The newly discovered superconductor FeSe1-x (x=0.08, Tconset=13.5 K at ambient pressure rising to 27 K at 1.48 GPa) exhibits a structural phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic below 70 K at ambient pressure - the crystal structure in the superconducting state shows remarkable similarities to that of the REFeAsO1-xFx (RE = rare earth) superconductors
We describe the crystal growth of high quality single crystals of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor, Ru7B3 by the floating zone technique, using an optical furnace equipped with xenon arc lamps. The crystals obtained are large and suitable for detailed measurements, and have been examined using x-ray Laue patterns. The superconducting properties of the crystals obtained have been investigated by magnetisation and resistivity measurements. Crystals have also been grown starting with enriched 11B isotope, making them suitable for neutron scattering experiments.
Theoretical studies of a planar tunnel junction between two superconductors with antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling are presented. The half-space Green's function for such a superconductor is determined. This is then used to derive expressions for the dissipative current and the Josephson current of the junction. Numerical results are presented in the case of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, relevant to the much studied compound CePt$_3$Si. Current-voltage diagrams, differential conductance and the critical Josephson current are presented for different crystallographic orientations and different…
In a type II superconductor in a moderate magnetic field, the superconductor to normal state transition may be described as a phase transition in which the vortex lattice melts into a liquid. In a biaxial superconductor, or even a uniaxial superconductor with magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the symmetry axis, the vortices acquire elongated cross sections and interactions. Systems of anisotropic, interacting constituents generally exhibit liquid crystalline phases. We examine the possibility of a two step melting in homogeneous type II superconductors with anisotropic superfluid stiffn…
Superconductors have the potential to revolutionize technology due to their ability to have zero electrical resistance. However, superconductor materials require either low temperatures or high pressures to function in a superconductive state. Thus, researchers are now on the search for the first-ever room temperature, ambient pressure superconductor. Yet, recent discoveries have only shown superconductors that work at low temperatures with ambient pressure or room temperature with high pressures. The region between these two extremes has not been identified due to the number of variables that…
Single crystal of Cu0.03TaS2 with low copper intercalated content was successfully grown via chemical iodine-vapor transport. The structural characterization results show that the copper intercalated 2H-Cu0.03TaS2 single crystal has the same structure of the CdI2-type structure as the parent 2H-TaS2 crystal. Electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements reveal that 2H-Cu0.03TaS2 becomes a superconductor below 4.2 K. Besides, electrical resistivity and Hall effects results show that a charge density wave transition occurs at TCDW = 50 K.
We propose to induce a time crystalline state in a high-$T_c$ superconductor, by optically driving a sum resonance of the Higgs mode and a Josephson plasma mode. The generic cubic process that couples these fundamental excitations converts driving of the sum resonance into simultaneous resonant driving of both modes, resulting in an incommensurate subharmonic motion. We use a numerical implementation of a semi-classical driven-dissipative lattice gauge theory on a three-dimensional layered lattice, which models the geometry of cuprate superconductors, to demonstrate the robustness of this moti…
Single crystal neutron diffraction study has been performed on new superconductor A2Fe4Se5, where A = Cs, K, (Tl,Rb) and (Tl,K), and the same Fe vacancy ordered crystal structure and the same block checkerboard antiferromagne tic order recently discovered in the K2Fe4Se5 superconductor are observed. Thus, all known alkali metal and/or Tl intercalated iron selenide superconductors share common crystalline and magnetic structure. Investigation on electronic process in these new superconductors, for which a different electronic structure from those in previous Fe-based high-Tc superconductors is …
We report the observation of positive magnetization signal at the onset of superconducting transition in isothemral and isomagnetic measurements in single crystal Niobium sphere. The PME displays two regimes, viz., low applied magnetic fields H < 4 Oe) and higher fields H > 120 Oe, and the PME signal is absent at the intermediate magnetic fields. Subsequently, the isothermal magnetization data shows the presence of positive signal at the superconductor to normal transition. Using this data we are able to plot the H(c3)-T(c3) line, at which the positive magnetization signal nucleates, in the ph…
We propose two possible new compounds, Ba$_2$CuO$_2$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and K$_2$CuO$_2$Fe$_2$Se$_2$, which hybridize the building blocks of two high temperature superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds consist of square CuO$_2$ layers and antifluorite-type Fe$_2$X$_2$ (X=As,Se) layers separated by Ba/K. The calculations of binding energies and phonon spectrums indicate that they are dynamically stable, which ensures that they may be experimentally synthesized. The Fermi surfaces and electronic structures of the two compounds inherit the characteristics of both cuprat…
Andreev reflection spectroscopy with unpolarized and highly spin-polarized currents has been utilized to study an intermetallic single-crystal superconductor NiBi3. Magnetoresistance at zero bias voltage of point contacts shows the occurrence and suppression of Andreev reflection by unpolarized and polarized current, respectively. The gap value, its symmetry and temperature dependence have been determined using an unpolarized current. The spin state in the NiBi3 sample is determined to be antiparallel using a highly spin-polarized current. The gap value 2Delta/kBT, gap symmetry and its tempera…
A new method to grow very high quality single crystals of the superconducting HgBa2CuO4+δ mercury cuprates is reported. The single crystals are platelet-shaped, with surfaces of high optical quality and good crystallographic properties. Annealing enables optimization of Tc up to Tcmax = 94 K. With adequate treatment, the doping level of the crystalline samples can be finely controlled in a wide under- and over-doped range. Complete structural characterization from single crystal X-ray diffraction data is given for the first time for different doping levels. The role of added gold on the doping…
We report the crystal structure, superconductivity and normal state properties of two iron-based materials, Li0.15(C3H10N2)0.32FeSe(P-4) and Lix(C3H10N2)0.32FeSe(P4/nmm, 0.25<x<0.4) with superconducting transition temperature from 40~46K. The determined crystal structures revealed a coupling between Li concentration and the oritation of 1,2-Diaminopropane molecules within the hyper expanded FeSe layers. Further fitting on resistivity in terms of the Lawence-Doniach model suggests the two superconductors belong to the quasi-two dimonsional system. With increasing temperature, a differences in c…
Although crystals are usually quite stable, they are sensitive to a disordered environment: even an infinitesimal amount of impurities can lead to the destruction of the crystalline order. The resulting state of matter has been a longstanding puzzle. Until recently it was believed to be an amorphous state in which the crystal would break into crystallites. But a different theory predicts the existence of a novel phase of matter: the so-called Bragg glass, which is a glass and yet nearly as ordered as a perfect crystal. The lattice of vortices that can contain magnetic flux in type II supercond…
The single crystal growth and superconducting properties of PbTaSe2 with non-centrosymmetric crystal structure is reported. Using the chemical vapor transport (CVT) technique, PbTaSe2 crystallizes in a layered structure and the crystal symmetry has been shown belonging to a non-centrosymmetric space group P6-m2 confirmed by the consistent band picture near the Fermi level between the angle-resolved photoemission spectrum (ARPES) and theoretical calculations. Superconductivity with Tc =3.83 K has been characterized fully with electrical resistivity \r{ho}(T), magnetic susceptibility \c{hi}(T), …
The discovery of superconductor in magnesium diboride MgB2 with high Tc (39 K) has raised some challenging issues; whether this new superconductor resembles a high temperature cuprate superconductor(HTS) or a low temperature metallic superconductor; which superconducting mechanism, a phonon- mediated BCS or a hole superconducting mechanism or other new exotic mechanism may account for this superconductivity; and how about its future for applications. In order to clarify the above questions, experiments using the single crystal sample are urgently required. Here we have first succeeded in obtai…
^{69,71}Ga NMR/NQR studies have been performed on a single crystal of the transuranium superconductor PuRhGa_{5} with Tc ~ 9 K. We have observed a ^{69}Ga NQR line at ~29.15 MHz, and assigned it to the $4i$ Ga site using the NMR results. The ^{69}Ga NQR spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_{1} shows no coherence peak just below Tc, but obeys a T^{3} behavior below Tc. This result strongly suggests that PuRhGa_{5} is an unconventional superconductor having an anisotropic superconducting gap.
Mono-arsenide CrAs, endures a helical anti-ferromagnetic order transition at~ 265 K under ambient pressure. Recently, pressure-induced-superconductivity was discovered vicinity to the helical anti-ferromagnetic order in CrAs[Wei Wu et al., Nature Communications 5, 5508 (2014).]. However, the size of crystal grown via tin flux method is as small as 1 mm in longest dimension. In this work, we report the single crystal growth of CrAs with size of 1 * 5 * 1 mm3 via chemical vapor transport method and its physical properties.
We apply a recently developed scaling procedure for the analysis of the equilibrium magnetization M that was measured on a Tl-based single crystal and was recently reported in the literature. The results of our analysis are distinctly different from those obtained in the original publication where the Hao-Clem model served to analyze the magnetization data. We argue that the Hao-Clem model is not adequate for a quantitative description of the mixed state in high-Tc superconductors especially in high magnetic fields. The scaled equilibrium magnetization data reveal a pronounced kink in the M(H)…
The possibility of enhancing the radiation power and monochromaticity by optically induced photonic crystal in the superconducting cavity is proposed and investigated. In such a structure, by periodically irradiating the stacked Josephson junctions and consequently partially suppression of the superconductivity in the irradiated positions due to depairing, a periodic optical configuration is formed. This leads to photonic band gap opening in the range of the terahertz radiation emitted from the layered superconductor. We show that such a photonic band gap significantly enhances the impedance m…
This is a Comment on "Vortex Liquid Crystal in Anisotropic Type II Superconductors" by E. W. Carlson et al. in PRL, vol.90, 087001 (2003) [cond-mat/0209175].
We argue that in channels cut out of anisotropic single crystal superconductors and narrow on the scale of London penetration depth, the persistent current must cause the transverse phase difference provided the current does not point in any of the principal crystal directions. The difference is proportional to the current value and depends on the anisotropy parameter, on the current direction relative to the crystal, and on the transverse channel dimension. An experimental set up to measure the transverse phase is proposed.
A new iron-based superconductor (Ca,Pr)FeAs2 was discovered. Plate-like crystals of the new phase were obtained and crystal structure was investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structure was identified as the monoclinic system with space group P21/m, and is composed of two Ca(Pr) planes, anti-fluorite Fe2As2 layers, and As2 zigzag chain layers. Plate-like crystals composed of the new phase showed superconductivity with Tc ~20 K in both magnetization and resistivity measurements.
We report on the synthesis of large single crystals of a new FeSe-layer superconductor Cs0.8(FeSe0.98)2. X-ray powder diffraction, neutron powder-diffraction and magnetization measurements have been used to compare the crystal structure and the magnetic properties of Cs0.8(FeSe0.98)2 with those of the recently discovered potassium intercalated system KxFe2Se2. The new compound Cs0.8(FeSe0.98)2 shows a slightly lower superconducting transition temperature (Tc=27.4 K) in comparison to 29.5 in K0.8(FeSe0.98)2). The volume of the crystal unit cell increases by replacing K by Cs - the c-parameter g…
The magnetic and iron vacancy orders in superconducting (Tl,Rb)2Fe4Se5 single-crystals are investigated by using a high-pressure neutron diffraction technique. Similar to the temperature effect, the block antiferromagnetic order gradually decreases upon increasing pressure while the Fe vacancy superstructural order remains intact before its precipitous disappearance at the critical pressure Pc = 8.3 GPa. Combined with previously determined Pc for superconductivity, our phase diagram under pressure reveals the concurrence of the block AFM order, the iron vacancy order and superconductivity for …
Centimeter sized platelet single crystals of KFe2As2 were grown using a self-flux method. An encapsulation technique using commercial stainless steel container allowed the stable crystal growth lasting for more than 2 weeks. Ternary K-Fe-As systems with various starting compositions were examined to determine the optimal growth conditions. Employment of KAs flux led to the growth of large single crystals with the typical size of as large as 15 mm x 10 mm x 0.4 mm. The grown crystals exhibit sharp superconducting transition at 3.4 K with the transition width 0.2 K, as well as the very large res…
We report temperature-dependent Raman spectra of CeFeAsO0.9F0.1 from 4 K to 300 K in spectral range of 60 to 1800 cm-1 and interpret them using estimates of phonon frequencies obtained from first-principles density functional calculations. We find evidence for a strong coupling between the phonons and crystal field excitations; in particular Ce3+ crystal field excitation at 432 cm-1 couples strongly with Eg oxygen vibration at 389 cm-1 . Below the superconducting transition temperature, the phonon mode near 280 cm-1 shows softening, signaling its coupling with the superconducting gap. The rati…
In-plane microwave penetration depth $λ_{ab}$ and quaiparticle conductivity at 28 GHz are measured in underdoped single crystals of the Fe-based superconductor PrFeAsO$_{1-y}$ ($T_c\approx 35$ K) by using a sensitive superconducting cavity resonator. $λ_{ab}(T)$ shows flat dependence at low temperatures, which is incompatible with the presence of nodes in the superconducting gap $Δ({\bf k})$. The temperature dependence of the superfluid density demonstrates that the gap is non-zero ($Δ/k_BT_c\gtrsim 1.6$) all over the Fermi surface. The microwave conductivity below $T_c$ exhibits an enhancemen…
Deformation of the superconductor crystal lattice caused by Abrikosov vortices is formulated as a response of the elastic crystal lattice to electrostatic forces. It is shown that the lattice compression is linearly proportional to the electrostatic potential known as the Bernoulli potential. Eventual consequences of the crystal lattice deformation on the effective vortex mass are discussed.
The influence of local moment magnetism on the boron isotope effect of T$_c$ was studied on single crystals of ErNi$_2$B$_2$C. Values of the partial isotope effect exponent of $α_B$=0.10$\pm$0.02 and $α_B$=0.10$\pm$0.04 were obtained based on two different criteria applied to extract $T_c$. No significant change in the partial isotope effect exponent compared to the ones obtained for LuNi$_2$B$_2$C was observed. Based on this result we conclude that pair-breaking due to the Er local magnetic moment appears to have no detectable influence on boron isotope effect of T$_c$.
We refined crystal structures of newly found members of the Fe-1111 superconductor family, CaFe\_{1-x}Co\_{x}AsF and SrFe\_{1-x}Co\_{x}AsF (x = 0, 0.06, 0.12) by powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis. The tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transitions were observed at ~120 K for unsubstituted CaFeAsF and at ~180 K for unsubstituted SrFeAsF, the transition temperatures agreeing with kinks observed in temperature-dependent resistivity curves. Although the transition temperature decreases, the structural phase transitions were observed below 100 K in both samples of x = 0.06, and finally th…
By varying the parameters controlling the growth of crystals, including the thermodynamic variables, such as temperature, pressure, and reagent composition and the kinetic factors, namely reaction time and cooling rate, we found the most appropriate conditions for the reproducible growth of the nonstoichiometric antiperovskite superconductors MgC1-xNi3-y. Bulk single crystals of MgC1-xNi3-y were grown by a self-flux method at 3 GPa and 1700 C using a mixture of Mg, C, and Ni powders in a molar ratio 1:1.25:3. The as-grown black colored crystals, mechanically extracted from solidified lump, exh…
Poisson brackets for the Hamiltonian dynamics of vortices are discussed for 3 regimes, in which the dissipation can be neglected and the vortex dynamics is reversible: (i) The superclean regime when the spectral flow is suppressed. (ii) The regime when the fermions are pinned by crystal lattice. This includes also the regime of the extreme spectral flow of fermions in the vortex core: these fermions are effectively pinned by the normal component. (iii) The case when the vortices are strongly pinned by the normal component. All these limits are described by the single parameter $C_0$, which phy…
Heat-capacity measurements of a 39 microgramm MgB_2 single crystal in fields up to 14 T and below 3 K allow the determination of the low-temperature linear term of the specific heat, its field dependence and its anisotropy. Our results are compatible with two-band superconductivity, the band carrying the small gap being isotropic, that carrying the large gap having an anisotropy of ~ 5. Three different upper critical fields are thus needed to describe the superconducting state of MgB2.
Single crystals of Nd-substituted LuBa$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$ were successfully grown by the KOH flux method. The single phase of Lu$_{1-x}$Nd$_x$Ba$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$ [(Lu,Nd)124] formed at $x = 0.2$. The compound crystallized as orthorhombic Ammm structure with lattice constants of a = 3.835(3) Å, b = 3.879(2) Å and c = 27.195(6) Å. Single crystal structural analysis demonstrated that the Nd ion partially occupied the Lu site. The (Lu,Nd)124 exhibited the superconducting transition at ~75 K in the magnetic susceptibility and resistivity. The $T_c$ and the c-axis of the (Lu,Nd)124 corresponded to Tm124. …
We measured the specific heat, the magnetization, and the magnetoresistance of a single crystal of ZrB12, which is superconducting below Tc ~ 6 K. The specific heat in zero field shows a BCS-type superconducting transition. The normal- to superconducting-state transition changes from first order (with a latent heat) to second order (without latent heat) with increasing magnetic field, indicating that the pure compound is a low-kappa, type-II/1 superconductor in the classification of Auer and Ullmaier [J. Auer and H. Ullmaier, Phys. Rev.B 7, 136 (1973)]. This behavior is confirmed by magnetizat…
Recently, several types of BiS2-based superconductor such as Bi4O4S3, REO1-xFxBiS2 (RE: rare earth) and Sr1-xLaxFBiS2 have been discovered. In this study, we have investigated the crystal structure and the superconducting properties for two kinds of polycrystalline samples (As-grown and high-pressure-annealed samples) of the BiS2-based superconductor CeO0.3F0.7BiS2. We found that both the As-grown and the high-pressure-annealed CeO0.3F0.7BiS2 samples show bulk superconductivity. A higher Tc was observed in the high-pressure-annealed sample. The Tc of CeO0.3F0.7BiS2 increased from Tczero = 2.7 …
We report on the first successful growth of single crystals of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor Mo$_3$Al$_2$C obtained by means of a cubic-anvil, high-pressure and high-temperature technique. Composition, structure, and normal-state transport properties of the crystals were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements as a function of temperature. Variations in critical temperature ($T_c$) between 8.6 and 9.3 K were observed, probably due to the slightly different carbon stoichiometry of the samples. Sing…
We report single-crystal growth of La$_{0.34}$Na$_{0.66}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ iron-based superconductor with the size of several millimeters. The samples were accidentally obtained in trying to grow LaFeAsO$_{1-y}$F$_y$ ( $y \geq$ 0.8 ) single crystals with NaAs and NaF flux. The sample shows both antiferromagnetic and structural transitions at 106 K. The superconducting transition temperature is about 27 K with the superconducting anisotropy of about 1.9. These values and the temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient suggest that La$_{0.34}$Na$_{0.66}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ belongs to hole-doped "122" fam…
When quasiparticles in a BCS superconductor recombine into Cooper pairs, phonons are emitted within a narrow band of energies above the pairing energy at 2$Δ$. We show that a phonon bandgap restricting the escape of recombination phonons from a superconductor can increase the quasiparticle recombination lifetime by more than an order of magnitude. A phonon bandgap can be realized and matched to the recombination energy with a phononic crystal, a periodically-patterned dielectric membrane. We discuss in detail the non-equilibrium quasiparticle and phonon distributions that arise in a supercondu…
The elastic moduli of vortex crystals in anisotropic superconductors are frequently involved in the investigation of their phase diagram and transport properties. We provide a detailed analysis of the harmonic eigenvalues (normal modes) of the vortex lattice for general values of the magnetic field strength, going beyond the elastic continuum regime. The detailed behavior of these wavevector-dependent eigenvalues within the Brillouin zone (BZ), is compared with several frequently used approximations that we also recalculate. Throughout the BZ, transverse modes are less costly than their longit…
The fluorine-doped rare-earth iron oxyarsenides, REFeAsO1-xFx (RE =rare earth) have recently emerged as a new family of high-temperature superconductors with transition temperatures (Tc) as high as 55 K (refs 1-4). Early work has provided compelling evidence that the undoped parent materials exhibit spin-density-wave (SDW) antiferromagnetic order and undergo a structural phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic crystal symmetry upon cooling.5 Both the magnetic and structural instabilities are suppressed upon doping with fluoride ions before the appearance of superconductivity.6,7 Here …
Numerical calculations on a mesoscopic ring of a type II superconductor in the London limit suggest that an Abrikosov vortex can be trapped in such a structure above a critical magnetic field and generate a phase shift in the magnetoresistance oscillations. We prepared submicron-sized superconducting loops of single-crystal, type II superconductor NbSe$_2$ and measured magnetoresistance oscillations resulting from vortices crossing the loops. The free energy barrier for vortex crossing determines the crossing rate and is periodically modulated by the external magnetic flux threading the loop. …
We derive the current response to the linearly polarized electromagnetic field with finite frequency and wave vector incident normally on the specular surface of a clean nonconventional superconductor with orbital spontaneous magnetization parallel to the crystal axis and perpendicular to the crystal surface. The result includes the usual part known from the theory of conventional superconductivity and as well the magneto-optical term typical for the superconductors with spontaneous time reversal breaking. As an application of the basic current-field relation we consider the Kerr effect for th…
Quasi-single crystals (up to 2x2x1 mm3) of Na0.35CoO2.1.3H2O-superconductor have been grown. Magnetization M(H, T) and M(T, H) curves with magnetic field approximately parallel and perpendicular to c-axis indicates on large anisotropy, comparable with Bi-based high-temperature superconducting (HTS) phases.
We present heat capacity measurements on a series of superconducting Cu$_x$TiSe$_2$ single crystals with different Cu content down to 600 mK and up to 1 T performed by ac microcalorimetry. The samples cover a large portion of the phase diagram from an underdoped to a slightly overdoped region with an increasing superconducting critical temperature and the charge density wave (CDW) order gradually suppressed. The electronic heat capacity as a function of normalized temperature $T/T_c$ shows no difference regardless of the concentration of copper, i.e., regardless of how much the CDW order is de…
We present the results of directional point-contact measurements in MgB_2 single crystals, in magnetic fields up to 9 T parallel to the c axis. By fitting the conductance curves of our point contacts -- showing clear Andreev-reflection features -- with a generalized Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model, we were able to extract the values of the two gaps Delta_sigma and Delta_pi. The comparison of the resulting Delta_sigma(B) and Delta_pi(B) curves to the theoretical predictions of the two-band model in dirty limit, recently appeared in literature, allows the first direct test of this model and gives…
Since the discovery of a new family of vanadium-based kagome superconductor AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, and Cs) with topological band structures, extensive effort has been devoted to exploring the origin of superconducting states and the intertwined orders. Meanwhile, searching for new types of superconductors with novel physical properties and higher superconducting transition temperatures has always been a major thread in the history of superconductor research. Here we report a successful fabrication and the topological states of a Titanium-based kagome metal CsTi3Bi5 (CT3B5) crystal. The as-grown CT3B…
London penetration depth, $λ(T)$, was measured in single crystals of SrFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ ($x=$0.35) iron - based superconductor. The influence of disorder on the transition temperature, $T_c$, and on $λ(T)$ was investigated. The effects of scattering controlled by the annealing of as-grown crystals was compared with the effects of artificial disorder introduced by 2.5~MeV electron irradiation. The low temperature behavior of $λ(T)$ can be described by a power-law function, $Δλ(T)=AT^n$, with the exponent $n$ close to one in pristine annealed samples, as expected for superconducting g…
We present here some newer characteristics pertaining to paramagnetic Meissner effect like response in a single crystal of the low Tc superconducting compound 2H-NbSe2 via a detailed study of effects of perturbation on the field-cooled magnetization response. In the temperature range, where an anomalous paramagnetic magnetization occurs, the field-cooled magnetization response is found to be highly metastable: it displays a curious tendency to switch randomly from a given paramagnetic value to a diamagnetic or to a different paramagnetic value, when the system is perturbed by an impulse of an …
A comparison of the history effects in weakly pinned single crystals of a high $T_c$ YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7 - δ}$ (for H $\parallel$ c) and a low $T_c$ Ca$_3$Rh$_4$Sn$_{13}$, which show anomalous variations in critical current density $J_c(H)$ are presented via tracings of the minor magnetization hysteresis loops using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The sample histories focussed are, (i) the field cooled (FC), (ii) the zero field cooled (ZFC) and (iii) an isothermal reversal of field from the normal state. An understanding of the results in terms of the modulation in the plastic deformation of t…
We present a self consistent treatment of pinhole junctions in $d_{x^2-y^2}$ superconductors. The current-phase relation $j_s(χ)$ is studied at different temperatures and at different angles $α$ between the crystal $\hat a$-axis and the junction (surface) normal. We show that the critical current of a junction can be reduced by pair-breaking effects at the separation. We also study the Josephson energy of a pinhole as a function of the phase difference across the junction. In particular are mapped the positions of the energy minima $χ_{min}$ at different temperatures as functions of ($α_L,α_R$…
Models of superconductors having a quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure based on the convoluted into a tube Ginzburg sandwich, which comprises a layered dielectric-metal-dielectric structure, have been suggested. The critical crystal chemistry parameters of the Ginzburg sandwich determining the possibility of the emergence of superconductivity and the Tc value in layered high-Tc cuprates, which could have the same functions in quasi-one-dimensional fragments (sandwich-type tubes), have been examined. The crystal structures of known low-temperature superconductors, in which one can mark out …
The London penetration depth was measured in optimally doped Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 crystals, with and without columnar defects produced by 1.4 GeV 208Pb irradiation. The low temperature behavior of unirradiated samples was consistent with a fully gapped superconducting state with a minimum energy gap delta_min/(k_B T_C) = 1. Similar gap values were observed for irradiation levels corresponding to mean column-column separations of 32 nm and 22 nm. At very high irradiation levels (column-column separation of 10 nm) a T^2 power law was observed below Tc/3, most likely due to elevated scattering. Neithe…
We have investigated the in-plane anisotropy of the c-axis magnetoresistance for single crystals of a BiCh2-based superconductor LaO0.5F0.5BiSSe under in-plane magnetic fields. We observed two-fold symmetry in the c-axis magnetoresistance in the ab-plane of LaO0.5F0.5BiSSe while the crystal possessed a tetragonal square plane with four-fold symmetry. The observed symmetry lowering in magnetoresistance from the structural symmetry may be related to the nematic states, which have been observed in the superconducting states of several unconventional superconductors.
In- and out-of-plane magnetic penetration depths were measured in three iron-based pnictide superconducting systems. All studied samples of both 122 systems show a robust power-law behavior, $λ(T) T^n$, with the sample-dependent exponent n=2-2.5, which is indicative of unconventional pairing. This scenario could be possible either through scattering in a $s_{\pm }$ state or due to nodes in the superconducting gap. In the Nd-1111 system, the interpretation of data may be obscured by the magnetism of rare-earth ions. The overall anisotropy of the pnictide superconductors is small. The 1111 syste…
By using a high quality Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10 (Tl-2223) single crystal as an example, the magnetization vector was probed in the reversible region of highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors. For that, we have measured its components along and transverse to the applied magnetic field for different crystal orientations. The analysis shows that the angular dependence of the perpendicular component of the magnetization vector follows the one predicted by a London-like approach which includes a contribution associated with the thermal fluctuations of the 2D vortex positions. For the Tl-2223 crystal st…
Directional point-contact Andreev-reflection (PCAR) measurements in Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals (Tc=24.5 K) indicate the presence of two superconducting gaps with no line nodes on the Fermi surface. The PCAR spectra also feature additional structures related to the electron-boson interaction, from which the characteristic boson energy Omega_b(T) is obtained, very similar to the spin-resonance energy observed in neutron scattering experiments. Both the gaps and the additional structures can be reproduced within a three-band s+- Eliashberg model by using an electron-boson spectral function …
The crystal structure of the new superconductor UTe2 has been investigated for the first time at low temperature (LT) of 2.7 K, just closely above the superconducting transition temperature of about 1.7 K by single crystal neutron diffraction, in order to prove, whether the orthorhombic structure of type Immm (Nr. 71 Int. Tabl.) reported for room temperature (RT) persists down to the superconducting phase and can be considered as a parent symmetry for the development of spin triplet superconductivity. Our results show that the RT structure reported previously obtained by single crystal X-Ray d…