News 2024

Graphene spintronics is an emerging field of research that explores the use of graphene's extraordinary spin and charge transport properties. This Perspective explores the latest advancements in proximity effects, topological states, and correlated physics in graphene-based van-der-Waals heterostructures, discussing the fundamentals for potential applications.

The article has been published in 2D Materials.

After predicting that the competition between conventional and chiral spin-orbit fields in Josephson junctions can lead to the unconventional supercurrent diode effect (see below), we are exploring fundamental ways to disentangle both types of spin-orbit coupling in real materials from transport measurements focusing at single-interface ferromagnet/superconductor junctions and also addressing interference with hypothetic Dresselhaus interactions.

Our latest results have been published in the preprint arXiv:2412.03994.

Together with colleagues from Sendai, we are proposing a new type of supercurrent diode effect – termed unconventional supercurrent diode effect – as a highly sensitive probe of interfacial chiral spin-orbit fields in vertical superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor Josephson junctions.

Our latest results have been published in the preprint arXiv:2411.11570.

In an international collaboration with colleagues from Taiwan, the UK, Poland, and Slovakia, we are exploring magnetotransport signatures of radial Rashba spin-orbit fields in proximitized graphene.

Our latest results have been published in Physical Review Letters.

Thomas Naimer, Ph.D. student in our group, successfully defended his thesis entitled "Twist angle and proximiy spin-orbit coupling in graphene-based heterostructures: an ab-initio approach".

Congratulations, Thomas!

Dr. Paulo E. Faria Junior, Research Associate in our group, has completed his Habilitation process giving an exciting talk in front of the faculty members.

Paulo's groundbreaking research, combining first-principles with phenomenological methodologies, has significantly advanced our common understanding of exciton physics in two-dimensional materials and deciphered the impact of external stimuli such as electric or magnetic fields, strain, and twisting.

We are looking forward to Paulo's continued contributions to this exciting field!

Congratulations, Paulo!

With Prof. Dr. Jaroslav Fabian, Dr. Andreas Costa, Thomas Naimer, and Dr. Klaus Zollner, our team has shown a comprehensive presence at Graphene Week 2024 in Prague advertising our research on proximity and twisting effects in graphene/van-der-Waals heterostructures and the supercurrent diode effect in two-dimensional systems.

Dr. Lukas Cvitkovich joins our group as a PostDoc. Lukas will be working on first-principles descriptions?of magnetic tunnel junctions and large-scale systems.

Welcome, Lukas!

The latest issue of Europhysics News features a highlighted article authored by Prof. Dr. Jaroslav Fabian and Dr. Klaus Zollner to illustrate the unprecedented tunability of spin interactions in van-der-Waals heterostructures through, e.g., stacking and twisting individual layers. These properties make van-der-Waals heterostructures promising candidates for spintronics devices and next-generation information technologies.

The full article is available here.

Dr. Gusthavo Brizolla joins our group as a PostDoc. Gusthavo will be working on modeling spin-orbit torques in two-dimensional magnets from first-principles calculations.

Welcome, Gusthavo!

The award for the best poster presented at the International Conference on Internal Interfaces 2024 (IC II-24) in Marburg has been awarded to Dr. Klaus Zollner for his contribution on "Proximity-induced spin interactions in twisted van-der-Waals heterostructures".

Congratulations, Klaus!

Our recent work demonstrating an efficient electrical control of various correlated phases in a single van-der-Waals/Bernal-bilayer-graphene heterostructure has been published in Physical Review B .

Our first-principles studies proposing radial Rashba spin-orbit fields in twisted van-der-Waals heterostructures have been published in Physical Review B and highlighted as Editors' Suggestion.

Together with the experimental group of Prof. Dr. Christoph Strunk/Dr. Nicola Paradiso at UR, we unraveled a direct connection between the supercurrent diode and anomalous Josephson effects in InAs-based Josephson junctions.

Our latest results have been published in Nature Communications.

In an international collaboration, we are exploring the ramifications of proximity-induced spin-orbit and exchange coupling on the appearance of correlated phases in rhombohedral trilayer graphene.

Our latest results have been published in Physical Review Letters.

In collaboration with colleagues from Kosice, we are exploring the tunability of the proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling in twisted graphene/NbSe₂ heterostructures.

Our latest results have been published in Physical Review B.

From first-principles calculations, we are proposing Rashba spin-orbit fields with radial symmetry that emerge in twisted van-der-Waals heterostructures.

Our latest results have been published in the preprint arXiv:2402.12353.

Together with colleagues from Slovakia and Poland, we are demonstrating a giant asymmetry of the proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling in twisted graphene/SnTe heterostructures.

Our latest results have been published in the preprint arXiv:2402.09045.

In collaboration with colleagues from Kosice, we are exploring the tunability of the proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling in twisted graphene/NbSe₂ heterostructures.

Our latest results have been published in the preprint arXiv:2402.07533.