We report that in YBa2Cu3Oy and La2-xSrxCuO4 there is a spatially inhomogeneous response to magnetic field for temperatures T extending well above the bulk superconducting transition temperature Tc. An inhomogeneous magnetic response is observed above Tc even in ortho-II YBa2Cu3O6.50, which has highly ordered doping. The degree of the field inhomogeneity above Tc tracks the hole doping dependences of both Tc and the density of the superconducting carriers below Tc, and therefore is apparently coupled to superconductivity.
Theoretical high-$T_c$ d-wave superconducting gap in an inhomogeneous medium
通过理论计算，得到了平均掺杂水平为$<ρ>$的无序超导体中高温超导（HTSC）系列的局域d波超导带隙$Δ_0({r})$的分布.为了再现非均匀介质中的一个随机势$V^{imp}$，在Bogoliubov-de Gennes（BdG）的形式主义，被认为是。首先，获得了LSCO HTSC系列的相图$Δ_0 x <ρ>$，其中V^{imp}=0。然后，我们进行计算，考虑一个固定值的无序强度$V^{imp}$和获得的分布的局部超导间隙$Δ_0({r})$，和局部密度的载流子$ρ({r})$。结果表明，欠掺杂的化合物比过掺杂的化合物更不均匀，这与实验结果是一致的。此外，$Δ_0({r})$的空间变化表明，随着<ρ>的增加，系统变得更加均匀。
We report $^{77}$Se NMR data in the normal and superconducting states of a single crystal of FeSe for several different field orientations. The Knight shift is suppressed in the superconducting state for in-plane fields, but does not vanish at zero temperature. For fields oriented out of the plane, little or no reduction is observed below $T_c$. These results reflect spin-singlet pairing emerging from a nematic state with large orbital susceptibility and spin-orbit coupling. The spectra and spin-relaxation rate data reveal electronic inhomogeneity that is enhanced in the superconducting state,…
We present universal features of the topological invariant of p-wave superconducting wires after the inclusion of spatial inhomogeneities. Three classes of distributed potentials are studied, a single- impurity, a commensurate and an incommensurate model using periodic site modulations. An analytical polynomial description is achieved by splitting the topological invariant into two parts, one dependent on the chemical potential and the other not. For the homogeneous case, an elliptical region is found where the topological invariant oscillates. The zeros of these oscillations occur at points w…
A superconducting thin film with uniform properties is the key to realize nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) with high performance and high yield. To investigate the uniformity of NbN films, we introduce and characterize simple detectors consisting of short nanowires with length ranging from 100nm to 15μm. Our nanowires, contrary to meander SSPDs, allow probing the homogeneity of NbN at the nanoscale. Experimental results, endorsed by a microscopic model, show the strongly inhomogeneous nature of NbN films on the sub-100nm scale.
We have performed $^{27}$Al-NMR measurements on single-crystalline UPd$_2$Al$_3$ with the field parallel to the $c$ axis to investigate the superconducting (SC) properties near the upper critical field of superconductivity $H_{\rm c2}$. The broadening of the NMR linewidth below 14~K indicates the appearance of the internal field at the Al site, which originates from the antiferromagnetically ordered moments of U 5$f$ electrons. In the SC state well below $μ_0H_{\rm c2}$ = 3.4~T, the broadening of the NMR linewidth due to the SC diamagnetism and a decrease in the Knight shift are observed, whic…
The possibility of high temperature superconductivity in organic compounds has been discussed since the pioneering work of Little in 1964, with unsatisfactory progress until the recent report of a weak Meissner shielding effect at 120 Kelvin in potassium-doped para-terphenyl samples. To date however, no other signals of the superconductivity have been shown, including the zero-resistance state or evidence for the formation of the Cooper pairs that are inherent to the superconducting state. Here, using high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy on potassium surface-doped para-terphenyl crystals…
Typically the superconducting phase weakens at several points with the increase in disorder before it is distroyed in the 2d-thin films. This may lead to an inhomogeneous superconducting state without a continuous phase. Here we present scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements at 0.1 K in the disordered polycrystalline film of TiN describing the nanoscale size features of the superconducting state. The imaging shows imcommensurate charge density modulations, originating at the crystalline bounadries, and intercepted on large scale by the beat patterns in the regions of overlap. Electronic …
We study competitions between charge uniform and inhomogeneous states in two-dimensional Hubbard models by using a variational Monte Carlo method. At realistic parameters for cuprate superconductors, emergent effective attraction of carriers generated from repulsive Coulomb interaction leads to charge/spin stripe ground states, which severely compete with uniform superconducting excited states in the energy scale of 10 K for the cuprates. Stripe period increases with decreasing hole doping $δ$, which agrees with the experiments for La-based cuprates at $δ$ = 1/8. For lower $δ$, we find a phase…
A sufficiently large parallel magnetic field will generate staggered supercurrent loops and superfluid density wave in two weakly linked superconducting (SC) ultrathin films, resulting in an inhomogeneous Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. The SC order parameter of such an FFLO state is characterized by Bloch wave functions, called the "Bloch SC state". The staggered supercurrent loops form an array of Josephson vortex-antivortex pairs, instead of the usual Josephson vortex lattice. Enclosing a unit cell of the array, the London's fluxoid is quantized as $Φ^{\prime}=Φ_0=hc/2e$, whi…
Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov Inhomogeneous Superconducting State and Phase Transitions Induced by Spin Accumulation in a Ferromagnet-$ d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}$-Wave Superconductor-Ferromagnet Tunnel Junction
Quantitative magneto-optical imaging of a type-II superconductor thin film cooled under zero, homogeneous, and inhomogeneous applied magnetic fields, indicates that the latter procedure leads to an enhancement of the screening capacity. Such an observation is corroborated by both B-independent and B-dependent critical state model analyses. Furthermore, repulsive (attractive) vortex-(anti)vortex interactions were found to have a decisive role in the shielding ability, with initial states prepared with vortices resulting in a shorter magnetic flux front penetration depth than those prepared with…
Numerical simulation of superconducting devices is a powerful tool for understanding the principles of their work and improving their design. We present a new pseudospectral method for two-dimensional magnetization and transport current superconducting strip problems with an arbitrary current-voltage relation, spatially inhomogeneous strips, and strips in a nonuniform applied field. The method is based on the bivariate expansions in Chebyshev polynomials and Hermite functions. It can be used for numerical modeling magnetic flux pumps of different types and investigating AC losses in coated con…
We study one dimensional chains of superconducting islands with a particular emphasis on the regime in which every second island is switched into its normal state, thus forming a superconductor-insulator-normal metal (S-I-N) repetition pattern. As is known since Giaever tunneling experiments, tunneling charge transport between a superconductor and a normal metal becomes exponentially suppressed, and zero-bias resistance diverges, as the temperature is reduced and the energy gap of the superconductor grows larger than the thermal energy. Here we demonstrate that this physical phenomenon strongl…
Theory of superconducting and magnetic proximity effect in S$\mid$F structures with inhomogeneous magnetization textures and spin-active interfaces
我们研究了超导体$\mid$铁磁双层中的邻近效应和逆邻近效应，并考虑了迄今为止文献中大多被忽视的几个重要因素。这些包括自旋相关的界面相移（自旋-DIPS）和非均匀的纹理中的铁磁层的磁化强度，这两者都预计将存在于真实的实验样品。我们的方法是数值，使我们能够访问完整的邻近效应制度。在第一部分中，我们研究了具有非平凡磁织构的非均匀铁磁体中的超导邻近效应和由此产生的局域态密度。我们在第一部分中的两个主要结果是布洛赫和内尔畴壁如何影响邻近诱导的超导关联的研究和研究的超导邻近效应在锥形铁磁体。后一个主题应该是相关的铁磁体何，这是最近在实验中使用，以证明产生和维持长程三重态超导关联的可能性。在这项工作的第二部分中，我们调查的逆邻近效应，强调在超导区域的感应磁化强度的结果的“泄漏”的铁磁区域。结果表明，自旋-DIPS的存在下修改先前在文献中获得的结论，在超导区域的感应磁化。特别是，我们发现自旋DIPS可以触发磁化的反屏蔽效应，导致在超导区域与\textit{the same sign}在邻近铁磁体的感应磁化。
We propose a model and derive analytical expressions for conductivity in heterogeneous fully anisotropic conductors with ellipsoid superconducting inclusions. This model and calculations are useful to analyze the observed temperature dependence of conductivity anisotropy in various anisotropic superconductors, where superconductivity onset happens inhomogeneously in the form of isolated superconducting islands. The results are applied to explain the experimental data on resistivity above the transition temperature $T_c$ in the high-temperature superconductor $\mathrm{YBa_2Cu_4O_8}$ and in the …
Gap fluctuations, Cooper pairs with finite center-of-mass momentum, and suppression of superconductivity in inhomogeneous systems with dopant superpuddles agglomerates
Recent advances in surface treatments of Niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities have led to substantially increased Q-factors and maximum surface field. This poses theoretical challenges to identify the mechanisms responsible for such performance enhancements. We report theoretical results for the effects of inhomogeneous surface disorder on the superheating field --- the surface magnetic field above which the Meissner state is globally unstable. We find that inhomogeneous disorder, such as that introduced by infusion of Nitrogen into the surface layers of Niobium SRF cavities,…
We numerically show that a vortex pinning occurs in superconducting quasicrystal without impurities and defects. This vortex pinning is intrinsic since the superconducting order parameter in quasicrystal is always inhomogeneous due to the lack of the translational symmetry. We propose that experiments influenced by vortex pinning effects can detect the atomic-scale inhomogeneous superconducting order parameter in quasicrystals. We develop a numerical method to solve the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations and gap equations in large systems, which is based on the localized-Krylov subspace and a spar…
The interplay of magnetic and charge fluctuations can lead to quantum phases with exceptional electronic properties. A case in point is magnetically-driven superconductivity, where magnetic correlations fundamentally affect the underlying symmetry and generate new physical properties. The superconducting wave-function in most known magnetic superconductors does not break translational symmetry. However, it has been predicted that modulated triplet p-wave superconductivity occurs in singlet d-wave superconductors with spin-density wave (SDW) order. Here we report evidence for the presence of a …
We report investigations of molybdenum nitride (MoN) thin films with different thickness and disorder and with superconducting transition temperature 9.89 K $\ge{T_c}\ge$ 2.78 K. Using terahertz frequency-domain spectroscopy we explore the normal and superconducting charge carrier dynamics for frequencies covering the range from 3 to 38 cm$^{-1}$ (0.1 to 1.1 THz). The superconducting energy scales, i.e. the critical temperature $T_c$, the pairing energy $Δ$, and the superfluid stiffness $J$, and the superfluid density $n_s$ can be well described within the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory for …
In europium-based iron pnictides superconducting Fe-planes can be influenced by a Zeeman field originated from the neighboring Eu-planes. The field tends to induce spin-density waves with a ferromagnetic average which coexists with the superconducting order by forming complementary patterns of the superconducting and magnetic order parameters in a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase and a two-dimensional textured-superconducting phase. The hard gap around the Fermi energy disappears in these fragile inhomogeneous superconducting states, which features, instead, V-shaped spin-resolved local …
A theoretical prediction published in Phys.Rev. B 64, 012505 (2001) is corroborated experimentally. This corroboration of the theoretical result published in Physical Review B was rejected for publication in the same journal. Such inconsistency is connected with a contradiction to the second law of thermodynamics. According to the theory Phys.Rev. B 64, 012505 (2001) the energy of a noise can be transformed to a dc power in superconducting loop and therefore a dc voltage oscillating with magnetic field can be observed on segments of an inhomogeneous loop in the temperature region close to the …
Magnetic field induced superconductivity is a fascinating quantum phenomenon, whose origin is yet to be fully understood. The recently discovered spin triplet superconductor, UTe2, exhibits two such superconducting phases, with the second one reentering in the magnetic field of 45 T and persisting up to 65 T. More surprisingly, in order to induce this superconducting phase, the magnetic field has to be applied in a special angle range, not along any high symmetry crystalline direction. Here we investigated the evolution of this high-field induced superconducting phase under pressure. Two super…
Newly-discovered superconductor UTe$_2$ is a strong contender for a topological spin-triplet state wherein a multi-component order parameter arises from two nearly-degenerate superconducting states. A key issue is whether both of these states intrinsically exist at ambient pressure. Through thermal expansion and calorimetry, we show that UTe$_2$ at ambient conditions exhibits two detectable transitions only in some samples, and the size of the thermal expansion jump at each transition varies when the measurement is performed in different regions of the sample. This result indicates that the tw…
A single-sample synthesis concept based on multi-element ceramic samples can produce a variety of local products. When applied to cuprate superconductors (SC), statistical modelling predicts the occurrence of possible compounds in a concentration range of about 50 ppm. In samples with such low concentrations, determining which compositions are superconducting is a challenging task and requires local probes or separation techniques. Here, we report results from samples with seven components: BaO2, CaCO3, SrCO3, La2O3, PbCO3, ZrO2 and CuO oxides and carbonates, starting from different grain size…
Among iron based superconductors, the layered iron chalcogenide Fe(Te1-xSex) is structurally the simplest and has attracted considerable attentions. It has been speculated from bulk studies that nanoscale inhomogeneous superconductivity may inherently exist in this system. However, this has not been directly observed from nanoscale transport measurements. In this work, through simple micromechanical exfoliation and high precision low-energy ion milling thinning, we prepared Fe(Te0.5Se0.5) nano-flake with various thickness and systematically studied the correlation between the thickness and sup…
We report the first magneto-caloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic "FFLO" superconducting state first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor $κ$ - (BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu(NCS)$_2$, as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit $H_p$ for tradit…
