ultra-low power consumption, high sensitivity and high speed, have attracted great attention in recent years and put forward higher requirements for fabrication technology. Here, we report on the first superconducting ultrathin FeSe nanowires on SrTiO3 substrates successfully fabricated by electron beam lithography and Ar plasma ion beam etching. As the superconductivity of the molecular beam epitaxial ultrathin FeSe film is highly susceptible by moisture and oxygen, FeTe layers were deposited for protection. We synthesized a superconducting ∼300 nm wide, ∼1.1 nm thick ultrathin FeSe nanowire with T C Zero ≈ 5  K (the critical temperature of zero resistance), as revealed by electrical transport measurements. The proper synthesis conditions of the high-quality ultrathin superconducting FeSe nanowires on SrTiO3 substrates are evaluated by analyzing the morphology and physical properties of the ∼300 nm width ultrathin FeSe nanowire. Our work may pave the way for future applications of air-sensitive iron-based superconducting films.

To study the optical properties of background atmospheric aerosols in East China, we carried out observations of the physical, chemical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols at the summit of Mount Tai (Mt. Tai, 1533.7 m above sea level) from 13 May to 25 June 2017. The results show that the average scattering coefficient ( σ sca , 550 ) at 550 nm of the aerosols at the summit of Mt. Tai is 40.3 Mm−1, and the average absorption coefficient ( σ abs , 550 ) at 550 nm is 16.0 Mm−1. The complex refractive index of aerosols is a key parameter for aerosol retrieval and modeling. There are few studies on the equivalent complex refractive index of aerosol in the Taishan area. We calculated the aerosol equivalent complex refractive index using the observed aerosol scattering coefficients, absorption coefficients and particle size distribution data, providing more data support for future modeling in this region. The real part (n) of the complex refractive index at 550 nm of aerosol ranges from 1.31 to 1.98 (mostly under 1.50), with an average value of 1.38, while the imaginary part (k) ranges from 0.014 to 0.251 (less than 0.10 for over 95% samples), with an average value of 0.040. The analysis of the n and k of the aerosol average complex refractive index shows that the scattering properties of the aerosols at the summit of Mt. Tai are relatively weak and the absorption properties are relatively strong when compared with those of other kinds of aerosols. The k of the aerosol complex refractive index at the summit of Mt. Tai has strong correlations with the wind speed, temperature, as revealed by the correlation analysis.

Layered material indium selenide (In x Se y ) is a promising candidate for building next-generation electronic and photonic devices. We report a zirconium aided MBE growth of this van der Waals material. When co-depositing zirconium and selenium onto an indium phosphide substrate with a substrate temperature of 400°C at a constant zirconium flux rate of 0.01 ML/min, the polymorphic In x Se y layer emerges on top of the insulating ZrSe2 layer. Different archetypes, such as InSe, α-In2Se3 and β-In2Se3, are found in the In x Se y layers. A negative magnetoresistance of 40% at 2K under 9T magnetic field is observed. Such an In x Se y /ZrSe2 heterostructure with good lattice-matching may serve as a candidate for device applications.