We investigate the effect of substituting Si for Ge in the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe. Dc-magnetization, ac-susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements on polycrystalline UCoGe$_{1-x}$Si$_x$ samples show that ferromagnetic order and superconductivity are progressively depressed with increasing Si content and simultaneously vanish at a critical concentration $x_{cr} \simeq 0.12$. The non-Fermi liquid temperature variation in the electrical resistivity near $x_{cr}$ and the smooth depression of the ordered moment point to a continuous ferromagnetic quantum phase transition. Superconductivity is confined to the ferromagnetic phase, which provides further evidence for magnetically mediated superconductivity.
Unambiguous evidence for the microscopic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in UCoGe ($T_{\rm Curie} \sim 2.5$ K and $T_{\rm SC}$ $\sim$ 0.6 K) is reported from $^{59}$Co nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR). The $^{59}$Co-NQR signal below 1 K indicates ferromagnetism throughout the sample volume, while nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ in the ferromagnetic (FM) phase decreases below $T_{\rm SC}$ due to the opening of the superconducting(SC) gap. The SC state was found to be inhomogeneous, suggestive of a self-induced vortex state, potentially realizable in a FM super…
We report the coexistence of ferromagnetic order and superconductivity in UCoGe at ambient pressure. Magnetization measurements show that UCoGe is a weak ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T_{C}= 3 K and a small ordered moment $m_{0}$= 0.03 $μ_B$. Superconductivity is observed with a resistive transition temperature T_{s} = 0.8 K for the best sample. Thermal-expansion and specific-heat measurements provide solid evidence for bulk magnetism and superconductivity. The proximity to a ferromagnetic instability, the defect sensitivity of T_{s}, and the absence of Pauli limiting, suggest triplet s…
We report ac magnetic susceptibility and dc magnetization measurements on the superconducting ferromagnet UCoGe (with superconducting and Curie temperatures of $T_{\rm SC} \sim 0.5$~K and $T_{\rm Curie} \sim 2.5$~K, respectively). In the normal, ferromagnetic state ($T_{\rm SC} < T < T_{\rm Curie}$), the magnetization curve exhibits a hysteresis loop similar to that of a regular itinerant ferromagnet. Upon lowering the temperature below $T_{\rm SC}$, the spontaneous magnetization is unchanged, but the hysteresis is markedly enhanced. Even deeply inside the superconducting state, ferromagnetism…
Co nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies were performed in the recently discovered UCoGe, in which the ferromagnetic and superconducting (SC) transitions were reported to occur at $T_{\rm Curie} \sim 3$ K and $T_S \sim 0.8$ K (N. T. Huy {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 99} (2007) 067006), in order to investigate the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity as well as the normal-state and SC properties from a microscopic point of view. From the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ and Knight-shift measurements, we confirmed that fe…
Recent advances on ferromagnetic superconductors, UGe2, URhGe and UCoGe are presented. The superconductivity (SC) peacefully coexists with the ferromagnetism (FM), forming the spin-triplet state of Cooper pairs. The striking new phenomena, such as SC reinforced by the magnetic field, are associated with Ising-type ferromagnetic fluctuations. A variety of ferromagnetic ordered moments between UGe2, URhGe and UCoGe affords to understand the relation between FM, tricriticality and SC.
UCoGe exhibits superconductivity in the presence of ferromagnetism. When a field is applied along the b axis (perpendicular to the easy axis), ferromagnetism is weakened and superconductivity is enhanced. This enhancement has been attributed to an increase in coupling as observed in the enhanced effective mass produced by the critical fluctuations as the ferromagnetic transition is strongly suppressed. However it is also important to know if and how the Fermi surface changes near the critical point. Here we report measurements of the thermoelectricity of UCoGe which reveal a low carrier densit…
Recently, coexistence of ferromagnetism (T_Curie = 2.8K) and superconductivity (T_sc = 0.8K) has been reported in UCoGe, a compound close to a ferromagnetic instability at ambient pressure P. Here we present resistivity measurements under pressure on a UCoGe polycrystal. The phase diagram obtained from resistivity measurements on a polycrystalline sample is found to be qualitatively different to those of all other ferromagnetic superconductors. By applying high pressure, ferromagnetism is suppressed at a rate of 1.4 K/GPa. No indication of ferromagnetic order has been observed above P ~ 1GPa. …
A variety of heavy fermion superconductors, such as UCoGe, UGe$_2$, and URhGe exhibit a striking coexistence of bulk ferromagnetism and superconductivity. In these systems, the magnetic moment decreases with pressure, and vanishes at a ferromagnetic quantum critical point (qcp). Remarkably, the superconductivity in UCoGe varies smoothly with pressure across the qcp and exists in both the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic regimes. We argue that in UCoGe, spin-orbit interactions stabilize a time-reversal invariant odd-parity superconductor in the high pressure paramagnetic regime. Based on a simple…
The correlated metal UCoGe is a weak itinerant ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T_C = 3 K and a superconductor with a transition temperature T_s = 0.6 K. We review its basic thermal, magnetic - on the macro and microscopic scale - and transport properties, as well as the response to high pressure. The data unambiguously show that superconductivity and ferromagnetism coexist below T_s = 0.6 K and are carried by the same 5f electrons. We present evidence that UCoGe is a p-wave superconductor and argue that superconductivity is mediated by critical ferromagnetic spin fluctuations.
$^{73}$Ge and $^{59}$Co nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements have been performed on a $^{73}$Ge-enriched single-crystalline sample of the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe in the paramagnetic state. The $^{73}$Ge NQR parameters deduced from NQR and NMR are close to those of another isostructural ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe. The Knight shifts of the Ge and Co sites are well scaled to each other when the magnetic field is parallel to the $b$ or $c$ axis. The hyperfine coupling constants of Ge are estimated to be close to those of Co. The la…
We propose an alternate scenario for the relation between ferromagnetism (FM) and superconductivity (SC) in UCoGe at ambient pressure. On the basis of neutron polarimetry measurement performed in strictly zero field on a single-crystal at ambient pressure, we claim that the SC phase does exist in spite of lack of long-range FM order. Moreover, the SC regime dominates to the paramagnetic (PM) state in small external magnetic fields. Above the critical SC temperature, TSC = 0.64 K, the zero-field state is characterized by a regime with strong FM spin fluctuations, suggesting the proximity of the…
We report a high-pressure single crystal study of the superconducting ferromagnet UCoGe. Ac-susceptibility and resistivity measurements under pressures up to 2.2 GPa show ferromagnetism is smoothly depressed and vanishes at a critical pressure $p_c = 1.4$ GPa. Near the ferromagnetic critical point superconductivity is enhanced. Upper-critical field measurements under pressure show $B_{c2}(0)$ attains remarkably large values, which provides solid evidence for spin-triplet superconductivity over the whole pressure range. The obtained $p-T$ phase diagram reveals superconductivity is closely conne…
UCoGe is one of the few compounds showing the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity at ambient pressure. With T_Curie = 3 K and T_SC = 0.6 K it is near a quantum phase transition; the pressure needed to suppress the magnetism is slightly higher than 1 GPa. We report simultaneous resistivity and ac-susceptibility measurements under pressure on a polycrystal with very large single-crystalline domains and a resistivity ratio of about 6. Both methods confirm the phase diagram established before by resistivity measurements on a polycrystal. The ferromagnetic phase is suppressed for P …
The interplay between unconventional superconductivity and quantum critical ferromagnetism in the U-Ge compounds represents an open problem in strongly correlated electron systems. Sample quality can have a strong influence on both of these ordered states in the compound UCoGe, as is true for most unconventional superconductors. We report results of a new approach at UCoGe crystal growth using a floating-zone method with potential for improvements of sample quality and size as compared with traditional means such as Czochralski growth. Single crystals of the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe …
The triplet superconductivity in $UGe_2$ and $URhGe$ coexists with itinerant ferromagnetism such that in the pressure-temperature phase diagram the whole region occupied by the superconducting state is situated inside a more vast ferromagnetic region. In the same family metal UCoGe the pressure dependent critical lines T_{Curie}(P) and T_{sc}(P) of the ferromagnet and the superconducting phase transitions intersect each other. The two-band multidomain superconducting ferromagnet state arises at temperatures below both of these lines. Here I describe the symmetry and the order parameters of the…
The discovery in 2000 that the ferromagnetic (FM) compound UGe2 (T_Curie = 52 K at ambient pressure) becomes superconducting under a pressure of P = 1.1 GPa until it enters the paramagnetic (PM) phase above Pc = 1.6 GPa was a surprise. Successive searches for new materials (URhGe and UCoGe) led to the discovery of the coexistence of superconductivity (SC) and ferromagnetism at ambient pressure. Furthermore in UCoGe, it was found that SC survives in the PM regime from P_c = 1.1 to 4 GPa. Focus has been on low-temperature experiments under extreme conditions of magnetic field (H), pressure, and …
Identification of pairing mechanisms leading to the unconventional superconductivity realized in copper-oxide, heavy-fermions, and organic compounds is one of the most challenging issues in condensed-matter physics. Clear evidence for an electron-phonon mechanism in conventional superconductors is seen by the isotope effect on the superconducting transition temperatures $T_{\rm SC}$, since isotopic substitution varies the phonon frequency without affecting the electronic states. In unconventional superconductors, magnetic fluctuations have been proposed to mediate superconductivity, and consid…
The spin-triplet state is most likely realized in uranium ferromagnetic superconductors, UGe2, URhGe, UCoGe. The microscopic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity means that the Cooper pair should be realized under the strong internal field due the ferromagnetism, leading to the spin-triplet state with equal spin pairing. The field-reinforced superconductivity, which is observed in all three materials when the ferromagnetic fluctuations are enhanced, is one of the strong evidences for the spin-triplet superconductivity. We present here the results of a newly discovered spin-tripl…
We show the observation of the coexistence of bulk superconductivity and ferromagnetism in CeO1-xFxBiS2(x = 0 - 1.0) prepared by annealing under high-pressure. In CeO1-xFxBiS2 system, both superconductivity and two types of ferromagnetism with respective magnetic transition temperatures of 4.5 K and 7.5 K are induced upon systematic F substitution. This fact suggests that carriers generated by the substitution of O by F are supplied to not only the BiS2 superconducting layers but also the CeO blocking layers. Furthermore, the highest superconducting transition temperature is observed when the …
We have carried out detailed magnetic and transport studies of the new Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2-xSex (x = 0.5, 1) superconductors derived by doping Se in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2. Se-doping produces several effects: it suppresses semiconducting like behavior observed in the undoped Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2, ferromagnetic ordering temperature, TFM, decreases considerably from 7.5 K (in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2) to 3.5 K and superconducting transition temperature, Tc, gets enhanced slightly to 2.9 - 3.3 K. Thus in these Se-doped materials, TFM is just marginally higher than Tc. Magnetization studies provide an evidence of bulk sup…
Ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe has orthorhombic structure and possesses spontaneous magnetisation along the c-axis. Magnetic field directed along the $b$-axis suppresses ferromagnetism in $c$-direction and leads to a metamagnetic transition into polarised paramagnetic state in the $b$-direction. The theory of these phenomena based on the specific magnetic anisotropy of this material in $(b,c)$ plane is given. Line of the first order metamagnetic transition ends at a critical point. The Van der Waals - type description of behaviour of physical properties near this point is developed. The tr…
The superconductor MgCNi3 has been chemically doped by partial substitution of Ru for Ni in the solid solution MgCNi3-xRux for 0<x<0.5. Magnetic and specific heat measurements show that the Sommerfeld parameter (gamma_exp) and TC decrease immediately on Ru substitution, but that a TC above 2K is maintained even for a relatively large decrease in gamma_exp. Ferromagnetism is not observed to develop through Ru substitution, and the normal state magnetic susceptibility is suppressed.
We have studied EuFe$_{2}$(As$_{0.7}$P$_{0.3}$)$_{2}$ by the measurements of x-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, thermopower, magnetic susceptibility, magnetoresistance and specific heat. Partial substitution of As with P results in the shrinkage of lattice, which generates chemical pressure to the system. It is found that EuFe$_{2}$(As$_{0.7}$P$_{0.3}$)$_{2}$ undergoes a superconducting transition at 26 K, followed by ferromagnetic ordering of Eu$^{2+}$ moments at 20 K. This finding is the first observation of superconductivity stabilized by internal chemical pressure, and supplies a r…
A general quasi-phenomenological theory that describes phases and phase transitions of ferromagnetic superconductors with spin-triplet electron Cooper pairing is presented. The theory is based on extended Ginzburg-Landau expansion in powers of superconducting and ferromagnetic order parameters. A simple form for the dependence of theory parameters on the pressure ensures a correct theoretical outline of the temperature-pressure phase diagram where a stable phase of coexistence of p-wave superconductivity and itinerant ferromagnetism appears. This new theory is in an excellent agreement with th…
We report the crystal structure, charge-density-wave (CDW), superconductivity (SC), and ferromagnetism (FM) in CuIr2-xCrxTe4 chalcogenides. Powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) results reveal that CuIr2-xCrxTe4 series are distinguished between two structural types and three different regions: (i) layered trigonal structure region, (ii) mixed phase regions, (iii) spinel structure region. Besides, Cr substitution for Ir site results in rich physical properties including the collapse of CDW, the formation of dome-shaped like SC, and the emergence of magnetism. Cr doping slightly elevates the supercond…
We systematically studied the transport properties of single crystals of $Eu_{1-x}Sr_xFe_{2-y}$Co$_{y}As_2$. Co doping can suppress the spin-density wave (SDW) ordering and induces a superconducting transition, but a resistivity reentrance due to the antiferromagnetic ordering of $Eu^{2+}$ spins is observed, indicating the competition between antiferromagnetism (AFM) and superconductivity. It is striking that the resistivity reentrance can be completely suppressed by external magnetic field (H) because a metamagnetic transition from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism for $Eu^{2+}$ spins is i…
We address the ferromagnetic tendencies detrimental for superconductivity that are related to the substitution of the pnictogen As atom with Ge or Si, together with additional substitutions in the spacer layers in 122 and 1111 Fe-based superconductors. Intermediate compounds in which these substitutions are realized individually are studied within density functional theory. We thus single out the control of spacer ions as an effective way to handle such a ferromagnetism, and we also show that it is suppressed in YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ under pressure ---which then can be expected to enhance its supercon…
Epitaxially grown multilayer systems offer the possibility to study the influence of ferromagnetism on superconductivity in a new and controlled way. In this paper, we explore how the superconducting properties of high quality, epitaxially-grown superconductor/normal-metal/ferromagnet trilayers evolve as a function of the exchange splitting in the ferromagnet, and the thickness of the normal metal layer. We report results for Nb(110)/Au(111)/Co(0001), and make a detailed comparison with earlier results for Nb(110)/Au(111)/Fe(110). We use quantitative FFT analysis to confirm the existence of a …
Resistivity, thermoelectric power and heat capacity are investigated in the ferromagnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8 with and without Zn substitution. The thermodynamic signatures of the ordering of the Ru moments and the paramagnetic Gd moments as well as the onset of superconductivity are all clearly seen and quantified. The materials are shown to exhibit bulk superconductivity which coexists with spatially-uniform ferromagnetism. They appear to be typical underdoped superconducting cuprates in which the pseudogap dominates normal-state transport, thermodynamic and substitutional properties…
We demonstrate that Mn-doping in the layered sulfides Bi_4O_4S_3 leads to stable Bi_4-x Mn_x O_4 S_3 compounds that exhibit both long-range ferromagnetism and enhanced superconductivity for 0.075 < = x < = 0.15, with a possible record superconducting transition temperature (T_c) = 15 K among all BiS_2-based superconductors. We conjecture that the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism may be attributed to Mn-doping in the spacer Bi2O2 layers away from the superconducting BiS_2 layers, whereas the enhancement of T_c may be due to excess electron transfer to BiS_2 from the Mn4+/Mn3+…
Resistive and magnetization properties have been measured in BiS$_2$-based samples CeO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$BiS$_{2}$ with a systematic substitution of O with F (0 $<$ x $<$ 0.6). In contrast to the band structure calculations, it is found that the parent phase of CeOBiS$_2$ is a bad metal, instead of an band insulator. By doping electrons into the system, it is surprising to find that superconductivity appears together with an insulating normal state. This evolution is clearly different from the cuprate and the iron pnictide systems, and is interpreted as approaching the von Hove singularity. Furthe…
EuBiS$_{2}$F is a self-doped superconductor due to the mixed valence of Eu. Here we report that, with the Ce substitution for Eu by 50 at.\%, the material exhibits ferromagnetic ordering at 8 K for the Ce-4$f$ moment, superconductivity at 2.2 K in the BiS$_2$ layers, and possibly antiferromagnetic ordering at 2.1 K for the Eu-4$f$ spins. The Eu valence is essentially divalent with the Ce incorporation. We tentatively interpret the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity by considering different Bi-6$p$ orbitals that are responsible for superconductivity itself and for mediating the…
Dome-shape superconductivity phase diagram can commonly be observed in cuprate and iron-based systems via tuning parameters such as charge carrier doping, pressure, bond angle, and etc. We report doping electrons from transition-metal elements (TM = Co, Ni) substitution can induce high-Tc superconductivity around 35 K in Ca0.94La0.06Fe2As2, which emerges abruptly before the total suppression of the innate spin-density-wave/anti-ferromagnetism (SDW/AFM) state. Unexpectedly, the onset critical temperature for the high-Tc superconductivity stays constant for a wide range of TM doping. Possible ex…
A hydrostatic pressure study was made on pure and Rh-doped specimens of the superconducting ferromagnetic compounds Ru1-xRhxSr2GdCu2O8 (x = 0-0.15) by means of measurement of electrical resistivity vs temperature, in pressures up to 2 GPa. Partial substitution of Rh for Ru decreases the magnetization of the material, lowers both the magnetic ordering temperature Tm, and the superconducting transition temperature Tc, and promotes granularity. The effect of pressure for all compositions is an increase in both the intra- and intergranular superconductivity transition temperatures, Tc and Tp respe…
