In a superconductor with magnetic impurities, Kondo scattering results in the formation of localized states inside the superconducting gap. We show that inelastic electronic transitions involving quasiparticle scattering into and out of the localized states may result in significant changes in the non equilibrium properties of the superconductor. Using the model of Muller-Hartmann and Zittartz for the extreme dilute limit, and including both deformation potential and spin-lattice coupling we have calculated the rates of such inelastic transitions between continuum and discrete states, and shown that they may greatly modify quasiparticle interactions. The individual processes are: quasiparticle trapping into discrete states, enhanced recombination with localized quasiparticles, and pair breaking and detrapping of localized quasiparticles by sub-gap phonons. We find that all these processes give rise to clearly distinguishable temperature dependences of the kinetic parameters.
Electron transport between two superconductors through an Anderson impurity in the Kondo regime is investigated within the slave boson mean field approximation. The current, shot noise power and Fano factor are displayed versus the applied bias voltage in the subgap region and found to be strongly dependent on the ratio between the Kondo temperature $T_{K}$ and the superconducting gap $Δ$. In particular, the $I-V$ curve exposes an excess current in the limit $T_{K}/Δ\gg 1$.
We derive a solvable resonant-level type model, to describe an impurity spin coupled to zero-energy bound states localized at the edge of a one dimensional d-wave superconductor. This results in a two-channel Kondo effect with a quite unusual low-temperature thermodynamics. For instance, the local impurity susceptibility yields a finite maximum at zero temperature (but no logarithmic-divergence) due to the splitting of the impurity in two Majorana fermions. Moreover, we make comparisons with the Kondo effect occurring in a two dimensional d-wave superconductor.
We present theoretical investigation of a single magnetic impurity in a d-wave superconductor using the large N limit. It is shown that the Kondo screening occurs only in the presence of the particle-hole asymmetry. We find analytical expressions for the Kondo temperature, magnetic susceptibility and scattering matrix near the phase transition. The results are generalized for the density of states vanishing with an arbitrary exponent. Also we briefly study the modifications of the theory for the case of a non-magnetic impurity which induces a staggered spin configuration on the nearby copper a…
The Kondo effect in superconductors is frequently investigated using the local quasiparticle density of states as sole bath characteristics, i.e., the presence of anomalous propagators is ignored. Here we point out that this treatment is exact for a number of situations, including point-like impurities in d-wave superconductors. We comment on recent investigations [M. Matsumoto and M. Koga, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 70, 2860 (2001), cond-mat/0011256, and Phys. Rev. B 65, 024508 (2002), cond-mat/0103053] which reached different conclusions: while their numerical results are likely correct, their inter…
We present a theory of Kondo effect caused by an induced magnetic moment near non-magnetic impurities such as Zn and Li in the cuprate superconductors. Based on the co-existence of charge order and superconductivity, a natural description of the induced moment and the resulting Kondo effect is obtained in the framework of bond-operator theory of microscopic t-J-V Hamiltonian. The local density of state near impurities is computed in a self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory which shows a low-energy peak in the middle of superconducting gap. Our theory also suggests that the charge order ca…
We apply a Gutzwiller-like variational technique to study Josephson conduction across a quantum dot with an odd number of electrons connected to two superconducting leads. Our method projects out all states on the dot but the Kondo singlet and is valid when Kondo correlations are dominant and no Andreev bound states localized at the dot are available for Kondo screening. In these conditions superconducting pairing is a competing effect and the junction is $π-$like, to optimize antiferromagnetic correlations on the dot. As the superconducting gap increases, the Josephson current also increases,…
We give a brief review of the Mott-Kondo scenario and its consequence in the recently-discovered infinite-layer nickelate superconductors. We argue that the parent state is a self-doped Mott insulator and propose an effective $t$-$J$-$K$ model to account for its low-energy properties. At small doping, the model describes a low carrier density Kondo system with incoherent Kondo scattering at finite temperatures, in good agreement with experimental observation of the logarithmic temperature dependence of electric resistivity. Upon increasing Sr doping, the model predicts a breakdown of the Kondo…
A new type of Kondo effect peculiar to unconventional superconductors is studied theoretically by using the Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. In this case, an angular momentum of a Cooper pair plays an important role in the Kondo effect. It produces multichannel exchange couplings with a local spin. Here we focus on a $p_x +i p_y$-wave state which is a full gap system. The calculated impurity susceptibility shows that the local spin is almost quenched by the Kondo effect in the strong coupling region ($T_{\rm K}/Δ\to \infty$), while the ground state is always a spin doublet over…
We consider the screening of an impurity moment in a d-wave superconductor under the influence of a Zeeman magnetic field. Using the Numerical Renormalization Group technique, we investigate the resulting pseudogap Kondo problem, in particular the field-induced crossover behavior in the vicinity of the zero-field boundary quantum phase transition. The impurity spectral function and the resulting changes in the local host density of states are calculated, giving specific predictions for high-field STM measurements on impurity-doped cuprates.
We investigate the impurity resonant state induced by non-magnetic impurities in d-wave cuprate superconductors in two different impurity models: (i) in a pure potential scattering model within the T-matrix approach and (ii) in a Bose-Fermi Kondo model within the large-N formalism. We modify the superconducting host to resemble the nanoscale electronic inhomogeneities seen in the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) spectra (i.e., the small- and large-gap domains) and study how this influences the impurity resonance. In the pure potential scattering model the resonant state is found to be a rat…
We discuss the dynamics of magnetic moments in d-wave superconductors, in particular we focus on moments induced by doping non-magnetic impurities into cuprates. The interaction of such moments with the Bogoliubov quasiparticles of the superconductors can be decribed by variants of the pseudogap Kondo model, characterized by a power-law density of states at the Fermi level. The Numerical Renormalization Group technique is employed to investigate this Kondo problem for realistic band structures and particle-hole asymmetries, both at zero and finite temperatures. In particular, we study the boun…
Using the numerical renormalization group method, the effect due to a Kondo impurity in an $s$-wave superconductor is examined at finite temperature ($T$). The $T$-behaviors of the spectral function and the magnetic moment at the impurity site are calculated. At $T$=0, the spin due to the impurity is in singlet state when the ratio between the Kondo temperature $T_k$ and the superconducting gap $Δ$ is larger than 0.26. Otherwise, the spin of the impurity is in a doublet state. We show that the separation of the double Yu-Shiba-Rusinov peaks in the spectral function shrinks as $T$ increases if …
Orbital degrees of freedom of a Cooper pair play an important role in the unconventional superconductivity. To elucidate the orbital effect in the Kondo problem, we investigated a single magnetic impurity coupled to Cooper pairs with a $p_x +i p_y$ ($d_{x^2-y^2}+id_{xy}$) symmetry using the numerical renormalization group method. It is found that the ground state is always a spin doublet. The analytical solution for the strong coupling limit explicitly shows that the orbital dynamics of the Cooper pair generates the spin 1/2 of the ground state.
We present a theory for recent STM studies of Zn impurities in the superconductor BSCCO, using insights from NMR experiments which show that there is a net S=1/2 moment on the Cu ions near the Zn. We argue that the Kondo spin dynamics of this moment is the origin of the low bias peak in the differential conductance, rather than a resonance in a purely potential scattering model. The spatial and energy dependence of the STM spectra of our model can also fit the experiments.
We study the transport properties of a quantum dot coupled to a normal and a superconducting lead. The dot is represented by a generalized Anderson model. Correlation effects are taken into account by an appropriate self-energy which interpolates between the limits of weak and strong coupling to the leads. The transport properties of the system are controlled by the interplay between the Kondo effect and Andreev reflection processes. We show that, depending on the parameters range the conductance can either be enhanced or suppressed as compared to the normal case. In particular, by adequately …
This paper studies the physics of junctions containing superconducting $(S)$ and normal $(N)$ leads weakly coupled to an Anderson impurity in the Kondo regime $(K)$. Special attention is devoted to the case where one of the leads is a $p-wave$ superconductor where mid-gap surface states play an important role in the tunneling processes and help the formation of Kondo resonance. The novel physics in these systems beyond that encountered in quantum dots coupled only to to normal leads is that electron transport at finite bias $eV$ in $SKN$ and $SKS$ junctions is governed by Andreev reflections. …
Phonon-assisted electronic tunnelings through a vibrating quantum dot embedded between normal and superconducting leads are studied in the Kondo regime. In such a hybrid device, with the bias applied to the normal lead, we find a series of Kondo sidebands separated by half a phonon energy in the differential conductance, which are distinct from the phonon-assisted sidebands previously observed in the conventional Andreev tunnelings and in systems with only normal leads. These Kondo sidebands originate from the Kondo-Andreev cooperative cotunneling mediated by phonons, which exhibit a novel Kon…
A theory of Kondo lattices is applied to the crossover between local-moment magnetism and itinerant-electron magnetism in the t-J model on a quasi-two dimensional lattice. The Kondo temperature T_K is defined as a characteristic temperature or energy scale of local quantum spin fluctuations. Magnetism with T_N >> T_K, where T_N is the N\eel temperature, is characterized as local-moment one, while magnetism with T_N << T_K is characterized as itinerant-electron one. The Kondo temperature, which also gives a measure of the strength of the quenching of magnetic moments, is renormalized by the Foc…
We study the interplay between strong electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions within a two-orbital molecule coupled to metallic leads, taking into account Holstein-like coupling of a local phonon mode to the molecular charge as well as phonon-mediated interorbital tunneling. By combining canonical transformations with numerical renormalization-group calculations to address the interactions nonperturbatively and on equal footing, we obtain a comprehensive description of the system's many-body physics in the anti-adiabatic regime where the phonons adjust rapidly to changes in the orbi…
The heavy quasiparticle bands in Kondo materials which originate in the hybridization of f- and conduction electrons exhibit numerous, sometimes coexisting, broken symmetry phases. Most notable are unconventional superconductivity, itinerant small moment antiferromagnetism and hidden order of higher order multipoles of f-electrons which all lead to a gapping of the heavy bands. In rare cases the chemical potential lies within the hybridization gap and the ground state is a Kondo semiconductor without ordering. The dynamical magnetic response of such gapped f-electron systems has been investiga…
To study the possible mechanism of superconductivity in Na$_{0.35}$CoO$_2$, we examine the interaction between all the relevant optical phonons (breathing and shear phonons) and $t_{2g}(a_{1g}+e_g')$-electrons of Co-ions, and study the transition temperature for a s-wave superconductivity. The obtained $T_{\rm c}$ is very low when the $e_g'$-valence-bands are far below the Fermi level. However, $T_{\rm c}$ is strongly enhanced when the top of the $e_g'$-valence-bands is close to the Fermi level (say -50meV), thanks to interband hopping of Cooper pairs caused by shear phonons. This ``valence-ba…
We study the Kondo physics of a quantum magnetic impurity in two-dimensional topological superconductors (TSCs), either intrinsic or induced on the surface of a bulk topological insulator, using a numerical renormalization group technique. We show that, despite sharing the p + ip pairing symmetry, intrinsic and extrinsic TSCs host different physical processes that produce distinct Kondo signatures. Extrinsic TSCs harbor an unusual screening mechanism involving both electron and orbital degrees of freedom that produces rich and prominent Kondo phenomena, especially an intriguing pseudospin Kond…
Using the framework of the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG), we study a quantum dot coupled to a superconducting nanowire with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Regarding the singlet-to-doublet "0-$π$" transition that takes place when the Kondo effect is overcome by the superconducting gap, we show that the Rashba coupling modifies the critical values at which the transition occurs, favouring the doublet phase. In addition, using a generalized Haldane's formula for the Kondo temperature $T_K$, we show that it is lowered by the Rashba coupling. We benchmark our DMRG results comparin…
The Kondo effects of an Anderson impurity embedded into a d-wave superconductor is studied. Within the slave-boson mean-field approach, the derived Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations are solved via exact diagonalization. We show that a critical coupling strength, above which the Kondo effect takes place, exists regardless of whether the band particle-hole symmetry is present or not. The resonant quasiparticle peaks are found in the local density of states (LDOS) both directly at the impurity and around its neighbors, which is in sharp contrast to the case of nonmagnetic unitary impurities, where t…
To study the electron-phonon mechanism of superconductivity in NaxCoO2, we perform semiquantitative analysis of the electron-phonon interaction (EPI) between relevant optical phonons (breathing and shear phonons) and t_{2g} electrons (a_{1g} and e_g' electrons) in the presence of trigonal distortion. We consider two kinds of contributions to the EPI; the EPI originating from the Coulomb potential of O ions and that originating from the d-p transfer integral between Co and O in CoO_6 octahedron. We find that the EPI for shear phonons, which induces the interorbital hopping of electrons, is larg…
Using numerical renormalization group we study thermodynamic properties of a magnetic impurity described by the Anderson impurity model in a superconducting host material described by the BCS Hamiltonian. When the Kondo temperature in the normal state, T_K, is comparable to the critical temperature of the superconducting transition, T_c, the magnetic doublet state may become degenerate with the Kondo singlet state, leading to a ln3 peak in the temperature dependence of the impurity contribution to the entropy. This entropy increase translates into an anomalous feature in the heat capacity whic…
Unconventional superconductivity from heavy fermion (HF) is always observed in f-electron systems, in which Kondo physics between localized f-electrons and itinerant electrons plays an essential role. Whether HF superconductivity could be achieved in other systems without f electrons, especially for d-electron systems, is still elusive. Here, we experimentally study the origin of d-electron HF behavior in iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs). Nuclear magnetic resonance on 75As reveals a universal coherent-incoherent crossover with a characteristic temperature T*. Below T*…
We consider local magnetic moments coupled to conduction electrons with on-site attraction, in order to discuss the interplay between pairing and magnetic order. We probe the ground state properties of this model on a one-dimensional lattice through pair binding energies and several correlation functions, calculated by means of density-matrix renormalization group. A phase diagram is obtained (for fixed electron density 1/3), from which we infer that coexistence between magnetic order and superconductivity is robust, at the expense of a continuous distortion of the magnetic arrangement of the …
The Kondo effect in a $p_x + {\rm i} p_y$-wave superconductor is studied by applying the Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. In this type of superconductor with a full energy gap like a s-wave one, the ground state is always a spin doublet, while a local spin is shrunk by the Kondo effect. The calculated magnetic susceptibility indicates that the spin of the ground state is generated by the orbital effect of the $p_x + {\rm i} p_y$-wave Cooper pairs. The effect of spin polarization of the triplet superconductor is also discussed.
Junction systems of odd-frequency (OF) superconductors are investigated based on a mean-field Hamiltonian formalism. One-dimensional two-channel Kondo lattice (TCKL) is taken as a concrete example of OF superconductors. Properties of normal and Andreev reflections are examined in a normal metal/superconductor junction. Unlike conventional superconductors, normal reflection is always present due to the normal self energy that necessarily appears in the present OF pairing state. The conductance reflects the difference between repulsive and attractive potentials located at the interface, which is…
We present high-field magnetotransport properties of high-quality single-crystalline thin films of heavily underdoped nonsuperconducting (La,Ce)2CuO4, (Pr,Ce)2CuO4, and (Nd,Ce)2CuO4. All three materials show identical behavior. They are metallic at high temperatures and show an insulating upturn at low temperatures. The insulating upturn has a log T dependence, but saturates toward the lowest temperatures. Notably, the insulating upturn tends to be suppressed by applying magnetic fields. This negative magnetoresistance has a log B dependence, and its anisotropy shows non simple behavior. We di…
Kondo-lattice theory for the t-J model and a phenomenological theory based on it are developed to study superconductivity in the vicinity of the Mott metal-insulator transition. Since the quenching of magnetic moments by single-site quantum spin fluctuations or the Kondo effect is reduced by the opening of a superconducting gap, spin density wave (SDW) can appear in a superconducting state and the Knight shift can deviate from the Yosida function to be small. The electron-phonon interaction, which arises from the modulation of the superexchange interaction by phonons, is crucial in the coexist…
We analyse here the role electrons on Anderson-U impurities play in superconductivity in a metal alloy. We find that phonon coupling at impurities counteracts the traditional effects which dominate T_c suppression in the non-magnetic limit. In some cases, we findt hat non-magnetic impurities can enhance T_c. In the Kondo limit, a Fermi liquid analysis reveals that it is the enhancement in the density of states arising from the Kondo resonancethat counteracts pair-weakening.
Realization of Kondo lattice in superconducting van der Waals materials not only provides a unique opportunity for tuning the Kondo lattice behavior by electrical gating or intercalation, but also is helpful for further understanding the heavy fermion superconductivity. Here we report a low-temperature and vector-magnetic-field scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study on a superconducting compound (4Hb-TaS2) with alternate stacking of 1T-TaS2 and 1H-TaS2 layers. We observe the quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity in the 1H-TaS2 layer with anisotropic response to the in-plane and…
We consider competition of Kondo effect and s-wave superconductivity in heavy fermion and mixed valence superconductors, using the phenomenological approach for the periodic Anderson model. Similar to the well known results for single-impurity Kondo effect in superconductors, we have found principal possibility of a re-entrant regime of the superconducting transition temperature, $T_c$, in heavy fermion superconductors in a narrow range of model parameters and concentration of f-electrons. Suppression of $T_c$ in mixed valence superconductors is much weaker. Our theory has most validity in the…
An electron-phonon interaction arising from the modulation of the superexchange interaction by phonons is studied within the theoretical framework of Kondo lattices. It is relevant in strongly correlated electron liquids in cuprate oxide superconductors, which lie in the vicinity of the Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition. It is enhanced by antiferromagnetic and superconducting fluctuations, which are developed mainly because of the superexchange interaction. When the enhancement of the electron-phonon interaction is large enough, it can explain the softening of phonons and kinks in the qu…
We present a study of Nernst and Seebeck coefficients of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_{5}$. Below 18 K, concomitant with a field-dependent Seebeck coefficient, a large sub-linear Nernst signal emerges with a magnitude drastically exceeding what is expected for a multi-band Fermi-liquid metal. In the mixed state, in contrast with all other superconductors studied before, this signal overwhelms the one associated with the motion of superconducting vortices. The results point to a hitherto unknown source of transverse thermoelectricity in strongly interacting electrons.
We propose a novel electron-phonon interaction arising from the modulation of the superexchange interaction by phonons. It is enhanced by spin and superconducting fluctuations, which are developed mainly because of the superexchange interaction. It must be responsible for the softening of phonons and kinks in the dispersion relation of quasi-particles. However, the superexchange interaction must be mainly responsible for the formation of Cooper pairs.
A new ternary platinum phosphide CePt$_{3}$P was synthesized and characterized by means of magnetic, thermodynamic and transport measurements. The compound crystallizes in an antiperovskite tetragonal structure similar to that in the canonical family of platinum-based superconductors $A$Pt$_{3}$P ($A$ = Sr, Ca, La) and closely related to the noncentrosymmetric heavy fermion superconductor CePt$_{3}$Si. In contrast to all the superconducting counterparts, however, no superconductivity is observed in CePt$_{3}$P down to 0.5 K. Instead, CePt$_{3}$P displays a coexistence of antiferromagnetic orde…
We investigate the electronic dispersion of high-Tc superconductor on the basis of the two-dimensional three-band Hubbard model with the electron-phonon interaction together with the strong electron-electron interaction. In our model, it is shown across the hole-doped region of high-Tc superconductor that the electron-phonon interaction makes a dispersion kink, observed along the nodal direction, and that the small isotope effect appears on the electronic dispersion.
The role of electron-phonon interactions in iron-based superconductor is currently under debate with conflicting experimental reports on the isotope effect. To address this important issue, we employ the renormalization-group method to investigate the competition between electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in these materials. The renormalization-group analysis shows that the ground state is a phonon-dressed unconventional superconductor: the dominant electronic interactions account for pairing mechanism while electron-phonon interactions are subdominant. Because of the phonon dr…
A one-dimensional time-reversal-invariant topological superconductor hosts a Majorana Kramers pair at each end, where time-reversal symmetry acts as a supersymmetry that flips local fermion parity. We examine the transport anomaly of such a superconductor, floating and tunnel-coupled to normal leads at its two ends. We demonstrate the realization of a topologically-protected, channel-symmetric, two-channel Kondo effect without fine-tuning. Whereas the nonlocal teleportation vanishes, a lead present at one end telecontrols the universal transport through the other end.
We discuss the effects of anisotropy on superconducting critical temperature and order parameter in a strongly coupled regime. The multiband representation is used as a model for anisotropy. We show that strong coupling effects in multiband superconductors lead to pair-breaking due to interband coupling because soft phonon modes play the same role as usual impurities. This effect makes the order parameters in different bands equal to each other and limits the upper bound on critical temperature.
It is shown that a generic form of an antiferromagnetic wave function opens strong electron-phonon coupling channels in the iron-based superconductors. In the nonmagnetic state these channels exist locally on a single iron atom, but are canceled out between the two iron atoms in the primitive unit cell. Our findings are based on symmetry and the presence of an xz/yz Fermi surface near the M point and thus should be relevant for the known iron-based pnictide or chalcogenide superconductors.
We propose the parent compound of the newly discovered superconducting nickelate Nd$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$NiO$_{2}$ as a self-doped Mott insulator, in which the low-density Nd-$5d$ conduction electrons couple to localized Ni-3$% d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}$ electrons to form Kondo spin singlets at low temperatures. This proposal is motivated with our analyses of the reported resistivity and Hall coefficient data in the normal state, showing logarithmic temperature dependence at low temperatures. In the strong Kondo coupling limit, we derive a generalized $t$-$J$ model with both Kondo singlets and nickel holons m…
The strong, electronically induced anomaly in the spectrum of the longitudinal optical (LO) phonons propagating along the main axes of the CuO$_2$ plane is tentatively attributed to the oxygen-oxygen charge transfer between the two oxygens in the plane. It is argued that this charge transfer can be large and that it is strongly coupled to the zone boundary LO phonons. The corresponding negative contribution to the free energy is quartic in the LO phonon amplitude, making the LO phonon unstable through the first order phase transition, with a concomitant domain structure.
This treatise reviews latest results obtained from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on cuprate superconductors, with a special focus on the electron-phonon interaction. What has emerged is rich information about the anomalous electron-phonon interaction well beyond the traditional views of the subject. It exhibits strong doping, momentum and phonon symmetry dependence, and shows complex interplay with the strong electron-electron interaction in these materials.
Coupling between electrons and phonons (lattice vibrations) drives the formation of the electron pairs responsible for conventional superconductivity. The lack of direct evidence for electron-phonon coupling in the electron dynamics of the high transition temperature superconductors has driven an intensive search for an alternative mechanism. A coupling of an electron with a phonon would result in an abrupt change of its velocity and scattering rate near the phonon energy. Here we use angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to probe electron dynamics -velocity and scattering rate- for three …
We have measured the resistivity of PrFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ samples over a wide range of temperature in order to elucidate the role of electron-phonon interaction on normal- and superconducting-state properties. The linear T dependence of $ρ$ above 170 K followed by a saturationlike behavior at higher temperature is a clear signature of strong electron-phonon coupling. From the analysis of T dependence of $ρ$, we have estimated several normal-state parameters useful for understanding the origin of superconductivity in this system. Our results suggest that Fe-based oxypnictides are phonon mediated…
We studied the isotope effect of phonon in the Fe-based superconductors using a phenomenological two band model for the sign-changing s-wave ($\pm$s-wave) state. Within this mean-field model, we showed that the large isotope effect is not inconsistent with the $\pm$s-wave pairing state and its high transition temperature. In principle, a large phonon isotope coefficient $α$ implies a large phonon coupling constant. However, the asymmetric density of states (DOS) between two bands substantially enhances the value of $α$, so that a moderate value of the phonon coupling constant ($λ_{\rm ph} \app…
The temperature dependence of the low-energy magnetic excitations in the spin-triplet superconductor UTe$_2$ was measured via inelastic neutron scattering in the normal and superconducting states. The imaginary part of the dynamic susceptibility follows the behavior of interband correlations in a hybridized Kondo lattice with an appropriate characteristic energy. These excitations are a lower-dimensional analogue of phenomena observed in other Kondo lattice materials, such that their presence is not necessarily due to dominance of ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic correlations. The onset of s…
The hybridization of magnetism and superconductivity has been an intriguing playground for correlated electron systems, hosting various novel physical phenomena. Usually, localized d- or f-electrons are central to magnetism. In this study, by placing a PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride) molecular monolayer on ultra-thin Pb films, we built a hybrid magnetism/superconductivity (M/SC) system consisting of only sp electronic levels. The magnetic moments reside in the unpaired molecular orbital originating from interfacial charge-transfers. We reported distinctive tunneling spect…
We analyze the effects of an electron-phonon interaction on the one-electron spectral weight A(k,omega) of a d_{x^2-y^2} superconductor. We study the case of an Einstein phonon mode with various momentum-dependent electron-phonon couplings and compare the structure produced in A(k,omega) with that obtained from coupling to the magnetic pi-resonant mode. We find that if the strength of the interactions are adjusted to give the same renormalization at the nodal point, the differences in A(k,omega) are generally small but possibly observable near k=(pi,0).
We report nuclear magnetic resonance studies on the beta-pyrochlore oxide superconductor KOs2O6. The nuclear relaxation at the K sites is entirely caused by fluctuations of electric field gradient, which we ascribe to highly anharmonic low frequency oscillation (rattling) of K ions. A phenomenological analysis shows a crossover from overdamped to underdamped behavior of the rattling phonons with decreasing temperature and its sudden sharpening below the superconducting transition temperature Tc. Absence of the Hebel-Slichter peak in the relaxation rate at the O sites below Tc also indicates st…
