Alon Ron

Congratulations to Alon Ron, Zuckerman Faculty Scholar at Tel Aviv University,  on the publication of Probing the symmetries of nodal-line semimetal SrAl in Physical Review Research. The paper explores how symmetry shapes the behavior of a quantum material known as a nodal-line semi-metal. With advanced nonlinear optical methods, it possible to follow subtle changes in structure and electronic behavior as temperature and disorder affect the material’s different phases.

The research demonstrates how hidden structural changes can influence quantum material properties and  the use of nonlinear optics as a powerful tool for revealing otherwise difficult to detect effects.

Abstract:
Symmetry plays a central role in determining the electronic structure and topology of nodal-line semi-metals….  We use nonlinear optical second and third-harmonic generation to track the evolution of crystal symmetries in SrAl4 with temperature and disorder.  Temperature dependent second-harmonic generation uncovers strong coupling between the lattice and the charge-density-wave order and shows that disorder quenches the low-temperature monoclinic phase.