We successfully synthesized the BaPt$_2$As$_2$ single crystals and studied their structural and physical properties at low temperatures. BaPt$_2$As$_2$ crystallizes in the CaBe$_2$Ge$_2$-type tetragonal structure (P4/nmm) at room temperature and undergoes a first-order structural transition at $T_S\simeq 275$ K, which is likely associated with a charge-density-wave (CDW) instability. BCS-type superconductivity with two subsequent transitions at $T_{c1}=1.67$K and $T_{c2}$=1.33K are observed in this compound. Thus, BaPt$_2$As$_2$ may serve as a new system for studying the interplay of superconductivity and the CDW order.
Superconductivity in BaPtSb with the SrPtSb-type structure (space group $P\bar{6}m2$, $D_{3h}^1$, No. 187) is reported. The structure consists of a PtSb ordered honeycomb network that stacks along the $c$-axis so that spatial inversion symmetry is broken globally. Electrical resistivity and specific-heat measurements revealed that the compound exhibited superconductivity at 1.64 K. The noncentrosymmetric structure and the strong spin-orbit coupling of Pt and Sb make BaPtSb an attractive compound for studying the exotic superconductivity predicted for a honeycomb network.
In the search for superconductivity in BaAu2Sb2-type monoclinic structure, we have successfully synthesized a new compound BaPt2Bi2, which crystallizes in the space group P21/m (S.G. 11; Pearson symbol mP10) according to a combination of powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Sharp electrical resistivity drop and large diamagnetic magnetization below 2.0 K indicates it owns the superconducting ground state. This makes BaPt2Bi2 the first reported superconductor in mono-clinic BaAu2Sb2-type structure, a previously unappreciated structure for superconductivi…
The crystal structure and superconductivity of hexagonal BaPtAs are reported. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements were performed in this study. Two hexagonal structures with different PtAs honeycomb network stacking sequences, namely, SrPtSb- (space group $P\bar{6}m2$, $D_{3h}^1$, No. 187) and YPtAs-type ($P6_3/mmc$, $D_{6h}^4$, No. 194) structures, were identified and found to exhibit superconductivity at 2.8 and 2.1-3.0 K, respectively. In contrast, the cubic LaIrSi-type structure ($P2_13$, $T^4$, No. 198) did not exhibit su…
The newly discovered BaPt$_2$As$_2$ shows a structural distortion at around 275~K, followed by the emergence of superconductivity at lower temperatures. Here we identify the presence of charge density wave (CDW) order at room temperature and ambient pressure using single crystal x-ray diffraction, with both a superlattice and an incommensurate modulation, where there is a change of the superlattice structure below $\simeq$ 275~K. Upon applying pressure, BaPt$_2$As$_2$ shows a rich temperature-pressure phase diagram with multiple pressure-induced transitions at high temperatures, the emergence …
The crystal structure, superconducting properties, and electronic structure of a novel superconducting 122-type antimonide, BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$, have been investigated by measurements of powder X-ray diffraction patterns, electrical resistivity, ac magnetic susceptibility, specific heat as well as ab-initio calculations. This material crystallizes in a new-type of monoclinic variant of the CaBe$_2$Ge$_2$-type structure, in which Pt$_2$Sb$_2$ layers consisting of PtSb$_4$ tetrahedra and Sb$_2$Pt$_2$ layers consisting of SbPt$_4$ tetrahedra are stacked alternatively and Ba atoms are located between t…
Combining experiments and ab initio models we report on $\rm SrPt_4Ge_{12}$ and $\rm BaPt_4Ge_{12}$ as members of a novel class of superconducting skutterudites, where Sr or Ba atoms stabilize a framework entirely formed by Ge-atoms. Below $T_c=5.35$ K, and 5.10 K for $\rm BaPt_4Ge_{12}$ and $\rm SrPt_4Ge_{12}$, respectively, electron-phonon coupled superconductivity emerges, ascribed to intrinsic features of the Pt-Ge framework, where Ge-$p$ states dominate the electronic structure at the Fermi energy.
The interplay between the band Jahn-Teller distortion and the superconductivity is studied for the system whose Fermi level lies in two-fold degenerate band. Assuming that the lattice distortion is coupled to the orbital electron density and the superconductivity arises due to BCS pairing mechanism between the electrons, the phase diagram is obtained for different doping with respect to half-filled band situation. The coexistence phase of superconductivity and distortion occurs within limited range of doping and the distortion lowers the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$. In presenc…
The coupling between superconductivity and othorhombic distortion is studied in vapor-grown FeSe single crystals using high-resolution thermal-expansion measurements. In contrast to the Ba122-based (Ba122) superconductors, we find that superconductivity does not reduce the orthorhombicity below Tc. Instead we find that superconductivity couples strongly to the in-plane area, which explains the large hydrostatic pressure effects. We discuss our results in light of the spinnematic scenario and argue that FeSe has many features quite different from the typical Fe-based superconductors.
EXAFS studies at the As K edge as a function of temperature have been carried out in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ ($x$ = 0 and 0.2) compounds to understand the role of local structural distortions superconductivity observed in F doped compound. A significant correlation between thermal variation of local structural parameters like anion height and superconducting onset is found in the fluorinated compound. Such a variation in anion height is absent in non-superconducting compound. Increase in Fe-As bond distance just below superconducting onset temperature indicates a similarity in distortions observe…
Effect of tetragonal distortion on the electronic structure, dynamical properties and superconductivity in Mo$_3$Sb$_7$ is analyzed using first principles electronic structure and phonon calculations. Rigid muffin tin approximation (RMTA) and McMillan formulas are used to calculate the electron-phonon coupling constant $λ$ and superconducting critical temperature. Our results show, that tetragonal distortion has small, but beneficial effect on superconductivity, slightly increasing $λ$, and the conclusion that the electron-phonon mechanism is responsible for the superconductivity in Mo$_3$Sb$_…
We propose a model for a spatially modulated collective state of superconducting cuprates in which the electronic properties vary locally in space. In this model the regions of higher hole density (called stripes) are described as Luttinger liquids and the regions of lower density (antiferromagnetic ladders) as an interacting bosonic gas of d$_{x^2-y^2}$ hole pairs. We show that the transition to the superconducting state is topological and driven by decay processes among these elementary excitations in the presence of vibrations.
Superconductivity-induced changes of phonon lineshapes in niobium have been re-investigated by high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering. We show that the changes go beyond a simple change in lifetime and frequency when the phonon frequency is close to the superconducting energy gap $2Δ$. The observed lineshapes in elemental niobium are qualitatively similar to those found previously in borocarbide superconductors and agree very well with those predicted by the theory of Allen et al. [PRB 56, 5552 (1997)]. Our results indicate that the peculiar phonon lineshapes in the superconducting state…
Detailed knowledge of the phase diagram and the nature of the competing magnetic and superconducting phases is imperative for an understanding of the physics of iron-based superconductivity. Here, we show using thermodynamic probes that the phase diagram of the first discovered, and highest Tc, 122-type material, Ba1-xKxFe2As2 is in fact much richer than previously reported. Inside the usual stripe-type magnetic order with C2-symmetry, we find a small pocket of a tetragonal, C4-symmetric phase, which surprisingly reverts back to the C2-phase at or slightly below the superconducting transition.…
The first-order transition at $T_{\rm 0} = 270$ K for the platinum-based SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ superconductor was investigated using X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements. When polycrystalline SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ was cooled down through $T_{\rm 0}$, the structure was transformed from monoclinic to a modulated orthorhombic structure, and no magnetic order was formed, which illustrates the possibility of a charge density wave (CDW) transition at $T_{\rm 0}$. SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ can thus be a new example to examine the interplay of CDW and superconductivity in addition to SrPt$_2$As$_2$, BaPt…
The nonadiabatic Heisenberg model predicts a structural distortion in LiFeAs below a temperature higher than (or at least equal to) the superconducting transition temperature. Within this group-theoretical model, the reduction of the symmetry caused by the distortion is a prerequisite for the superconducting state in this compound and can be realized by a mere displacement of the iron atoms from their positions in the space group P4/nmm.
We investigate the superconducting states of the high-Tc superconductors which we argue to be commensurately locked by the tilted rigid octahedral distortion. The method is based on the analysis of the kinematics of the rigid-octahedra lattice model. The distortion modes cause the competing superconducting state of the "s" and "d" type symmetry. The vortex structure of the competing orders is analysed on the ground of the Ginzburg-Landau model.
Granularity, anisotropy, local lattice distortions and their dependence on dopant concentration appear to be present in all cuprate superconductors, interwoven with the microscopic mechanisms responsible for superconductivity. Here we review anisotropy and penetration depth measurements to reassess the evidence for granularity, as revealed by the notorious rounded phase transition, the evidence for the three dimensional nature of superconductivity, uncovered by the doping dependence of transition temperature and anisotropy, and to reassess the relevance of the electron-lattice coupling, emergi…
The recent discovery of superconductivity at moderately high temperature (26 K to 55 K) in doped iron-based pnictides (LnO_{1-x}F_xFeAs, where Ln = La, Ce, Sm, Pr, Nd, etc.), having layered-structure-like cuprates, has triggered renewed challenge towards understanding the pairing mechanism. After reviewing the current findings on these systems, a theoretical model of a combined mechanism is suggested in which the phonon-mediated and distortion-field-mediated pairing processes give the right order of superconducting critical temperature T_c. The distortion-field modes arise from Jahn-Teller or …
We report the synthesis and characterization of the novel silicide LaFeSiH displaying superconductivity with onset at 11 K. We find that this pnictogen-free compound is isostructural to LaFeAsO, with a similar low-temperature tetragonal to orthorhombic distortion. Using density functional theory we show that this system is also a multiband metal in which the orthorhombic distortion is likely related to single-stripe antiferromagnetic order. Electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that these features occur side-by-side with superconductivity, which is suppressed b…
Phonon measurements in the A15-type superconductors were complicated in the past because of the unavailability of large single crystals for inelastic neutron scattering, e.g., in the case of Nb$_3$Sn, or unfavorable neutron scattering properties in the case of V$_3$Si. Hence, only few studies of the lattice dynamical properties with momentum resolved methods were published, in particular below the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$. Here, we overcome these problems by employing inelastic x-ray scattering and report a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of lattice dyna…
The discovery of a new family of high Tc materials, the iron arsenides (FeAs), has led to a resurgence of interest in superconductivity. Several important traits of these materials are now apparent, for example, layers of iron tetrahedrally coordinated by arsenic are crucial structural ingredients. It is also now well established that the parent non-superconducting phases are itinerant magnets, and that superconductivity can be induced by either chemical substitution or application of pressure, in sharp contrast to the cuprate family of materials. The structure and properties of chemically sub…
Striped superconductivity with lattice distortions is investigated based on the three-band Hubbard model for high-Tc cuprates. A stable inhomogeneous striped state is determined in the low-temperature tetragonal (LTT) phase with lattice distortions using a quantum variational Monte Carlo method. The ground state has vertical or horizontal hole-rich arrays coexisting with incommensurate magnetism and superconductivity induced by several percent lattice distortions. The superconductivity order parameter oscillates according to the inhomogeneity in the antiferromagnetic background with its maxima…
Bilayer graphene twisted by a small angle shows a significant charge modulation away from neutrality, as the charge in the narrow bands near the Dirac point is mostly localized in the regions of the Moiré pattern with $AA$ stacking. The resulting electrostatic potential gives rise to the dominant contribution to the electron-electron interaction within this low energy band, which becomes significantly distorted. The changes in the band structure are described by new local interactions, and lead to an assisted electron-hopping process. These couplings favor superconductivity at certain fillings…
The polar metal is a material that hosts both polar distortion and metallicity. Such a material is expected to show exotic magneto-electric phenomena if superconducts. Here, we theoretically explore ferroelectric and superconducting properties in a series of perovskite-type oxyhydrides ATiO$_2$H (A=K, Rb, Cs) under hole-doping conditions using the first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. Our simulation shows that these compounds host spontaneous polarization and superconductivity at optimal doping concentration. The unusual coexistence of superconductivity and larg…
The intriguing coexistence of the charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity in SrPt$_2$As$_2$ and LaPt$_2$Si$_2$ has been investigated based on the {\it ab initio} density functional theory band structure and phonon calculations. We have found that the local split distortions Pt atoms in the [As-Pt-As] layers play an essential role in driving the five-fold supercell CDW instability as well as the phonon softening instability in SrPt$_2$As$_2$. By contrast, the CDW and phonon softening instabilities in LaPt$_2$Si$_2$ occur without split distortions of Pt atoms, indicating that the driving…
The role of nematic order for the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity is highly debated. In most iron-based superconductors (IBS) the tetragonal symmetry is broken already in the normal state, resulting in orthorhombic lattice distortions, static stripe magnetic order, or both. Superconductivity then emerges, at least at weak doping, already from the state with broken $C_4$ rotational symmetry. One of the few stoichiometric IBS, lithium iron arsenide, superconducts below 18 K and does not display either structural or magnetic transition in the normal state. Here we demonstrate, usi…
Local distortions of the crystal structure and their influence on the electronic structure and superconductivity of the high-entropy alloy (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33
We use neutron scattering to study the structural distortion and antiferromagnetic (AFM) order in LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ as the system is doped with fluorine (F) to induce superconductivity. In the undoped state, LaFeAsO exhibits a structural distortion, changing the symmetry from tetragonal (space group $P4/nmm$) to orthorhombic (space group $Cmma$) at 155 K, and then followed by an AFM order at 137 K. Doping the system with F gradually decreases the structural distortion temperature, but suppresses the long range AFM order before the emergence of superconductivity. Therefore, while supercond…
Drawing the analogy to BaBiO3, we investigate via ab-initio electronic structure calculations potential new superconductors of the type ATlX3 with A = Rb, Cs and X = F, Cl, and Br, with a particular emphasis on RbTlCl3. Based on chemical reasoning, supported by the calculations, we show that Tl-based perovskites have structural and charge instabilities driven by the lone pair effect, similar to the case of BaBiO3, effectively becoming A2Tl1+Tl3+X6. We find that upon hole doping of RbTlCl3, structures without Tl1+, Tl3+ charge disproportionation become more stable, although the ideal cubic pero…
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…
The synthesis of the high temperature superconductor LaH$_{10}$ requires pressures in excess of 100 GPa, wherein it adopts a face-centered cubic structure. Upon decompression, this structure undergoes a distortion which still supports superconductivity, but with a much lower critical temperature. Previous calculations have shown that quantum and anharmonic effects are necessary to stabilize the cubic structure, but have not resolved the low pressure distortion. Using large scale path-integral molecular dynamics enabled by a machine learned potential, we show that a rhombohedral distortion appe…
Experimental evidence for a transient enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature in presence of an intense THz or IR pump pulse was ascribed to nonlinear phononics effects. Here I introduce a simple phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau model of this phenomenon, to explore further consequences and possible experimental tests of this interpretation. Upon cooling below Tc in the absence ofTHz pumping, both an abrupt softening of a Raman-active mode frequency and a spontaneous lattice distortion, growing linearly with (Tc - T), are predicted to occur. Numerical estimates for YBa2Cu3O6+x i…
High-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements reveal an unusually strong response of the lattice to superconductivity in Ba[Fe(1-x)Cox]2As2. The orthorhombic distortion of the lattice is suppressed and, for Co-doping near x = 0.063, the orthorhombic structure evolves smoothly back to a tetragonal structure. We propose that the coupling between orthorhombicity and superconductivity is indirect and arises due to the magneto-elastic coupling, in the form of emergent nematic order, and the strong competition between magnetism and superconductivity.
In high-transition temperature (high-Tc) copper oxides, it is generally believed that antiferromagnetism plays a fundamental role in the superconducting mechanism because superconductivity occurs when mobile electrons or holes are doped into the antiferromagnetic parent compounds. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the rare-earth (R) iron-based oxide systems [RO1-xFxFeAs] has generated enormous interest because these materials are the first noncopper oxide superconductors with Tc exceeding 50 K. The parent (nonsuperconducting) LaOFeAs material is metallic but shows anomalies near 150…
Pd-intercalated ErTe$_3$ is studied as a model system to explore the effect of "intertwined" superconducting and charge density wave (CDW) orders. Despite the common wisdom that superconductivity emerges only when CDW is suppressed, we present data from STM and AC susceptibility measurements that show no direct competition between CDW order and superconductivity. Both coexist over most of the intercalation range, with uniform superconductivity over length scales that exceed the superconducting coherence length. This is despite persisting short-range CDW order and increased scattering from the …
An archetypical layered topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ becomes superconductive upon doping with Sr, Nb or Cu. Superconducting properties of these materials in the presence of in-plane magnetic field demonstrate spontaneous symmetry breaking: 180$^\circ$-rotation symmetry of superconductivity versus 120$^\circ$-rotation symmetry of the crystal. Such behavior brilliantly confirms nematic topological superconductivity. To what extent this nematicity is due to superconducting pairing in these materials, rather than due to crystal structure distortions? This question remained unanswered, becaus…
Superconducting iron chalcogenide FeSe has the simplest crystal structure among all the Fe-based superconductors. Unlike other iron pnictides, FeSe exhibits no long range magnetic order accompanying the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural distortion, which raises the fundamental question about the role of magnetism and its associated spin fluctuations in mediating both nematicity and superconductivity. The extreme sensitivity of FeSe to external pressure suggests that chemical pressure, induced by substitution of Se by the smaller ion S, could also a be good tuning parameter to further study…
We use neutron scattering to show that replacing the larger arsenic with smaller phosphorus in CeFeAs(1-x)P(x)O simultaneously suppresses the AF order and orthorhombic distortion near x = 0.4, providing evidence for a magnetic quantum critical point. Furthermore, we find that the pnictogen height in iron arsenide is an important controlling parameter for their electronic and magnetic properties, and may play an important role in electron pairing and superconductivity.
Persistent structural distortions and absent superconductivity in trilayer nickelate thin films
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University（哈佛大学生物工程与应用科学学院）；Department of Physics, Harvard University（哈佛大学物理系）；Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院电气与计算机科学系）；School of Applied & Engineering Physics, Cornell University（康奈尔大学应用与工程物理学院）；Department of Physics, Arizona State University（亚利桑那州立大学物理系）；Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, Cornell University（康奈尔大学高能同步辐射光源）；Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory（阿贡国家实验室先进光子源）
The experimental observation of superconductivity in LaFeAsO appearing on doping is analyzed with the group-theoretical approach that evidently led in a foregoing paper (J. Supercond 24:2103, 2011) to an understanding of the cause of both the antiferromagnetic state and the accompanying structural distortion in this material. Doping, like the structural distortions, means also a reduction of the symmetry of the pure perfect crystal. In the present paper we show that this reduction modifies the correlated motion of the electrons in a special narrow half-filled band of LaFeAsO in such a way that…
By means of {\it ab initio} simulations, we investigate the phonon band structure and electron-phonon coupling in small 4-Ådiameter nanotubes. We show that both the C(5,0) and C(3,3) tubes undergo above room temperature a Peierls transition mediated by an acoustical long-wavelength and an optical $q=2k_F$ phonons respectively. In the armchair geometry, we verify that the electron-phonon coupling parameter $λ$ originates mainly from phonons at $q=2k_F$ and is strongly enhanced when the diameter decreases. These results question the origin of superconductivity in small diameter nanotubes.
A complicating factor in unraveling the theory of high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity is the presence of a "pseudogap" in the density of states, whose origin has been debated since its discovery [1]. Some believe the pseudogap is a broken symmetry state distinct from superconductivity [2-4], while others believe it arises from short-range correlations without symmetry breaking [5,6]. A number of broken symmetries have been imaged and identified with the pseudogap state [7,8], but it remains crucial to disentangle any electronic symmetry breaking from pre-existing structural symmetry o…
We present a systematic investigation of the antiferromagnetic ordering and structural distortion for the series of Ba(Fe{1-x}Ru{x})2As2 compounds (0 <= x <= 0.246). Neutron and x-ray diffraction measurements demonstrate that, unlike for the electron-doped compounds, the structural and magnetic transitions remain coincident in temperature. Both the magnetic and structural transitions are gradually suppressed with increased Ru concentration and coexist with superconductivity. For samples that are superconducting, we find strong competition between superconductivity, the antiferromagnetic orderi…
The oxygen isotope effect on the superconductivity, stripe phase and structure transition is systematically investigated in La$_{1.6-x}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$ with static stripe phase. Substitution of $^{16}$O by $^{18}$O leads to a decrease in superconducting transition temperature T$_C$, while enhances the temperature of the structural transition from low-temperature-orthorhombic (LTO) phase to low-temperature-tetragonal (LTT) phase. Compared to the Nd free sample, a larger isotope effect on $T_C$ is observed in La$_{1.6-x}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$. These results indicate that the distor…
Understanding the interplay between nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity is pivotal for elucidating the physics of iron-based superconductors. Here we use neutron scattering to probe magnetic and nematic orders throughout the phase diagram of NaFe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$As, finding that while both static antiferromagnetic and nematic orders compete with superconductivity, the onset temperatures for these two orders remain well-separated approaching the putative quantum critical points. We uncover local orthorhombic distortions that persist well above the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural tran…
Interplay of Pomeranchuk instability (spontaneous symmetry breaking of the Fermi surface) and d-wave superconductivity is studied for the repulsive Hubbard model on the square lattice with the dynamical mean field theory combined with the fluctuation exchange approximation (FLEX+DMFT). We show that the four-fold symmetric Fermi surface becomes unstable against a spontaneous distortion into two-fold near the van Hove filling, where the symmetry of superconductivity coexisting with the Pomeranchuk distorted Fermi surface is modified from the d-wave pairing to (d+s)-wave. By systematically shifti…
To examine the role of magnetism in superconductivity of iron-based superconductors, we first present first-principles optical calculations on three representative parent compounds: LaFeAsO, BaFe2As2 and LiFeAs. Both nonmagnetic (NM) and spin-density wave (SDW) with striped antiferromagnetic order are considered. Due to their layer structure, these compounds in NM states show anomalously large optical anisotropy with a conductivity ratio $σ_{zz}/σ{xx}$ as large as 313% in LaFeAsO and 530% in LiFeAs. Interestingly the giant optical anisotropy is significantly suppressed by SDW. On the other han…
In this paper, a comprehensive study of the effects of Ni-doping on structural, electrical, thermal and magnetic properties of the NbB2 is presented. Low amounts (\leq 10 %) of Ni substitution on Nb sites cause structural distortions and induce drastic changes in the physical properties, such as the emergence of a bulk superconducting state with anomalous behaviors in the critical fields (lower and upper) and in the specific heat. Ni-doping at the 9 at.% level, for instance, is able to increase the critical temperature (TC) in stoichiometric NbB2 (< 1.3 K) to approximately 6.0 K. Bulk supercon…
Despite numerous studies the exact nature of the order parameter in superconducting Sr2RuO4 remains unresolved. We have extended previous small-angle neutron scattering studies of the vortex lattice in this material to a wider field range, higher temperatures, and with the field applied close to both the <100> and <110> basal plane directions. Measurements at high field were made possible by the use of both spin polarization and analysis to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Rotating the field towards the basal plane causes a distortion of the square vortex lattice observed for H // <001>, and…
Electronic nematic behavior has been identified and studied in iron-based superconductors for some time, particularly in the well-known BaFe$_2$As$_2$ system, where it is well-known to compete with superconductivity. On the other hand, it has been shown recently that FeSe displays a negligible effect of nematicity on superconductivity near the superconducting transition, and actual cooperation between the two orders when the system is doped with S. Recently it has also been proposed that LiFeAs undergoes a nematic transition in the superconducting state itself. Generally, we expect superconduc…
Neutron diffraction and high-resolution x-ray diffraction studies find that, similar to the closely related underdoped Ba(Fe[1-x]Cox)2As2 superconducting compounds, Ba(Fe0.961Rh0.039)2As2 shows strong evidence of competition and coexistence between superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order below the superconducting transition, Tc = 14 K. The transition temperatures for both the magnetic order and orthorhombic distortion are in excellent agreement with those inferred from resistivity measurements, and both order parameters manifest a distinct decrease in magnitude below Tc. These data sugge…
We find a lattice instability in the superconductor KCr$_3$As$_3$, corresponding to a distortion of the Cr metallic wires in the crystal structure. This distortion couples strongly to both the electronic and magnetic properties, in particular by making the electronic structure much more nearly one-dimensional, and by shifting the compound away from magnetism. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of the possibly unconventional superconductivity of this phase.
The interplay of superconductivity with electronic and structural instabilities on the kagome lattice provides a fertile ground for the emergence of unusual phenomena. The vanadium-based kagome metals $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A=$ K, Rb, Cs) exhibit superconductivity on an almost ideal kagome lattice, with the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ forming two domes upon pressure-tuning. The first dome arises from the competition between superconductivity and a charge-density-wave, whereas the origin for the second dome remains unclear. Herein, we show that the appearance of the second supe…
Based on specific heat and magnetoresistance measurements, we report that a "heavy" electronic state exists below $T \approx$ 20 K in KNi$_2$Se$_2$, with an increased carrier mobility and enhanced effective electronic band mass, $m$* = 6$m_b$ to 18$m_b$. This "heavy" state evolves into superconductivity at $T_c$ = 0.80(1) K. These properties resemble that of a many-body heavy-fermion state, which derives from the hybridization between localized magnetic states and conduction electrons. Yet, no evidence for localized magnetism or magnetic order is found in KNi$_2$Se$_2$ from magnetization measu…
