The strongly correlated material $VO_2$ displays a metal-to-insulator (MIT) transition when going below $T_{MIT}=280K$. Alongside this electronic transition, the material undergoes a structural transition from a rutile structure in the metallic phase to a monoclinic structure in the insulating phase. These simultaneous transitions have created a long-lasting debate within the community: is the...
The inverse Faraday effect (IFE) allows the generation of stationary magnetic fields through optical excitation only [1,2]. This light−matter interaction in metals results from the creation of drift currents via nonlinear forces that light applies to the conduction electrons [1]. The IFE was believed, until now, to be a symmetrical phenomenon, meaning that a right-handed circularly polarized...
PtSe2 is a promising 2D material for high frequency IR optoelectronics [1], its bandgap varying from 1.2 eV (monolayer) to 0.2 eV (bilayer) [2]. We have grown 2D PtSe2 films on sapphire(0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. In particular, we used sapphire substrates with a 0.25° miscut to generate, after high temperature (1135°C) annealing, stepped structures. Indeed, we demonstrated...
WTe2, a transition metal dichalcogenide, is predicted to have striking topological properties that combine the characters of type II Weyl semimetal and second-order 3D topological insulator (SOTI). SOTIs are characterized by topologically protected helical 1D states at their hinges. 1D states located at certain edges of multilayer WTe2 have indeed been demonstrated in Josephson interferometry...
DNA toroids are complex liquid crystalline objects that form spontaneously in vitro by condensation of DNA, a general behaviour of semi-flexible polyelectrolytes. These structures have intrigued biophysicists and physicists, both experimental and theoretical, because of the intrinsic beauty of these toroidal objects, and because they provide models for understanding the packaging of DNA in...
To explain the open questions in the fundaments of physics, new theories that reach beyond the standard model of particle physics are needed. A great number of these indirectly predict electric dipole moments (EDM) of fundamental particles in ranges that are just within reach for modern atomic and molecular physics experiments. While measurements in atomic and molecular beams provided the most...
