Electronic bands near the Fermi energy with minimal energy dispersion in k-space, i.e. "flat bands", are often said to be an important characteristic of superconducting materials. When extending over a significant region of the k-space, this leads to peaks in the electronic density of states. If one could systematically search the calculated electronic structures of materials, already available through the Materials Genome Initiative, for such peaks, then the rate of new superconductor discovery could be accelerated greatly. Here we test whether this characteristic actually distinguishes known superconductors from known non-superconductors. We find that there is an anticorrelation for tetragonal symmetry materials, but that hexagonal symmetry superconductors exhibit such peaks more frequently than hexagonal non-superconductors. More generally, our study's limitations underscore the importance of standardizing digital resources for achieving the accelerated materials discovery paradigm promised by the Materials Genome Initiative.
Because of the important role of electron-boson interactions in conventional superconductivity, it has long been asked whether any similar mechanism is at play in high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Evidence for strong electron-boson coupling is observed in cuprates with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), in the form of a dispersion kink and peak-dip-hump structure. What is missing is evidence of a causal relation to superconductivity. Here we revisit the problem using the technique of time-resolved ARPES on Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$. We focus on the peak-dip-hump str…
Mazin and Singh comment that the peaks in the Fourier-transformed spectroscopic maps of Fe(Se,Te) are not related to the quasi-particle-interference (QPI) but may be Bragg peaks associated with chalcogen lattice and possible surface reconstruction which would be triggered by surface-induced spin-density wave. We show that the peaks are too broad to be assigned as Bragg peaks and are consistent with QPI.
Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructures are known to exhibit interfacial superconductivity between two non-superconducting materials: Fe1+yTe as the parent compound of Fe-based superconducting materials and the topological insulator Bi2Te3. Here, we present a top-down approach starting from two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures to fabricate one-dimensional (1D) Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe nanowires or narrow nanoribbons. We demonstrate that the Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructure remains intact in nanostructures of widths on the order of 100 nm and the interfacial superconductivity is preserved, as evidenced by electri…
Hanaguri et al (Science, 8th of January 2010, p. 181) have reported STM measurements on an Fe-based superconductor Fe(Se,Te). After Fourier-transforming their data they found three sets of sharp peaks in the reciprocal space. They interpreted one as a Bragg peak (an umklapp scattering) and two as resulting from quasiparticle interference (QPI) We point out that at least one of these two peaks is also a Bragg peak, corresponding to another reciprocal lattice vector, and therefore is not a QPI peak, and the third peak has similar structure, too sharp for a QPI peak in a nodeless superconductor w…
We examine the possibility of high temperature superconductivity from two-dimensional semiconductor without antiferromagnetic fluctuations. The weak coupling BCS theory is applied, especially where the Fermi level is near the bottom of the conduction band. Due to screening, the attractive interaction is local in k-space. The density of states(DOS) does not have a peak near the bottom of the band, but k-dependent contribution to DOS has a diverging peak at the bottom. These features lead to high temperature superconductivity which may explain the possible superconductivity of WO_3.
We report an investigation of the superconducting states of $\mathrm{Lu}_3\mathrm{Os}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$ and $\mathrm{Y}_3\mathrm{Ru}_4\mathrm{Ge}_{13}$ single crystals by measurements of the electrical resistivity, ac susceptibility and London penetration depth. The analysis of the penetration depth and the derived superfluid density indicates the presence of nodeless superconductivity and suggest that there are multiple superconducting gaps in both materials. Furthermore, ac susceptibility measurements of both compounds display the peak effect in the low temperature region of the $H-T$ phase…
We investigate the competition between superconductivity and ferromagnetism in chaotic ultra-small metallic grains in a regime where both phases can coexist. We use an effective Hamiltonian that combines a BCS-like pairing term and a ferromagnetic Stoner-like spin exchange term. We study the transport properties of the grain in the Coulomb blockade regime and identify signatures of the coexistence between pairing and exchange correlations in the mesoscopic fluctuations of the conductance peak spacings and peak heights.
We show that magnetic fluctuations can destroy the Hebel-Slichter peak in conventional superconductors. The Hebel-Slichter peak has previously been expected to survive even in the presence of strong electronic interactions. However, we show that antiferromagnetic fluctuations suppress the peak at $\bf{q}=0$ in the imaginary part of the magnetic susceptibility, $χ_{+-}''\left(\bf{q},ω\right)$, which causes the Hebel-Slichter peak. This is of general interest as in many materials superconductivity is found near a magnetically ordered phase, and the absence of a Hebel-Slichter peak is taken as ev…
Recently observed 4π periodic Andreev bound states in three dimensional Dirac materials are attributed to convnetional superconducting pairing. Our alternative explanation in terms of a novel form of parity breaking pseudo-scalar superconducting order can be sharply diagnosed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation rate. The left-right symmetry breaking of the pseudo-scalar superconductivity can be directly probed as an anti-peak structure below TC in sharp contrast to the conventional Hebel-Slichter peak.
We have explored the vortex phase diagram in a spherical single crystal of niobium (T ~ 9.3 K) via isothermal and temperature dependent dc magnetization and ac-susceptibility measurements. The crystal has extremely weak pinning that can be inferred from the reversibility of loops below T_c. However, one can visualize the peak effect (PE) feature in the isothermal M-H loops up to T = 8 K. The PE is also prominent in isothermal ac-susceptibility data for H > 750 Oe. An interesting observation in the present study is the prominent fingerprints of surface superconductivity, starting just above the…
It is shown that the sharp peak in the $E_{2g}$ Raman spectrum of superconducting $MgB_2$ is due to a bound state caused by the electron-phonon coupling. Our theory explains why this peak appears only in the spectra with $E_{2g}$ symmetry and only in the $σ$ but not $π$ bands. The properties of the bound state and the Raman spectrum are investigated, also in the presence of impurity scattering.
We study the effects of varying the pre-implant film thickness and implant temperature on the electrical and superconducting properties of metal-mixed ion-implanted polymers. We show that it is possible to drive a superconductor-insulator transition in these materials via control of the fabrication parameters. We observe peaks in the magnetoresistance and demonstrate that these are caused by the interplay between superconductivity and weak localization in these films, which occurs due to their granular structure. We compare these magnetoresistance peaks with those seen in unimplanted films and…
Neutron-scattering experiments have been performed on lightly-doped La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4 single crystals in both the insulating (x=0.03,0.04,0.05) and superconducting (x=0.06) regions. Elastic magnetic peaks are observed at low temperatures in all samples with the maximum peak linewidth occuring at the critical concentration x_c=0.05. New incommensurate peaks are observed only at x=0.05, the positions of which are rotated by 45 degrees in reciprocal space about (pi,pi) from those observed for x>=0.06 in the superconducting phase.
We perform tunneling spectroscopy of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ searching for the edge states peculiar to topological superconductivity. Conductance spectra obtained on Sr$_2$RuO$_4$/Au junctions fabricated using $in$ $situ$ process show broad humps indicating the successful detection of a-axis edge of 1.5K phase. Three types of peak shape are detected: domelike peak, split peak and two-step peak. By comparing the experiments with predictions for unconventional superconductivity, these varieties are shown to originate from multiband chiral p-wave symmetry with weak anisotropy of pair amplitude. The broad h…
High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission experiments reveal subtle modifications of the surface electronic structure of VSe2. Most remarkably, we show that superconductivity can be induced in VSe2 by the right selection of substrate and growth parameters. Evidence for the superconducting state comes from the simultaneous detection of spectral kink, quasiparticle peak, Fermi gap, and their evolution with the temperature. The observation of Bogoliubov-like back-bending bands at low temperatures, signaling electron-hole pairing, further supports the presence of superconductivity in this syste…
The dynamic spin susceptibility, $χ''(ω)$, has been measured over the energy range of $2 \leq ω\leq 10$ meV for overdoped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$. Incommensurate (IC) spin excitations are observed at 8 K for all superconducting samples for $0.25 \leq x \leq 0.28$ with $χ''$ peaking at $\sim 6$ meV. The IC peaks at 6 meV become smaller in intensity with increasing $x$ and, finally, become unobservable for a sample with $x=0.30$ which has no bulk superconductivity. The maximum $χ''$ decreases linearly with $T_c$(onset) in the overdoped region, implying a direct cooperative relation between t…
Conductance-voltage characteristics (CVCs) for non-symmetric tunnel junctions between $d$-wave superconductors with charge-density waves (CDWs) and normal metals were calculated. It was shown that they have a V-like form at small voltages $V$ and are asymmetric at larger $V$ owing to the presence of CDW peak in one of the $V$-branches. The spatial scatter of the dielectric (CDW) order parameter smears the CDW peak into a hump and induces a peak-dip-hump structure (PDHS) typical of CVCs observed for such junctions. At temperatures larger than the superconducting critical temperature, the PDHS e…
We use magnetic force microscopy (MFM) to characterize superconductivity across the superconducting dome in ${\rm {BaFe}_2 \left(As_{1-x}P_x\right)_2}$, a pnictide with a peak in the penetration depth ($λ_{ab}$) at optimal doping ($\rm x_{opt}$), as shown in sample-wide measurements. Our local measurements show a peak at $\rm x_{opt}$ and a $T_C$ vs. $λ_{ab}^{-2}$ dependence similar on both sides of $\rm x_{opt}$. Near the underdoped edge of the dome $λ_{ab}$ increases sharply suggesting that superconductivity competes with another phase. Indeed MFM vortex imaging shows correlated defects para…
The structure of a single vortex in a FeAs superconductor is studied in the framework of two formulations of superconductivity for the recently proposed sign-reversed $s$ wave ($s^\pm$) scenario: {\it (i)} a continuum model taking into account the existence of an electron and a hole band with a repulsive local interaction between the two; {\it (ii)} a lattice tight-binding model with two orbitals per unit cell and a next-nearest-neighbour attractive interaction. In the first model, the local density of states (LDOS) at the vortex centre, as a function of energy, exhibits a peak at the Fermi le…
When investigating low-frequency (0.1 Hz) oscillations of miltiphase high-temperature cuprate superconductors (HTSC) Bi1,7Pb0,3Sr2Ca(n-1)CunOy (n=2-30), a wide attenuation peak with a maximal at T=200K detected. This peak was particularly pronounced in field cooling (FC) experiments, i.e. after abrupt cooling of the sample in the external magnetic field at the temperature T less Tc with subsequent slow warming up to room temperature with invariance of applied field. The attenuation peak height depended on the preliminary orientation (before cooling) of the samples in the measured permanent mag…
I present the results of first principles calculations of the electronic structure and magnetic interactions for the recently discovered superconductor YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ and use them to identify the nature of superconductivity and quantum criticality in this compound. I find that the Fe $3d$ derived states near the Fermi level show a rich structure with the presence of both linearly dispersive and heavy bands. The Fermi surface exhibits nesting between hole and electron sheets that manifests as a peak in the susceptibility at $(1/2,1/2)$. I propose that the superconductivity in this compound is me…
Data analysis of $ab$ $initio$ effective Hamiltonians in iron-based superconductors $\unicode{x2014}$ Construction of predictors for superconducting critical temperature
We introduce a simple but powerful zero temperature Stoner model to explain the unusual phase diagram of the ferromagnetic superconductor, UGe2. Triplet superconductivity is driven in the ferromagnetic phase by tuning the majority spin Fermi level through one of two peaks in the paramagnetic density of states (DOS). Each peak is associated with a metamagnetic jump in magnetisation. The twin peak DOS may be derived from a tight-binding, quasi-one-dimensional bandstructure, inspired by previous bandstructure calculations.
We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on high-quality single crystals of A$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ superconductors of several compositions. We find a broad, asymmetric peak around 1600 cm$^{-1}$ (200 meV), which we identify as a two-magnon process involving optical magnons. The intensity of the two-magnon peak falls sharply on entering the superconducting phase. This effect, which is entirely absent in the non-superconducting system KFe$_{1.5}$Se$_2$, requires a strong mutual exclusion between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity arising from proximity effects within regions of m…
We study the fermionic spectral function in a holographic superconductor model. At zero temperature, the black hole has zero horizon and hence the entropy of the system is zero after the back reaction of the condensate is taken into account. We find the system exhibits the famous peak-dip-hump lineshape with a sharp low-energy peak followed by a dip then a hump at higher energies. This feature is widely observed in the spectrum of several high-T_c superconductors. We also find a linear relation between the gap in the fermionic spectrum and the condensate, indicating the condensate is formed by…
By using a hydrothermal ion-exchange method, we have successfully grown superconducting crystals of LiOHFeS with ${T_c}$ of about 2.8 K. Being different from the sister sample (Li${_{1-x}}$Fe${_x}$)OHFeSe, the energy dispersion spectrum analysis on LiOHFeS shows that the Fe/S ratio is very close to 1:1, suggesting an almost charge neutrality and less electron doping in the FeS planes of the system. Comparing with the non superconducting LiOHFeS crystal, each peak of the X-ray diffraction pattern of the superconducting crystal splits into two, and the diffraction peaks locating at lower reflect…
We report ^{75}As nuclear magnetic resonance studies on an underdoped single-crystal Ba0.77K0.23Fe2As2 with Tc = 16.5 K. Below T_N = 46 K, the NMR peaks for H//c split and those for H //a shift to higher frequencies, which indicates that an internal magnetic field along the c axis develops below T_N. The spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_1 measured at the shifted peak with H//a, which experiences the internal field, shows a distinct decrease below Tc(μ_0H = 12 T) = 16 K, following a T^3 relation at low temperatures. Our results show unambiguously that antiferromagnetic order and superconductivi…
We investigate the effect of k-space broadening of the interlayer pairing kernel on the critical temperature T_c and the k-dependence of the gap function in a one-dimensional version of the interlayer pair-tunneling model of high-T_c superconductivity. We consider constant as well as k-dependent intralayer pairing kernels. We find that the sensitivity to k-space broadening is larger the smaller the width of the peak of the Fermi-level gap calculated for zero broadening. This width increases with the overall magnitude of the interlayer tunneling matrix element, and decreases with the bandwidth …
Lately, the three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal, which possesses 3D linear dispersion in electronic structure as a bulk analogue of graphene, has generated widespread interests in both material science and condensed matter physics. Very recently, crystalline Cd3As2 has been proposed and proved to be one of 3D Dirac semimetals which can survive in atmosphere. Here, by controlled point contact (PC) measurement, we observe the exotic superconductivity around point contact region on the surface of Cd3As2 crystal. The observation of zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) and double conductance peaks …
We have performed temperature dependent tunneling spectroscopy on an impurity-free surface area of a LiFeAs single crystal. Our data reveal a highly unusual temperature evolution of superconductivity: at $T_c^*=18$~K a partial superconducting gap opens, as is evidenced by subtle, yet clear features in the tunneling spectra, i.e. particle-hole symmetric coherence peaks, and a dip-hump structure which signals strong-coupling superconductivity. At $T_c=16$~K, these features substantiate dramatically and become characteristic of full superconductivity. Remarkably, this is accompanied by an almost …
The entanglement of charge density wave (CDW), superconductivity, and topologically nontrivial electronic structure has recently been discovered in the kagome metal $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs) family. With high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we study the electronic properties of CDW and superconductivity in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. The spectra around $\bar{K}$ is found to exhibit a peak-dip-hump structure associated with two separate branches of dispersion, demonstrating the isotropic CDW gap opening below $E_{\rm F}$. The peak-dip-hump lineshape is contributed by linearly di…
Using a microscopic model of lattice vibrations in the STO(001) substrate, an additional 50 mev longitudinal optical (LO) interface mode is identified. The soft mode propagating mainly in the first TiO2 layer ("O chains") has stronger electron - phonon coupling to electron gas in FeSe than a well known 100 mev hard mode. The coupling constant, critical temperature, replica band are calculated. Although there exists a forward in the electron - phonon scattering peak, it is clearly not as sharp as assumed in recent theories (delta function - like). The satellite is broad and its peak appears at …
We have used small-angle-neutron-scattering (SANS) and ac magnetic susceptibility to investigate the global magnetic field H vs temperature T phase diagram of a single crystal Nb in which a first-order transition of Bragg-glass melting (disordering), a peak effect, and surface superconductivity are all observable. It was found that the disappearance of the peak effect is directly related to a multicritical behavior in the Bragg-glass transition. Four characteristic phase boundary lines have been identified on the H-T plane: a first-order line at high fields, a mean-field-like continuous transi…
Intense debate has recently arisen regarding the photoinduced changes to the iron-chalcogenide superconductors, including the enhancement of superconductivity and a metastable state. Here, by employing high energy resolution, we directly observe the melting of superconductivity on ultrafast timescales. We demonstrate a distinctly nonequilibrium response on short timescales, where the gap fills in prior to the destruction of the superconducting peak, followed by a metastable response. We propose that the former is due to pair phase decoherence and speculate that the latter is due to the increas…
We report on results of our theoretical study of the c-axis infrared conductivity of bilayer high-Tc cuprate superconductors using a microscopic model involving the bilayer-split (bonding and antibonding) bands. An emphasis is on the gauge-invariance of the theory, which turns out to be essential for the physical understanding of the electrodynamics of these compounds. The description of the optical response involves local (intra-bilayer and inter-bilayer) current densities and local conductivities. The local conductivities are obtained using a microscopic theory, where the quasiparticles of t…
In this work we probe the possibility of high-temperature conventional superconductivity in the boron-carbon system, using ab-initio screening. A database of 320 metastable structures with fixed composition (50$\%$/50$\%$) is generated with the Minima-Hopping method, and characterized with electronic and vibrational descriptors. Full electron-phonon calculations on sixteen representative structures allow to identify general trends in $T_{\textrm{c}}$ across and within the four families in the energy landscape, and to construct an approximate $T_{\textrm{c}}$ predictor, based on transparently i…
We have performed powder neutron diffraction on the new superconductor, CeNi$_{0.8}$Bi$_2$ with a superconducting transtion temperature $T_\textrm{c} \sim$ 4.2 K. The structural parameters of this compound at room temperature are determined by Rietveld analysis. Below about 5 K, the clear magnetic Bragg peaks with propagation vector $q$=(0 0 0) are observed. The observed intensities of magnetic Bragg peaks can be explained by the magnetic structure that the two Ce moments in the unit cell are antiparallel along c axis. The magnetic Bragg peaks are observed in the superconducting state, indicat…
Directional coupling of Thornber-Feynman polarization with the high-Tc ARPES distribution specifies the optimum flatband pseudogap Δand mobile localized quasiparticle. This coupling peaks by tuning the statistics and interaction energy to produce stable short-ranged directional pairing that reflects the lattice asymmetry. Analogous energy gap and BCS ratio parameters are identified for low-Tc long-range acoustical phonons and for quark-anti-quark tightly bound chiral pions in particle physics.
The superconductivity of a kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy / spectroscopy at an ultralow temperature with high resolution. Two kinds of superconducting gaps with multiple sets of coherent peaks and residual zero-energy density of states are observed on both half-Cs and Sb surfaces, implying multiband superconductivity with gap nodes. Sixfold star-shaped magnetic vortex is observed with conventional Caroli-de Gennes-Matricon bound states inside. Magnetic impurities suppress the superconductivity, while nonmagnetic impurities do not, suggesting the absen…
We discover superconductivity (SC) in LaAgSb$_2$ at ambient pressure and its close correlation with a charge density wave (CDW) under pressure. The superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) exhibits a sharp peak at the CDW critical pressure of 3.2 GPa. We demonstrate that the carriers inhabiting the Sb-square net is crucial not only in the formation of CDW but also in SC for their relatively strong electron-phonon coupling (EPC). Furthermore, theoretical EPC strength in pristine LaAgSb$_2$ cannot explain the observed peak with $T_c\sim 1$ K, which indicates that an additional mechanism re…
We consider superconducting properties of a two-dimensional Dirac material such as graphene under strain that produces a flat band spectrum in the normal state. We show that in the superconducting state, such a model results in a highly increased critical temperature compared to the case without the strain, inhomogenous order parameter with two-peak shaped local density of states and yet a large and almost uniform and isotropic supercurrent. This model could be realized in strained graphene or ultracold atom systems and could be responsible for unusually strong superconductivity observed in so…
The electronic structure, stability, electron phonon coupling and superconductivity of the non-oxide perovskite MgCNi$_3$ are studied using density functional calculations. The band structure is dominated by a Ni $d$ derived density of states peak just below the Fermi energy, which leads to a moderate Stoner enhancement, placing MgCNi$_3$ in the range where spin fluctuations may noticeably affect transport, specific heat and superconductivity, providing a mechanism for reconciling various measures of the coupling $λ$. Strong electron phonon interactions are found for the octahedral rotation mo…
We elucidate the origin of the phonon-mediated superconductivity in 2$H$-NbS$_2$ using the ab initio anisotropic Migdal-Eliashberg theory including Coulomb interactions. We demonstrate that superconductivity is associated with Fermi surface hot spots exhibiting an unusually strong electron-phonon interaction. The electron-lattice coupling is dominated by low-energy anharmonic phonons, which place the system on the verge of a charge density wave instability. We also provide definitive evidence for two-gap superconductivity in 2$H$-NbS$_2$, and show that the low- and high-energy peaks observed i…
We report the observation of two gaps in the superconductor SmFeAsO$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1}$ (F-SmFeAsO) with $T_c=51.5K$ as measured by point-contact spectroscopy. Both gaps decrease with temperature and vanish at $T_c$ and the temperature dependence of the gaps are described by the theoretical prediction of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. A zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) was observed, indicating the presence of Andreev bound states at the surface of F-SmFeAsO. Our results strongly suggest an unconventional nodal superconductivity with multiple gaps in F-SmFeAsO.
We report both 23Na and 75As NMR studies on hole-doped Ca1-xNaxFe2As2 superconducting single crystals (x\approx 0.67) with Tc =32 K. Singlet superconductivity is suggested by a sharp drop of the Knight shift 75K below Tc. The spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 does not show the Slichter-Hebel coherence peak, which suggests an unconventional pairing. The penetration depth is estimated to be 0.24 μm at T=2 K. 1/75T1T shows an anisotropic behavior and a prominent low-temperature upturn, which indicates strong low-energy antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and supports a magnetic origin of supercon…
Thin film junctions and bilayers of the doped topological insulator $\rm Bi_2Se_3$ and the s-wave superconductor NbN were found to exhibit conductance spectra with prominent zero bias and coherence peaks. Various tunneling models with different pair potentials have failed to fit our data, except for the triplet $p_x+ip_y$ pair potential, which breaks time reversal symmetry, but yielded reasonably good fits. This provides evidence for proximity induced triplet superconductivity in the $\rm Bi_2Se_3$ layer near the interface with the NbN film.
Giant critical current peak induced by pressure in kagome superconductor RbV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$
The Chinese University of Hong Kong（香港中文大学）；Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学）；Victoria University of Wellington（惠灵顿维多利亚大学）；Nagoya University（名古屋大学）；Kyoto University（京都大学）
Magnetic measurements on heavily overdoped $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$, $Tl_2Ba_2CuO_6$, $Bi_2Sr_2CuO_6$ and $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8$ single crystals reveal a new type magnetization hysteresis loops characterized by the vanishing of usual central peak near zero field. Since this effect has been observed in various systems with very different structural details, it reflects probably a generic behavior for all high temperature superconductors. This easy penetration of magnetic flux can be understood in the picture of percolative superconductivity due to the inhomogeneous electronic state in heavily overdoped…
We report a $^{71}$Ga nuclear-quadrupole-resonance (NQR) study on the characteristics of superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric Ir$_2$Ga$_9$ at zero field (H=0). The $^{71}$Ga-NQR measurements have revealed that $1/T_1$ has the clear coherence peak just below $T_{\rm c}$, and decreases exponentially upon further cooling in Ir$_2$Ga$_9$. From these results, Ir$_2$Ga$_9$ is concluded to be the conventional s-wave superconductor. Despite the lack of spatial centrosymmetry, there are no evidence for unconventional superconducting state ascribed to ASOC in Ir$_2$Ga$_9$.
The appearance of static magnetism, nanoscopically coexisting with superconductivity, is shown to be a general feature of optimally electron-doped LnFe(1-x)Ru(x)AsO(1-y)F(y) superconductor (Ln - lanthanide ion) upon isovalent substitution of Fe by Ru. The magnetic ordering temperature T_N and the magnitude of the internal field display a dome-like dependence on x, peaked around x=1/4, with higher T_N values for those materials characterized by a larger z cell coordinate of As. Remarkably, the latter are also those with the highest superconducting transition temperature (T_c) for x=0. The reduc…
Traces of superconductivity (SC) at elevated temperatures (up to 65 K) were observed by magnetic measurements in three different inhomogeneous sulfur doped amorphous carbon (a-C) systems: (a) in commercial and (b) synthesized powders and (c) in a-C thin films. (a) Studies performed on commercial (a-C) powder which contains 0.21% of sulfur, revealed traces of non-percolated superconducting phases below Tc = 65 K. The SC volume fraction is enhanced by the sulfur doping. (b) a-C powder obtained by pyrolytic decomposition of sucrose did not show any sign for SC above 5 K. This powder was mixed wit…
The superconducting state of a two-dimensional d-p model is studied from the spin fluctuation point of view by using a strong coupling theory. The fluctuation exchange (FLEX) approximatoin is employed to calculate the spin fluctuations and the superconducting gap functions self-consistently in the optimal- and over-doped regions of hole concentration. The gap function has a symmetry of d_{x^2 - y^2} type and develops below the transition temperature T_c more rapidly than in the BCS model. Its saturation value at the maximum is about 10 T_c. When the spin fluctuation-induced superconductivity i…
We calculate the electronic polarizability in the superconducting state near extremum vectors ${\vec Q}_0$ of the Fermi surface. A pole appears in the polarizability at frequencies $ω$ near the superconducting gap $2Δ$ which leads to a sharp peak at $ω$ just below $2 Δ$ in the lattice vibrations near ${\vec Q}_0$. A second order transition to a charge density wave state below the superconducting transition is shown to be unlikely. The results are compared with the recent inelastic neutron scattering measurements in compounds, $ANi_2B_2C$, $A=Y$ or $Lu$.
The electronic structure of the newly discovered superconducting perovskite MgCNi$_3$ is calculated using the LMTO and KKR methods. The states near the Fermi energy are found to be dominated by Ni-d. The Stoner factor is low while the electron-phonon coupling constant is estimated to be about 0.7, which suggests that the material is a conventional type of superconductor where T$_C$ is not affected by magnetic interactions. However, the proximity of the Fermi energy to a large peak in the density of states in conjunction with the reported non-stoichiometry of the compound, has consequences for …
Near a quantum-critical point in a metal a strong fermion-fermion interaction, mediated by a soft boson, destroys fermionic coherence and also gives rise to superconductivity. In a class of large $N$ models, one would naively expect an incoherent (non-Fermi liquid) normal state behavior to persist down to $T=0$. However, this is not the case for quantum-critical systems described by Eliashberg theory, where non-Fermi liquid part of the self-energy $Σ(ω_m)$ is large for a generic Matsubara frequency $ω_m = πT(2m+1)$, but vanishes at $ω_m = \pm πT$, while the pairing interaction between fermions…
After providing a brief genealogy of our recently proposed model for High-Tc cuprates, we investigate the details of the microscopic mechanism that produces an attractive interaction between neighboring holes. We show that a peculiar arrangement of the $p_x$ and $p_y$ oxygen orbitals makes the mutual magnetic interaction of the holes with the localized copper ions to produce a net attractive interaction between themselves, which is responsible for the emergence of a superconducting phase. We also study the connection existing between the proposed pseudogap order parameter and the spectral dens…
