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Sample dependence of the specific heat in FeSi

by Carolina Burger, Andreas Bauer, Christian Pfleiderer

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Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Carolina Burger
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202208_00027v1  (pdf)
Date submitted: 2022-08-14 20:35
Submitted by: Burger, Carolina
Submitted to: SciPost Physics Proceedings
Proceedings issue: International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES2022)
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Experiment
Approach: Experimental

Abstract

Recently, a high-mobility surface conduction channel and in-gap states were identified in the correlated small-gap semiconductor FeSi using electrical transport measurements and high-resolution tunneling spectroscopy. Intriguingly, the mobility of the charge carriers in the surface channel is quantitatively similar to typical topological insulators, but displays a striking lack of sensitivity to the presence of ferromagnetic impurities as studied by means of a series of single crystals with slightly different starting compositions. Here, we report measurements of the specific heat of these crystals. Contributions to the specific heat observed in our crystals that are linear in temperature, suggestive of an electronic origin, lack a dependence on magnetic field but display a pronounced variation as a function of starting composition, by a factor of ∼50.

Current status:
Has been resubmitted

Reports on this Submission

Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2022-9-20 (Invited Report)

  • Cite as: Anonymous, Report on arXiv:scipost_202208_00027v1, delivered 2022-09-20, doi: 10.21468/SciPost.Report.5728

Strengths

1) It's nice to see sample dependence (or Fe stoichiometry?) dependence examined.
2) This provides a way to distinguish samples in future.
3) Well written, clearly presented.

Weaknesses

1) It is not clear what underlying parameter controls gamma. In particular, the stoichiometry in the samples does not appear to have been measured or refined, and there are no rocking curves to check crystallinity.
2) There isn't really a conclusion.

Report

Related to the topic of the poster, appears to meet the criteria.

Requested changes

Apiezon N grease has a broad glass transition around 210-250 K which is not resolved with the default addenda spacing, leading to artifacts around 200-260 K in the subtracted data, but it would likely be resolved if the long-pulse approach were also used for the addenda. (Normally H grease is used above 180-200 K to avoid these artifacts.) Readers should know how the addenda were taken, and the authors should address whether the feature around 200 K could be due to the grease.

In line 40, "optically float-zoned single crystals" suggests that existing crystals were subsequently treated in a floating zone furnace, and "float-zoning" as a verb is an uncommon slang.

In line 78, the d in "d-electron" should be italicized.

There are capitalization issues in lines 140 (Si) and 172 (Hubbard).

  • validity: high
  • significance: good
  • originality: good
  • clarity: high
  • formatting: excellent
  • grammar: excellent

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