Probing uniaxial strain effects on SmB6 using 11B solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

POSTER

Abstract

The strongly-correlated and mixed valence Kondo insulator SmB6 has been shown to exhibit surface states, which are suggested to originate with non-trivial topology. The surface state conduction is observed to dominate over bulk conduction only at Li-He temperatures. However, recently reported results from transport measurements were interpreted as evidence for surface-dominated transport to temperatures as high as 240 K, consistent with a much larger bulk gap. 11B NMR relaxation measurements were carried out under strained conditions, as a means for studying at a microscopic level the gap evolution, and in search for evidence of a heterogeneous phase. In initial measurements, the behavior is consistent with a 50% increase in energy gap with only 0.5% uniaxial strain; experiments at higher strain are underway.

Presenters

  • Yue-Shun Su

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles

Authors

  • Yue-Shun Su

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Yongkang Luo

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Andrej Pustogow

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles, 1. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart

  • Eric Bauer

    Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MPA-CMMS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA, MPA-CMMS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, Los Alamos National Labs

  • Stuart E Brown

    Univ of California - Los Angeles, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles