Uniaxial strain orientation dependence of superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and critical superconducting pressure (Pc) in β-(BDA-TTP)2I3.

PubMed

Kikuchi, Koichi; Isono, Takayuki; Kojima, Masayuki; Yoshimoto, Haruo; Kodama, Takeshi; Fujita, Wataru; Yokogawa, Keiichi; Yoshino, Harukazu; Murata, Keizo; Kaihatsu, Takayuki; Akutsu, Hiroki; Yamada, Jun-ichi

2011-12-14

Dependence of the superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) and critial superconducting pressure (P(c)) of the pressure-induced superconductor β-(BDA-TTP)(2)I(3) [BDA-TTP = 2,5-bis(1,3-dithian-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene] on the orientation of uniaxial strain has been investigated. On the basis of the overlap between the upper and lower bands in the energy dispersion curve, the pressure orientation is thought to change the half-filled band to the quarter-filled one. The observed variations in T(c) and P(c) are explained by considering the degree of application of the pressure and the degree of contribution of the effective electronic correlation at uniaxial strains with different orientations parallel to the conducting donor layer. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Development of high Tc (greater than 100 K) Bi, Tl and Y-based materials as superconducting circuit elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haertling, Gene; Grabert, Gregory; Gilmour, Phillip

1993-01-01

Results on this project over the past three years have shown that the Bi and Tl-based superconducting materials in bulk form are noticeably different from the Y-based 123 material in that superconductivity is considerably harder to achieve, maintain and reproduce. This is due primarily to the difficulty in obtaining the higher Tc phase in pure form since it commonly co-exists with other undesirable, lower Tc phases. In particular, it has been found that long processing times for calcining and firing (20 - 200 hrs.) and close control of temperatures which are very near the melting point are required in order to obtain higher proportions of the desirable, high Tc (2223) phase.

Dependence of the quasiparticle recombination rate on the superconducting gap and TC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, G. L.; Xi, Xiaoxiang; Hwang, J.; Tashiro, H.; Reitze, D. H.; Tanner, D. B.

2010-03-01

The relaxation of excess quasiparticles in a BCS superconductor is known to depend on quantities such as the quasiparticle & phonon density of states, and their coupling (Kaplan et al, Phys. Rev. B 14 4854, 1976). Disorder or an applied field can disrupt superconductivity, as evidenced by a reduced TC. We consider some simple modifications to the quasiparticle density of states consistent with a suppressed energy gap and TC, leading to changes in the intrinsic and effective (measured) rates for excess quasiparticles to recombine into pairs. We review some results for disordered MoGe and discuss the magnetic-field dependence of the recombination process.

Potential high-Tc superconducting lanthanum and yttrium hydrides at high pressure

PubMed Central

Liu, Hanyu; Naumov, Ivan I.; Hoffmann, Roald; Ashcroft, N. W.; Hemley, Russell J.

2017-01-01

A systematic structure search in the La–H and Y–H systems under pressure reveals some hydrogen-rich structures with intriguing electronic properties. For example, LaH10 is found to adopt a sodalite-like face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, stable above 200 GPa, and LaH8 a C2/m space group structure. Phonon calculations indicate both are dynamically stable; electron phonon calculations coupled to Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) arguments indicate they might be high-Tc superconductors. In particular, the superconducting transition temperature Tc calculated for LaH10 is 274–286 K at 210 GPa. Similar calculations for the Y–H system predict stability of the sodalite-like fcc YH10 and a Tc above room temperature, reaching 305–326 K at 250 GPa. The study suggests that dense hydrides consisting of these and related hydrogen polyhedral networks may represent new classes of potential very high-temperature superconductors. PMID:28630301

Superconducting cuprate heterostructures for hot electron bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, B.; Yakobov, R.; Vitkalov, S. A.; Sergeev, A.

2013-11-01

Transport properties of the resistive state of quasi-two dimensional superconducting heterostructures containing ultrathin La2-xSrxCuO4 layers synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy are studied. The electron transport exhibits strong deviation from Ohm's law, δV ˜γI3, with a coefficient γ(T) that correlates with the temperature variation of the resistivity dρ /dT. Close to the normal state, analysis of the nonlinear behavior in terms of electron heating yields an electron-phonon thermal conductance per unit area ge -ph≈1 W/K cm2 at T = 20 K, one-two orders of magnitude smaller than in typical superconductors. This makes superconducting LaSrCuO heterostructures to be attractive candidate for the next generation of hot electron bolometers with greatly improved sensitivity.

Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and Tc in a cuprate high-Tc superconductor

PubMed Central

Putzke, Carsten; Malone, Liam; Badoux, Sven; Vignolle, Baptiste; Vignolles, David; Tabis, Wojciech; Walmsley, Philip; Bird, Matthew; Hussey, Nigel E.; Proust, Cyril; Carrington, Antony

2016-01-01

Close to a zero-temperature transition between ordered and disordered electronic phases, quantum fluctuations can lead to a strong enhancement of electron mass and to the emergence of competing phases such as superconductivity. A correlation between the existence of such a quantum phase transition and superconductivity is quite well established in some heavy fermion and iron-based superconductors, and there have been suggestions that high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide materials (cuprates) may also be driven by the same mechanism. Close to optimal doping, where the superconducting transition temperature Tc is maximal in cuprates, two different phases are known to compete with superconductivity: a poorly understood pseudogap phase and a charge-ordered phase. Recent experiments have shown a strong increase in quasiparticle mass m* in the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7-δ as optimal doping is approached, suggesting that quantum fluctuations of the charge-ordered phase may be responsible for the high-Tc superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and Tc by performing quantum oscillation studies on the stoichiometric compound YBa2Cu4O8 under hydrostatic pressure. In contrast to the results for YBa2Cu3O7-δ, we find that in YBa2Cu4O8, the mass decreases as Tc increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and Tc suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance Tc. PMID:27034989

First principles Study on Transparent High-Tc Superconductivity in hole-doped Delafossite CuAlO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, Akitaka; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi

2012-02-01

The CuAlO2 is the transparent p-type conductor without any intentional doping. Transparent superdoncutivity and high thermoelectric power are suggested in p-type CuAlO2 [1]. Katayama-Yoshida et al. proposed that it may cause a strong electron-phonon interaction and a superconductivity. But, the calculation of superconducting critical temperature Tc is not performed. We performed the first principles calculation about the Tc of hole-doped CuAlO2 by shifting the Fermi level rigidly. In lightly hole-doped CuAlO2, the Fermi level is located at Cu and O anti-bonding band. The electrons of this band strongly interact with the A1L1 phonon mode because the direction of O-Cu-O dumbbell is parallel to the oscillation direction of the A1L1 phonon mode. As a result, Tc of lightly hole-doped CuAlO2 is about 50 K. We also discuss the materials design to enhance the Tc based on the charge-excitation-induced negative effective U system.[4pt] [1] H. Katayama-Yoshida, T. Koyanagi, H. Funashima, H. Harima, A. Yanase: Solid State Communication 126 (2003) 135. [0pt] [2] A. Nakanishi and H. Katayama-Yoshida: Solid State Communication, in printing. (arXiv:1107.2477v3

Superconducting Hot-Electron Submillimeter-Wave Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris; McGrath, William; Leduc, Henry

2009-01-01

A superconducting hot-electron bolometer has been built and tested as a prototype of high-sensitivity, rapid-response detectors of submillimeter-wavelength radiation. There are diverse potential applications for such detectors, a few examples being submillimeter spectroscopy for scientific research; detection of leaking gases; detection of explosive, chemical, and biological weapons; and medical imaging. This detector is a superconducting-transition- edge device. Like other such devices, it includes a superconducting bridge that has a low heat capacity and is maintained at a critical temperature (T(sub c)) at the lower end of its superconducting-transition temperature range. Incident photons cause transient increases in electron temperature through the superconducting-transition range, thereby yielding measurable increases in electrical resistance. In this case, T(sub c) = 6 K, which is approximately the upper limit of the operating-temperature range of silicon-based bolometers heretofore used routinely in many laboratories. However, whereas the response speed of a typical silicon- based laboratory bolometer is characterized by a frequency of the order of a kilohertz, the response speed of the present device is much higher characterized by a frequency of the order of 100 MHz. For this or any bolometer, a useful figure of merit that one seeks to minimize is (NEP)(tau exp 1/2), where NEP denotes the noise-equivalent power (NEP) and the response time. This figure of merit depends primarily on the heat capacity and, for a given heat capacity, is approximately invariant. As a consequence of this approximate invariance, in designing a device having a given heat capacity to be more sensitive (to have lower NEP), one must accept longer response time (slower response) or, conversely, in designing it to respond faster, one must accept lower sensitivity. Hence, further, in order to increase both the speed of response and the sensitivity, one must make the device very small in

Ultrafast IR detector response in high Tc superconducting thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindgren, Mikael; Ahlberg, Henrik; Danerud, Martin; Larsson, Anders; Eng, Sverre T.

1991-01-01

The response from a high Tc superconducting multielement optical detector made of a laser deposited Y-Ba-Cu-O thin film has been evaluated. Several microscopic and spectroscopic techniques were used to establish the presence of the correct phase of the thin film. Optical pulses from a laser diode at 830 nm and from a Q-switched CO2-laser at 10.6 microns were used. The detector responded to 50 ps (FWHM) pulses. A comparison between dR/dT of the film and the response amplitude as a function of temperature indicated a bolometric response.

Techniques for Connecting Superconducting Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mester, John; Gwo, Dz-Hung

2006-01-01

Several improved techniques for connecting superconducting thin films on substrates have been developed. The techniques afford some versatility for tailoring the electronic and mechanical characteristics of junctions between superconductors in experimental electronic devices. The techniques are particularly useful for making superconducting or alternatively normally conductive junctions (e.g., Josephson junctions) between patterned superconducting thin films in order to exploit electron quantum-tunneling effects. The techniques are applicable to both low-Tc and high-Tc superconductors (where Tc represents the superconducting- transition temperature of a given material), offering different advantages for each. Most low-Tc superconductors are metallic, and heretofore, connections among them have been made by spot welding. Most high-Tc superconductors are nonmetallic and cannot be spot welded. These techniques offer alternatives to spot welding of most low-Tc superconductors and additional solutions to problems of connecting most high-Tc superconductors.

Passive microwave device applications of high T(c) superconducting thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, W. G.; Withers, R. S.

1990-11-01

Superconductors with a transition temperature T(c) from 40 K to 125 K are analyzed, with focus placed on their behavior around the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K). It is shown that high-T(c) superconductors are similar to conventional type-II superconductors with paired holes instead of paired electrons. The nature of the electromagnetic response of a superconductor is illustrated with a two-fluid model, and surface resistance and conductor loss are assessed. Several microwave applications of high-T(c) superconductors are outlined including a six-pole dielectric loaded cavity filter used in multiplexers on current communication satellites and a four-pole superconducting filter. An implementation of a chirp filter using superconducting striplines with a cascaded array of backward-wave couplers to achieve a downchirp is presented as well as a 60-GHz phased antenna utilizing microstrip lines in the feed network.

Superconducting magnesium diboride films on Si with Tc0˜24 K grown via vacuum annealing from stoichiometric precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, H. Y.; Christen, H. M.; Zhang, L.; Cantoni, C.; Paranthaman, M.; Sales, B. C.; Christen, D. K.; Lowndes, D. H.

2001-10-01

Superconducting magnesium diboride films with Tc0˜24 K and sharp transition ˜1 K were prepared on Si by pulsed-laser deposition from stoichiometric MgB2 target. Contrary to previous reports, anneals at 630 °C and a background of 2×10-4Ar/4%H2 were performed without the requirement of Mg vapor or Mg cap layer. This integration of superconducting MgB2 film on Si may thus prove enabling in superconductor-semiconductor device applications. Images of surface morphology and cross-section profiles by scanning electron microscopy show that the films have a uniform surface morphology and thickness. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy study reveals these films were contaminated with oxygen, originating either from the growth environment or from sample exposure to air. The oxygen contamination may account for the low Tc for those in situ annealed films, while the use of Si as a substrate does not result in a decrease in Tc as compared to other substrates.

Superconducting Mixers for Far-Infrared Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Betz, A. L.; Boreiko, R. T.; Grossman, E. R.; Reintsema, C. D.; Ono, R. H.; Gerecht, E.

2002-01-01

The goal of this project was to fabricate and test planar arrays of superconducting mixers for the 2-6 THz band. The technology is intended for multi-beam receivers aboard Explorer-class missions and the SOFIA Airborne Observatory. The mixer technology is the superconducting transition-edge microbolometer, which is more commonly known as the Hot-Electron micro-Bolometer (HEB). As originally proposed, two superconducting technologies were to be developed: (1) low-Tc niobium HEBs which could approach quantum-noise-limited sensitivities but require cooling to 2- 4 K, and (2) high-Tc YBCO HEBs with sensitivities 10 times worse but with a relaxed cooling requirement of 30-60 K. The low-Tc devices would be best for astronomy applications on SOFIA, whereas the high-Tc devices would be more suitable for planetary missions using systems without stored cryogens. The work plan called for planar micro-fabrication and initial testing of HEB devices at the NIST Boulder clean-room facility. Subsequent assembly and RF testing of selected devices would be done at the CASA laboratory at U. Colorado. Approximately 1-year after work began on this project, Dr. Eyal Gerecht joined the NIST group, and assumed day-to-day responsibility for Nb-HEB development at NIST outside of micro-fabrication. The YBCO-HEB work was to be guided by Dr. Ron Ono, who was the NIST expert in YBCO technology. Unfortunately, recurrent health problems limited the time Ron could devote to the project in its first year. These problems became aggravated in early 2001, and sadly led to Ron's death in October, 2001. His loss was not only a blow to his friends and associates at NIST, but was mounted by the US superconductivity community at large. With his passing, work on high-Tc HEBs ceased at NIST. There was no one to replace him or his expertise. Our work subsequently shifted solely to Nb-HEB devices. In the sections which follow, our progress in the development of diffusion-cooled Nb-HEB mixers is detailed. To

High Tc superconducting IR detectors from Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindgren, M.; Ahlberg, H.; Danerud, M.; Larsson, A.; Eng, M.

1990-01-01

A thin-film high-Tc superconducting multielement optical detector made of Y-Ba-Cu-O has been designed and evaluated using optical pulses from a diode laser (830 nm) and a Q-switched CO2-laser (10.6 microns). Different thin films have been tested. A laser deposited film showed the strongest response amplitude for short pulses and responded to an ultrafast, 50 ps wide pulse. Comparisons between dR/dT and response as a function of temperature indicated, however, a bolometric response.

Internal resonance of an elastic body levitated above high-Tc superconducting bulks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokuzawa, T.; Toshihiko, S.; Yoshizawa, M.

2010-06-01

In high-Tc superconducting magnetic levitation systems, levitated bodies can keep stable levitation with no contact and no control and thus their damping is very small. Thanks to these features, their applications to various apparatus are expected. However, on account of their small damping, the nonlinearity of electromagnetic levitation force can give notable effects upon motion of the levitated bodies. Therefore this nonlinearity must be taken into account to accurately analyze the dynamical behavior of the levitated bodies. Structures of such a levitated body can show elastic deformation if the large electromagnetic force acts on it. Therefore, we need to deal with the model as an elastic body. As mentioned above, nonlinear characteristics easily appear in this elastic vibration on account of the small damping. Especially when the ratio of the natural frequencies of the eigenmodes is integer, internal resonance can occur. This nonlinear resonance is derived from nonlinear interactions among the eigenmodes of the elastic levitated body. This kind of internal resonance of an elastic body appearing in high-Tc superconducting levitation systems has not been studied so far. This research especially deals with internal resonance of a beam supported at both its ends by electromagnetic forces acting on permanent magnets. The governing equation with the nonlinear boundary conditions for the dynamics of a levitated beam has been derived. Numerical results show internal resonance of the 1st mode and the 3rd mode. Experimental results are qualitatively in good agreement with numerical ones.

Undoped high-Tc superconductivity in T'-La1.8Eu0.2CuO4+δ revealed by 63,65Cu and 139La NMR: Bulk superconductivity and antiferromagnetic fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukazawa, Hideto; Ishiyama, Seiya; Goto, Masato; Kanamaru, Shuhei; Ohashi, Kohki; Kawamata, Takayuki; Adachi, Tadashi; Hirata, Michihiro; Sasaki, Takahiko; Koike, Yoji; Kohori, Yoh

2017-10-01

We performed 63,65Cu and 139La NMR measurements of T'-La1.8Eu0.2CuO4+δ (T'-LECO) with the Nd2CuO4-type structure (so-called T'-structure). As a result, we detected the 63,65Cu NMR signal under finite magnetic fields and found superconductivity without antiferromagnetic (AF) order only in the reduced T'-LECO, where excess apical oxygen atoms are properly removed. This indicates that the intrinsic ground state of the ideal T'-LECO is a paramagnetic and superconducting (SC) state. Below Tc, the Knight shift was found to rapidly decrease, which indicates the emergence of bulk superconductivity due to spin-singlet Cooper pairs in the reduced T'-LECO. In the SC state of the reduced T'-LECO, moreover, a characteristic temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 was observed, which implies the existence of nodal lines in the SC gap. These findings suggest that the superconductivity in the reduced T'-LECO probably has d-wave symmetry. In the normal state of the reduced T'-LECO, on the other hand, AF fluctuations were found to exist from the temperature dependence of 1/T1T, though no clear pseudogap behavior was observed. This suggests that the AF correlation plays a key role in the superconductivity of undoped high-Tc cuprate superconductors with the T'-structure.

Performance of a high Tc superconducting ultralow-loss microwave stripline filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zahopoulos, C.; Sridhar, S.; Bautista, J. J.; Ortiz, G.; Lanagan, M.

1991-01-01

The successful fabrication is reported of a five-pole interdigital stripline filter made of the 93 K superconductor Y1Ba2Cu3O(y) coated on a silver substrate, with a center frequency of 8.5 GHz and an extremely high rejection ratio of 80 dB. The lowest insertion loss measured was 0.1 dB at 12 K, with a return loss better than 16 dB, representing significant improvements over a similar Cu filter, and comparable to low Tc filters. The insertion loss appears to be limited by extrinsic factors such as tuning mismatch and joint losses, and not by the superconducting material losses.

Coherently coupling distinct spin ensembles through a high-Tc superconducting resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghirri, A.; Bonizzoni, C.; Troiani, F.; Buccheri, N.; Beverina, L.; Cassinese, A.; Affronte, M.

2016-06-01

The problem of coupling multiple spin ensembles through cavity photons is revisited by using (3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl (PyBTM) organic radicals and a high-Tc superconducting coplanar resonator. An exceptionally strong coupling is obtained and up to three spin ensembles are simultaneously coupled. The ensembles are made physically distinguishable by chemically varying the g factor and by exploiting the inhomogeneities of the applied magnetic field. The coherent mixing of the spin and field modes is demonstrated by the observed multiple anticrossing, along with the simulations performed within the input-output formalism, and quantified by suitable entropic measures.

Quantum and superconducting fluctuations effects in disordered Nb 1- xTa x thin films above Tc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannouri, M.; Papastaikoudis, C.

1999-05-01

Disordered Nb 1- xTa x thin films are prepared with e-gun coevaporation. The influence of the β-phase of tantalum in the critical temperature Tc is observed as a function of the substrate temperature. The measurements of transverse magnetoresistance at various isothermals are interpreted in terms of weak-localization and superconducting fluctuations. From the fitting procedure, the phase breaking rate τφ-1 and the Larkin parameter βL are estimated as a function of temperature. Conclusions about the dominant inelastic scattering mechanisms at various temperature regions as well as for the dominant mechanism of superconducting fluctuations near the transition temperature are extracted.

Superconductivity-related insulating behavior.

PubMed

Sambandamurthy, G; Engel, L W; Johansson, A; Shahar, D

2004-03-12

We present the results of an experimental study of superconducting, disordered, thin films of amorphous indium oxide. These films can be driven from the superconducting phase to a reentrant insulating state by the application of a perpendicular magnetic field (B). We find that the high-B insulator exhibits activated transport with a characteristic temperature, TI. TI has a maximum value (TpI) that is close to the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) at B=0, suggesting a possible relation between the conduction mechanisms in the superconducting and insulating phases. Tp(I) and Tc display opposite dependences on the disorder strength.

High-Tc superconductivity near the anion height instability in Fe-based superconductors: analysis of LaFeAsO(1-x)H(x).

PubMed

Onari, Seiichiro; Yamakawa, Youichi; Kontani, Hiroshi

2014-05-09

The isostructural transition in the tetragonal phase with a sizable change in the anion height, is realized in heavily H-doped LaFeAsO and (La,P) codoped CaFe2As2. In these compounds, the superconductivity with higher Tc (40-50 K) is realized near the isostructural transition. To find the origin of the anion-height instability and the role in realizing the higher-Tc state, we develop the orbital-spin fluctuation theory by including the vertex correction. We analyze LaFeAsO(1-x)H(x) and find that the non-nematic orbital fluctuations, which induce the anion-height instability, are automatically obtained at x∼0.5, in addition to the conventional nematic orbital fluctuations at x∼0. The non-nematic orbital order triggers the isostructural transition, and its fluctuation would be a key ingredient to realize higher-Tc superconductivity of order 50 K.

Can the Lateral Proximity Effect Be Used to Create the Superconducting Transition of a Micron-Sized TES?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrentine, E. M.; Brandl, D. E.; Brown, A. D.; Denis, K. L.; Fionkbeiner, F. M.; Hsieh, W. T.; Nagler, P. C.; Stevenson, T. R.; Timble, P. T.; U-Yen, K.

2012-01-01

Recent measurements of micron-sized Mo/Au bilayer Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) have demonstrated that the TES can behave like an S-S'-S weak link due to the lateral proximity effect from superconducting leads. In this regime the Tc is a function of bias current, and the effective Tc shifts from the bilayer Tc towards the lead Tc. We explore the idea that a micron-sized S-N-S weak link could provide a new method to engineer the TES Tc. This method would be particularly useful when small size requirements for a bilayer TES (such as for a hot-electron microbolometer) lead to undesirable shifts in the bilayer Te. We present measurements of a variety of micron-sized normal Au 'TES' devices with Nb leads. We find no evidence of a superconducting transition in the Au film of these devices, in dramatic contrast to the strong lateral proximity effect seen in micron-sized Mo/Au bilayer devices. The absence of a transition in these devices is also in disagreement with theoretical predictions for S-N-S weak links. We hypothesize that a finite contact resistance between the Nb and Au may be weakening the effect. We conclude that the use of the lateral proximity effect to create a superconducting transition will be difficult given current fabrication procedures.

An effective 2-band eg model of sulfur hydride H3S for high-Tc superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiguchi, Kazutaka; Teranishi, Shingo; Miyao, Satoaki; Matsushita, Goh; Kusakabe, Koichi

To understand high transition temperature (Tc) superconductivity in sulfur hydride H3S, we propose an effective 2-band model having the eg symmetry as the minimal model for H3S. Two eg orbitals centered on a sulfur S atom are chosen for the smallest representation of relevant bands with the van-Hove singularity around the Fermi levels except for the Γ-centered small hole pockets by the sulfur 3 p orbitals. By using the maximally localized Wannier functions, we derive the minimal effective model preserving the body-centered cubic (bcc) crystal symmetry of the H3S phase having the highest Tc ( 203 K under pressures) among the other polymorphs of H3S.

Research on high Tc superconducting compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, Frederick W. (Principal Investigator)

1996-01-01

Mossbauer research using the 21.54 kev resonance radiation of Eu-151 on the high temperature superconductors Bi(2)Ca(0.5)Eu(0.5)Sr(2)CU2O(x), and EuBa(2)CU(3)O(7-x) is performed. For the Bismuth compound the Mossbauer measurements gave a weak signal at room temperature but improved at lower temperatures. Experimental data indicated that europium is located at only one crystallographic site. Isomer shift measurements were .69 + 0.02 mm/s with respect to EuF(3). The linewidth at room temperature was found to be 2.54 mm/s. This value falls within the values observed by other researchers on Eu based 1,2,3 high-Tc compounds. Our results also show the Eu to be trivalent with no trace of divalent europium present. Superconducting europium based 1,2,3 compounds were prepared and measurements completed. Our results show the Eu to be trivalent with no trace of divalent europium present. These compounds had an average isomer shift of .73 mm/s +/- O.02 for all samples made. One of these was irradiated with 3.5 X 10(exp 16) neutrons and a comparison made of the Mossbauer parameters for the irradiated and non-irradiated samples. Experimental results showed no difference between linewidths but a measurable effect was seen for the isomer shift.

Analysis of a High-Tc Hot-Electron Superconducting Mixer for Terahertz Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, B. S.; McGrath, W. R.; Gaidis, M. C.

1996-01-01

The prospects of a YBa2Cu3O7(delta)(YBCO) hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer for a THz heterodyne receiver is discussed. The modeled device is a submicron bridge made from a 10 nm thick film on a high thermal conductance substrate.

Spin-orbit-coupled superconductivity

PubMed Central

Lo, Shun-Tsung; Lin, Shih-Wei; Wang, Yi-Ting; Lin, Sheng-Di; Liang, C.-T.

2014-01-01

Superconductivity and spin-orbit (SO) interaction have been two separate emerging fields until very recently that the correlation between them seemed to be observed. However, previous experiments concerning SO coupling are performed far beyond the superconducting state and thus a direct demonstration of how SO coupling affects superconductivity remains elusive. Here we investigate the SO coupling in the critical region of superconducting transition on Al nanofilms, in which the strength of disorder and spin relaxation by SO coupling are changed by varying the film thickness. At temperatures T sufficiently above the superconducting critical temperature Tc, clear signature of SO coupling reveals itself in showing a magneto-resistivity peak. When T < Tc, the resistivity peak can still be observed; however, its line-shape is now affected by the onset of the quasi two-dimensional superconductivity. By studying such magneto-resistivity peaks under different strength of spin relaxation, we highlight the important effects of SO interaction on superconductivity. PMID:24961726

Focus on superconducting properties of iron chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Yoshihiko

2012-10-01

Since the discovery of iron-based superconductors, much attention has been given to the exploration of new superconducting compounds. Numerous superconducting iron compounds have been found and categorized into five groups: LnFeAsO (Ln = lanthanide), BaFe2As2, KFeAs, FeSe and FeAs with perovskite blocking layers. Among them, FeSe has the simplest crystal structure. Since the crystal structure is composed of only superconducting Fe layers, the FeSe family must be the best material to investigate the mechanism of iron-based superconductivity. FeSe shows very strong pressure effects. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of FeSe is approximately 8 K at ambient pressure. However Tc dramatically increases up to 37 K under applied pressure of 4-6 GPa. This is the third highest Tc value among binary superconductors, surpassed only by CsC60 under pressure (Tc = 38 K) and MgB2 (Tc = 39 K). On the other hand, despite FeTe having a crystal structure analogous to that of FeSe, FeTe shows antiferromagnetic properties without superconductivity. Doping of small ions, either Se or S, however, can induce superconductivity in FeTe1-xSex or FeTe1-xSx . The superconductivity is very weak for small x values, and annealing under certain conditions is required to obtain strong superconductivity, for instance annealing in oxygen or alcoholic beverages such as red wine. The following selection of papers describe many important experimental and theoretical studies on iron chalcogenide superconductors including preparation of single crystals, bulk samples and thin films; NMR measurements; photoemission spectroscopy; high-pressure studies; annealing effects and research on new BiS2-based superconductors. I hope this focus issue will help researchers understand the frontiers of iron chalcogenide superconductors and assist in the discovery of new phenomena related to iron-based superconductivity.

Superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver for 800-GHz operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamura, J.; Blundell, R.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Papa, D. C.; Hunter, T. R.; Paine, S. N.; Patt, F.; Gol'Tsman, G.; Cherednichenko, S.; Voronov, B.; Gershenzon, E.

2000-04-01

In this paper, we describe a superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver designed to operate in the partially transmissive 350-μm atmospheric window. The receiver employs an NbN thin-film microbridge as the mixer element, in which the main cooling mechanism of the hot electrons is through electron-phonon interaction. At a local-oscillator frequency of 808 GHz, the measured double-sideband receiver noise temperature is Trx=970 K, across a 1-GHz intermediate-frequency bandwidth centered at 1.8 GHz. We have measured the linearity of the receiver and the amount of local-oscillator power incident on the mixer for optimal operation, which is PLO ≈ 1 microwatt. This receiver was used in making observations as a facility instrument at the Heinrich Hertz Telescope, Mt. Graham, AZ, during the 1998-1999 winter observing season.

Fabrication and chemical composition of RF magnetron sputtered Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O high Tc superconducting thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanyam, G.; Radpour, F.; Kapoor, V. J.; Lemon, G. H.

1990-01-01

The preparation of TlCaBaCuO superconducting thin films on (100) SrTiO3 substrates is described, and the results of their characterization are presented. Sintering and annealing the thin films in a Tl-rich ambient yielded superconductivity with a Tc of 107 K. The results of an XPS study support two possible mechanisms for the creation of holes in the TlCaBaCuO compound: (1) partial substitution of Ca(2+) for Tl(3+), resulting in hole creation, and (2) charge transfer from Tl(3+) to the CuO layers, resulting in a Tl valence between +3 and +1.

An increase in Tc under hydrostatic pressure in the superconducting doped topological insulator Nb0.25Bi2Se3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smylie, M. P.; Willa, K.; Ryan, K.; Claus, H.; Kwok, W.-K.; Qiu, Y.; Hor, Y. S.; Welp, U.

2017-12-01

We report a positive hydrostatic pressure derivative of the superconducting transition temperature in the doped topological insulator Nb0.25Bi2Se3 via dc SQUID magnetometry in pressures up to 0.6 GPa. This result is contrary to reports on the homologues CuxBi2Se3 and SrxBi2Se3 where smooth suppression of Tc is observed. This difference may be attributable to an electronic structure composed of multiple bands whereas the other materials in the superconducting doped Bi2Se3 family are believed to be single-band.

Emergence of superconductivity in heavy-electron materials

PubMed Central

Yang, Yi-feng; Pines, David

2014-01-01

Although the pairing glue for the attractive quasiparticle interaction responsible for unconventional superconductivity in heavy-electron materials has been identified as the spin fluctuations that arise from their proximity to a magnetic quantum critical point, there has been no model to describe their superconducting transition at temperature Tc that is comparable to that found by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) for conventional superconductors, where phonons provide the pairing glue. Here we propose such a model: a phenomenological BCS-like expression for Tc in heavy-electron materials that is based on a simple model for the effective range and strength of the spin-fluctuation-induced quasiparticle interaction and reflects the unusual properties of the heavy-electron normal state from which superconductivity emerges. We show that it provides a quantitative understanding of the pressure-induced variation of Tc in the “hydrogen atoms” of unconventional superconductivity, CeCoIn5 and CeRhIn5, predicts scaling behavior and a dome-like structure for Tc in all heavy-electron quantum critical superconductors, provides unexpected connections between members of this family, and quantifies their variations in Tc with a single parameter. PMID:25489102

Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Gye-Won; Won, Dong-Yeon; Kuk, Il-Hyun; Park, Jong-Chul

1995-01-01

Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI.

Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Gye-Won; Won, Dong-Yeon; Kuk, Il-Hyun; Park, Jong-Chul

1995-04-01

Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI.

Finding new superconductors: the spin-fluctuation gateway to high Tc and possible room temperature superconductivity.

PubMed

Pines, David

2013-10-24

We propose an experiment-based strategy for finding new high transition temperature superconductors that is based on the well-established spin fluctuation magnetic gateway to superconductivity in which the attractive quasiparticle interaction needed for superconductivity comes from their coupling to dynamical spin fluctuations originating in the proximity of the material to an antiferromagnetic state. We show how lessons learned by combining the results of almost three decades of intensive experimental and theoretical study of the cuprates with those found in the decade-long study of a strikingly similar family of unconventional heavy electron superconductors, the 115 materials, can prove helpful in carrying out that search. We conclude that, since Tc in these materials scales approximately with the strength of the interaction, J, between the nearest neighbor local moments in their parent antiferromagnetic state, there may not be a magnetic ceiling that would prevent one from discovering a room temperature superconductor.

Electronic structure and superconductivity of FeSe-related superconductors.

PubMed

Liu, Xu; Zhao, Lin; He, Shaolong; He, Junfeng; Liu, Defa; Mou, Daixiang; Shen, Bing; Hu, Yong; Huang, Jianwei; Zhou, X J

2015-05-13

FeSe superconductors and their related systems have attracted much attention in the study of iron-based superconductors owing to their simple crystal structure and peculiar electronic and physical properties. The bulk FeSe superconductor has a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of ~8 K and it can be dramatically enhanced to 37 K at high pressure. On the other hand, its cousin system, FeTe, possesses a unique antiferromagnetic ground state but is non-superconducting. Substitution of Se with Te in the FeSe superconductor results in an enhancement of Tc up to 14.5 K and superconductivity can persist over a large composition range in the Fe(Se,Te) system. Intercalation of the FeSe superconductor leads to the discovery of the AxFe2-ySe2 (A = K, Cs and Tl) system that exhibits a Tc higher than 30 K and a unique electronic structure of the superconducting phase. A recent report of possible high temperature superconductivity in single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films with a Tc above 65 K has generated much excitement in the community. This pioneering work opens a door for interface superconductivity to explore for high Tc superconductors. The distinct electronic structure and superconducting gap, layer-dependent behavior and insulator-superconductor transition of the FeSe/SrTiO3 films provide critical information in understanding the superconductivity mechanism of iron-based superconductors. In this paper, we present a brief review of the investigation of the electronic structure and superconductivity of the FeSe superconductor and related systems, with a particular focus on the FeSe films.

Superconductivity in an electron band just above the Fermi level: possible route to BCS-BEC superconductivity.

PubMed

Okazaki, K; Ito, Y; Ota, Y; Kotani, Y; Shimojima, T; Kiss, T; Watanabe, S; Chen, C-T; Niitaka, S; Hanaguri, T; Takagi, H; Chainani, A; Shin, S

2014-02-28

Conventional superconductivity follows Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer(BCS) theory of electrons-pairing in momentum-space, while superfluidity is the Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) of atoms paired in real-space. These properties of solid metals and ultra-cold gases, respectively, are connected by the BCS-BEC crossover. Here we investigate the band dispersions in FeTe(0.6)Se(0.4)(Tc = 14.5 K ~ 1.2 meV) in an accessible range below and above the Fermi level(EF) using ultra-high resolution laser angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We uncover an electron band lying just 0.7 meV (~8 K) above EF at the Γ-point, which shows a sharp superconducting coherence peak with gap formation below Tc. The estimated superconducting gap Δ and Fermi energy [Symbol: see text]F indicate composite superconductivity in an iron-based superconductor, consisting of strong-coupling BEC in the electron band and weak-coupling BCS-like superconductivity in the hole band. The study identifies the possible route to BCS-BEC superconductivity.

Superstrate loading effects on the resonant characteristics of high Tc superconducting circular patch printed on anisotropic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedra, Sami; Bedra, Randa; Benkouda, Siham; Fortaki, Tarek

2017-12-01

In this paper, the effects of both anisotropies in the substrate and superstrate loading on the resonant frequency and bandwidth of high-Tc superconducting circular microstrip patch in a substrate-superstrate configuration are investigated. A rigorous analysis is performed using a dyadic Galerkin's method in the vector Hankel transform domain. Galerkin's procedure is employed in the spectral domain where the TM and TE modes of the cylindrical cavity with magnetic side walls are used in the expansion of the disk current. The effect of the superconductivity of the patch is taken into account using the concept of the complex resistive boundary condition. London's equations and the two-fluid model of Gorter and Casimir are used in the calculation of the complex surface impedance of the superconducting circular disc. The accuracy of the analysis is tested by comparing the computed results with previously published data for several anisotropic substrate-superstrate materials. Good agreement is found among all sets of results. The numerical results obtained show that important errors can be made in the computation of the resonant frequencies and bandwidths of the superconducting resonators when substrate dielectric anisotropy, and/or superstrate anisotropy are ignored. Other theoretical results obtained show that the superconducting circular microstrip patch on anisotropic substrate-superstrate with properly selected permittivity values along the optical and the non-optical axes combined with optimally chosen structural parameters is more advantageous than the one on isotropic substrate-superstrate by exhibiting wider bandwidth characteristic.

Superconductivity in Al-substituted Ba8Si46 clathrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Garcia, Jose; Chen, Ning; Liu, Lihua; Li, Feng; Wei, Yuping; Bi, Shanli; Cao, Guohui; Feng, Z. S.

2013-05-01

There is a great deal of interest vested in the superconductivity of Si clathrate compounds with sp3 network, in which the structure is dominated by strong covalent bonds among silicon atoms, rather than the metallic bonding that is more typical of traditional superconductors. A joint experimental and theoretical investigation of superconductivity in Al-substituted type-I silicon clathrates is reported. Samples of the general formula Ba8Si46-xAlx, with different values of x were prepared. With an increase in the Al composition, the superconducting transition temperature TC was observed to decrease systematically. The resistivity measurement revealed that Ba8Si42Al4 is superconductive with transition temperature at TC = 5.5 K. The magnetic measurements showed that the bulk superconducting Ba8Si42Al4 is a type II superconductor. For x = 6 sample Ba8Si40Al6, the superconducting transition was observed down to TC = 4.7 K which pointed to a strong suppression of superconductivity with increasing Al content as compared with TC = 8 K for Ba8Si46. Suppression of superconductivity can be attributed primarily to a decrease in the density of states at the Fermi level, caused by reduced integrity of the sp3 hybridized networks as well as the lowering of carrier concentration. These results corroborated by first-principles calculations showed that Al substitution results in a large decrease of the electronic density of states at the Fermi level, which also explains the decreased superconducting critical temperature within the BCS framework. The work provided a comprehensive understanding of the doping effect on superconductivity of clathrates.

Superconductivity and fast proton transport in nanoconfined water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, K. H.

2018-04-01

A real-space molecular-orbital density-wave description of Cooper pairing in conjunction with the dynamic Jahn-Teller mechanism for high-Tc superconductivity predicts that electron-doped water confined to the nanoscale environment of a carbon nanotube or biological macromolecule should superconduct below and exhibit fast proton transport above the transition temperature, Tc ≅ 230 K (-43 °C).

Designing heterostructures with higher-temperature superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Hur, Karyn; Chung, Chung-Hou; Paul, I.

2011-07-01

We propose to increase the superconducting transition temperature Tc of strongly correlated materials by designing heterostructures which exhibit a high pairing energy as a result of magnetic fluctuations. More precisely, applying an effective theory of the doped Mott insulator, we envisage a bilayer Hubbard system where both layers exhibit intrinsic intralayer (intraband) d-wave superconducting correlations. Introducing a finite asymmetry between the hole densities of the two layers such that one layer becomes slightly more underdoped and the other more overdoped, we show a visible enhancement of Tc compared to the optimally doped isolated layer. Using the bonding and antibonding band basis, we show that the mechanism behind this enhancement of Tc is the interband pairing correlation mediated by the hole asymmetry which strives to decrease the paramagnetic nodal contribution to the superfluid stiffness. For two identical layers, Tc remains comparable to that of the isolated layer until moderate values of the interlayer single-particle tunneling term. These heterostructures shed new light on fundamental questions related to superconductivity.

Influence of multiband sign-changing superconductivity on vortex cores and vortex pinning in stoichiometric high-Tc CaKFe4As4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fente, Antón; Meier, William R.; Kong, Tai; Kogan, Vladimir G.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Guillamón, Isabel; Suderow, Hermann

2018-04-01

We use a scanning tunneling microscope to study the superconducting density of states and vortex lattice of single crystals of CaKFe4As4 . This material has a critical temperature of Tc=35 K, one of the highest among stoichiometric iron based superconductors (FeBSCs), and is comparable to Tc found near optimal doping in other FeBSCs. We observe quasiparticle scattering from defects with a pattern related to interband scattering between zone centered hole sheets. We measure the tunneling conductance in vortex cores and find a peak due to Caroli-de Gennes-Matricon bound states. The peak is located above the Fermi level, showing that CaKFe4As4 is a clean superconductor with vortex core bound states close to the so-called extreme quantum limit. We identify locations where the superconducting order parameter is strongly suppressed due to pair breaking. Vortices are pinned at these locations, and the length scale of the suppression of the order parameter is of order of the vortex core size. As a consequence, the vortex lattice is disordered up to 8 T.

Multiband full-bandwidth anisotropic Eliashberg theory of interfacial electron-phonon coupling and high - Tc superconductivity in FeSe /SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aperis, Alex; Oppeneer, Peter M.

2018-02-01

We examine the impact of interfacial phonons on the superconducting state of FeSe /SrTiO3 developing a material's specific multiband, full bandwidth, and anisotropic Eliashberg theory for this system. Our self-consistent calculations highlight the importance of the interfacial electron-phonon interaction, which is hidden behind the seemingly weak-coupling constant λm=0.4 , in mediating the high Tc, and explain other puzzling experimental observations, such as the s -wave symmetry and replica bands. We discover that the formation of replica bands has a Tc decreasing effect that is nevertheless compensated by deep Fermi-sea Cooper pairing which has a Tc enhancing effect. We predict a strong-coupling dip-hump signature in the tunneling spectra due to the interfacial coupling.

High sensitive THz superconducting hot electron bolometer mixers and transition edge sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Miao, W.; Zhou, K. M.; Guo, X. H.; Zhong, J. Q.; Shi, S. C.

2016-11-01

Terahertz band, which is roughly defined as 0.1 THz to 10 THz, is an interesting frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully explored in astronomy. THz observations play key roles in astrophysics and cosmology. High sensitive heterodyne and direct detectors are the main tools for the detection of molecular spectral lines and fine atomic structure spectral lines, which are very important tracers for probing the physical and chemical properties and dynamic processes of objects such as star and planetary systems. China is planning to build an THz telescope at Dome A, Antarctica, a unique site for ground-based THz observations. We are developing THz superconducting hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers and transition edge sensors (TES), which are quantum limited and back-ground limited detectors, respectively. Here we first introduce the working principles of superconducting HEB and TES, and then mainly present the results achieved at Purple mountain Observatory.

Unified electronic phase diagram for hole-doped high- Tc cuprates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honma, T.; Hor, P. H.

2008-05-01

We have analyzed various characteristic temperatures and energies of hole-doped high- Tc cuprates as a function of a dimensionless hole-doping concentration (pu) . Entirely based on the experimental grounds, we construct a unified electronic phase diagram (UEPD), where three characteristic temperatures ( T∗ ’s) and their corresponding energies ( E∗ ’s) converge as pu increases in the underdoped regime. T∗ ’s and E∗ ’s merge together with the Tc curve and 3.5kBTc curve at pu˜1.1 in the overdoped regime, respectively. They finally go to zero at pu˜1.3 . The UEPD follows an asymmetric half-dome-shaped Tc curve, in which Tc appears at pu˜0.4 , reaches a maximum at pu˜1 , and rapidly goes to zero at pu˜1.3 . The asymmetric half-dome-shaped Tc curve is at odds with the well-known symmetric superconducting dome for La2-xSrxCuO4 (SrD-La214), in which two characteristic temperatures and energies converge as pu increases and merge together at pu˜1.6 , where Tc goes to zero. The UEPD clearly shows that pseudogap phase precedes and coexists with high temperature superconductivity in the underdoped and overdoped regimes, respectively. It is also clearly seen that the upper limit of high- Tc cuprate physics ends at a hole concentration that equals to 1.3 times the optimal doping concentration for almost all high- Tc cuprate materials and 1.6 times the optimal doping concentration for the SrD-La214. Our analysis strongly suggests that pseudogap is a precursor of high- Tc superconductivity, the observed quantum critical point inside the superconducting dome may be related to the end point of UEPD, and the normal state of the underdoped and overdoped high temperature superconductors cannot be regarded as a conventional Fermi liquid phase.

Bipolaronic charge density waves, polaronic spin density waves and high Tc superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aubry, S.

1992-01-01

At large enough electron phonon coupling, the existence of bipolaronic, polaronic and mixed states is rigorously proven for the adiabatic Holstein model at any dimension and any band filling. The ground-state is one of them which then prove the existence of insulating Bipolaronic Charge Density Waves. The role of the quantum lattice fluctuations is analysed and found to be neglegible in that regime but to become essential in case of phonon softening then favoring the occurence of superconductivity. When a strong Hubbard term is also present, the bipolarons break into polorons and the ground state is expected to be amore » polaronic spin density wave. If the repulsive Hubbard term is comparable to the electron-phonon coupling, the energy for breaking a bipoloron into two polarons can become small and we get instead of these two degenerate structures, a pait of polarons bounded by a spin resonance which we call spin resonant bipolaron''. This resonant bipolaron is still strongly bound, but the role of the quantum lattice fluctuations becomes now very important and yields a sharp broadening of the bandwidth of this resonant bipolarona. Thus, the strong quantum character of these resonant bipolarons could prevent their localization into real space structures which could be insulating bipolaronic CDWs or polaronic SDWS, then favoring the formation of a superconducting coherent state with a possible high {Tc}.« less

Bipolaronic charge density waves, polaronic spin density waves and high {Tc} superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aubry, S.

1992-09-01

At large enough electron phonon coupling, the existence of bipolaronic, polaronic and mixed states is rigorously proven for the adiabatic Holstein model at any dimension and any band filling. The ground-state is one of them which then prove the existence of insulating Bipolaronic Charge Density Waves. The role of the quantum lattice fluctuations is analysed and found to be neglegible in that regime but to become essential in case of phonon softening then favoring the occurence of superconductivity. When a strong Hubbard term is also present, the bipolarons break into polorons and the ground state is expected to be amore » polaronic spin density wave. If the repulsive Hubbard term is comparable to the electron-phonon coupling, the energy for breaking a bipoloron into two polarons can become small and we get instead of these two degenerate structures, a pait of polarons bounded by a spin resonance which we call ``spin resonant bipolaron``. This resonant bipolaron is still strongly bound, but the role of the quantum lattice fluctuations becomes now very important and yields a sharp broadening of the bandwidth of this resonant bipolarona. Thus, the strong quantum character of these resonant bipolarons could prevent their localization into real space structures which could be insulating bipolaronic CDWs or polaronic SDWS, then favoring the formation of a superconducting coherent state with a possible high {Tc}.« less

Large enhancement of superconducting transition temperature in single-element superconducting rhenium by shear strain

PubMed Central

Mito, Masaki; Matsui, Hideaki; Tsuruta, Kazuki; Yamaguchi, Tomiko; Nakamura, Kazuma; Deguchi, Hiroyuki; Shirakawa, Naoki; Adachi, Hiroki; Yamasaki, Tohru; Iwaoka, Hideaki; Ikoma, Yoshifumi; Horita, Zenji

2016-01-01

Finding a physical approach for increasing the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is a challenge in the field of material science. Shear strain effects on the superconductivity of rhenium were investigated using magnetic measurements, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and first-principles calculations. A large shear strain reduces the grain size and simultaneously expands the unit cells, resulting in an increase in Tc. Here we show that this shear strain approach is a new method for enhancing Tc and differs from that using hydrostatic strain. The enhancement of Tc is explained by an increase in net electron–electron coupling rather than a change in the density of states near the Fermi level. The shear strain effect in rhenium could be a successful example of manipulating Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer-type Cooper pairing, in which the unit cell volumes are indeed a key parameter. PMID:27811983

Superconducting terahertz mixer using a transition-edge microbolometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prober, D. E.

1993-01-01

We present a new device concept for a mixer element for THz frequencies. This uses a superconducting transition-edge microbridge biased at the center of its superconducting transition near 4.2 K. It is fed from an antenna or waveguide structure. Power from a local oscillator and an RF signal produce a temperature and resulting resistance variation at the difference frequency. The new aspect is the use of a very short bridge in which rapid (less than 0.1 ns) outdiffusion of hot electrons occurs. This gives large intermediate frequency (IF) response. The mixer offers about 4 GHz IF bandwidth, about 80 ohm RF resistive impedance, good match to the IF amplifier, and requires only 1-20 nW of local oscillator power. The upper RF frequency is determined by antenna or waveguide properties. Predicted mixer conversion efficiency is 1/8, and predicted double-sideband receiver noise temperatures are 260 and 90 K for transition widths of 0.1 and 0.5 Tc, respectively.

Chemical Interaction between High-Tc Superconducting Oxides and Alkaline Earth Fluorides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Takuya; Asakawa, Toshiaki; Shiraishi, Tadashi; Yoshida, Tsutomu; Yoshimoto, Mamoru; Koinuma, Hideomi

1989-07-01

Reactions of high-Tc superconductors and MF2 (M: Ca, Sr, Ba) were investigated by means of ac susceptibility, X-ray diffraction, and TG-DTA measurements. The superconducting transition temperature (Tconset) of Ba2YCu3O7-δ powder mixed with MF2 powder decreased as a result of heat treatment at 600°C in air, whereas it did not decrease by the heat treatment under carefully dried conditions. In contrast, neither of the heat-treatment conditions decreased the Tconset of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox mixed with MF2 powder. Heating with MF2 at temperatures higher than 700°C reduced volume fractions of these superconductors even in dry atmosphere and the reactivity increased in the order of BaF2

Detection of surface carbon and hydrocarbons in hot spot regions of niobium superconducting rf cavities by Raman spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Cao, C.; Argonne National Lab.; Ford, D.; ...

2013-06-26

Raman microscopy/spectroscopy measurements are presented on high purity niobium (Nb) samples, including pieces from hot spot regions of a tested superconducting rf cavity that exhibit a high density of etch pits. Measured spectra are compared with density functional theory calculations of Raman-active, vibrational modes of possible surface Nb-O and Nb-H complexes. The Raman spectra inside particularly rough pits in all Nb samples show clear differences from surrounding areas, exhibiting enhanced intensity and sharp peaks. While some of the sharp peaks are consistent with calculated NbH and NbH 2 modes, there is better overall agreement with C-H modes in chain-type hydrocarbons.more » Other spectra reveal two broader peaks attributed to amorphous carbon. Niobium foils annealed to >2000°C in high vacuum develop identical Raman peaks when subjected to cold working. Regions with enhanced C and O have also been found by SEM/EDX spectroscopy in the hot spot samples and cold-worked foils, corroborating the Raman results. Such regions with high concentrations of impurities are expected to suppress the local superconductivity and this may explain the correlation between hot spots in superconducting rf (SRF) cavities and the observation of a high density of surface pits. Finally, the origin of localized high carbon and hydrocarbon regions is unclear at present but it is suggested that particular processing steps in SRF cavity fabrication may be responsible.« less

Detection of surface carbon and hydrocarbons in hot spot regions of niobium superconducting rf cavities by Raman spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, C.; Argonne National Lab.; Ford, D.

Raman microscopy/spectroscopy measurements are presented on high purity niobium (Nb) samples, including pieces from hot spot regions of a tested superconducting rf cavity that exhibit a high density of etch pits. Measured spectra are compared with density functional theory calculations of Raman-active, vibrational modes of possible surface Nb-O and Nb-H complexes. The Raman spectra inside particularly rough pits in all Nb samples show clear differences from surrounding areas, exhibiting enhanced intensity and sharp peaks. While some of the sharp peaks are consistent with calculated NbH and NbH 2 modes, there is better overall agreement with C-H modes in chain-type hydrocarbons.more » Other spectra reveal two broader peaks attributed to amorphous carbon. Niobium foils annealed to >2000°C in high vacuum develop identical Raman peaks when subjected to cold working. Regions with enhanced C and O have also been found by SEM/EDX spectroscopy in the hot spot samples and cold-worked foils, corroborating the Raman results. Such regions with high concentrations of impurities are expected to suppress the local superconductivity and this may explain the correlation between hot spots in superconducting rf (SRF) cavities and the observation of a high density of surface pits. Finally, the origin of localized high carbon and hydrocarbon regions is unclear at present but it is suggested that particular processing steps in SRF cavity fabrication may be responsible.« less

What is strange about high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Božović, I.; He, X.; Wu, J.; Bollinger, A. T.

2017-10-01

Cuprate superconductors exhibit many features, but the ultimate question is why the critical temperature (Tc) is so high. The fundamental dichotomy is between the weak-pairing, Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) scenario, and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of strongly-bound pairs. While for underdoped cuprates it is hotly debated which of these pictures is appropriate, it is commonly believed that on the overdoped side strongly-correlated fermion physics evolves smoothly into the conventional BCS behavior. Here, we test this dogma by studying the dependence of key superconducting parameters on doping, temperature, and external fields, in thousands of cuprate samples. The findings do not conform to BCS predictions anywhere in the phase diagram.

Rugged Low-Resistance Contacts To High-Tc Superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caton, Randall; Selim, Raouf; Byvik, Charles E.; Buoncristiani, A. Martin

1992-01-01

Newly developed technique involving use of gold makes possible to fabricate low-resistance contacts with rugged connections to high-Tc superconductors. Gold diffused into specimen of superconducting material by melting gold beads onto surface of specimen, making strong mechanical contacts. Shear strength of gold bead contacts greater than epoxy or silver paste. Practical use in high-current-carrying applications of new high-Tc materials, including superconducting magnets, long-wavelength sensors, electrical ground planes at low temperatures, and efficient transmission of power.

Disorder-induced inhomogeneities of the superconducting state close to the superconductor-insulator transition.

PubMed

Sacépé, B; Chapelier, C; Baturina, T I; Vinokur, V M; Baklanov, M R; Sanquer, M

2008-10-10

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy at very low temperatures on homogeneously disordered superconducting titanium nitride thin films reveals strong spatial inhomogeneities of the superconducting gap Delta in the density of states. Upon increasing disorder, we observe suppression of the superconducting critical temperature Tc towards zero, enhancement of spatial fluctuations in Delta, and growth of the Delta/Tc ratio. These findings suggest that local superconductivity survives across the disorder-driven superconductor-insulator transition.

Anisotropic Pressure Effects on Superconductivity in Fe1+yTe1-xSx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazunori; Yamazaki, Teruo; Yamanaka, Takayoshi; Ueta, Daichi; Yoshizawa, Hideki; Yaguchi, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

We have investigated the uniaxial and hydrostatic pressure effects on superconductivity in Fe1.07Te0.88S0.12 through magnetic susceptibility measurements down to 1.8 K. The superconducting transition temperature Tc is enhanced by out-of-plane pressure (uniaxial pressure along the c-axis); the onset temperature of the superconductivity reaches 11.8 K at 0.4 GPa. In contrast, Tc is reduced by in-plane pressure (uniaxial pressure along the ab-plane) and hydrostatic pressure. Taking into account these results, it is inferred that the superconductivity of Fe1+yTe1-xSx is enhanced when the lattice constant c considerably decreases. This implies that the relationship between Tc and the anion height for Fe1+yTe1-xSx is similar to that for most iron-based superconductors. We consider the reduction of Tc by hydrostatic pressure to be due to the suppression of spin fluctuations because the system moves away from antiferromagnetic ordering, and the enhancement of Tc by out-of-plane pressure to be due to the anion height effect on Tc.

Development of high T(sub c) (greater than 110 K) Bi, Tl, and Y-based materials as superconducting circuit elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haertling, Gene H.; Grabert, Gregory; Gilmour, Phillip

1992-01-01

Experimental work has continued on the development and characterization of bulk and hot pressed powders and tapecast materials in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O systems. A process for producing warp-free, sintered, superconducting tapes of Bi composition Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) with a mixed oxide process was established. This procedure required a triple calcination at 830 C for 24 hours and sintering at 845 C from 20 to 200 hours. Hot pressing the triple calcined powder at 845 C for 6 hours at 5000 psi yielded a dense material which on further heat treatment at 845 C for 24 hours exhibited a Tc of 108.2 K. A further improvement in the processing of the bismuth materials was achieved via a chemical coprecipitation process wherein the starting nitrate materials were coprecipitated with oxalic acid, thus yielding a more chemically homogeneous, more reactive powder. With the coprecipitated powders, only one calcine at 830 C for 12 hours and a final sinter at 845 C for 30 hours was sufficient to produce a bulk superconducting material with a Tc of 108.4 K. SAFIRE-type grounding links were successfully fabricated from sintered, tapecast, coprecipitated BSCCO 2223 powders. Compositional and processing investigations were continued on the Tl-based superconductors. Manganese and lithium additions and sintering temperature and time were examined to determine their influence on superconducting properties. It was found that lithium substitutions for copper enhance the transition temperatures while manganese additions produced deleterious effects on the superconducting properties. A suitable procedure for producing reproducible bulk and tapecast material of Tl composition Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O(x) was developed and used in fabricating uniform superconducting tapes. The highest transition temperature for Tl-based tapes was measured at 110.2 K. Thallium superconducting SAFIRE-type grounding links were fabricated from the tapes.

New Insights into High-Tc Superconductivity from Angle-Resolved Photoemission at Low Photon Energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plumb, Nicholas Clark

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is one of the most direct and powerful probes for studying the physics of solids. ARPES takes a "snapshot" of electrons in momentum space (k-space) to reveal details of the dispersion relation E( k), as well as information about the lifetimes of interacting quasiparticles. From this we learn not only where the electrons live, but also, if we are crafty, what they are doing. Beginning with work by our group in 2006 using a 6-eV laser, ARPES experiments have begun to make use of a new, low photon energy regime (roughly hnu = 6--9 eV). These low photon energies give drastic improvements in momentum resolution, photoelectron escape depths, and overall spectral sharpness. This has led to several important new findings in the intensively-studied problem of high-temperature superconductivity. This thesis will focus on two of the latest results from our group using low-energy ARPES (LE-ARPES) to study the cuprate high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta (Bi2212). The first of these is an investigation into the nature of many-body interactions at a well-known energy scale (˜ 60--70 meV) where the dispersion shows a large bend, or "kink". Using LE-ARPES measurements, the k-dependence of this kink is investigated in unprecedented detail. An attempt is then made to map the feature's k evolution into the scattering q-space of boson dispersions. In our analysis, the q-dispersion of the kink bears more resemblance to dispersive spin excitations than phonons --- a surprising finding in light of previous evidence that the the kink originates from interactions with phonons. However, phonons cannot be ruled out, and the results may hint that both types of interactions contribute to the main nodal kink. A second result is the discovery of a new ultralow (< 10 meV) energy scale for electron interactions, corresponding to a distinct, smaller kink in the electron dispersion. The temperature and doping dependence of this feature show

STM/STS study of the superconducting gap in SmFeAsO1-xFx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawashima, Yuki; Ichimura, Koichi; Katono, Kazuhiro; Kurosawa, Tohru; Oda, Migaku; Tanda, Satoshi; Kamihara, Yoichi; Hosono, Hideo

2015-02-01

We report an electron tunneling study of SmFeAsO1-xFx in the low doping region (x=0, 0.045, 0.046, 0.069) by low temperature UHV-STM/STS. Superconducting gaps are observed for each superconducting sample x=0.045 (Tc=12.9 K), x=0.046 (Tc=32.9 K) and x=0.069 (Tc=46.9 K). We obtained corresponding superconducting gap size of ΔSC = 9.5 ± 0.5 meV, 9.75±0.25 meV and 11±1 meV. While Tc increases, ΔSC is kept the same. This suggests that the effective attractive interaction is the same and that there is some mechanism that suppresses the superconductivity in the low doping region. On the other hand, similar gap structures were found in a non-superconducting sample with x=0 at 7.8 K. The obtained gap size was ΔN = 8.5 ± 1.5 meV, which is almost the same as the superconducting gap in the superconducting samples (x=0.045, 0.046, 0.069).

High Tc Superconducting Magnet Excited by a Semiconductor Thermoelectric Element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuriyama, T.; Ono, M.; Tabe, S.; Oguchi, A.; Okamura, T.

2006-04-01

A high Tc superconducting (HTS) magnet excited by a thermal electromotive force of a thermoelectric element is studied. This HTS magnet has the advantages of compactness, lightweight and continuous excitation in comparison with conventional HTS magnets, because this HTS magnet does not need a large external power source. In this system, a heat input into the cryogenic environment is necessary to excite the thermoelectric element for constant operation. This heat generation, however, causes a rise in temperature of an HTS coil and reduces the system performance. In this paper, a newly designed magnet system which adopted a two-stage GM cryocooler was investigated. It enabled us to control the temperature of a thermoelectric element and that of an HTS coil independently. The temperature of the HTS coil could be kept at 10-20 K at the second stage of the GM cryocooler, while the thermoelectric element could be excited at higher temperature in the range of 50-70 K at the first stage, where the performance of the thermoelectric element was higher. The experimental results on this HTS magnet are shown and the possibility of the thermoelectric element as a main power source of the HTS magnets is discussed.

Study of high-Tc interface superconductivity in La1.55Sr0.45CuO4/La2CuO4 heterostructures at high magnetic fields and frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparov, V. A.; Audouard, A.; Drigo, L.; He, Xi; Bozovic, I.

2017-10-01

We have synthesized heterostructures that consist of a layer of a cuprate insulator, La2CuO4, and a layer of a nonsuperconducting cuprate metal, La1.55Sr0.45CuO4. Such bilayers show high-Tc interface superconductivity confined within a single CuO2 plane. Here, we explore the behavior of interface superconductivity at high frequencies (up to 50 MHz) under high magnetic fields (up to 56 T). We find that interface superconductivity persists up to very high perpendicular fields (exceeding 40 T). The critical magnetic field Hm(T) shows an upward divergence with decreasing temperature suggestive of vortex-lattice melting, similar to what is observed in bulk superconducting cuprates.

Colloquium: High pressure and road to room temperature superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gor'kov, Lev P.; Kresin, Vladimir Z.

2018-01-01

This Colloquium is concerned with the superconducting state of new high-Tc compounds containing hydrogen ions (hydrides). Recently superconductivity with the record-setting transition temperature of Tc=203 K was reported for sulfur hydrides under high pressure. In general, high pressure serves as a path finding tool toward novel structures, including those with very high Tc . The field has a rich and interesting history. Currently, it is broadly recognized that superconductivity in sulfur hydrides owes its origin to the phonon mechanism. However, the picture differs from the conventional one in important ways. The phonon spectrum in sulfur hydride is both broad and has a complex structure. Superconductivity arises mainly due to strong coupling to the high-frequency optical modes, although the acoustic phonons also make a noticeable contribution. A new approach is described, which generalizes the standard treatment of the phonon mechanism and makes it possible to obtain an analytical expression for Tc in this phase. It turns out that, unlike in the conventional case, the value of the isotope coefficient (for the deuterium-hydrogen substitution) varies with the pressure and reflects the impact of the optical modes. The phase diagram, that is the pressure dependence of Tc , is rather peculiar. A crucial feature is that increasing pressure results in a series of structural transitions, including the one which yields the superconducting phase with the record Tc of 203 K. In a narrow region near P ≈150 GPa the critical temperature rises sharply from Tc≈120 to ≈200 K . It seems that the sharp structural transition, which produces the high-Tc phase, is a first-order phase transition caused by interaction between the order parameter and lattice deformations. A remarkable feature of the electronic spectrum in the high-Tc phase is the appearance of small pockets at the Fermi level. Their presence leads to a two-gap spectrum, which can, in principle, be observed with the

High Pressure Superconductivity in Iron Based Layered Compounds Studied using Designer Diamonds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vohra, Yogesh, K.

High pressure superconductivity in Iron based superconductor FeSe0.5Te0.5 has been studied up to 15 GPa and 10 K using an eight probe designer diamond anvil in a diamond anvil cell device. Four probe electrical resistance measurements show onset of superconductivity (Tc) at 14 K at ambient pressure with Tc increasing with increasing pressure to 19 K at a pressure of 3.6 GPa. At higher pressures beyond 3.6 GPa, Tc decreases and extrapolation suggests non superconducting behavior above 10 GPa. This loss of superconductivity coincides with the pressure induced amorphization of Fe(SeTe)4 tetrahedra reported at 11 GPa in x-ray diffraction studiesmore » at ambient temperature.« less

Conventional superconductivity at 203 kelvin at high pressures in the sulfur hydride system.

PubMed

Drozdov, A P; Eremets, M I; Troyan, I A; Ksenofontov, V; Shylin, S I

2015-09-03

A superconductor is a material that can conduct electricity without resistance below a superconducting transition temperature, Tc. The highest Tc that has been achieved to date is in the copper oxide system: 133 kelvin at ambient pressure and 164 kelvin at high pressures. As the nature of superconductivity in these materials is still not fully understood (they are not conventional superconductors), the prospects for achieving still higher transition temperatures by this route are not clear. In contrast, the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of conventional superconductivity gives a guide for achieving high Tc with no theoretical upper bound--all that is needed is a favourable combination of high-frequency phonons, strong electron-phonon coupling, and a high density of states. These conditions can in principle be fulfilled for metallic hydrogen and covalent compounds dominated by hydrogen, as hydrogen atoms provide the necessary high-frequency phonon modes as well as the strong electron-phonon coupling. Numerous calculations support this idea and have predicted transition temperatures in the range 50-235 kelvin for many hydrides, but only a moderate Tc of 17 kelvin has been observed experimentally. Here we investigate sulfur hydride, where a Tc of 80 kelvin has been predicted. We find that this system transforms to a metal at a pressure of approximately 90 gigapascals. On cooling, we see signatures of superconductivity: a sharp drop of the resistivity to zero and a decrease of the transition temperature with magnetic field, with magnetic susceptibility measurements confirming a Tc of 203 kelvin. Moreover, a pronounced isotope shift of Tc in sulfur deuteride is suggestive of an electron-phonon mechanism of superconductivity that is consistent with the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer scenario. We argue that the phase responsible for high-Tc superconductivity in this system is likely to be H3S, formed from H2S by decomposition under pressure. These findings raise hope for the

Temperature Dependence of Quasiparticle Spectral Weight and Coherence in High Tc Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yang; Zhang, Jessie; Hoffman, Jennifer; Hoffman Lab Team

2014-03-01

Superconductivity arises from the Cooper pairing of quasiparticles on the Fermi surface. Understanding the formation of Cooper pairs is an essential step towards unveiling the mechanism of high Tc superconductivity. We compare scanning tunneling microscope investigations of the temperature dependence of quasiparticle spectral weight and quasiparticle interference in several families of high Tc materials. We calculate the coherent spectral weight related to superconductivity, despite the coexistence of competing orders. The relation between pairing temperature and coherent spectral weight is discussed. We acknowledge support by the New York Community Trust-George Merck Fund.

Inhomogeneous Phase Effect of Smart Meta-Superconducting MgB2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongbo; Chen, Honggang; Qi, Weichang; Chen, Guowei; Zhao, Xiaopeng

2018-05-01

The inhomogeneous phase of a smart meta-superconductor has a great effect on its superconductivity. In this paper, the effect of concentration, dimensions, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, and distribution of the inhomogeneous phase on the superconducting critical temperature (TC) has been systematically investigated. An ex situ solid sintering was utilized to prepare smart meta-superconducting MgB2 doped with six kinds of electroluminescent materials, such as YVO4{:}Eu^{3+} and Y2O3{:}Eu^{3+} flakes. Elemental mappings through energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) show that the inhomogeneous phase is comparatively uniformly dispersed around the MgB2 particles; thus V, Y, and Eu were accumulated at a small area. The measurement results show that the optimum doping concentration of the meta-superconducting MgB2 is 2.0 wt%. The offset temperature (TC^{{ off}}) of the sample doped with 2.0 wt% dopant A is 1.6 K higher than that of pure MgB2. The improvement in TC^{{ off}} is likely related to the sizes, thickness, and EL intensity of the inhomogeneous phase of MgB2 smart meta-superconductor. This experiment provides a novel approach to enhance TC.

Characterization of Phase-Slip Centers created in superconducting NbxTi1-xN thin films close to Tc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrabi, Khalil; Maneval, Jean Paul; Maneval Collaboration

The dissipative states induced by an over-critical (pair-breaking) current in superconducting NbxTi1-xN strips were investigated and characterized in the vicinity of the critical temperature Tc ( 8.7 K). The suppression of superconductivity then occurs locally and leads to the creation of a phase-slip center (PSC). In the case where the over-critical current is applied as a step pulse, the PSC voltage rise is preceded by a nucleation time td which can be analyzed through a Time-Dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory due to Tinkham. In conformity with previous work, we interpret the effective gap relaxation time of the theory as the film cooling time. By consideration of the respective weights of the electron and phonon specific heats, the phonon escape time can be derived from experiments. It is here found to be 1.8 ns for a 20 nm NbTiN film sputtered on polished crystalline Al2O3\\ King Fahd University of Peroleum and Minerals Saudi Arabia.

Magnetic forces in high-Tc superconducting bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moon, F. C.

1991-01-01

In September 1987, researchers at Cornell levitated a small rotor on superconducting bearings at 10,000 rpm. In April 1989, a speed of 120,000 rpm was achieved in a passive bearing with no active control. The bearing material used was YBa2Cu307. There is no evidence that the rotation speed has any significant effect on the lift force. Magnetic force measurements between a permanent rare-earth magnet and high T(sub c) superconducting material versus vertical and lateral displacements were made. A large hysteresis loop results for large displacements, while minor loops result for small displacements. These minor loops seem to give a slope proportional to the magnetic stiffness, and are probably indicative of flux pinning forces. Experiments of rotary speed versus time show a linear decay in a vacuum. Measurements of magnetic dipole over a high-T(sub c) superconducting disc of YBCO show that the lateral vibrations of levitated rotors were measured which indicates that transverse flux motion in the superconductor will create dissipation. As a result of these force measurements, an optimum shape for the superconductor bearing pads which gives good lateral and axial stability was designed. Recent force measurements on melt-quench processed superconductors indicate a substantial increase in levitation force and magnetic stiffness over free sintered materials. As a result, application of high-T(sub c) superconducting bearings are beginning to show great promise at this time.

Raising the superconducting Tc of gallium: In situ characterization of the transformation of α -Ga into β -Ga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campanini, D.; Diao, Z.; Rydh, A.

2018-05-01

Gallium (Ga) displays several metastable phases. Superconductivity is strongly enhanced in the metastable β -Ga with a critical temperature Tc=6.04 (5 ) K , while stable α -Ga has a much lower Tc<1.2 K . Here we use a membrane-based nanocalorimeter to initiate the transition from α -Ga to β -Ga on demand, as well as study the specific heat of the two phases on one and the same sample. The in situ transformation is initiated by bringing the temperature to about 10 K above the melting temperature of α -Ga. After such treatment, the liquid supercools down to 232 K , where β -Ga solidifies. We find that β -Ga is a strong-coupling type-I superconductor with Δ (0 ) /kBTc=2.00 (5 ) and a Sommerfeld coefficient γn=1.53 (4 ) mJ /molK2 , 2.55 times higher than that in the α phase. The results allow a detailed comparison of fundamental thermodynamic properties between the two phases.

Tc-99m tilmanocept versus Tc-99m sulfur colloid in breast cancer sentinel lymph node identification: Results from a randomized, blinded clinical trial.

PubMed

Unkart, Jonathan T; Hosseini, Ava; Wallace, Anne M

2017-12-01

No prior trials have compared sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification outcomes between Tc-99m tilmanocept (TcTM) and Tc-99m sulfur colloid (TcSC) in breast cancer (BC). We report on the secondary outcomes from a randomized, double-blinded, single surgeon clinical trial comparing post-injection site pain between TcTM and TcSC. Patients were randomized to receive a preoperative single, peritumoral intradermal injection of TcTM or TcSC. The number of total, "hot", and blue nodes detected and removed were compared between groups. Fifty-two (27-TcSC and 25-TcTM) patients were enrolled and underwent definitive surgical treatment. At least one "hot" SLN was detected in all patients. Three (5.8%) patients had a disease positive-SLN. The total number of SLNs removed was 61 (mean 2.26 (standard deviation (SD) 0.90)) in the TcSC group and 54 (mean 2.16 (SD 0.90)) in the TcTM group, P = 0.69. The total number of "hot" nodes in the TcSC group was 1.96 (SD 0.76) compared to 2.04 (SD 0.73) in the TcTM group, P = 0.71. The number of identified SLNs did not differ significantly between TcTM and TcSC. Given that no significant technical advantages exist between the two agents, surgeons should choose a radiopharmaceutical based on cost and side effect profile. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Superconducting H5S2 phase in sulfur-hydrogen system under high-pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, Takahiro; Nakanishi, Akitaka; Shimizu, Katsuya; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Oda, Tatsuki; Suzuki, Naoshi

2016-03-01

Recently, hydrogen sulfide was experimentally found to show the high superconducting critical temperature (Tc) under high-pressure. The superconducting Tc shows 30-70 K in pressure range of 100-170 GPa (low-Tc phase) and increases to 203 K, which sets a record for the highest Tc in all materials, for the samples annealed by heating it to room temperature at pressures above 150 GPa (high-Tc phase). Here we present a solid H5S2 phase predicted as the low-Tc phase by the application of the genetic algorithm technique for crystal structure searching and first-principles calculations to sulfur-hydrogen system under high-pressure. The H5S2 phase is thermodynamically stabilized at 110 GPa, in which asymmetric hydrogen bonds are formed between H2S and H3S molecules. Calculated Tc values show 50-70 K in pressure range of 100-150 GPa within the harmonic approximation, which can reproduce the experimentally observed low-Tc phase. These findings give a new aspect of the excellent superconductivity in compressed sulfur-hydrogen system.

Superconducting H5S2 phase in sulfur-hydrogen system under high-pressure

PubMed Central

Ishikawa, Takahiro; Nakanishi, Akitaka; Shimizu, Katsuya; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Oda, Tatsuki; Suzuki, Naoshi

2016-01-01

Recently, hydrogen sulfide was experimentally found to show the high superconducting critical temperature (Tc) under high-pressure. The superconducting Tc shows 30–70 K in pressure range of 100–170 GPa (low-Tc phase) and increases to 203 K, which sets a record for the highest Tc in all materials, for the samples annealed by heating it to room temperature at pressures above 150 GPa (high-Tc phase). Here we present a solid H5S2 phase predicted as the low-Tc phase by the application of the genetic algorithm technique for crystal structure searching and first-principles calculations to sulfur-hydrogen system under high-pressure. The H5S2 phase is thermodynamically stabilized at 110 GPa, in which asymmetric hydrogen bonds are formed between H2S and H3S molecules. Calculated Tc values show 50–70 K in pressure range of 100–150 GPa within the harmonic approximation, which can reproduce the experimentally observed low-Tc phase. These findings give a new aspect of the excellent superconductivity in compressed sulfur-hydrogen system. PMID:26983593

Intermediate coupled superconductivity in yttrium intermetallics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Ramesh; Ahmed, Gulzar; Sharma, Yamini

2017-09-01

Non-magnetic YIn3, LaIn3 and LuIn3 with a superconducting transition temperature Tc of 0.78, 0.71 and 0.24 K were investigated for superconductivity. Similarly, rare-earth compound LaSn3 has been reported to exhibit superconductivity around 6.25 K, whereas the non-magnetic YSn3 is a superconductor with Tc of 7 K. The substitution of 13th group In-atoms by 14th group Sn-atoms is seen to enhance Tc by nearly one order, although the lattice parameters increase by ∼1.0% in YSn3 compared to YIn3 compound. It is observed from the ground state properties that the slight difference in the energy band structures of YIn3, YIn2Sn and YSn3 gives rise to various complex Fermi surfaces which are multiply connected and exhibit vast differences. The Fermi level lies on a sharp peak in YSn3 which has a higher density of states N(EF), whereas Fermi level lies on the shoulder of a sharp peak in YIn3. The electron localization function (ELF) and difference charge density maps clearly illustrate the difference in the nature of bonding; the Ysbnd Sn bonds are clearly more ionic (due to larger bond length) than Ysbnd In bonds. These results are consistent with the Bader charges which show loss of charges from Y-atoms and a gain of charges by In/Sn atoms. The dynamical properties also clearly illustrate the difference in the nature of bonds in YX3 intermetallics. A softening of the lowermost acoustic modes is observed in YIn3, whereas all the modes in YSn3 are observed to have positive frequencies which imply its greater stability. Since λel-ph < 1, both YIn3 and YSn3 compounds exhibit type I superconductivity according to BCS theory. However, the smaller N(EF) obtained from the density of states (DOS); the electron-phonon coupling constant λel-ph obtained from the temperature dependent specific heat as well as the instability in phonon modes due to stronger Ysbnd In and Insbnd In bonds in YIn3 may be the cause of lower Tc and filamentary nature of superconductivity. Insertion of Sn

Spectroscopy of metal "superatom" nanoclusters and high-Tc superconducting pairing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halder, Avik; Kresin, Vitaly V.

2015-12-01

A unique property of metal nanoclusters is the "superatom" shell structure of their delocalized electrons. The electronic shell levels are highly degenerate and therefore represent sharp peaks in the density of states. This can enable exceptionally strong electron pairing in certain clusters composed of tens to hundreds of atoms. In a finite system, such as a free nanocluster or a nucleus, pairing is observed most clearly via its effect on the energy spectrum of the constituent fermions. Accordingly, we performed a photoionization spectroscopy study of size-resolved aluminum nanoclusters and observed a rapid rise in the near-threshold density of states of several clusters (A l37 ,44 ,66 ,68 ) with decreasing temperature. The characteristics of this behavior are consistent with compression of the density of states by a pairing transition into a high-temperature superconducting state with Tc≳100 K. This value exceeds that of bulk aluminum by two orders of magnitude. These results highlight the potential of novel pairing effects in size-quantized systems and the possibility to attain even higher critical temperatures by optimizing the particles' size and composition. As a new class of high-temperature superconductors, such metal nanocluster particles are promising building blocks for high-Tc materials, devices, and networks.

Magnetic-Field-Tunable Superconducting Rectifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadleir, John E.

2009-01-01

Superconducting electronic components have been developed that provide current rectification that is tunable by design and with an externally applied magnetic field to the circuit component. The superconducting material used in the device is relatively free of pinning sites with its critical current determined by a geometric energy barrier to vortex entry. The ability of the vortices to move freely inside the device means this innovation does not suffer from magnetic hysteresis effects changing the state of the superconductor. The invention requires a superconductor geometry with opposite edges along the direction of current flow. In order for the critical current asymmetry effect to occur, the device must have different vortex nucleation conditions at opposite edges. Alternative embodiments producing the necessary conditions include edges being held at different temperatures, at different local magnetic fields, with different current-injection geometries, and structural differences between opposite edges causing changes in the size of the geometric energy barrier. An edge fabricated with indentations of the order of the coherence length will significantly lower the geometric energy barrier to vortex entry, meaning vortex passage across the device at lower currents causing resistive dissipation. The existing prototype is a two-terminal device consisting of a thin-film su - perconducting strip operating at a temperature below its superconducting transition temperature (Tc). Opposite ends of the strip are connected to electrical leads made of a higher Tc superconductor. The thin-film lithographic process provides an easy means to alter edge-structures, current-injection geo - metries, and magnetic-field conditions at the edges. The edge-field conditions can be altered by using local field(s) generated from dedicated higher Tc leads or even using the device s own higher Tc superconducting leads.

Theory of superconductivity in oxides. Final technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, P.W.

1988-05-18

Progress was made towards a final theory of high-Tc superconductivity. The key elements are the work on normal-state properties and the actual mechanism for Tc. With the understanding (ZA) of the large anisotropy and other transport properties in the normal state, the model is uniquely determined: one must have one version or another of a holon-spinon quantum-fluid state, which is not a normal Fermi liquid. And with the recognition (HWA) of the large-repulsion holon-holon interactions, the author has the first way of thinking quantitatively about the superconducting state. Work on the pure Heisenberg system, which is related but not necessarilymore » crucial to understanding the superconducting properties is described.« less

Strain induced superconductivity in the parent compound BaFe2As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelmann, J.; Grinenko, V.; Chekhonin, P.; Skrotzki, W.; Efremov, D. V.; Oswald, S.; Iida, K.; Hühne, R.; Hänisch, J.; Hoffmann, M.; Kurth, F.; Schultz, L.; Holzapfel, B.

2013-12-01

The discovery of superconductivity with a transition temperature, Tc, up to 65 K in single-layer FeSe (bulk Tc=8 K) films grown on SrTiO3 substrates has attracted special attention to Fe-based thin films. The high Tc is a consequence of the combined effect of electron transfer from the oxygen-vacant substrate to the FeSe thin film and lattice tensile strain. Here we demonstrate the realization of superconductivity in the parent compound BaFe2As2 (no bulk Tc) just by tensile lattice strain without charge doping. We investigate the interplay between strain and superconductivity in epitaxial BaFe2As2 thin films on Fe-buffered MgAl2O4 single crystalline substrates. The strong interfacial bonding between Fe and the FeAs sublattice increases the Fe-Fe distance due to the lattice misfit, which leads to a suppression of the antiferromagnetic spin density wave and induces superconductivity with bulk Tc≈10 K. These results highlight the role of structural changes in controlling the phase diagram of Fe-based superconductors.

Possibility of high temperature superconducting phases in PdH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripodi, Paolo; Di Gioacchino, Daniele; Borelli, Rodolfo; Vinko, Jenny Darja

2003-05-01

Possible new superconducting phases with a high critical transition temperature (Tc) have been found in stable palladium-hydrogen (PdHx) samples for stoichiometric ratio x=H/Pd⩾1, in addition to the well-known low critical transition temperature (0⩽Tc⩽9) when x is in the range (0.75⩽x⩽1.00). Possible new measured superconducting phases with critical temperature in the range 51⩽Tc⩽295 K occur. This Tc varies considerably with every milli part of x when x exceeds unit. A superconducting critical current density Jc⩾6.1×104 A cm-2 has been measured at 77 K with HDC=0 T.

Superconductivity in Mesocrystalline Inverse Opal Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lungu, Anca; Bleiweiss, Michael; Saygi, Salih; Amirzadeh, Jafar; Datta, Timir

2000-03-01

Mesocrystalline inverse opal structures were fabricated by the electrodeposition of metallic lead in synthetic opals. In these structures, the superconducting regions percolate in all directions through the voids in the artificial opals and their size is comparable to the coherence length for bulk lead. The inverse lead opals were proven superconducting, with a transition temperature close to that of bulk lead (between 7.2 K and 7.36 K) and broad transition regions. The magnetic behavior of the inverse opals was very different from that of bulk lead. Due to the reduced dimensonality of the superconducting regions, not surprisingly, the magnetic properties of our samples were found to be similar to those of type II superconductors. The critical magnetic field (or the field at which T_c<4.2 K) for these lead-opals was proven at least two times larger than that for bulk lead and (dT_c/dH) was observed 2.7 times smaller. We found a reversible ZFC-FC magnetic behavior in the temperature range between T* and T_c. We also performed magnetic relaxation measurements and studied the fluctuation diamagnetism above T_c.

High-Tc Superconducting Bolometer Noise Measurement Using Low Noise Transformers - Theory and Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aslam, Shahid; Jones, Hollis H.

2011-01-01

Care must always be taken when performing noise measurements on high-Tc superconducting materials to ensure that the results are not from the measurement system itself. One situation likely to occur is with low noise transformers. One of the least understood devices, it provides voltage gain for low impedance inputs (< 100 ), e.g., YBaCuO and GdBaCuO thin films, with comparatively lower noise levels than other devices for instance field effect and bipolar junction transistors. An essential point made in this paper is that because of the complex relationships between the transformer ports, input impedance variance alters the transformer s transfer function in particular, the low frequency cutoff shift. The transfer of external and intrinsic transformer noise to the output along with optimization and precautions are treated; all the while, we will cohesively connect the transfer function shift, the load impedance, and the actual noise at the transformer output.

Lighting up superconducting stripes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ergeçen, Emre; Gedik, Nuh

2018-02-01

Cuprate superconductors display a plethora of complex phases as a function of temperature and carrier concentration, the understanding of which could provide clues into the mechanism of superconductivity. For example, when about one-eighth of the conduction electrons are removed from the copper oxygen planes in cuprates such as La2‑xBaxCuO4 (LBCO), the doped holes (missing electrons) organize into one-dimensional stripes (1). The bulk superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is greatly reduced, and just above Tc, electrical transport perpendicular to the planes (along the c axis) becomes resistive, but parallel to the copper oxygen planes, resistivity remains zero for a range of temperatures (2). It was proposed a decade ago (3) that this anisotropic behavior is caused by pair density waves (PDWs); superconducting Cooper pairs exist along the stripes within the planes but cannot tunnel to the adjacent layers. On page 575 of this issue, Rajasekaran et al. (4) now report detection of this state in LBCO using nonlinear reflection of high-intensity terahertz (THz) light.

SHMUTZ & PROTON-DIAMANT H + Irradiated/Written-Hyper/Super-conductivity(HC/SC) Precognizance/Early Experiments Connections: Wet-Graphite Room-Tc & Actualized MgB2 High-Tc: Connection to Mechanical Bulk-Moduli/Hardness: Diamond Hydrocarbon-Filaments, Disorder, Nano-Powders:C,Bi,TiB2,TiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wunderman, Irwin; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig; Lewis, Thomas; Young, Frederic; Smith, Adolph; Dresschhoff-Zeller, Gieselle

2013-03-01

SHMUTZ: ``wet-graphite''Scheike-....[Adv.Mtls.(7/16/12)]hyper/super-SCHMUTZ-conductor(S!!!) = ``wet''(?)-``graphite''(?) = ``graphene''(?) = water(?) = hydrogen(?) =ultra-heavy proton-bands(???) = ...(???) claimed room/high-Tc/high-Jc superconductOR ``p''-``wave''/ BAND(!!!) superconductIVITY and actualized/ instantiated MgB2 high-Tc superconductors and their BCS- superconductivity: Tc Siegel[ICMAO(77);JMMM 7,190(78)] connection to SiegelJ.Nonxline-Sol.40,453(80)] disorder/amorphous-superconductivity in nano-powders mechanical bulk/shear(?)-moduli/hardness: proton-irradiated diamond, powders TiB2, TiC,{Siegel[Semis. & Insuls.5:39,47, 62 (79)])-...``VS''/concommitance with Siegel[Phys.Stat.Sol.(a)11,45(72)]-Dempsey [Phil.Mag. 8,86,285(63)]-Overhauser-(Little!!!)-Seitz-Smith-Zeller-Dreschoff-Antonoff-Young-...proton-``irradiated''/ implanted/ thermalized-in-(optimal: BOTH heat-capacity/heat-sink & insulator/maximal dielectric-constant) diamond: ``VS'' ``hambergite-borate-mineral transformable to Overhauser optimal-high-Tc-LiBD2 in Overhauser-(NW-periodic-table)-Land: CO2/CH4-ETERNAL-sequestration by-product: WATER!!!: physics lessons from

Superconductivity of lanthanum revisited: enhanced critical temperature in the clean limit.

PubMed

Löptien, P; Zhou, L; Khajetoorians, A A; Wiebe, J; Wiesendanger, R

2014-10-22

The thickness dependence of the superconducting energy gap ΔLa of double hexagonally close packed (dhcp) lanthanum islands grown on W(110) is studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy, from the bulk to the thin-film limit. Superconductivity is suppressed by the boundary conditions for the superconducting wavefunction on the surface and W/La interface, leading to a linear decrease of the critical temperature Tc as a function of the inverse film thickness. For the thick, bulk-like films, ΔLa and Tc are 40% larger compared to the literature values of dhcp La as measured by other techniques. This finding is reconciled by examining the effects of surface contamination as probed by modifications of the surface state, suggesting that the large Tc originates in the superior purity of the samples investigated here.

Superconductivity of lanthanum revisited: enhanced critical temperature in the clean limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löptien, P.; Zhou, L.; Khajetoorians, A. A.; Wiebe, J.; Wiesendanger, R.

2014-10-01

The thickness dependence of the superconducting energy gap ΔLa of double hexagonally close packed (dhcp) lanthanum islands grown on W(110) is studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy, from the bulk to the thin-film limit. Superconductivity is suppressed by the boundary conditions for the superconducting wavefunction on the surface and W/La interface, leading to a linear decrease of the critical temperature Tc as a function of the inverse film thickness. For the thick, bulk-like films, ΔLa and Tc are 40% larger compared to the literature values of dhcp La as measured by other techniques. This finding is reconciled by examining the effects of surface contamination as probed by modifications of the surface state, suggesting that the large Tc originates in the superior purity of the samples investigated here.

An experimental study of high Tc superconducting microstrip transmission lines at 35 GHz and the effect of film morphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chorey, C. M.; Bhasin, K. B.; Warner, J. D.; Josefowicz, J. Y.; Rensch, D. B.

1991-01-01

Microstrip transmission lines in the form of ring resonators were fabricated from a number of in-situ grown laser ablated films and post-annealed co-sputtered YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films. The properties of these resonators were measured at 35 GHz and the observed performance is examined in light of the critical temperature (Tc) and film thickness, and also the film morphology, which is different for the two deposition techniques. It is found that Tc is a major indicator of the film performance for each growth type, with film thickness becoming important as it decreases towards 1000 A. It is also found that the films with a mixed grain orientation (both a-axis and c-axis oriented grains) have poorer microwave properties as compared with the primarily c-axis oriented material. This is probably due to the significant number of grain boundaries between the different crystallites, which may act as superconducting weak links and contribute to the surface resistance.

An experimental study of high Tc superconducting microstrip transmission lines at 35 GHz and the effect of film morphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chorey, C. M.; Bhasin, K. B.; Warner, J. D.; Josefowicz, J. Y.; Rensch, D. B.; Nieh, C. W.

1990-01-01

Microstrip transmission lines in the form of ring resonators were fabricated from a number of in-situ grown laser ablated films and post-annealed co-sputtered YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films. The properties of these resonators were measured at 35 GHz and the observed performance is examined in light of the critical temperature (Tc) and film thickness and also the film morphology which is different for the two deposition techniques. It is found that Tc is a major indicator of the film performance for each growth type with film thickness becoming important as it decreases towards 100 A. It is also found that the films with a mixed grain orientation (both a axis and c axis oriented grains) have poorer microwave properties as compared with the primarily c axis oriented material. This is probably due to the significant number of grain boundaries between the different crystallites, which may act as superconducting weak links and contribute to the surface resistance.

Superconductivity at 43K in SmFeAsO1-xFx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X. H.; Wu, T.; Wu, G.; Liu, R. H.; Chen, H.; Fang, D. F.

2008-06-01

Since the discovery of high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity in layered copper oxides, extensive effort has been devoted to exploring the origins of this phenomenon. A Tc higher than 40K (about the theoretical maximum predicted from Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory), however, has been obtained only in the copper oxide superconductors. The highest reported value for non-copper-oxide bulk superconductivity is Tc = 39K in MgB2 (ref. 2). The layered rare-earth metal oxypnictides LnOFeAs (where Ln is La-Nd, Sm and Gd) are now attracting attention following the discovery of superconductivity at 26K in the iron-based LaO1-xFxFeAs (ref. 3). Here we report the discovery of bulk superconductivity in the related compound SmFeAsO1-xFx, which has a ZrCuSiAs-type structure. Resistivity and magnetization measurements reveal a transition temperature as high as 43K. This provides a new material base for studying the origin of high-temperature superconductivity.

Electronic origin of high-temperature superconductivity in single-layer FeSe superconductor.

PubMed

Liu, Defa; Zhang, Wenhao; Mou, Daixiang; He, Junfeng; Ou, Yun-Bo; Wang, Qing-Yan; Li, Zhi; Wang, Lili; Zhao, Lin; He, Shaolong; Peng, Yingying; Liu, Xu; Chen, Chaoyu; Yu, Li; Liu, Guodong; Dong, Xiaoli; Zhang, Jun; Chen, Chuangtian; Xu, Zuyan; Hu, Jiangping; Chen, Xi; Ma, Xucun; Xue, Qikun; Zhou, X J

2012-07-03

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in iron-based compounds has attracted much attention. How to further increase the superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) and how to understand the superconductivity mechanism are two prominent issues facing the current study of iron-based superconductors. The latest report of high-T(c) superconductivity in a single-layer FeSe is therefore both surprising and significant. Here we present investigations of the electronic structure and superconducting gap of the single-layer FeSe superconductor. Its Fermi surface is distinct from other iron-based superconductors, consisting only of electron-like pockets near the zone corner without indication of any Fermi surface around the zone centre. Nearly isotropic superconducting gap is observed in this strictly two-dimensional system. The temperature dependence of the superconducting gap gives a transition temperature T(c)~ 55 K. These results have established a clear case that such a simple electronic structure is compatible with high-T(c) superconductivity in iron-based superconductors.

Superconductivity in nanostructured lead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lungu, Anca; Bleiweiss, Michael; Amirzadeh, Jafar; Saygi, Salih; Dimofte, Andreea; Yin, Ming; Iqbal, Zafar; Datta, Timir

2001-01-01

Three-dimensional nanoscale structures of lead were fabricated by electrodeposition of pure lead into artificial porous opal. The size of the metallic regions was comparable to the superconducting coherence length of bulk lead. Tc as high as 7.36 K was observed, also d Tc/d H was 2.7 times smaller than in bulk lead. Many of the characteristics of these differ from bulk lead, a type I superconductor. Irreversibility line and magnetic relaxation rates ( S) were also studied. S( T) displayed two maxima, with a peak value about 10 times smaller than that of typical high- Tc superconductors.

Superconductivity above 100 K in single-layer FeSe films on doped SrTiO3.

PubMed

Ge, Jian-Feng; Liu, Zhi-Long; Liu, Canhua; Gao, Chun-Lei; Qian, Dong; Xue, Qi-Kun; Liu, Ying; Jia, Jin-Feng

2015-03-01

Recent experiments on FeSe films grown on SrTiO3 (STO) suggest that interface effects can be used as a means to reach superconducting critical temperatures (Tc) of up to 80 K (ref. ). This is nearly ten times the Tc of bulk FeSe and higher than the record value of 56 K for known bulk Fe-based superconductors. Together with recent studies of superconductivity at oxide heterostructure interfaces, these results rekindle the long-standing idea that electron pairing at interfaces between two different materials can be tailored to achieve high-temperature superconductivity. Subsequent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the FeSe/STO system revealed an electronic structure distinct from bulk FeSe (refs , ), with an energy gap vanishing at around 65 K. However, ex situ electrical transport measurements have so far detected zero resistance-the key experimental signature of superconductivity-only below 30 K. Here, we report the observation of superconductivity with Tc above 100 K in the FeSe/STO system by means of in situ four-point probe electrical transport measurements. This finding confirms FeSe/STO as an ideal material for studying high-Tc superconductivity.

Formation of Nanofoam carbon and re-emergence of Superconductivity in compressed CaC6.

PubMed

Li, Yan-Ling; Luo, Wei; Chen, Xiao-Jia; Zeng, Zhi; Lin, Hai-Qing; Ahuja, Rajeev

2013-11-26

Pressure can tune material's electronic properties and control its quantum state, making some systems present disconnected superconducting region as observed in iron chalcogenides and heavy fermion CeCu2Si2. For CaC6 superconductor (Tc of 11.5 K), applying pressure first Tc increases and then suppresses and the superconductivity of this compound is eventually disappeared at about 18 GPa. Here, we report a theoretical finding of the re-emergence of superconductivity in heavily compressed CaC6. The predicted phase III (space group Pmmn) with formation of carbon nanofoam is found to be stable at wide pressure range with a Tc up to 14.7 K at 78 GPa. Diamond-like carbon structure is adhered to the phase IV (Cmcm) for compressed CaC6 after 126 GPa, which has bad metallic behavior, indicating again departure from superconductivity. Re-emerged superconductivity in compressed CaC6 paves a new way to design new-type superconductor by inserting metal into nanoporous host lattice.

Domain-wall superconductivity in superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids.

PubMed

Yang, Zhaorong; Lange, Martin; Volodin, Alexander; Szymczak, Ritta; Moshchalkov, Victor V

2004-11-01

Superconductivity and magnetism are two antagonistic cooperative phenomena, and the intriguing problem of their coexistence has been studied for several decades. Recently, artificial hybrid superconductor-ferromagnet systems have been commonly used as model systems to reveal the interplay between competing superconducting and magnetic order parameters, and to verify the existence of new physical phenomena, including the predicted domain-wall superconductivity (DWS). Here we report the experimental observation of DWS in superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids using a niobium film on a BaFe(12)O(19) single crystal. We found that the critical temperature T(c) of the superconductivity nucleation in niobium increases with increasing field until it reaches the saturation field of BaFe(12)O(19). In accordance with the field-shift of the maximum value of T(c), pronounced hysteresis effects have been found in resistive transitions. We argue that the compensation of the applied field by the stray fields of the magnetic domains as well as the change in the domain structure is responsible for the appearance of the DWS and the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in the superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids.

A novel propulsion method for high- Tc superconducting maglev vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Guangtong; Wang, Jiasu; Wang, Suyu; Liu, Minxian; Jing, Hua; Lu, Yiyun; Lin, Qunxu

2008-01-01

High-Tc superconducting (HTS) maglev is considered as a perfect transportation type because of its unique inherent stability. A direct current (DC) linear motor using the permanent magnet guideway (PMG) as the stator and the on-board coil as the rotor instead of the present inductive or synchronous alternate current (AC) linear motor which has an economic disadvantage due to the necessity to lay primary coil along the guideway is proposed in this paper. In order to modulate the magnetic field under the PMG, an inverse E shape ferromagnetic device (IESFD) core is designed. The possible winding method for the on-board coil is listed, and the analytical result shows that a considerable net ampere force and thus the propulsion force can be generated by this special structure. The influence of the concentrated effect of the IESFD on the maglev performance of HTS bulk is studied by a numerical program, and the results show that the levitation force with the IESFD is 90% of that without. It is also indicated that the load capability and lateral performance of the maglev vehicle combined this propulsion method can be improved thanks to the attractive effect between the IESFD and PMG. The cost of the HTS maglev vehicle will be remarkably reduced and then shorten the distance to practical application with this propulsion method.

Superconductivity versus quantum criticality: Effects of thermal fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huajia; Wang, Yuxuan; Torroba, Gonzalo

2018-02-01

We study the interplay between superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behavior of a Fermi surface coupled to a massless SU(N ) matrix boson near the quantum critical point. The presence of thermal infrared singularities in both the fermionic self-energy and the gap equation invalidates the Eliashberg approximation, and makes the quantum-critical pairing problem qualitatively different from that at zero temperature. Taking the large N limit, we solve the gap equation beyond the Eliashberg approximation, and obtain the superconducting temperature Tc as a function of N . Our results show an anomalous scaling between the zero-temperature gap and Tc. For N greater than a critical value, we find that Tc vanishes with a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless scaling behavior, and the system retains non-Fermi liquid behavior down to zero temperature. This confirms and extends previous renormalization-group analyses done at T =0 , and provides a controlled example of a naked quantum critical point. We discuss the crucial role of thermal fluctuations in relating our results with earlier work where superconductivity always develops due to the special role of the first Matsubara frequency.

Superconductivity in Potassium-Doped Metallic Polymorphs of MoS2.

PubMed

Zhang, Renyan; Tsai, I-Ling; Chapman, James; Khestanova, Ekaterina; Waters, John; Grigorieva, Irina V

2016-01-13

Superconducting layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) stand out among other superconductors due to the tunable nature of the superconducting transition, coexistence with other collective electronic excitations (charge density waves), and strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is the most studied representative of this family of materials, especially since the recent demonstration of the possibility to tune its critical temperature, Tc, by electric-field doping. However, just one of its polymorphs, band-insulator 2H-MoS2, has so far been explored for its potential to host superconductivity. We have investigated the possibility to induce superconductivity in metallic polytypes, 1T- and 1T'-MoS2, by potassium (K) intercalation. We demonstrate that at doping levels significantly higher than that required to induce superconductivity in 2H-MoS2, both 1T and 1T' phases become superconducting with Tc = 2.8 and 4.6 K, respectively. Unusually, K intercalation in this case is responsible both for the structural and superconducting phase transitions. By adding new members to the family of superconducting TMDs, our findings open the way to further manipulate and enhance the electronic properties of these technologically important materials.

High-Tc superconducting materials for electric power applications.

PubMed

Larbalestier, D; Gurevich, A; Feldmann, D M; Polyanskii, A

2001-11-15

Large-scale superconducting electric devices for power industry depend critically on wires with high critical current densities at temperatures where cryogenic losses are tolerable. This restricts choice to two high-temperature cuprate superconductors, (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox and YBa2Cu3Ox, and possibly to MgB2, recently discovered to superconduct at 39 K. Crystal structure and material anisotropy place fundamental restrictions on their properties, especially in polycrystalline form. So far, power applications have followed a largely empirical, twin-track approach of conductor development and construction of prototype devices. The feasibility of superconducting power cables, magnetic energy-storage devices, transformers, fault current limiters and motors, largely using (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox conductor, is proven. Widespread applications now depend significantly on cost-effective resolution of fundamental materials and fabrication issues, which control the production of low-cost, high-performance conductors of these remarkable compounds.

Experimenting with a Superconducting Levitation Train

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miryala, Santosh; Koblischka, M. R.

2014-01-01

The construction and operation of a prototype high-"Tc" superconducting train model is presented. The train is levitated by a melt-processed GdBa[subscript 2]Cu[subscript 3]O[subscript x] (Gd-123) superconducting material over a magnetic rail (track). The oval shaped track is constructed in S-N-S or PM3N configuration arranged on an iron…

Modeling and Optimization of a High-Tc Hot-Electron Superconducting Mixer for Terahertz Applicaitons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, B. S.; McGrath, W. R.; Gaidis, M. C.; Burns, M. J.; Kleinsasser, A. W.; Delin, K. A.; Vasquez, R. P.

1996-01-01

The development of a YBa(sub 2)Cu(sub 3)O(sub 7-(kronecker delta))(YBCO) hot-electron bolometer (HEB) quasioptical mixer for a 2.5 heterodyne receiver is discussed. The modeled device is a submicron bridge made from a 10 nm thick film on a high thermal conductance substrate. The mixer performance expected for this device is analyzed in the framework of a two-temperature model which includes heating both of the electrons and the lattice. Also, the contribution of heat diffusion from the film through the substrate and from the film to the normal metal contacts is evaluated....a single sideband temperature of less than 2000k is predicted.

Importance of uniaxial compression for the appearance of superconductivity in NdO1-xFxBiS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Omachi; T, Hiroi; J, Kajitani; O, Miura; Y, Mizuguchi

2014-05-01

We have investigated the crystal structure and superconducting properties of the new layered superconductor NdO1-xFxBiS2. Bulk superconductivity with a Tc above 4.5 K was observed. It was found that the Tc depended on both F concentration and crystal structure. Uniaxial compression along the c axis upon F substitution seemed to be linked with the appearance of bulk superconductivity. Furthermore, we considered that a higher Tc can be achieved when the c/a parameter was optimized in the NdO1-xFxBiS2 system.

Exotic s-wave superconductivity in alkali-doped fullerides.

PubMed

Nomura, Yusuke; Sakai, Shiro; Capone, Massimo; Arita, Ryotaro

2016-04-20

Alkali-doped fullerides (A3C60 with A = K, Rb, Cs) show a surprising phase diagram, in which a high transition-temperature (Tc) s-wave superconducting state emerges next to a Mott insulating phase as a function of the lattice spacing. This is in contrast with the common belief that Mott physics and phonon-driven s-wave superconductivity are incompatible, raising a fundamental question on the mechanism of the high-Tc superconductivity. This article reviews recent ab initio calculations, which have succeeded in reproducing comprehensively the experimental phase diagram with high accuracy and elucidated an unusual cooperation between the electron-phonon coupling and the electron-electron interactions leading to Mott localization to realize an unconventional s-wave superconductivity in the alkali-doped fullerides. A driving force behind the exotic physics is unusual intramolecular interactions, characterized by the coexistence of a strongly repulsive Coulomb interaction and a small effectively negative exchange interaction. This is realized by a subtle energy balance between the coupling with the Jahn-Teller phonons and Hund's coupling within the C60 molecule. The unusual form of the interaction leads to a formation of pairs of up- and down-spin electrons on the molecules, which enables the s-wave pairing. The emergent superconductivity crucially relies on the presence of the Jahn-Teller phonons, but surprisingly benefits from the strong correlations because the correlations suppress the kinetic energy of the electrons and help the formation of the electron pairs, in agreement with previous model calculations. This confirms that the alkali-doped fullerides are a new type of unconventional superconductors, where the unusual synergy between the phonons and Coulomb interactions drives the high-Tc superconductivity.

Susceptibility measurements on the superconducting properties of Nb-Ge alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rathz, T. J.

1981-01-01

A susceptibility apparatus to measure superconducting properties of samples made in the MSFC Drop Tube was used to measure the transition temperature (Tc) and susceptibilities of Nb and Nb Ge Alloys prepared in bulk spherical (2-4 mm diameter) form using a 32 m drop tube in which containerless low gravity solidification could take place. Results indicate that a drop tube processing environment was beneficial for increasing the Tc of the superconducting phase of the material over that of arc melted material. The increase in Tc is found to be related to the amount of solidification of the total sample that took place before reaching the bottom of the drop tube. In phase and quadrature phase measurements of the specimen's susceptibility indicated that some improvement in homogeneity takes place in drop tube processing. These phase measurements also indicated little or no shielding of a lower Tc phase by a higher Tc filamentary structure.

Superconducting critical temperature under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Pedreros, G. I.; Baquero, R.

2018-05-01

The present record on the critical temperature of a superconductor is held by sulfur hydride (approx. 200 K) under very high pressure (approx. 56 GPa.). As a consequence, the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on pressure became a subject of great interest and a high number of papers on of different aspects of this subject have been published in the scientific literature since. In this paper, we calculate the superconducting critical temperature as a function of pressure, Tc(P), by a simple method. Our method is based on the functional derivative of the critical temperature with the Eliashberg function, δTc(P)/δα2F(ω). We obtain the needed coulomb electron-electron repulsion parameter, μ*(P) at each pressure in a consistent way by fitting it to the corresponding Tc using the linearized Migdal-Eliashberg equation. This method requires as input the knowledge of Tc at the starting pressure only. It applies to superconductors for which the Migdal-Eliashberg equations hold. We study Al and β - Sn two weak-coupling low-Tc superconductors and Nb, the strong coupling element with the highest critical temperature. For Al, our results for Tc(P) show an excellent agreement with the calculations of Profeta et al. which are known to agree well with experiment. For β - Sn and Nb, we found a good agreement with the experimental measurements reported in several works. This method has also been applied successfully to PdH elsewhere. Our method is simple, computationally light and gives very accurate results.

Superfluid Densities in Superconducting/Ferromagnetic (Nb/NiV/Nb) Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinton, Michael; Peters, Brian; Hauser, Adam; Meyer, Julia; Yang, Fengyuan; Lemberger, Thomas

2011-03-01

Superfluid density measurements allow us to probe the superconducting structure of thin films below Tc with remarkable detail. They yield information not only of the inherent robustness of the superconducting state, but also about the homogeneity of the sample and possible ``hidden'' transitions at temperatures lower than the initial Tc . For this reason multiple transitions in superconducting heterostructures are revealed to us. We use superfluid density measurements on Nb/ Ni 0.95 V0.05 /Nb trilayers to study the interplay between two superconducting films separated by the destructive proximity effects of a ferromagnet. We show there are trilayers with strong coupling, which produces a single transition, that become decoupled to the point of separation into two transitions as the ferromagnetic layer thickness increases. We discuss the difficulties in observing the second transition in σ1 , while obvious in λ-2 .

Suppression of superconductivity in epitaxial MgB2 ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chen; Wang, Yue; Wang, Da; Zhang, Yan; Liu, Zheng-Hao; Feng, Qing-Rong; Gan, Zi-Zhao

2013-07-01

MgB2 ultrathin films have potential to make sensitive superconducting devices such as superconducting single-photon detectors working at relatively high temperatures. We have grown epitaxial MgB2 films in thicknesses ranging from about 40 nm to 6 nm by using the hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition method and performed electrical transport measurements to study the thickness dependence of the superconducting critical temperature Tc. With reducing film thickness d, although a weak depression of the Tc has been observed, which could be attributed to an increase of disorder (interband impurity scattering) in the film, the Tc retains close to the bulk value of MgB2 (39 K), being about 35 K in the film of 6 nm thick. We show that this result, beneficial to the application of MgB2 ultrathin films and in accordance with recent theoretical calculations, is in contrast to previous findings in MgB2 films prepared by other methods such as co-evaporation and molecular-beam epitaxy, where a severe Tc suppression has been observed with Tc about one third of the bulk value in films of ˜5 nm thick. We discuss this apparent discrepancy in experiments and suggest that, towards the ultrathin limit, the different degrees of Tc suppression displayed in currently obtained MgB2 films by various techniques may arise from the different levels of disorder present in the film or different extents of proximity effect at the film surface or film-substrate interface.

Phase-incoherent superconducting pairs in the normal state of Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))₂As₂.

PubMed

Sheet, Goutam; Mehta, Manan; Dikin, D A; Lee, S; Bark, C W; Jiang, J; Weiss, J D; Hellstrom, E E; Rzchowski, M S; Eom, C B; Chandrasekhar, V

2010-10-15

The normal state properties of the recently discovered ferropnictide superconductors might hold the key to understanding their exotic superconductivity. Using point-contact spectroscopy we show that Andreev reflection between an epitaxial thin film of Ba(Fe(0.92)Co(0.08))₂As₂ and a silver tip can be seen in the normal state of the film up to temperature T∼1.3T(c), where T(c) is the critical temperature of the superconductor. Andreev reflection far above T(c) can be understood only when superconducting pairs arising from strong fluctuation of the phase of the complex superconducting order parameter exist in the normal state. Our results provide spectroscopic evidence of phase-incoherent superconducting pairs in the normal state of the ferropnictide superconductors.

Variable temperature superconducting microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Bo; Yeh, W. J.

2000-03-01

We have developed and tested a promising type of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope, which can be used to detect vortex motion and can operate in magnetic fields over a large temperature range. The system utilizes a single-loop coupling transformer, consisting of a patterned high Tc superconducting thin film. At one end of the transformer, a 20 μm diam detecting loop is placed close to the sample. At the other end, a large loop is coupled to a NbTi coil, which is connected to a low Tc SQUID sensor. Transformers in a variety of sizes have been tested and calibrated. The results show that the system is capable of detecting the motion of a single vortex. We have used the microscope to study the behavior of moving vortices at various positions in a YBa2Cu3O7 thin film bridge.

Optimized unconventional superconductivity in a molecular Jahn-Teller metal

PubMed Central

Zadik, Ruth H.; Takabayashi, Yasuhiro; Klupp, Gyöngyi; Colman, Ross H.; Ganin, Alexey Y.; Potočnik, Anton; Jeglič, Peter; Arčon, Denis; Matus, Péter; Kamarás, Katalin; Kasahara, Yuichi; Iwasa, Yoshihiro; Fitch, Andrew N.; Ohishi, Yasuo; Garbarino, Gaston; Kato, Kenichi; Rosseinsky, Matthew J.; Prassides, Kosmas

2015-01-01

Understanding the relationship between the superconducting, the neighboring insulating, and the normal metallic state above Tc is a major challenge for all unconventional superconductors. The molecular A3C60 fulleride superconductors have a parent antiferromagnetic insulator in common with the atom-based cuprates, but here, the C603– electronic structure controls the geometry and spin state of the structural building unit via the on-molecule Jahn-Teller effect. We identify the Jahn-Teller metal as a fluctuating microscopically heterogeneous coexistence of both localized Jahn-Teller–active and itinerant electrons that connects the insulating and superconducting states of fullerides. The balance between these molecular and extended lattice features of the electrons at the Fermi level gives a dome-shaped variation of Tc with interfulleride separation, demonstrating molecular electronic structure control of superconductivity. PMID:26601168

Low-noise and wideband hot-electron superconductive mixer for terahertz frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Skalare, Anders; McGrath, William R.; Bumble, Bruce; Leduc, Henry G.; Barner, J. B.; Kleinsasser, Alan W.; Burke, P. J.; Schoelkopf, Robert J.; Prober, Daniel E.

1998-11-01

Superconductive hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers have been built and tested in the frequency range from 1.1 THz to 2.5 THz. The mixer device is a 0.15 - 0.3 micrometer microbridge made from a 10 nm thick Nb film. This device employs diffusion as a cooling mechanism for hot electrons. The double sideband noise temperature was measured to be less than or equal to 3000 K at 2.5 THz and the mixer IF bandwidth is expected to be at least 10 GHz for a 0.1 micrometer long device. The local oscillator (LO) power dissipated in the HEB microbridge was 20 - 100 nW. Further improvement of the mixer characteristics can be potentially achieved by using Al microbridges. The advantages and parameters of such devices are evaluated. The HEB mixer is a primary candidate for ground based, airborne and spaceborne heterodyne instruments at THz frequencies. HEB receivers are planned for use on the NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the ESA Far Infrared and Submillimeter Space Telescope (FIRST). The prospects of a submicron-size YBa2Cu3O7-(delta ) (YBCO) HEB are discussed. The expected LO power of 1 - 10 (mu) W and SSB noise temperature of approximately equals 2000 K may make this mixer attractive for various remote sensing applications.

Antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in layered organic conductors: Variational cluster approach.

PubMed

Sahebsara, P; Sénéchal, D

2006-12-22

The kappa-(ET)2X layered conductors (where ET stands for BEDT-TTF) are studied within the dimer model as a function of the diagonal hopping t' and Hubbard repulsion U. Antiferromagnetism and d-wave superconductivity are investigated at zero temperature using variational cluster perturbation theory (VCPT). For large U, Néel antiferromagnetism exists for t' < t(c2)', with t(c2)' approximately 0.9. For fixed t', as U is decreased (or pressure increased), a d(x2-y2) superconducting phase appears. When U is decreased further, then a d(xy) order takes over. There is a critical value of t(c1)' approximately 0.8 of t' beyond which the AF and dSC phases are separated by the Mott disordered phase.

Superconductivity in SnO: a nonmagnetic analog to Fe-based superconductors?

PubMed

Forthaus, M K; Sengupta, K; Heyer, O; Christensen, N E; Svane, A; Syassen, K; Khomskii, D I; Lorenz, T; Abd-Elmeguid, M M

2010-10-08

We discovered that under pressure SnO with α-PbO structure, the same structure as in many Fe-based superconductors, e.g., β-FeSe, undergoes a transition to a superconducting state for p≳6 GPa with a maximum Tc of 1.4 K at p=9.3 GPa. The pressure dependence of Tc reveals a domelike shape and superconductivity disappears for p≳16 GPa. It is further shown from band structure calculations that SnO under pressure exhibits a Fermi surface topology similar to that reported for some Fe-based superconductors and that the nesting between the hole and electron pockets correlates with the change of Tc as a function of pressure.

Full-switching FSF-type superconducting spin-triplet magnetic random access memory element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenk, D.; Morari, R.; Zdravkov, V. I.; Ullrich, A.; Khaydukov, Yu.; Obermeier, G.; Müller, C.; Sidorenko, A. S.; von Nidda, H.-A. Krug; Horn, S.; Tagirov, L. R.; Tidecks, R.

2017-11-01

In the present work a superconducting Co/CoOx/Cu41Ni59 /Nb/Cu41Ni59 nanoscale thin film heterostructure is investigated, which exhibits a superconducting transition temperature, Tc, depending on the history of magnetic field applied parallel to the film plane. In more detail, around zero applied field, Tc is lower when the field is changed from negative to positive polarity (with respect to the cooling field), compared to the opposite case. We interpret this finding as the result of the generation of the odd-in-frequency triplet component of superconductivity arising at noncollinear orientation of the magnetizations in the Cu41Ni59 layer adjacent to the CoOx layer. This interpretation is supported by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, which revealed a correlation between details of the magnetic structure and the observed superconducting spin-valve effects. Readout of information is possible at zero applied field and, thus, no permanent field is required to stabilize both states. Consequently, this system represents a superconducting magnetic random access memory element for superconducting electronics. By applying increased transport currents, the system can be driven to the full switching mode between the completely superconducting and the normal state.

Superconductivity in multiple phases of compressed GeS b2T e4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenberg, E.; Hen, B.; Layek, Samar; Pozin, I.; Friedman, R.; Shelukhin, V.; Rosenberg, Y.; Karpovski, M.; Pasternak, M. P.; Sterer, E.; Dagan, Y.; Rozenberg, G. Kh.; Palevski, A.

2017-02-01

Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in multiple phases of the compressed GeS b2T e4 (GST) phase change memory alloy, which has attracted considerable attention for the last decade due to its unusual physical properties with many potential applications. Superconductivity is observed through electrical transport measurements, both for the amorphous (a -GST) and for the crystalline (c -GST) phases. The superconducting critical temperature Tc continuously increases with applied pressure, reaching a maximum Tc=6 K at P =20 GPa for a -GST, whereas the critical temperature of the cubic phase reaches a maximum Tc=8 K at 30 GPa. This material system, exhibiting a superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition, has an advantage over disordered metals since it has a continuous control of the crystal structure and the electronic properties using pressure as an external stimulus.

A pseudopotential approach to the superconducting state properties of Cu Zr metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Smita; Sharma, K. S.; Khan, Haniph

2004-03-01

The superconducting state properties of the nine metallic glasses of Cu1-cZrc system have been investigated in the BCS-Eliashberg-McMillan framework by extending this theory to the binary metallic glasses. The values of superconducting state parameters, namely, the electron-phonon coupling strength (lgr), Coulomb pseudopotential (mgr*), transition temperature (Tc), isotope effect exponent (agr) and interaction strength (NoV) of Cu-Zr metallic glasses in the range 0.40 \\le c \\le 0.75 of Zr in Cu have been worked out using Ashcroft's potential along with the RPA form of the dielectric screening. The present results for Tc show an excellent agreement with the experimental data. The values of Tc, agr and NoV are found to decrease continuously with increase of the Cu concentration in Zr, showing that Zr rich Cu-Zr glasses are favoured materials for superconductivity.

SCDFT Study of High Tc Nitride Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arita, R.

Based on the density functional theory for superconductors (SCDFT), we study the pairing mechanism of the layered nitride superconductors, β-LixMNCl (M=Zr, Hf). Recently, it has been shown that SCDFT reproduces experimental superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) of conventional superconductors very accurately. Here we use SCDFT as a "litmus paper" to determine whether the system is a conventional or unconventional superconductor. We show that Tc estimated by SCDFT is less than half of the experimental Tc and its doping dependence is opposite to that observed in the experiments. The present result suggests that β- LixMNCl is not a Migdal-Eliashberg type superconductor.

Superconducting Properties of CeIr3 Single Crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Yoshiki J.; Nakamura, Ai; Shimizu, Yusei; Maurya, Arvind; Homma, Yoshiya; Li, Dexin; Honda, Fuminori; Aoki, Dai

2018-05-01

Superconducting properties of CeIr3 single crystal with rhombohedral structure were examined for the first time using DC magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements. A bulk type-II superconductivity was clearly detected at Tc = 3.4 K, which is the second highest Tc among Ce-based intermetallic compounds. The thermodynamic properties as well as an upper critical field Hc2(0) ˜ 46.5 kOe for the H || c-axis are fully consistent with the weak-coupling BCS regime. The observed √{H} variation of C(H)/T becomes less pronounced upon cooling, possibly suggesting a suppression of low-energy quasiparticle excitations in an anisotropic s-wave gap in CeIr3, as observed in CeRu2. The origin of superconductivity is discussed from the viewpoints of the valence of Ce atom and Ir 5d-electron with a strong spin-orbit coupling.

Novel superconducting phenomena in quasi-one-dimensional Bechgaard salts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jerome, Denis; Yonezawa, Shingo

2016-03-01

It is the saturation of the transition temperature Tc in the range of 24 K for known materials in the late sixties that triggered the search for additional materials offering new coupling mechanisms leading in turn to higher Tc's. As a result of this stimulation, superconductivity in organic matter was discovered in tetramethyl-tetraselenafulvalene-hexafluorophosphate, (TMTSF)2PF6, in 1979, in the laboratory founded at Orsay by Professor Friedel and his colleagues in 1962. Although this conductor is a prototype example for low-dimensional physics, we mostly focus in this article on the superconducting phase of the ambient-pressure superconductor (TMTSF)2ClO4, which has been studied most intensively among the TMTSF salts. We shall present a series of experimental results supporting nodal d-wave symmetry for the superconducting gap in these prototypical quasi-one-dimensional conductors.

The superconducting state parameters of glassy superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vora, Aditya M.

2011-11-01

We present theoretical investigations of the superconducting state parameters (SSPs), i.e. the electron-phonon coupling strength, λ, Coulomb pseudopotential, μ*, transition temperature, Tc, isotope effect exponent, α, and effective interaction strength, N0V, of glassy superconductors by employing Ashcroft's well know empty core model potential for the first time using five screening functions proposed by Hartree (H), Taylor, Ichimaru-Utsumi (IU), Farid et al and Sarkar et al. The Tc obtained from the H and IU screening functions is found to be in excellent agreement with available experimental data. Also, the present results confirm the superconducting phase in bulk metallic glass superconductors. A strong dependency of the SSPs of the glassy superconductors on the 'Z' valence is found.

Charge Order and Superconductivity in Underdoped YBa2 Cu3 O7 -δ under Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putzke, Carsten; Ayres, Jake; Buhot, Jonathan; Licciardello, Salvatore; Hussey, Nigel E.; Friedemann, Sven; Carrington, Antony

2018-03-01

In underdoped cuprates, an incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) order is known to coexist with superconductivity. A dip in Tc at the hole doping level where the CDW is strongest (np≃0.12 ) suggests that CDW order may suppress superconductivity. We investigate the interplay of charge order with superconductivity in underdoped YBa2 Cu3 O7 -δ by measuring the temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient RH(T ) at high magnetic field and at high hydrostatic pressure. We find that, although pressure increases Tc by up to 10 K at 2.6 GPa, it has very little effect on RH(T ). This suggests that pressure, at these levels, only weakly affects the CDW and that the increase in Tc with pressure cannot be attributed to a suppression of the CDW. We argue, therefore, that the dip in Tc at np≃0.12 at ambient pressure is probably not caused by the CDW formation.

Localized 5f electrons in superconducting PuCoIn₅: consequences for superconductivity in PuCoGa₅.

PubMed

Bauer, E D; Altarawneh, M M; Tobash, P H; Gofryk, K; Ayala-Valenzuela, O E; Mitchell, J N; McDonald, R D; Mielke, C H; Ronning, F; Griveau, J-C; Colineau, E; Eloirdi, R; Caciuffo, R; Scott, B L; Janka, O; Kauzlarich, S M; Thompson, J D

2012-02-08

The physical properties of the first In analog of the PuMGa(5) (M = Co, Rh) family of superconductors, PuCoIn(5), are reported. With its unit cell volume being 28% larger than that of PuCoGa(5), the characteristic spin-fluctuation energy scale of PuCoIn(5) is three to four times smaller than that of PuCoGa(5), which suggests that the Pu 5f electrons are in a more localized state relative to PuCoGa(5). This raises the possibility that the high superconducting transition temperature T(c) = 18.5 K of PuCoGa(5) stems from the proximity to a valence instability, while the superconductivity at T(c) = 2.5 K of PuCoIn(5) is mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations associated with a quantum critical point.

Superconductivity of Cu/CuOx interface formed by shock-wave pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakhray, D. V.; Avdonin, V. V.; Palnichenko, A. V.

2016-11-01

A mixture of powdered Cu and CuO has been subjected to shock-wave pressure of 350 kbar with following quenching of the vacuum-encapsulated product to 77 K. The ac magnetic susceptibility measurements of the samples have revealed metastable superconductivity with Tc ≈ 19 K, characterized by glassy dynamics of the shielding currents below Tc . Comparison of the ac susceptibility and the DC magnetization measurements infers that the superconductivity arises within the granular interfacial layer formed between metallic Cu and its oxides due to the shock-wave treatment.

Influence of disorder on the superconducting critical temperature in indium-opal nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharchuk, I.; Januzaj, A.; Mikhailin, N. Yu.; Traito, K. B.; Chernyaev, A. V.; Romanov, S. G.; Safonchik, M.; Shamshur, D. V.; Lähderanta, E.

2018-06-01

Transport properties of bulk indium-opal and indium-porous glass superconducting nanocomposites possessing moderate and strong disorder are investigated. A strongly nonmonotonous dependence of the global critical temperature Tc versus normal state conductivity of samples is found. The maximum, which is observed at moderate disorder, has Tc higher than that of clean bulk indium. The increasing part can be explained by the Eliashberg equations with disorder and an additional mechanism of interaction between superconducting and dielectric granules. The descending part of the maximum at higher disorder can be explained by the increasing of long-range Coulomb repulsion due to diffusion of charges. Negative slope in magnetic field dependence of resistivity and a peak in the temperature dependence of resistivity, observed in the sample near the proximity to the disorder-induced superconductor-insulator transition (SIT). A large difference between the onset temperature of superconducting fluctuations, Tcon , and global critical temperature Tc is found and considered in the framework of the weak multifractal theory. Slow time-logarithmic relaxation of the resistivity between Tc and Tcon is observed, which assumes existence of the precursor state near the SIT. This unusual state is discussed in the scope of the many-body localization theory.

Effects of Hot-Hydrostatic Canned Extrusion on the Stock Utilization, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiBw/TC4 Composites with Quasi-Continuous Network

PubMed Central

Feng, Yangju; Li, Bing; Cui, Guorong; Zhang, Wencong

2017-01-01

In-situ TiB whisker-reinforced Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) titanium matrix composites (TiBw/TC4) with quasi-continuous networks were successfully fabricated by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The effects of the hot-hydrostatic canned extrusion on stock utilization, microstructure and mechanical properties of the TiBw/TC4 composites were investigated. It was satisfactory that the utilization of composites could be obviously improved by canned extrusion compared to that extruded without canned extrusion. The microstructure results showed that after canned extrusion the grain was refined and the TiB whiskers were distributed from a random array state to a state in which the whiskers were distributed along the extrusion direction. The properties testing results revealed that the tensile strength, the hardness and the ductility of the composites all significantly improved after extrusion due to the grain refinement and orientation of the TiB whisker caused by extrusion. Tensile fracture results showed that when the TiB whiskers were randomly distributed only part of them played a role in strengthening the matrix during the deformation process (as-sintered composites), while when the TiB whiskers were oriented all whiskers could strengthen the matrix during the tensile testing process (as-extruded composites). PMID:29068416

Effects of Hot-Hydrostatic Canned Extrusion on the Stock Utilization, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiBw/TC4 Composites with Quasi-Continuous Network.

PubMed

Feng, Yangju; Li, Bing; Cui, Guorong; Zhang, Wencong

2017-10-25

In-situ TiB whisker-reinforced Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) titanium matrix composites (TiBw/TC4) with quasi-continuous networks were successfully fabricated by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The effects of the hot-hydrostatic canned extrusion on stock utilization, microstructure and mechanical properties of the TiBw/TC4 composites were investigated. It was satisfactory that the utilization of composites could be obviously improved by canned extrusion compared to that extruded without canned extrusion. The microstructure results showed that after canned extrusion the grain was refined and the TiB whiskers were distributed from a random array state to a state in which the whiskers were distributed along the extrusion direction. The properties testing results revealed that the tensile strength, the hardness and the ductility of the composites all significantly improved after extrusion due to the grain refinement and orientation of the TiB whisker caused by extrusion. Tensile fracture results showed that when the TiB whiskers were randomly distributed only part of them played a role in strengthening the matrix during the deformation process (as-sintered composites), while when the TiB whiskers were oriented all whiskers could strengthen the matrix during the tensile testing process (as-extruded composites).

Superconductivity in diamond.

PubMed

Ekimov, E A; Sidorov, V A; Bauer, E D; Mel'nik, N N; Curro, N J; Thompson, J D; Stishov, S M

2004-04-01

Diamond is an electrical insulator well known for its exceptional hardness. It also conducts heat even more effectively than copper, and can withstand very high electric fields. With these physical properties, diamond is attractive for electronic applications, particularly when charge carriers are introduced (by chemical doping) into the system. Boron has one less electron than carbon and, because of its small atomic radius, boron is relatively easily incorporated into diamond; as boron acts as a charge acceptor, the resulting diamond is effectively hole-doped. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in boron-doped diamond synthesized at high pressure (nearly 100,000 atmospheres) and temperature (2,500-2,800 K). Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and field-dependent resistance measurements show that boron-doped diamond is a bulk, type-II superconductor below the superconducting transition temperature T(c) approximately 4 K; superconductivity survives in a magnetic field up to Hc2(0) > or = 3.5 T. The discovery of superconductivity in diamond-structured carbon suggests that Si and Ge, which also form in the diamond structure, may similarly exhibit superconductivity under the appropriate conditions.

Superconductivity in Pristine 2 Ha-MoS2 at Ultrahigh Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Zhenhua; Chen, Xuliang; Yen, Fei; Peng, Feng; Zhou, Yonghui; Zhu, Jinlong; Zhang, Yijin; Liu, Xiaodi; Lin, Chuanlong; Chu, Shengqi; Li, Yanchun; Zhao, Jinggeng; Kagayama, Tomoko; Ma, Yanming; Yang, Zhaorong

2018-01-01

As a follow-up of our previous work on pressure-induced metallization of the 2 Hc-MoS2 [Chi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 036802 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.036802], here we extend pressure beyond the megabar range to seek after superconductivity via electrical transport measurements. We found that superconductivity emerges in the 2 Ha-MoS2 with an onset critical temperature Tc of ca. 3 K at ca. 90 GPa. Upon further increasing the pressure, Tc is rapidly enhanced beyond 10 K and stabilized at ca. 12 K over a wide pressure range up to 220 GPa. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements evidenced no further structural phase transition, decomposition, and amorphization up to 155 GPa, implying an intrinsic superconductivity in the 2 Ha-MoS2 . DFT calculations suggest that the emergence of pressure-induced superconductivity is intimately linked to the emergence of a new flat Fermi pocket in the electronic structure. Our finding represents an alternative strategy for achieving superconductivity in 2 H -MoS2 in addition to chemical intercalation and electrostatic gating.

Superconducting proximity effect in a topological insulator using Fe(Te, Se)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, He; Rachmilowitz, Bryan; Ren, Zheng; Han, Ruobin; Schneeloch, J.; Zhong, Ruidan; Gu, Genda; Wang, Ziqiang; Zeljkovic, Ilija

2018-06-01

Interest in the superconducting proximity effect has recently been reignited by theoretical predictions that it could be used to achieve topological superconductivity. Low-Tc superconductors have predominantly been used in this effort, but small energy scales of ˜1 meV have hindered the characterization of the emergent electronic phase, limiting it to extremely low temperatures. In this work, we use molecular beam epitaxy to grow topological insulator B i2T e3 in a range of thicknesses on top of a high-Tc superconductor Fe(Te,Se). Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we detect Δind as high as ˜3.5 meV, which is the largest reported gap induced by proximity to an s -wave superconductor to date. We find that Δind decays with B i2T e3 thickness, but remains finite even after the topological surface states have been formed. Finally, by imaging the scattering and interference of surface state electrons, we provide a microscopic visualization of the fully gapped B i2T e3 surface state due to Cooper pairing. Our results establish Fe-based high-Tc superconductors as a promising new platform for realizing high-Tc topological superconductivity.

Hole pairing and ground state properties of high-Tc superconductivity within the t-t'-J-V model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Krishanu; Pal, Papiya; Nath, Subhadip; Ghosh, Nanda Kumar

2018-04-01

The t-t'-J-V model, one of the realistic models for studying high-Tc cuprates, has been investigated to explore the hole pairing and other ground state properties using exact diagonalization (ED) technique with 2 holes in a small 8-site cluster. The role of next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) hopping and nearest-neighbor (NN) Coulomb repulsion has been considered. It appears that qualitative behavior of the ground state energies of an 8-site and 16- or 18-site cluster is similar. Results show that a small short-ranged antiferromagnetic (AF) correlation exists in the 2 hole case which is favored by large V/t. A superconducting phase emerges at 0 ≤ V/t ≤ 4J. Hole-hole correlation calculation also suggests that the two holes of the pair are either at |i - j| = 1 or √2. Negative t'/t suppresses the possibility of pairing of holes. Though s-wave pairing susceptibility is dominant, pairing correlation length calculation indicates that the long range pairing, which is suitable for superconductivity, is in the d-wave channel. Both s- and d-wave pairing susceptibility gets suppressed by V/t while d-(s-) wave susceptibility gets favored (suppressed) by t'/t. The charge gap shows a gapped behavior while a spin-gapless region exists at small V/t for finite t'/t.

Characterization of the superconducting state in hafnium hydride under high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duda, A. M.; Szewczyk, K. A.; Jarosik, M. W.; Szcześniak, K. M.; Sowińska, M. A.; Szcześniak, D.

2018-05-01

The hydrogen-rich compounds at high pressure may exhibit notably high superconducting transition temperatures. In the paper, we have calculated the basic thermodynamic parameters of the superconducting state in two selected phases of HfH2 hydride under high-pressure respectively at 180 GPa for Cmma and 260 GPa for P21 / m . Calculations has been conducted in the framework of the Eliashberg formalism. In particular, we have determined the values of the critical temperature (TC) to be equal to 8 K and 13 K for the Cmma and P21 / m phases, respectively. Moreover, we have estimated other thermodynamic properties such as the order parameter (Δ (T)) , the thermodynamic critical field (HC (T)) , and the specific heat for the normal (CN) and superconducting (CS) state. Finally, we have shown that the characteristic ratios: RΔ = 2 Δ (0) /kBTC and RC = ΔC (TC) /CN (TC) , which are related to the above thermodynamic functions, slightly differ from the predictions of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory due to the strong-coupling and retardation effects.

Isotope effect on superconductivity and Raman phonons of Pyrochlore Cd2Re2O7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razavi, F. S.; Hajialamdari, M.; Reedyk, M.; Kremer, R. K.

2018-06-01

Cd2Re2O7 is the only α-Pyrochlore exhibiting superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) of ∼ 1 K. In this study, we present the effect of oxygen isotope (18O) as well as combined 18O and cadmium isotope (116Cd) substitution on the superconductivity and Raman scattering spectrum of Cd2Re2O7. The change of Tc and the energy gap Δ(T) are reported using various techniques including point contact spectroscopy. The shift in Raman phonon frequencies upon isotope substitution will be compared with measurement of the isotope effect on the superconducting transition temperature.

Synthesis and Characterization of BiCaSrCuO and BiSnCaSrCuO superconducting Ceramics

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-20

0-1-2-2 2 2-1-1-2-2 3 1-0-1-1-2 4 2-0-1-2-2 SUPERCONDUCTING CERAMICS Magnetic Measurements Quantitative magnetic measurements were made using a...Transition TemPerature and Superconducting Volume Fractions The magnetic data for the four samples studied show J. H. MILLER, JR., ET. AL. relatively broad... SUPERCONDUCTING CERAMICS TABLE II Transition temperatures and percent bulk diamagnetism Sample Tc(ZFC) Tc (FC) T,(onset) T.(zero) %(ZFC) %(f C) 1 77.6

Superconductivity in epitaxial InN thin films with large critical fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Buddhadeb; Joshi, Bhanu P.; Chakraborti, Himadri; Jain, Aditya K.; Barick, Barun K.; Ghosh, Kankat; Laha, Apurba; Dhar, Subhabrata; Gupta, Kantimay Das

2018-04-01

We report superconductivity in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PA-MBE) grown epitaxial InN films having carrier density ˜ 1019 - 1020cm-3. The superconducting phase transition starts at temperatures around Tc,onset˜3 K and the resistance goes to zero completely at Tc0 ˜ 1.6 K. The temperature dependence of the critical field HC2(T) does not obey a two fluid Casimir-Gorter (C-G) model rather it is well explained by the 2-D Tinkham model. The extrapolated value of the zero-temperature perpendicular critical field HC2(0) is found to be between 0.25 - 0.9 T, which is ten times greater than that of Indium metal. It may indicate the intrinsic nature of superconductivity in InN films. The angle dependence of critical field is well described by Lawrence-Doniach (L-D) model, which suggest the existence of quasi-2D superconducting layers.

Antiferroic electronic structure in the nonmagnetic superconducting state of the iron-based superconductors

PubMed Central

Shimojima, Takahiro; Malaeb, Walid; Nakamura, Asuka; Kondo, Takeshi; Kihou, Kunihiro; Lee, Chul-Ho; Iyo, Akira; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Ishida, Shigeyuki; Nakajima, Masamichi; Uchida, Shin-ichi; Ohgushi, Kenya; Ishizaka, Kyoko; Shin, Shik

2017-01-01

A major problem in the field of high-transition temperature (Tc) superconductivity is the identification of the electronic instabilities near superconductivity. It is known that the iron-based superconductors exhibit antiferromagnetic order, which competes with the superconductivity. However, in the nonmagnetic state, there are many aspects of the electronic instabilities that remain unclarified, as represented by the orbital instability and several in-plane anisotropic physical properties. We report a new aspect of the electronic state of the optimally doped iron-based superconductors by using high–energy resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find spectral evidence for the folded electronic structure suggestive of an antiferroic electronic instability, coexisting with the superconductivity in the nonmagnetic state of Ba1−xKxFe2As2. We further establish a phase diagram showing that the antiferroic electronic structure persists in a large portion of the nonmagnetic phase covering the superconducting dome. These results motivate consideration of a key unknown electronic instability, which is necessary for the achievement of high-Tc superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors. PMID:28875162

Buried superconducting layers comprised of magnesium diboride nanocrystals formed by ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, H. Y.; Christen, H. M.; White, C. W.; Budai, J. D.; Lowndes, D. H.; Meldrum, A.

2002-06-01

Superconducting layers of MgB2 were formed on Si substrates using techniques that are widely used and accepted in the semiconductor industry. Mg ions were implanted into boron films deposited on Si or Al2O3 substrates. After a thermal processing step, buried superconducting layers comprised of MgB2 nanocrystals were obtained which exhibit the highest Tc reported so far for MgB2 on silicon (Tconsetapproximately33.6 K, DeltaTc=0.5 K, as measured by current transport). These results show that our approach is clearly applicable to the fabrication of superconducting devices that can be operated at much higher temperatures (approximately20 K) than the current Nb technology (approximately6 K) while their integration with silicon structures remains straight-forward.

Evolution of structure and superconductivity in Ba(Ni 1 -xCox)2As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckberg, Chris; Wang, Limin; Hodovanets, Halyna; Kim, Hyunsoo; Campbell, Daniel J.; Zavalij, Peter; Piccoli, Philip; Paglione, Johnpierre

2018-06-01

The effects of Co substitution on Ba (Ni1-xCox) 2As2 (0 ≤x ≤0.251 ) single crystals grown out of Pb flux are investigated via transport, magnetic, and thermodynamic measurements. BaNi2As2 exhibits a first-order tetragonal to triclinic structural phase transition at Ts=137 K upon cooling, and enters a superconducting phase below Tc=0.7 K. The structural phase transition is sensitive to cobalt content and is suppressed completely by x ≥0.133 . The superconducting critical temperature, Tc, increases continuously with x , reaching a maximum of Tc=2.3 K at x =0.083 and then decreases monotonically until superconductivity is no longer observable well into the tetragonal phase. In contrast to similar BaNi2As2 substitutional studies, which show an abrupt change in Tc at the triclinic-tetragonal boundary that extends far into the tetragonal phase, Ba (Ni1-xCox) 2As2 exhibits a domelike phase diagram centered around the zero-temperature tetragonal-triclinic boundary. Together with an anomalously large heat capacity jump Δ Ce/γ T ˜2.2 near optimal doping, the smooth evolution of Tc in the Ba (Ni1-xCox) 2As2 system suggests a mechanism for pairing enhancement other than phonon softening.

Superconductivity in single crystalline ThBe13 and LuBe13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhlířová, Klára; Miura, Naoyuki; Tkáč, Vladimír; Prokleška, Jan; Chrobak, Maciej; Tarnawski, Zbigniew; Hidaka, Hiroyki; Yanagisawa, Tatsuya; Sechovský, Vladimír; Amitsuka, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

Single crystals of ThBe13 and LuBe13 have been prepared using aluminum flux method. The crystals structure of both compounds was confirmed to be cubic of the NaZn13-type with the lattice parameters a = 10.183(6) Å and a = 10.395(3) Å for LuBe13 and ThBe13, respectively. The low temperature measurements of electrical resistance and ac susceptibility have revealed a BCS-type of superconductivity in ThBe13 below Tc = 125 mK. LuBe13 has been found to be superconducting below Tc = 630 mK.

Superconductivity in compensated and uncompensated semiconductors

PubMed Central

Yanase, Youichi; Yorozu, Naoyuki

2008-01-01

We investigate the localization and superconductivity in heavily doped semiconductors. The crossover from the superconductivity in the host band to that in the impurity band is described on the basis of the disordered three-dimensional attractive Hubbard model for binary alloys. The microscopic inhomogeneity and the thermal superconducting fluctuation are taken into account using the self-consistent 1-loop order theory. The superconductor-insulator transition accompanies the crossover from the host band to the impurity band. We point out an enhancement of the critical temperature Tc around the crossover. Further localization of electron wave functions leads to the localization of Cooper pairs and induces the pseudogap. We find that both the doping compensation by additional donors and the carrier increase by additional acceptors suppress the superconductivity. A theoretical interpretation is proposed for the superconductivity in the boron-doped diamond, SiC, and Si. PMID:27878018

Wavelength-dependent optical enhancement of superconducting interlayer coupling in La 1.885Ba 0.115CuO 4

DOE PAGES

Casandruc, E.; Nicoletti, D.; Rajasekaran, S.; ...

2015-05-05

We analyze the pump wavelength dependence for the photo-induced enhancement of interlayer coupling in La 1.885Ba 0.115CuO 4, which is promoted by optical melting of the stripe order. In the equilibrium superconducting state (T < TC = 13 K), in which stripes and superconductivity coexist, time-domain THz spectroscopy reveals a photo-induced blue-shift of the Josephson Plasma Resonance after excitation with optical pulses polarized perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. In the striped, non-superconducting state (TC < T < TSO ≃ 40 K) a transient plasma resonance similar to that seen below TC appears from a featureless equilibrium reflectivity. Most strikingly, bothmore » these effects become stronger upon tuning of the pump wavelength from the mid-infrared to the visible, underscoring an unconventional competition between stripe order and superconductivity, which occurs on energy scales far above the ordering temperature.« less

Dome-shaped magnetic order competing with high-temperature superconductivity at high pressures in FeSe.

PubMed

Sun, J P; Matsuura, K; Ye, G Z; Mizukami, Y; Shimozawa, M; Matsubayashi, K; Yamashita, M; Watashige, T; Kasahara, S; Matsuda, Y; Yan, J-Q; Sales, B C; Uwatoko, Y; Cheng, J-G; Shibauchi, T

2016-07-19

The coexistence and competition between superconductivity and electronic orders, such as spin or charge density waves, have been a central issue in high transition-temperature (Tc) superconductors. Unlike other iron-based superconductors, FeSe exhibits nematic ordering without magnetism whose relationship with its superconductivity remains unclear. Moreover, a pressure-induced fourfold increase of Tc has been reported, which poses a profound mystery. Here we report high-pressure magnetotransport measurements in FeSe up to ∼15 GPa, which uncover the dome shape of magnetic phase superseding the nematic order. Above ∼6 GPa the sudden enhancement of superconductivity (Tc≤38.3 K) accompanies a suppression of magnetic order, demonstrating their competing nature with very similar energy scales. Above the magnetic dome, we find anomalous transport properties suggesting a possible pseudogap formation, whereas linear-in-temperature resistivity is observed in the normal states of the high-Tc phase above 6 GPa. The obtained phase diagram highlights unique features of FeSe among iron-based superconductors, but bears some resemblance to that of high-Tc cuprates.

Signatures of Induced Superconductivity in NbTi Contacted InAs Quantum Wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFadden, Anthony; Shabani, Javad; Shojaei, Borzoyeh; Lee, Joon Sue; Palmstrøm, Chris

We have studied electrical transport through InAs quantum wells grown by MBE with unannealed superconducting NbTi contacts deposited ex-situ and patterned by optical photolithography. Characterization of the InAs 2DEG's without superconducting contacts yields typical mobilities greater than 100,000 cm2/Vs at a density of 4e11 cm-2. NbTi-InAs-NbTi (SNS) and NbTi-InAs (SN) devices with dimensions greater than 1 µm are fabricated using optical lithography. Although the dimensions of the fabricated SNS devices are too large to observe a supercurrent, signatures of superconductivity induced in the InAs are present. We observe two superconducting critical temperatures: one of the NbTi leads (Tc~8K), and a second (Tc <4.5K) attributed to superconductivity induced in the InAs channel. dI/dV vs V spectroscopy on SNS junctions below the second critical temperature shows a conductance maximum at zero applied voltage while conductance minima appear at finite bias voltage which is attributed to the presence of an induced superconducting gap in the InAs quantum well. This work has been supported by Microsoft research.

Interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in iron-chalcogenide superconductors: crystal growth and characterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jinsheng; Xu, Guangyong; Gu, Genda; Tranquada, J. M.; Birgeneau, R. J.

2011-12-01

In this review, we present a summary of results on single crystal growth of two types of iron-chalcogenide superconductors, Fe1+yTe1-xSex (11), and AxFe2-ySe2 (A = K, Rb, Cs, Tl, Tl/K, Tl/Rb), using Bridgman, zone-melting, vapor self-transport and flux techniques. The superconducting and magnetic properties (the latter gained mainly from neutron scattering measurements) of these materials are reviewed to demonstrate the connection between magnetism and superconductivity. It will be shown that for the 11 system, while static magnetic order around the reciprocal lattice position (0.5, 0) competes with superconductivity, spin excitations centered around (0.5, 0.5) are closely coupled to the materials' superconductivity; this is made evident by the strong correlation between the spectral weight around (0.5, 0.5) and the superconducting volume fraction. The observation of a spin resonance below the superconducting temperature, Tc, and the magnetic-field dependence of the resonance emphasize the close interplay between spin excitations and superconductivity, similar to cuprate superconductors. In AxFe2-ySe2, superconductivity with Tc ~ 30 K borders an antiferromagnetic insulating phase; this is closer to the behavior observed in the cuprates but differs from that in other iron-based superconductors.

Duality picture of Superconductor-insulator transitions on Superconducting nanowire.

PubMed

Makise, Kazumasa; Terai, Hirotaka; Tominari, Yukihiro; Tanaka, Shukichi; Shinozaki, Bunju

2016-06-17

In this study, we investigated the electrical transport properties of niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) nanowire with four-terminal geometries to clarify the superconducting phase slip phenomena and superconducting-insulator transitions (SIT) for one-dimensional superconductors. We fabricated various nanowires with different widths and lengths from epitaxial NbTiN films using the electron beam lithography method. The temperature dependence of resistance R(T) below the superconducting transition temperature Tc was analyzed using thermal activation phase slip (TAPS) and quantum phase slip (QPS) theories. Although the accuracy of experimental data at low temperatures can deviate when using the TAPS model, the QPS model thoroughly represents the R(T) characteristic with resistive tail at low temperatures. From the analyses of data on Tc, we found that NbTiN nanowires exhibit SIT because of the change in the ratio of kinetic inductance energy and QPS amplitude energy with respect to the flux-charge duality theory.

PREFACE: Superconductivity in ultrathin films and nanoscale systems Superconductivity in ultrathin films and nanoscale systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianconi, Antonio; Bose, Sangita; Garcia-Garcia, Antonio Miguel

2012-12-01

systems. In addition, the role of thermodynamic fluctuations on superconducting properties has been extensively studied in the context of nanoparticles and nanowires both experimentally and theoretically. In the past decade, a lot of work has been initiated in the area of interface superconductivity where different techniques have been demonstrated to tune Tc. Although the progress in this field has deepened our understanding of nanoscale superconductors, there are several open and key questions which need to be addressed. Some of these are: (1) can superconductivity be enhanced and Tc increased in nanostructures with respect to the bulk limit and if so, how can it be controlled? (2) What are the theoretical and experimental limits for the enhancement and control of superconductivity? (3) Can the phenomena identified in conventional nanostructures shed light on phenomena in high Tc superconductors and vice versa? (4) How will the new fundamental physics of superconductivity at the nanoscale promote advances in nanotechnology applications and vice versa? The papers in this focus section reflect the advances made in this field, in particular in nanowires and nanofilms, but also attempt to answer some of the key open questions outlined above. The theoretical papers explore unconventional quantum phenomena such as the role of confinement in the dynamics of single Cooper pairs in isolated grains [1] and Fano resonances in superconducting gaps in multi-condensate superconductors near a 2.5 Lifshitz transition [2]. Here a new emerging class of quantum phenomena of fundamental physics appear at the Bose-BCS crossover in multi-condensate superconductors [2]. Nanosize effects can now be manipulated by controlling defects in layered oxides [3]. A new approach is provided by controlling the self-organization of oxygen interstitials in layered copper oxides that show an intrinsic nanoscale phase separation [4]. In this case a non-trivial distribution of superconducting nanograins

Parametrically excited motion of a levitated rigid bar over high- Tc superconducting bulks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, T.; Sugiura, T.; Ogawa, S.

2006-10-01

High-Tc superconducting levitation systems achieve, under no contact support, stable levitation without control. This feature can be applied to flywheels, magnetically levitated trains, and so on. But no contact support has small damping. So these mechanisms can show complicated phenomena of dynamics due to nonlinearity in their magnetic force. For application to large-scale machines, we need to analyze dynamics of a large levitated body supported at multiple points. This research deals with nonlinearly coupled oscillation of a homogeneous and symmetric rigid bar supported at its both ends by equal electromagnetic forces between superconductors and permanent magnets. In our past study, using a rigid bar, we found combination resonance. Combination resonance happens owing to the asymmetry of the system. But, even if support forces are symmetric, parametric resonance can happen. With a simple symmetric model, this research focuses on especially the parametric resonance, and evaluates nonlinear effect of the symmetric support forces by experiment and numerical analysis. Obtained results show that two modes, caused by coupling of horizontal translation and roll motion, can be excited nonlinearly when the superconductor is excited vertically in the neighborhood of twice the natural frequencies of those modes. We confirmed these resonances have nonlinear characteristics of soft-spring, hysteresis and so on.

Charge transfer polarisation wave in high Tc oxides and superconductive pairing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakraverty, B. K.

1991-01-01

A general formalism of quantized charge transfer polarization waves was developed. The nature of possible superconductive pairing between oxygen holes is discussed. Unlike optical phonons, these polarization fields will give rise to dielectric bipolarons or bipolaron bubbles. In the weak coupling limit, a new class of superconductivity is to be expected.

Anticorrelation between polar lattice instability and superconductivity in the Weyl semimetal candidate MoTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, H.; Akiba, T.; Imura, K.; Shiino, T.; Deguchi, K.; Sato, N. K.; Sakai, H.; Bahramy, M. S.; Ishiwata, S.

2017-03-01

The relation between the polar structural instability and superconductivity in a Weyl semimetal candidate MoTe2 has been clarified by finely controlled physical and chemical pressure. The physical pressure as well as the chemical pressure, i.e., the Se substitution for Te, enhances the superconducting transition temperature Tc at around the critical pressure where the polar structure transition disappears. From the heat capacity and thermopower measurements, we ascribe the significant enhancement of Tc at the critical pressure to a subtle modification of the phonon dispersion or the semimetallic band structure upon the polar-to-nonpolar transition. On the other hand, the physical pressure, which strongly reduces the interlayer distance, is more effective on the suppression of the polar structural transition and the enhancement of Tc as compared with the chemical pressure, which emphasizes the importance of the interlayer coupling on the structural and superconducting instability in MoTe2.

Thermoreflectance microscopy measurements of the Joule heating characteristics of high- Tc superconducting terahertz emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashiwagi, Takanari; Tanaka, Taiga; Watanabe, Chiharu; Kubo, Hiroyuki; Komori, Yuki; Yuasa, Takumi; Tanabe, Yuki; Ota, Ryusei; Kuwano, Genki; Nakamura, Kento; Tsujimoto, Manabu; Minami, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Klemm, Richard A.; Kadowaki, Kazuo

2017-12-01

Joule heating is the central issue in order to develop high-power and high-performance terahertz (THz) emission from mesa devices employing the intrinsic Josephson junctions in a layered high transition-temperature Tc superconductor. Here, we describe a convenient local thermal measurement technique using charge-coupled-device-based thermoreflectance microscopy, with the highest spatial resolution to date. This technique clearly proves that the relative temperature changes of the mesa devices between different bias points on the current-voltage characteristics can be measured very sensitively. In addition, the heating characteristics on the surface of the mesa devices can be detected more directly without any special treatment of the mesa surface such as previous coatings with SiC micro-powders. The results shown here clearly indicate that the contact resistance strongly affects the formation of an inhomogeneous temperature distribution on the mesa structures. Since the temperature and sample dependencies of the Joule heating characteristics can be measured quickly, this simple thermal evaluation technique is a useful tool to check the quality of the electrical contacts, electrical wiring, and sample defects. Thus, this technique could help to reduce the heating problems and to improve the performance of superconducting THz emitter devices.

Observation of topological superconductivity on the surface of an iron-based superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Yaji, Koichiro; Hashimoto, Takahiro; Ota, Yuichi; Kondo, Takeshi; Okazaki, Kozo; Wang, Zhijun; Wen, Jinsheng; Gu, G. D.; Ding, Hong; Shin, Shik

2018-04-01

Topological superconductors are predicted to host exotic Majorana states that obey non-Abelian statistics and can be used to implement a topological quantum computer. Most of the proposed topological superconductors are realized in difficult-to-fabricate heterostructures at very low temperatures. By using high-resolution spin-resolved and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we find that the iron-based superconductor FeTe1–xSex (x = 0.45; superconducting transition temperature Tc = 14.5 kelvin) hosts Dirac-cone–type spin-helical surface states at the Fermi level; the surface states exhibit an s-wave superconducting gap below Tc. Our study shows that the surface states of FeTe0.55Se0.45 are topologically superconducting, providing a simple and possibly high-temperature platform for realizing Majorana states.

Superconducting dome in doped quasi-two-dimensional organic Mott insulators: A paradigm for strongly correlated superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hébert, Charles-David; Sémon, Patrick; Tremblay, A.-M. S.

2015-11-01

first-order transition between metal and pseudogap. Finally, we predict that electron doping should also lead to an increased range of U /t for superconductivity but with a reduced maximum Tc. This work also clearly shows that the superconducting dome in organic superconductors is tied to the Mott transition and its continuation as a transition separating pseudogap phase from correlated metal in doped compounds, as in the cuprates. Contrary to heavy fermions for example, the maximum Tc is definitely not attached to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. That can also be verified experimentally.

New insight into enhanced superconductivity in metals near the metal-insulator transition.

PubMed

Osofsky, M S; Soulen, R J; Claassen, J H; Trotter, G; Kim, H; Horwitz, J S

2001-11-05

We have studied the transport properties of disordered WSi films near the metal/insulator transition (MIT) and we have also reviewed the data for several other disordered materials near their MIT. In all cases, we found the presence of enhanced superconductivity. We constructed a superconductivity "phase diagram" (i.e., T(c) versus sigma) for each system, which reveals a striking correlation: In all cases, T(c) values are significantly enhanced only for samples whose conductivities lie within a narrow range on the metallic side of, and moderately near, the MIT. We present a heuristic model to explain this phenomenon.

Oxide-based platform for reconfigurable superconducting nanoelectronics.

PubMed

Veazey, Joshua P; Cheng, Guanglei; Irvin, Patrick; Cen, Cheng; Bogorin, Daniela F; Bi, Feng; Huang, Mengchen; Bark, Chung-Wung; Ryu, Sangwoo; Cho, Kwang-Hwan; Eom, Chang-Beom; Levy, Jeremy

2013-09-20

We report quasi-1D superconductivity at the interface of LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. The material system and nanostructure fabrication method supply a new platform for superconducting nanoelectronics. Nanostructures having line widths w ~ 10 nm are formed from the parent two-dimensional electron liquid using conductive atomic force microscope lithography. Nanowire cross-sections are small compared to the superconducting coherence length in LaAlO3/SrTiO3, placing them in the quasi-1D regime. Broad superconducting transitions versus temperature and finite resistances in the superconducting state well below Tc ≈ 200 mK are observed, suggesting the presence of fluctuation- and heating-induced resistance. The superconducting resistances and V-I characteristics are tunable through the use of a back gate. Four-terminal resistances in the superconducting state show an unusual dependence on the current path, varying by as much as an order of magnitude. This new technology, i.e., the ability to 'write' gate-tunable superconducting nanostructures on an insulating LaAlO3/SrTiO3 'canvas', opens possibilities for the development of new families of reconfigurable superconducting nanoelectronics.

Oxygen stabilization induced enhancement in superconducting characteristics of high-Tc oxides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, M. K.; Chen, J. T.; Huang, C. Y.

1991-01-01

In an attempt to enhance the electrical and mechanical properties of the high temperature superconducting oxides, high T(sub c) composites were prepared composed of the 123 compounds and AgO. The presence of extra oxygen due to the decomposition of AgO at high temperature is found to stabilize the superconducting 123 phase. Ag is found to serve as clean flux for grain growth and precipitates as pinning center. Consequently, almost two orders of magnitude enhancement in critical current densities were also observed in these composites. In addition, these composites also show much improvement in workability and shape formation. On the other hand, proper oxygen treatment of Y5Ba6Cu11Oy was found to possibly stabilize superconducting phase with T(sub c) near 250 K. I-V, ac susceptibility, and electrical resistivity measurements indicate the existence of this ultra high T(sub c) phase in this compound. Detailed structure, microstructure, electrical, magnetic and thermal studies of the superconducting composites and the ultra high T(sub c) compound are presented and discussed.

Fully gapped spin-singlet superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric PbTaSe2: 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, S.; Matano, K.; Zheng, Guo-qing

2018-05-01

We report the 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on polycrystalline sample of PbTaSe2 with noncentrosymmetric crystal structure and topological electronic band. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1 /T1 shows a suppressed coherence peak below the superconducting transition temperature Tc=4.05 K and decreases as an exponential function of temperature. The penetration depth derived from the NMR spectrum is almost temperature independent below T =0.7 Tc. The Knight shift K decreases below Tc. These results suggest spin-singlet superconductivity with a fully opened gap 2 Δ =3.5 kBTc in PbTaSe2.

FOREWORD: Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Yoshihiko

2008-12-01

Since the discovery of superconductivity in diamond, much attention has been given to the issue of superconductivity in semiconductors. Because diamond has a large band gap of 5.5 eV, it is called a wide-gap semiconductor. Upon heavy boron doping over 3×1020 cm-3, diamond becomes metallic and demonstrates superconductivity at temperatures below 11.4 K. This discovery implies that a semiconductor can become a superconductor upon carrier doping. Recently, superconductivity was also discovered in boron-doped silicon and SiC semiconductors. The number of superconducting semiconductors has increased. In 2008 an Fe-based superconductor was discovered in a research project on carrier doping in a LaCuSeO wide-gap semiconductor. This discovery enhanced research activities in the field of superconductivity, where many scientists place particular importance on superconductivity in semiconductors. This focus issue features a variety of topics on superconductivity in semiconductors selected from the 2nd International Workshop on Superconductivity in Diamond and Related Materials (IWSDRM2008), which was held at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan in July 2008. The 1st workshop was held in 2005 and was published as a special issue in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM) in 2006 (Takano 2006 Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 7 S1). The selection of papers describe many important experimental and theoretical studies on superconductivity in semiconductors. Topics on boron-doped diamond include isotope effects (Ekimov et al) and the detailed structure of boron sites, and the relation between superconductivity and disorder induced by boron doping. Regarding other semiconductors, the superconducting properties of silicon and SiC (Kriener et al, Muranaka et al and Yanase et al) are discussed, and In2O3 (Makise et al) is presented as a new superconducting semiconductor. Iron-based superconductors are presented as a new series of high-TC

Discovery of Superconductivity in Hard Hexagonal ε-NbN.

PubMed

Zou, Yongtao; Qi, Xintong; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Shuailing; Zhang, Wei; Li, Ying; Chen, Ting; Wang, Xuebing; Chen, Zhiqiang; Welch, David; Zhu, Pinwen; Liu, Bingbing; Li, Qiang; Cui, Tian; Li, Baosheng

2016-02-29

Since the discovery of superconductivity in boron-doped diamond with a critical temperature (TC) near 4 K, great interest has been attracted in hard superconductors such as transition-metal nitrides and carbides. Here we report the new discovery of superconductivity in polycrystalline hexagonal ε-NbN synthesized at high pressure and high temperature. Direct magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements demonstrate that the superconductivity in bulk polycrystalline hexagonal ε-NbN is below ∼11.6 K, which is significantly higher than that for boron-doped diamond. The nature of superconductivity in hexagonal ε-NbN and the physical mechanism for the relatively lower TC have been addressed by the weaker bonding in the Nb-N network, the co-planarity of Nb-N layer as well as its relatively weaker electron-phonon coupling, as compared with the cubic δ-NbN counterpart. Moreover, the newly discovered ε-NbN superconductor remains stable at pressures up to ∼20 GPa and is significantly harder than cubic δ-NbN; it is as hard as sapphire, ultra-incompressible and has a high shear rigidity of 201 GPa to rival hard/superhard material γ-B (∼227 GPa). This exploration opens a new class of highly desirable materials combining the outstanding mechanical/elastic properties with superconductivity, which may be particularly attractive for its technological and engineering applications in extreme environments.

Signature of multigap nodeless superconductivity in CaKFe4As4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, P. K.; Iyo, A.; Yoshida, Y.; Eisaki, H.; Kawashima, K.; Hillier, A. D.

2017-04-01

A newly discovered family of high-Tc Fe-based superconductors, AeA Fe4As4 (Ae=Ca , Sr, Eu and A =K , Rb, Cs), offers further opportunities to understand unconventional superconductivity in these materials. In this Rapid Communication, we report on the superconducting and magnetic properties of CaKFe4As4 , studied using muon spectroscopy. Zero-field muon spin relaxation studies carried out on the CaKFe4As4 superconductor do not show any detectable magnetic anomaly at Tc or below, implying that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting ground state. The temperature dependence of the superfluid density of CaKFe4As4 is found to be compatible with a two-gap s +s -wave model with gap values of 8.6(4) and 2.5(3) meV, similar to the other Fe-based superconductors. The presence of two superconducting energy gaps is consistent with theoretical and other experimental studies on this material. The value of the penetration depth at T =0 K has been determined as 289 (22 ) nm.

Importance of the van Hove singularity in superconducting PdTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoo; Kim, Sooran; Kim, J. S.; Kim, Heejung; Park, J.-H.; Min, B. I.

2018-04-01

We have investigated the electronic, phononic, and superconducting properties of the transition-metal dichalcogenide superconductor PdTe2, and explored the origin of different superconducting behaviors between PdTe2 and its isostructural PtTe2 that is nonsuperconducting. We have found that the saddle-point van Hove singularity (vHs) near the Fermi level, which interacts strongly with Te phonon modes, plays an important role in the BCS-type superconductivity of PdTe2. We show that, with electron doping, the vHs in PdTe2 shifts down toward the Fermi level to enhance Tc, as is consistent with the observed enhancement of Tc in Cu-doped PdTe2. We ascribe the absence of superconductivity in PtTe2 to the different dispersion behavior of the saddle-point vHs band from that of PdTe2. We also suggest that this difference in the vHs band behaviors is responsible for the different structural responses of PdTe2 and PtTe2 to external pressure.

Unusual superconducting behavior in HfV2Ga4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, F. B.; Correa, L. E.; de Lima, B. S.; Cigarroa, O. V.; da Luz, M. S.; Grant, T.; Fisk, Z.; Machado, A. J. S.

2018-04-01

Bulk superconductivity in HfV2Ga4 with critical temperature close to 4.1 K was determined via magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements. Both the upper and lower critical field dependence with reduced temperature (T /Tc) exhibit non-conventional behavior. The electronic component of specific heat shows a double-jump, the first close to Tc and the other close to 0.75Tc. We speculate about the nature of the douple jump observed in specific heat considering two plausable scenarios: bulk inhomogeneities and the existence of a second gap.

Study on possible correlation of superconductivity with defects and superparamagnetism in undoped AFe2As2 with A =Ca, Sr and Ba

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Kui; Lv, Bing; Deng, Liangzi; Xue, Yuyi; Chu, Paul; High pressure low temperature lab Team

2014-03-01

Extensive studies have been carried out on the induction of bulk superconductivity in the Fe-pnictide 122 system with a Tc up to 38 K through doping and/or pressure. However, non-bulk superconductivity has also been detected unexpectedly in undoped AFe2As2 where A = Ca, Sr, and Ba with Tc = ~12K, ~22K and ~23K, respectively. The reason for the observation remains unknown. Recently, systematic investigation shows that highly anisotropic superconductivity with a Tc up to 49 K and superparamagnetism occur in rare-earth doped Ca122. Further examination reveals slight deviation from the 1:2:2 stoichiometry which correlates closely with the occurrence of non-bulk superconductivity and superparamagnetism in these samples. We have therefore decided to investigate systematically the stoichiometry, defects, magnetism and superconductivity in undoped AFe2As2 single crystals under different synthesis conditions where A = Ca, Sr, and Ba. Results will be presented and discussed.

Pressure-induced zigzag phosphorus chain and superconductivity in boron monophosphide.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinyu; Qin, Jiaqian; Liu, Hanyu; Zhang, Shiliang; Ma, Mingzhen; Luo, Wei; Liu, Riping; Ahuja, Rajeev

2015-03-04

We report on the prediction of the zinc-blende structure BP into a novel C2/m phase from 113 to 208 GPa which possesses zigzag phosphorus chain structure, followed by another P42/mnm structure above 208 GPa above using the particle-swarm search method. Strong electron-phonon coupling λ in compressed BP is found, in particular for C2/m phase with the zigzag phosphorus chain, which has the highest λ (0.56-0.61) value among them, leading to its high superconducting critical temperature Tc (9.4 K-11.5 K), which is comparable with the 4.5 K to 13 K value of black phosphorus phase I (orthorhombic, Cmca). This is the first system in the boron phosphides which shows superconductivity from the present theoretical calculations. Our results show that pressure-induced zigzag phosphorus chain in BP exhibit higher superconducting temperature TC, opening a new route to search and design new superconductor materials with zigzag phosphorus chains.

Enhancement of superconductivity under pressure and the magnetic phase diagram of tantalum disulfide single crystals

PubMed Central

Abdel-Hafiez, M.; Zhao, X.-M.; Kordyuk, A. A.; Fang, Y.-W.; Pan, B.; He, Z.; Duan, C.-G.; Zhao, J.; Chen, X.-J.

2016-01-01

In low-dimensional electron systems, charge density waves (CDW) and superconductivity are two of the most fundamental collective quantum phenomena. For all known quasi-two-dimensional superconductors, the origin and exact boundary of the electronic orderings and superconductivity are still attractive problems. Through transport and thermodynamic measurements, we report on the field-temperature phase diagram in 2H-TaS2 single crystals. We show that the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) increases by one order of magnitude from temperatures at 0.98 K up to 9.15 K at 8.7 GPa when the Tc becomes very sharp. Additionally, the effects of 8.7 GPa illustrate a suppression of the CDW ground state, with critically small Fermi surfaces. Below the Tc the lattice of magnetic flux lines melts from a solid-like state to a broad vortex liquid phase region. Our measurements indicate an unconventional s-wave-like picture with two energy gaps evidencing its multi-band nature. PMID:27534898

Nodeless superconductivity and time-reversal symmetry breaking in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor Re24Ti5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, T.; Pang, G. M.; Baines, C.; Jiang, W. B.; Xie, W.; Wang, A.; Medarde, M.; Pomjakushina, E.; Shi, M.; Mesot, J.; Yuan, H. Q.; Shiroka, T.

2018-01-01

The noncentrosymmetric superconductor Re24Ti5 , a time-reversal symmetry- (TRS-) breaking candidate with Tc=6 K , was studied by means of muon-spin rotation/relaxation (μ SR ) and tunnel-diode oscillator techniques. At the macroscopic level, its bulk superconductivity was investigated via electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and heat-capacity measurements. The low-temperature penetration depth, superfluid density, and electronic heat capacity all evidence an s -wave coupling with an enhanced superconducting gap. The spontaneous magnetic fields revealed by zero-field μ SR below Tc indicate a time-reversal symmetry breaking and thus the unconventional nature of superconductivity in Re24Ti5 . The concomitant occurrence of TRS breaking also in the isostructural Re6(Zr ,Hf ) compounds hints at its common origin in this superconducting family and that an enhanced spin-orbital coupling does not affect pairing symmetry.

Origin of the pressure-dependent Tc valley in superconducting simple cubic phosphorus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xianxin; Jeschke, Harald O.; Di Sante, Domenico; von Rohr, Fabian O.; Cava, Robert J.; Thomale, Ronny

2018-03-01

Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate the pressure-dependent electronic structure and electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling for simple cubic phosphorus by performing first-principles calculations within the full potential linearized augmented plane-wave method. As a function of increasing pressure, our calculations show a valley feature in Tc, followed by an eventual decrease for higher pressures. We demonstrate that this Tc valley at low pressures is due to two nearby Lifshitz transitions, as we analyze the band-resolved contributions to the e-ph coupling. Below the first Lifshitz transition, the phonon hardening and shrinking of the γ Fermi surface with s -orbital character results in a decreased Tc with increasing pressure. After the second Lifshitz transition, the appearance of δ Fermi surfaces with 3 d -orbital character generate strong e-ph interband couplings in α δ and β δ channels, and hence lead to an increase of Tc. For higher pressures, the phonon hardening finally dominates, and Tc decreases again. Our study reveals that the intriguing Tc valley discovered in experiment can be attributed to Lifshitz transitions, while the plateau of Tc detected at intermediate pressures appears to be beyond the scope of our analysis. This strongly suggests that aside from e-ph coupling, electronic correlations along with plasmonic contributions may be relevant for simple cubic phosphorus. Our findings hint at the notion that increasing pressure can shift the low-energy orbital weight towards d character, and as such even trigger an enhanced importance of orbital-selective electronic correlations despite an increase of the overall bandwidth.

Superconductivity in metastable phases of phosphorus-hydride compounds under high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores Livas, Jose; Amsler, Maximilian; Sanna, Antonio; Heil, Christoph; Boeri, Lilia; Profeta, Gianni; Wolverton, Crhis; Goedecker, Stefan; Gross, E. K. U.

Recently, compressed phosphine was reported to metallize at pressures above 45 GPa, reaching a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 100 K at 200 GPa. However, neither the exact composition nor the crystal structure of the superconducting phase have been conclusively determined. In this work the phase diagram of PHn (n = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6) was extensively explored by means of ab initio crystal structure prediction methods. The results do not support the existence of thermodynamically stable PHn compounds, which exhibit a tendency for elemental decomposition at high pressure even when vibrational contributions to the free energies are taken into account. Although the lowest energy phases of PH1 , 2 , 3 display Tc's comparable to experiments, it remains questionable if the measured values of Tc can be fully attributed to a phase-pure compound of PHn. This work was done within the NCCR MARVEL project.

Transport critical current measurement apparatus using liquid nitrogen cooled high-Tc superconducting magnet with variable temperature insert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishijima, G.; Kitaguchi, H.; Tshuchiya, Y.; Nishimura, T.; Kato, T.

2013-01-01

We have developed an apparatus to investigate transport critical current (Ic) as a function of magnetic field and temperature using only liquid nitrogen. The apparatus consists of a (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 (Bi-2223) superconducting magnet, an outer dewar, and a variable temperature insert (VTI). The magnet, which is operated in depressurized liquid nitrogen, generates magnetic field up to 1.26 T. The sample is also immersed in liquid nitrogen. The pressure in the VTI is controlled from 0.02 to 0.3 MPa, which corresponds to temperature ranging from 66 to 88 K. We have confirmed the long-term stable operation of the Bi-2223 magnet at 1 T. The temperature stability of the sample at high transport current was also demonstrated. The apparatus provides easy-operating Ic measurement environment for a high-Tc superconductor up to 500 A in magnetic fields up to 1 T and in temperatures ranging from 66 to 88 K.

Superconducting NbTiN thin films for superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavity applications

DOE PAGES

Burton, Matthew C.; Beebe, Melissa R.; Yang, Kaida; ...

2016-02-12

Current superconducting radio frequency technology, used in various particle accelerator facilities across the world, is reliant upon bulk niobium superconducting cavities. Due to technological advancements in the processing of bulk Nb cavities, the facilities have reached accelerating fields very close to a material-dependent limit, which is close to 50 MV/m for bulk Nb. One possible solution to improve upon this fundamental limitation was proposed a few years ago by Gurevich [Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 012511 (2006)], consisting of the deposition of alternating thin layers of superconducting and insulating materials on the interior surface of the cavities. The use of type-IImore » superconductors with Tc > Tc Nb and H c > HcNb, (e.g., Nb 3Sn, NbN, or NbTiN) could potentially greatly reduce the surface resistance (Rs) and enhance the accelerating field, if the onset of vortex penetration is increased above Hc Nb, thus enabling higher field gradients. Although Nb 3Sn may prove superior, it is not clear that it can be grown as a suitable thin film for the proposed multilayer approach, since very high temperature is typically required for its growth, hindering achieving smooth interfaces and/or surfaces. On the other hand, since NbTiN has a smaller lower critical field (H c1) and higher critical temperature (T c) than Nb and increased conductivity compared to NbN, it is a promising candidate material for this new scheme. Here, the authors present experimental results correlating filmmicrostructure with superconducting properties on NbTiN thin film coupon samples while also comparing filmsgrown with targets of different stoichiometry. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that the authors have achieved thin films with bulk-like lattice parameter and transition temperature while also achieving H c1 values larger than bulk for films thinner than their London penetration depths.« less

Prospects and progress of high Tc superconductivity for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romanofsky, Robert R.; Sokoloski, Marty M.

1991-01-01

Current research in the area of high temperature superconductivity is organized around four key areas: communications and data, sensors and cryogenics, propulsion and power, and space materials technology. Recently, laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films on LaAlO3 produced far superior RF characteristics when compared to metallic films on the same substrate. The achievement has enabled a number of unique microwave device applications, such as low insertion loss phase shifters and high-Q filters. Melt texturing and melt-quenched techniques are being used to produce bulk material with optimized magnetic properties. These yttrium-enriched materials possess enhanced flux pinning characteristics and could lead to prototype cryocooler bearings. Significant progress has also occurred in bolometer and current lead technology. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of high temperature superconducting materials on the performance and life of high power magnetoplasma-dynamic thrusters. Extended studies were also performed to evaluate the benefit of superconducting magnetic energy storage for LEO space station, lunar, and Mars mission applications.

Suppression of superconductivity in Fe chalcogenides by annealing: A reverse effect to pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louca, Despina; Yan, Jiaqiang; Llobet, Anna; Arita, Ryotaro

2011-08-01

Superconductivity in FeTe1-xSex can be controlled by annealing in the absence of extrinsic influences. Using neutron diffraction, we show that the superconducting transition temperature (TC) sensitively depends on the atomic configurations of the Te and Se ions. Low-temperature annealing not only homogenizes the Te and Se ion distribution, it suppresses TC because of changes in the chalcogen ion’s z parameter. In particular, the height of Te from the Fe basal plane is much reduced while that for Se shows a modest increase. These trends are the reverse of the effects induced by pressure.

Superconductivity-localization interplay and fluctuation magnetoresistance in epitaxial BaPb1 -xBixO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, D. T.; Campbell, N.; Uecker, R.; Brützam, M.; Schlom, D. G.; Levchenko, A.; Rzchowski, M. S.; Eom, C.-B.

2018-04-01

BaPb1 -xBixO3 is a superconductor, with transition temperature Tc=11 K, whose parent compound BaBiO3 possesses a charge ordering phase and perovskite crystal structure reminiscent of the cuprates. The lack of magnetism simplifies the BaPb1 -xBixO3 phase diagram, making this system an ideal platform for contrasting high-Tc systems with isotropic superconductors. Here we use high-quality epitaxial thin films and magnetotransport to demonstrate superconducting fluctuations that extend well beyond Tc. For the thickest films (thickness above ˜100 nm ) this region extends to ˜27 K , well above the bulk Tc and remarkably close to the higher Tc of Ba1 -xKxBiO3 (Tc=31 K). We drive the system through a superconductor-insulator transition by decreasing thickness and find the observed Tc correlates strongly with disorder. This material manifests strong fluctuations across a wide range of thicknesses, temperatures, and disorder presenting new opportunities for understanding the precursor of superconductivity near the 2D-3D dimensionality crossover.

NMR study on anomalous superconducting phase diagram in UBe13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuno, Haruki; Morita, Kyohei; Kotegawa, Hisashi; Tou, Hideki; Haga, Yoshinori; Yamamoto, Etsuji; Ōnuki, Yoshichika

2018-05-01

In order to clarify unusual superconducting properties in a heavy fermion superconductor UBe13, we have carried out 9Be NMR measurements using a single crystal with Tc ≅ 0.85 K . The NMR spectra under the magnetic field H = 3 T parallel to [111] crystal axis show no change between Tc (H = 3 T) = 0.64 K and Ta (H = 3 T) = 0.55 K . Below Ta, however, the Knight shift for Be(II) decreased. The reduction of the Knight shift of Be(II) is amount to ∼ 0.01 % , which is much smaller than spin part of the Knight shift, Ks ∼ 0.1 % estimated from Clogston Jaccarino plot. The origin of reduction of the Knight shift cannot be explained by spin singlet superconductivity.

Synthesis and characterization of high-Tc superconductors in the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bansal, Narottam P.; Farrell, D. E.

1989-01-01

Both Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3O10 and TlCa3BaCu3O8.5 are investigated for superconductivity as a function of the sintering temperature, time, atmosphere, and quench rate in an effort to synthesize the high-Tc superconducting phase in the thallium system. The samples are characterized by electrical resistivity measurements, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Samples of starting composition Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3O10 fired in air at 860-900 C and rapidly quenched show a Tc of 96-107 K. In contrast, specimens of starting composition TlCa3BaCu3O8.5 when baked at 900 C and slowly cooled in oxygen superconduct at 116 K and above and consist of Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3O(10+x) as the dominant phase. The results also show that, in contrast to the case of YBa2Cu3O(7-x), doping with a small concentration of fluorine sharpens the resistive transition and produces a large Tc increase in thallium-based superconductors.

Cuprate High Temperature Superconductors and the Vision for Room Temperature Superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newns, Dennis M.; Martyna, Glenn J.; Tsuei, Chang C.

Superconducting transition temperatures of 164 K in cuprate high temperature superconductors (HTS) and recently 200 K in H3S under high pressure encourage us to believe that room temperature superconductivity (RTS) might be possible. In considering paths to RTS, we contrast conventional (BCS) SC, such as probably manifested by H3S, with the unconventional superconductivity (SC) in the cuprate HTS family. Turning to SC models, we show that in the presence of one or more van Hove singularities (vHs) near the Fermi level, SC mediated by classical phonons (kBTc>ℏ×phonon frequency) can occur. The phonon frequency in the standard Tc formula is replaced by an electronic cutoff, enabling a much higher Tc independent of phonon frequency. The resulting Tc and isotope shift plot versus doping strongly resembles that seen experimentally in HTS. A more detailed theory of HTS, which involves mediation by classical phonons, satisfactorily reproduces the chief anomalous features characteristic of these materials. We propose that, while a path to RTS through an H3S-like scenario via strongly-coupled ultra-high frequency phonons is attractive, features perhaps unavailable at ordinary pressures, a route involving SC mediated by classical phonons which can be low frequency may be found.

New Superconductivity Dome in LaFeAsO1-xFx Accompanied by Structural Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jie; Zhou, Rui; Wei, Lin-Lin; Yang, Huai-Xin; Li, Jian-Qi; Zhao, Zhong-Xian; Zheng, Guo-Qing

2015-10-01

High temperature superconductivity is often found in the vicinity of antiferromagnetism. This is also true in LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ ($x \\leq$ 0.2) and many other iron-based superconductors, which leads to proposals that superconductivity is mediated by fluctuations associated with the nearby magnetism. Here we report the discovery of a new superconductivity dome without low-energy magnetic fluctuations in LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ with 0.25$\\leq x \\leq$0.75, where the maximal critical temperature $T_c$ at $x_{opt}$ = 0.5$\\sim$0.55 is even higher than that at $x \\leq$ 0.2. By nuclear magnetic resonance and Transmission Electron Microscopy, we show that a C4 rotation symmetry-breaking structural transition takes place for $x>$ 0.5 above $T_c$. Our results point to a new paradigm of high temperature superconductivity.

Stability and superconducting properties of GaH5 at high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Yan-Li; Yang, Wen-Hua; Zang, Qing-Jun; Lu, Wen-Cai

2017-11-01

Using genetic algorithm (GA) method combined with first-principles calculations, the structures, dynamical and thermodynamic stabilities of GaH5 were studied. The calculated results suggested that at the pressure range 150-400 GPa, the P21/m phase of GaH5 is the most favorable phase and dynamically stable, but thermodynamically it is unstable and can decompose into GaH3 and H2. The superconducting property of GaH5 was further calculated, and the predicted superconducting transformation temperature Tc of GaH5 P21/m phase is about 35.63 K at 250 GPa. Besides, we compared the GaH5 and GaH3 superconducting properties, and found that GaH3-Pm-3n structure has a larger DOS near Fermi level than GaH5-P21/m structure, which may be the main reason causing higher Tc of GaH3 than GaH5.

Discovery of Superconductivity in Hard Hexagonal ε-NbN

PubMed Central

Zou, Yongtao; Qi, Xintong; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Shuailing; Zhang, Wei; Li, Ying; Chen, Ting; Wang, Xuebing; Chen, Zhiqiang; Welch, David; Zhu, Pinwen; Liu, Bingbing; Li, Qiang; Cui, Tian; Li, Baosheng

2016-01-01

Since the discovery of superconductivity in boron-doped diamond with a critical temperature (TC) near 4 K, great interest has been attracted in hard superconductors such as transition-metal nitrides and carbides. Here we report the new discovery of superconductivity in polycrystalline hexagonal ε-NbN synthesized at high pressure and high temperature. Direct magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements demonstrate that the superconductivity in bulk polycrystalline hexagonal ε-NbN is below ∼11.6 K, which is significantly higher than that for boron-doped diamond. The nature of superconductivity in hexagonal ε-NbN and the physical mechanism for the relatively lower TC have been addressed by the weaker bonding in the Nb-N network, the co-planarity of Nb-N layer as well as its relatively weaker electron-phonon coupling, as compared with the cubic δ-NbN counterpart. Moreover, the newly discovered ε-NbN superconductor remains stable at pressures up to ∼20 GPa and is significantly harder than cubic δ-NbN; it is as hard as sapphire, ultra-incompressible and has a high shear rigidity of 201 GPa to rival hard/superhard material γ-B (∼227 GPa). This exploration opens a new class of highly desirable materials combining the outstanding mechanical/elastic properties with superconductivity, which may be particularly attractive for its technological and engineering applications in extreme environments. PMID:26923318

Quasiparticle self-consistent GW study of cuprates: electronic structure, model parameters, and the two-band theory for Tc

PubMed Central

Jang, Seung Woo; Kotani, Takao; Kino, Hiori; Kuroki, Kazuhiko; Han, Myung Joon

2015-01-01

Despite decades of progress, an understanding of unconventional superconductivity still remains elusive. An important open question is about the material dependence of the superconducting properties. Using the quasiparticle self-consistent GW method, we re-examine the electronic structure of copper oxide high-Tc materials. We show that QSGW captures several important features, distinctive from the conventional LDA results. The energy level splitting between and is significantly enlarged and the van Hove singularity point is lowered. The calculated results compare better than LDA with recent experimental results from resonant inelastic xray scattering and angle resolved photoemission experiments. This agreement with the experiments supports the previously suggested two-band theory for the material dependence of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc. PMID:26206417

Anisotropy of the upper critical field and its thickness dependence in superconducting FeSe electric-double-layer transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiogai, Junichi; Kimura, Shojiro; Awaji, Satoshi; Nojima, Tsutomu; Tsukazaki, Atsushi

2018-05-01

Anisotropy of superconductivity is one of the fundamental physical parameters for understanding layered iron-based superconductors (IBSs). Here we investigated the anisotropic response of resistive transition as a function of thickness (d ) in iron selenide (FeSe) based electric-double-layer transistors (EDLTs) on SrTi O3 , which exhibit superconducting transition temperatures Tc as high as 40 K below d =10 nm . According to the analyses of the in-plane (Hc2 //) and out-of-plane (Hc2 ⊥) upper critical fields (Hc 2) and the magnetic field angle dependence of the resistance (Rs-θ ) in ultrathin condition, we found that the anisotropy factor ɛ0=Hc2 ///Hc2 ⊥ is 7.4 in the thin limit of d ˜1 nm , which is larger than that of bulk IBSs. In addition, we observed the shorter out-of-plane coherence length ξc of 0.19 nm compared to the c -axis lattice constant, which implies the confinement of the order parameter in the one unit cell FeSe. These findings suggest that high-Tc superconductivity in the ultrathin FeSe-EDLT exhibits an anisotropic three-dimensional (3D) or quasi-two-dimensional (2D) nature rather than the pure 2D one, leading to the robust superconductivity. Moreover, we carried out the systematic evaluation of the anisotropic Hc 2 against thickness reduction in the FeSe channel. The in-plane Hc 2 as a function of normalized temperature T /Tc is almost independent of d until the thin limit condition. On the other hand, the out-of-plane Hc 2 near T /Tc˜1 decreases with increasing d , resulting in the increase of ɛ0 at around Tc to 32.0 at the thick condition of d =9.3 nm , which is also confirmed by Rs-θ measurements. The counterintuitive behavior can be attributed to the degree of coupling strength between two electron-rich layers possessing a high superconducting order parameter induced by electrostatic gating at the top interface and charge transfer from SrTi O3 substrates at the bottom interface. Besides a large Hc2 ⊥ for d =9.3 nm exceeding 20 T

Strongly enhanced current densities in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn superconducting tapes.

PubMed

Lin, He; Yao, Chao; Zhang, Xianping; Zhang, Haitao; Wang, Dongliang; Zhang, Qianjun; Ma, Yanwei; Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo

2014-03-25

Improving transport current has been the primary topic for practical application of superconducting wires and tapes. However, the porous nature of powder-in-tube (PIT) processed iron-based tapes is one of the important reasons for low critical current density (Jc) values. In this work, the superconducting core density of ex-situ Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn tapes, prepared from optimized precursors, was significantly improved by employing a simple hot pressing as an alternative route for final sintering. The resulting samples exhibited optimal critical temperature (Tc), sharp resistive transition, small resistivity and high Vickers hardness (Hv) value. Consequently, the transport Jc reached excellent values of 5.1 × 10(4) A/cm(2) in 10 T and 4.3 × 10(4) A/cm(2) in 14 T at 4.2 K, respectively. Our tapes also exhibited high upper critical field Hc2 and almost field-independent Jc. These results clearly demonstrate that PIT pnictide wire conductors are very promising for high-field magnet applications.

Strongly enhanced current densities in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn superconducting tapes

PubMed Central

Lin, He; Yao, Chao; Zhang, Xianping; Zhang, Haitao; Wang, Dongliang; Zhang, Qianjun; Ma, Yanwei; Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo

2014-01-01

Improving transport current has been the primary topic for practical application of superconducting wires and tapes. However, the porous nature of powder-in-tube (PIT) processed iron-based tapes is one of the important reasons for low critical current density (Jc) values. In this work, the superconducting core density of ex-situ Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn tapes, prepared from optimized precursors, was significantly improved by employing a simple hot pressing as an alternative route for final sintering. The resulting samples exhibited optimal critical temperature (Tc), sharp resistive transition, small resistivity and high Vickers hardness (Hv) value. Consequently, the transport Jc reached excellent values of 5.1 × 104 A/cm2 in 10 T and 4.3 × 104 A/cm2 in 14 T at 4.2 K, respectively. Our tapes also exhibited high upper critical field Hc2 and almost field-independent Jc. These results clearly demonstrate that PIT pnictide wire conductors are very promising for high-field magnet applications. PMID:24663054

Strongly enhanced current densities in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn superconducting tapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, He; Yao, Chao; Zhang, Xianping; Zhang, Haitao; Wang, Dongliang; Zhang, Qianjun; Ma, Yanwei; Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo

2014-03-01

Improving transport current has been the primary topic for practical application of superconducting wires and tapes. However, the porous nature of powder-in-tube (PIT) processed iron-based tapes is one of the important reasons for low critical current density (Jc) values. In this work, the superconducting core density of ex-situ Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn tapes, prepared from optimized precursors, was significantly improved by employing a simple hot pressing as an alternative route for final sintering. The resulting samples exhibited optimal critical temperature (Tc), sharp resistive transition, small resistivity and high Vickers hardness (Hv) value. Consequently, the transport Jc reached excellent values of 5.1 × 104 A/cm2 in 10 T and 4.3 × 104 A/cm2 in 14 T at 4.2 K, respectively. Our tapes also exhibited high upper critical field Hc2 and almost field-independent Jc. These results clearly demonstrate that PIT pnictide wire conductors are very promising for high-field magnet applications.

Impact of Disorder on the Superconducting Phase Diagram in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizukami, Yuta; Konczykowski, Marcin; Matsuura, Kohei; Watashige, Tatsuya; Kasahara, Shigeru; Matsuda, Yuji; Shibauchi, Takasada

2017-08-01

In many classes of unconventional superconductors, the question of whether the superconductivity is enhanced by the quantum-critical fluctuations on the verge of an ordered phase remains elusive. One of the most direct ways of addressing this issue is to investigate how the superconducting dome traces a shift of the ordered phase. Here, we study how the phase diagram of the iron-based superconductor BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 changes with disorder via electron irradiation, which keeps the carrier concentrations intact. With increasing disorder, we find that the magneto-structural transition is suppressed, indicating that the critical concentration is shifted to the lower side. Although the superconducting transition temperature Tc is depressed at high concentrations (x ≳ 0.28), it shows an initial increase at lower x. This implies that the superconducting dome tracks the shift of the antiferromagnetic phase, supporting the view of the crucial role played by quantum-critical fluctuations in enhancing superconductivity in this iron-based high-Tc family.

Superconductivity pairing mechanism from cobalt impurity doping in FeSe: Spin (s±) or orbital (s++) fluctuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urata, T.; Tanabe, Y.; Huynh, K. K.; Yamakawa, Y.; Kontani, H.; Tanigaki, K.

2016-01-01

In high-superconducting transition temperature (Tc) iron-based superconductors, interband sign reversal (s±) and sign preserving (s++) s -wave superconducting states have been primarily discussed as the plausible superconducting mechanism. We study Co impurity scattering effects on the superconductivity in order to achieve an important clue on the pairing mechanism using single-crystal Fe1 -xCoxSe and depict a phase diagram of a FeSe system. Both superconductivity and structural transition/orbital order are suppressed by the Co replacement on the Fe sites and disappear above x = 0.036. These correlated suppressions represent a common background physics behind these physical phenomena in the multiband Fermi surfaces of FeSe. By comparing experimental data and theories so far proposed, the suppression of Tc against the residual resistivity is shown to be much weaker than that predicted in the case of general sign reversal and full gap s± models. The origin of the superconducting paring in FeSe is discussed in terms of its multiband electronic structure.

Superconductivity in two-dimensional phosphorus carbide (β0-PC).

PubMed

Wang, Bao-Tian; Liu, Peng-Fei; Bo, Tao; Yin, Wen; Eriksson, Olle; Zhao, Jijun; Wang, Fangwei

2018-05-09

Two-dimensional (2D) boron has been predicted to show superconductivity. However, intrinsic 2D carbon and phosphorus have not been reported to be superconductors, which has inspired us to study the superconductivity of their mixture. Here we performed first-principles calculations for the electronic structure, phonon dispersion, and electron-phonon coupling of the metallic phosphorus carbide monolayer, β0-PC. The results show that it is an intrinsic phonon-mediated superconductor, with an estimated superconducting temperature Tc of ∼13 K. The main contribution to the electron-phonon coupling is from the out-of-plane vibrations of phosphorus. A Kohn anomaly on the first acoustic branch is observed. The superconducting related physical quantities are found to be tunable by applying strain or by carrier doping.

Comparison of the pressure dependences of Tc in the trivalent d -electron superconductors Sc, Y, La, and Lu up to megabar pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debessai, M.; Hamlin, J. J.; Schilling, J. S.

2008-08-01

Whereas double hcp (dhcp) La superconducts at ambient pressure with Tc≃5K , the other trivalent d -electron metals Sc, Y, and Lu only superconduct if high pressures are applied. Earlier measurements of the pressure dependence of Tc for Sc and Lu metal are here extended to much higher pressures. Whereas Tc for Lu increases monotonically with pressure to 12.4 K at 174 GPa (1.74 Mbar), Tc for Sc reaches 19.6 K at 107 GPa, the second highest value observed for any elemental superconductor. At higher pressures a phase transition occurs whereupon Tc drops to 8.31 K at 111 GPa. The Tc(P) dependences for Sc and Lu are compared with those of Y and La. An interesting correlation is pointed out between the value of Tc and the fractional free volume available to the conduction electrons outside the ion cores, a quantity which is directly related to the number of d electrons in the conduction band.

Tuning of superconductivity by Ni substitution into noncentrosymmetric ThC o1 -xN ixC2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, T. W.; Cigarroa, O. V.; Rosa, P. F. S.; Machado, A. J. S.; Fisk, Z.

2017-07-01

The recently discovered noncentrosymmetric superconductor ThCoC2 was observed to show unusual superconducting behavior with a critical temperature of Tc=2.65 K . Here we investigate the effect of nickel substitution on the superconducting state in ThC o1 -xN ixC2 . Magnetization, resistivity, and heat capacity measurements demonstrate Ni substitution has a dramatic effect with critical temperature increased up to Tc=12.1 K for x =0.4 Ni concentration, which is a rather high transition temperature for a noncentrosymmetric superconductor. In addition, the unusual superconducting characteristics observed in pure ThCoC2 appear to be suppressed or tuned with Ni substitution towards a more conventional fully gapped superconductor.

Emergence of nanoscale inhomogeneity in the superconducting state of a homogeneously disordered conventional superconductor

PubMed Central

Kamlapure, Anand; Das, Tanmay; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Parmar, Jayesh B.; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-01-01

The notion of spontaneous formation of an inhomogeneous superconducting state is at the heart of most theories attempting to understand the superconducting state in the presence of strong disorder. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that under the competing effects of strong homogeneous disorder and superconducting correlations, the superconducting state of a conventional superconductor, NbN, spontaneously segregates into domains. Tracking these domains as a function of temperature we observe that the superconducting domains persist across the bulk superconducting transition, Tc, and disappear close to the pseudogap temperature, T*, where signatures of superconducting correlations disappear from the tunneling spectrum and the superfluid response of the system. PMID:24132046

Emergence of nanoscale inhomogeneity in the superconducting state of a homogeneously disordered conventional superconductor.

PubMed

Kamlapure, Anand; Das, Tanmay; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Parmar, Jayesh B; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-10-17

The notion of spontaneous formation of an inhomogeneous superconducting state is at the heart of most theories attempting to understand the superconducting state in the presence of strong disorder. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that under the competing effects of strong homogeneous disorder and superconducting correlations, the superconducting state of a conventional superconductor, NbN, spontaneously segregates into domains. Tracking these domains as a function of temperature we observe that the superconducting domains persist across the bulk superconducting transition, Tc, and disappear close to the pseudogap temperature, T*, where signatures of superconducting correlations disappear from the tunneling spectrum and the superfluid response of the system.

Pressure-induced multiband superconductivity in pyrite PtB i2 with perfect electron-hole compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xuliang; Shao, Dexi; Gu, Chuanchuan; Zhou, Yonghui; An, Chao; Zhou, Ying; Zhu, Xiangde; Chen, Tong; Tian, Mingliang; Sun, Jian; Yang, Zhaorong

2018-05-01

We report on the discovery of pressure-induced superconductivity in the compensated semimetal pyrite PtB i2 , which exhibits extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) and nontrivial band structure at ambient pressure. The appearance of superconductivity, first observed at PC˜13 GPa with an onset critical temperature TC of ˜2.2 K , is accompanied by a pronounced enhancement of the density of electrons and holes based on Hall-effect measurements. Upon further compression, TC remains almost unchanged up to 50.0 GPa; remarkably, the perfect electron-hole compensation still holds, while the carrier mobility greatly reduces. No evident trace of structural phase transitions is detected through synchrotron x-ray diffraction over the measured pressure range of 1.5-51.2 GPa. These results highlight a multiband characteristic of the observed superconductivity, making pyrite PtB i2 unique among the compensated XMR materials where the pressure-induced superconductivity usually links to structural transitions and carrier imbalance.

Theory of the β-Type Organic Superconductivity under Uniaxial Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Takeo; Onari, Seiichiro; Ito, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Yukio

2011-09-01

We study theoretically the shift of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) under uniaxial compression in β-type organic superconductors, β-(BEDT-TTF)2I3 and β-(BDA-TTP)2X (X=SbF6, AsF6), in order to clarify the electron correlation, the spin frustration, and the effect of dimerization. The transfer integrals are calculated by the extended Hückel method assuming the uniaxial strain, and the superconducting state mediated by the spin fluctuation is solved using Eliashberg's equation with the fluctuation--exchange approximation. The calculation is carried out on both the dimerized (one-band) and nondimerized (two-band) Hubbard models. We have found that (i) the behavior of Tc in β-(BEDT-TTF)2I3 with a stronger dimerization is well reproduced by the dimer model, while that in weakly dimerized β-BDA-TTP salts is rather well reproduced by the two-band model, and (ii) the competition between the spin frustration and the effect induced by the fluctuation is important in these materials, which causes the nonmonotonic shift of Tc against uniaxial compression.

Lattice instability and enhancement of superconductivity in YB6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sluchanko, N.; Glushkov, V.; Demishev, S.; Azarevich, A.; Anisimov, M.; Bogach, A.; Voronov, V.; Gavrilkin, S.; Mitsen, K.; Kuznetsov, A.; Sannikov, I.; Shitsevalova, N.; Filipov, V.; Kondrin, M.; Gabáni, S.; Flachbart, K.

2017-10-01

The superconducting and normal state characteristics of yttrium hexaboride (YB6) have been investigated for the single crystals with a transition temperatures Tc ranging between 4.2 K and 7.6 K. The extracted set of microscopic parameters [the coherence length ξ (0 )˜320 -340 Å , the penetration depth λ (0 )˜1100 -3250 Å and the mean free path of charge carriers l =11 -58 Å , the Ginzburg-Landau-Maki parameters κ1 ,2(0 ) ˜3.3 -9.5, and the superconducting gap Δ (0 )˜6.2 -14.8 K] confirms the type II superconductivity in "dirty limit" (ξ ≫l ) with a medium to strong electron-phonon interaction (the electron-phonon interaction constant λe -ph=0.32 -0.96 ) and s -type pairing of charge carriers in this compound [2 Δ (0 ) /kBTc≈3 -4]. The comparative analysis of charge transport (resistivity, Hall and Seebeck coefficients) and thermodynamic (heat capacity, magnetization) properties in the normal state in YB6 allowed to assume a transition into the cage-glass state at T*˜50 K with a static disorder in the arrangement of the Y3 + ions. We argue that the significant Tc variations in YB6 single crystals are determined by two main factors: (i) the superconductivity enhancement is related with the increase of the number of vacancies, both at yttrium and boron sites, leading to nonstoichiometric composition, which is accompanied by the enhancement of electron-phonon interaction in the hexaboride lattice; (ii) stronger Tc depression is observed in near stoichiometric and more dense crystals and it is induced by the development of bcc lattice instability producing strong distortion, disordering, and formation of defect complexes in the matrix of YB6.

μ SR Investigation of Superconducting PbTaSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Murray; Hallas, Alannah; Cai, Yipeng; Guo, Shengli; Gong, Zizhou; Ali, Mazhar; Cava, Robert; Uemura, Yasutomo; Luke, Graeme

Noncentrosymmetric superconductors are a topic of considerable interest in the condensed matter physics community. These materials have the potential to exhibit exotic superconducting states, particularly in the presence of strong spin orbit coupling. PbTaSe2 is a noncentrosymmetric material which has very strong spin orbit coupling, and is superconducting with a TC of 3.6 K. Previous studies of this material have identified exotic properties such as Dirac cones gapped by spin-orbit coupling, a topological semi-metal state, and possible multi-band superconductivity. To further explore this material, it is of considerable interest to investigate the pairing symmetry of the superconducting state, and determine whether odd-parity superconductivity may exist. In this talk we will present a μSR investigation of the penetration depth temperature dependece to infer the pairing symmetry. We will also present zero field μSR measurements which suggest that this material has an even-parity superconducting state.

Meissner motor using high-Tc ceramic superconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takeoka, A.; Ishikawa, A.; Suzuki, M.

1989-03-01

The authors developed a brand new superconducting motor using high-Tc ceramic superconductors for the first time. This motor utilizes the repulsive force caused by the Meissner effect, which appears below Tc and disappears above that, and is therefore referred to as the Meissner Motor. The motor rotated at a maximum speed of 40 rpm. Though the repulsive force to drive the motor increased with the decrease of temperature or the increase of the gradient magnetic field, it was only about 1.1 gf/g at 77 K in 3500 G/cm. The motor has a maximum torque of 5.0 gf-cm theoretically, but actuallymore » had a torque below 0.66 gf-cm, because it took some time to be cooled below Tc. The rotating speed of the motor was limited by heating ability and its torque was limited by cooling ability.« less

Characteristics of Tc and ρ(T) of polycrystalline (In2O3)-(ZnO) films with low carrier density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

B, Shinozaki; S, Takada; N, Kokubo; K, Makise; T, Asano; K, Yamada; K, Yano; H, Nakamura

2012-12-01

For the polycrystalline (In2O3)-(ZnO) prepared by annealing in air, we investigated the relation among superconductivity, ρ(T) characteristics and preparation conditions. To clarify the distribution of elements, we studied the microstructure by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). It was found that 1) The films annealed at restricted regions of annealing temperature Ta and time ta show the superconductivity. Transition temperature TC and carrier density n are Tc<3.3K and n asymp1025/m3~1026/m3, respectively. 2) The data on EELS spectra mapping of indium plasmon indicate that droplets of the pure indium phase distribute discretely on grain boundaries and near the interface between the film and the glass substrate. 3) Although data in the Tc - Ta relation are scattered, the TC shows relatively good correlation with n, taking a convex form.

Quasiparticle self-consistent GW study of cuprates: electronic structure, model parameters, and the two-band theory for Tc.

PubMed

Jang, Seung Woo; Kotani, Takao; Kino, Hiori; Kuroki, Kazuhiko; Han, Myung Joon

2015-07-24

Despite decades of progress, an understanding of unconventional superconductivity still remains elusive. An important open question is about the material dependence of the superconducting properties. Using the quasiparticle self-consistent GW method, we re-examine the electronic structure of copper oxide high-Tc materials. We show that QSGW captures several important features, distinctive from the conventional LDA results. The energy level splitting between d(x(2)-y(2)) and d(3z(2)-r(2)) is significantly enlarged and the van Hove singularity point is lowered. The calculated results compare better than LDA with recent experimental results from resonant inelastic xray scattering and angle resolved photoemission experiments. This agreement with the experiments supports the previously suggested two-band theory for the material dependence of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc.

Synthetic Superconductivity in Single-Layer Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levitov, Leonid; Borgnia, Dan; Lee, Patrick

2015-03-01

Electronic states in atomically thin 2D crystals are fully exposed and can couple to extrinsic degrees of freedom via long-range Coulomb interactions. Novel many-body effects in such systems can be engineered by embedding them in a polar environment. Superconducting pairing interaction induced in this way can enhance the intrinsic electron-phonon pairing mechanism. We take on this notion, which was around since the 60's (''excitonic superconductivity''), and consider synthetic superconductivity (SSC) induced in 2D crystals by a polar environment. One interesting aspect of this scenario is that Coulomb repulsion acts as superconductivity friend rather than a foe. Such repulsion-to-attraction transmutation allows to access strong-coupling superconductivity regime even when intrinsic pairing interaction is weak. We analyze pairing interaction in 2D crystals placed atop a highly polarizable dielectric with dispersive permittivity ɛ (ω) and predict that by optimizing system parameters a substantial enhancement can be achieved. We also argue that the SSC mechanism can be responsible, at least in part, for 100 K superconductivity recently observed in FeSe monolayers grown on SrTiO3 substrate, with Tc more than 10 times larger than in bulk 3D FeSe crystals, arxiv:1406.3435.

The robustness of high-Tc superconductivity in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x investigated in under strong magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Neil; Hsu, Y.-T.; Hartstein, M.; Chan, M.; Porras, J.; Loew, T.; Le Tacon, M.; Lonzarich, G.; Keimer, B.; Flux, V.; Sebastian, S.

A central unresolved mystery in high-Tc superconductivity is whether the pairing amplitude is small in the underdoped regime and relates to the superfluid density or whether it is large and relate to the intrinsic energy scales of the Mott insulating parent state. The magnetic field provides a sensitive probe of the pairing amplitude. However, experimental probes of the extent of the vortex state in temperature and magnetic field have thus far been indirect and hence subject to debate. Here we report measurements over a broad range of temperature and magnetic fields which we use to probe the extent of the vortex region in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. and its interplay with quantum oscillations. N.H. acknowledges UU DOE BES Support for ''Science of 100 Tesla''.

Quantum phase slip phenomenon in ultra-narrow superconducting nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arutyunov, Konstantin Yu.; Hongisto, Terhi T.; Lehtinen, Janne S.; Leino, Leena I.; Vasiliev, Alexander L.

2012-02-01

The smaller the system, typically - the higher is the impact of fluctuations. In narrow superconducting wires sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc thermal fluctuations are responsible for the experimentally observable finite resistance. Quite recently it became possible to fabricate sub-10 nm superconducting structures, where the finite resistivity was reported within the whole range of experimentally obtainable temperatures. The observation has been associated with quantum fluctuations capable to quench zero resistivity in superconducting nanowires even at temperatures T-->0. Here we demonstrate that in tiny superconducting nanorings the same phenomenon is responsible for suppression of another basic attribute of superconductivity - persistent currents - dramatically affecting their magnitude, the period and the shape of the current-phase relation. The effect is of fundamental importance demonstrating the impact of quantum fluctuations on the ground state of a macroscopically coherent system, and should be taken into consideration in various nanoelectronic applications.

Multipole Superconductivity in Nonsymmorphic Sr2IrO4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumita, Shuntaro; Nomoto, Takuya; Yanase, Youichi

2017-07-01

Discoveries of marked similarities to high-Tc cuprate superconductors point to the realization of superconductivity in the doped Jeff=1 /2 Mott insulator Sr2IrO4. Contrary to the mother compound of cuprate superconductors, several stacking patterns of in-plane canted antiferromagnetic moments have been reported, which are distinguished by the ferromagnetic components as -++-, ++++, and -+-+ . In this paper, we clarify unconventional features of the superconductivity coexisting with -++- and -+-+ structures. Combining the group theoretical analysis and numerical calculations for an effective Jeff=1 /2 model, we show unusual superconducting gap structures in the -++- state protected by nonsymmorphic magnetic space group symmetry. Furthermore, our calculation shows that the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconductivity is inevitably stabilized in the -+-+ state since the odd-parity magnetic -+-+ order makes the band structure asymmetric by cooperating with spin-orbit coupling. These unusual superconducting properties are signatures of magnetic multipole order in nonsymmorphic crystal.

Superconductivity driven by pairing of the coherent parts of the physical electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yuehua; Zhang, Chao

2018-03-01

How the superconductivity in unconventional superconductors emerges from the diverse mother normal states is still a big puzzle. Whatever the mother normal states are the superconductivity is normal with BCS-like behaviours of the paired quasiparticles in condensation. To reconcile the diverse mother normal states and the normal superconductivity in unconventional superconductors, we revisit a proposal that the emergence of the low-energy coherent parts of the physical electrons, which survive from the interaction correlations, is an essential prerequisite for superconductivity. The superconductivity is driven by the pair condensation of these coherent parts of the physical electrons. Moreover the incoherent parts of the physical electrons can enhance the superconducting transition temperature Tc although they are not in driving role in the emergence of the superconductivity. Some experimental responses of the coherent parts of the physical electrons are predicted.

Superconductivity in ThPd2Ge2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domieracki, Krzysztof; Wiśniewski, Piotr; Wochowski, Konrad; Romanova, Tetiana; Hackemer, Alicja; Gorzelniak, Roman; Pikul, Adam; Kaczorowski, Dariusz

2018-05-01

Our on-going search for unconventional superconductors among the ThTE2Ge2 phases (TE is a d-electron transition metal) revealed that ThPd2Ge2, which crystallizes with a body-centered tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure, exhibits superconductivity at low temperatures. In this paper, we report on the electrical transport and thermodynamic properties of a polycrystalline sample of this new superconductor, extended down to 50 mK. The experimental data indicates weakly-coupled type-II superconductivity with Tc = 0.63(2) K and μ0Hc2(0) = 32(2) mT.

Applications using high-Tc superconducting terahertz emitters

PubMed Central

Nakade, Kurama; Kashiwagi, Takanari; Saiwai, Yoshihiko; Minami, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Klemm, Richard A.; Kadowaki, Kazuo

2016-01-01

Using recently-developed THz emitters constructed from single crystals of the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, we performed three prototype tests of the devices to demonstrate their unique characteristic properties for various practical applications. The first is a compact and simple transmission type of THz imaging system using a Stirling cryocooler. The second is a high-resolution Michelson interferometer used as a phase-sensitive reflection-type imaging system. The third is a system with precise temperature control to measure the liquid absorption coefficient. The detailed characteristics of these systems are discussed. PMID:26983905

Large-moment antiferromagnetic order in overdoped high-Tc superconductor 154SmFeAsO1-xDx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iimura, Soshi; Okanishi, Hiroshi; Matsuishi, Satoru; Hiraka, Haruhiro; Honda, Takashi; Ikeda, Kazutaka; Hansen, Thomas C.; Otomo, Toshiya; Hosono, Hideo

2017-05-01

In iron-based superconductors, high critical temperature (Tc) superconductivity over 50 K has only been accomplished in electron-doped hREFeAsO (hRE is heavy rare earth (RE) element). Although hREFeAsO has the highest bulk Tc (58 K), progress in understanding its physical properties has been relatively slow due to difficulties in achieving high-concentration electron doping and carrying out neutron experiments. Here, we present a systematic neutron powder diffraction study of 154SmFeAsO1-xDx, and the discovery of a long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with x ≥ 0.56 (AFM2) accompanying a structural transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic. Surprisingly, the Fe magnetic moment in AFM2 reaches a magnitude of 2.73 μB/Fe, which is the largest in all nondoped iron pnictides and chalcogenides. Theoretical calculations suggest that the AFM2 phase originates in kinetic frustration of the Fe-3dxy orbital, in which the nearest-neighbor hopping parameter becomes zero. The unique phase diagram, i.e., highest-Tc superconducting phase adjacent to the strongly correlated phase in electron-overdoped regime, yields important clues to the unconventional origins of superconductivity.

Anomalous electron doping independent two-dimensional superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wei; Xing, Xiangzhuo; Zhao, Haijun; Feng, Jiajia; Pan, Yongqiang; Zhou, Nan; Zhang, Yufeng; Qian, Bin; Shi, Zhixiang

2017-07-01

Transition metal (Co and Ni) co-doping effects are investigated on an underdoped Ca0.94La0.06Fe2As2 compound. It is discovered that electron doping from substituting Fe with transition metal (TM = Co, Ni) can trigger high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity around 35 K, which emerges abruptly before the total suppression of the innate spin-density-wave/anti-ferromagnetism (SDW/AFM) state. Remarkably, the critical temperature for the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity remains constant against a wide range of TM doping levels. And the net electron doping density dependence of the superconducting {T}{{c}} based on the rigid band model can be nicely scaled into a single curve for Co and Ni substitutions, in stark contrast to the case of Ba(Fe1-x TM x )2As2. This carrier density independent superconductivity and the unusual scaling behavior are presumably resulted from the interface superconductivity based on the similarity with the interface superconductivity in a La2-x Sr x CuO4-La2CuO4 bilayer. Evidence of the two-dimensional character of the superfluid by angle-resolved magneto-resistance measurements can further strengthen the interface nature of the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity.

Dissipation-driven phase transitions in superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobos, Alejandro; Iucci, Aníbal; Müller, Markus; Giamarchi, Thierry

2010-03-01

Narrow superconducting wires with diameter dξ0 (where ξ0 is the bulk superconducting coherence length) are quasi-1D systems in which fluctuations of the order parameter strongly affect low-temperature properties. Indeed, fluctuations cause the magnitude of the order parameter to temporarily vanish at some point along the wire, allowing its phase to slip by 2π, and to produce finite resistivity for all temperatures below Tc. In this work, we show that a weak coupling to a diffusive metallic film reinforces superconductivity in the wire through a quench of phase fluctuations. We analyze the effective phase-only action of the system by a perturbative renormalization-group and a self-consistent variational approach to obtain the critical points and phases at T=0. We predict a quantum phase transition towards a superconducting phase with long-range order as a function of the wire stiffness and coupling to the metal. Finally we discuss implications for the DC resistivity of the wire.

An Investigation of the Longitudinal Proximity Effect in Superconducting and Normal Metal TES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Ari-David; Chervenak, James A.; Jethava, Nikhil S.; Kletetschka, Gunther; Mikula, Vilem

2010-01-01

As the TES volume and (effective) Tc become very small - for volume < 10 micrometers x 10 micrometers x 0.5 micrometers and Tc < 90 mK - we approach a regime in which the noise equivalent power is dominated by fluctuations in power dissipating from the TES electrons to its phonons. Our ultimate goal is to build a TES bolometer that operates in this regime to be used for far-infrared and sub-mm astronomy. In this study, we characterize the R vs T behavior of small TES in order to engineer a TES bolometer that has a very low Tc. Sadleir et al found that as the distance L between two superconducting leads, with the lead Tc >> the TES Tc, connected at opposite ends of TES approaches zero, superconductivity is induced parallel to the current flow, or longitudinally, and results in a much higher effective TES Te. Here we present effective Te measurements of Mo/Au TES bounded by Nb leads as a function of L which ranges between 4 and 36 micrometer. We observe that the effective Te is suppressed for current density of order 10(exp -6) A/sq micrometers. We also explore the possibility of using a normal metal TES.

A linear induction motor with a coated conductor superconducting secondary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Zheng, Shijun; Li, Jing; Ma, Guang Tong; Yen, Fei

2018-07-01

A linear induction motor system composed of a high-Tc superconducting secondary with close-ended coils made of REBCO coated conductor wire was designed and tested experimentally. The measured thrust, normal force and power loss are presented and explained by combining the flux dynamics inside superconductors with existing linear drive theory. It is found that an inherent capacitive component associated to the flux motion of vortices in the Type-II superconductor reduces the impedance of the coils; from such, the associated Lorentz forces are drastically increased. The resulting breakout thrust of the designed linear motor system was found to be extremely high (up to 4.7 kN/m2) while the associated normal forces only a fraction of the thrust. Compared to its conventional counterparts, high-Tc superconducting secondaries appear to be more feasible for use in maglev propulsion and electromagnetic launchers.

Cold SQUIDs and hot samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, T.S.C.

1997-05-01

Low transition temperature (low-{Tc}) and high-{Tc} Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) have been used to perform high-resolution magnetic measurements on samples whose temperatures are much higher than the operating temperatures of the devices. Part 1 of this work focuses on measurements of the rigidity of flux vortices in high-{Tc} superconductors using two low-{Tc} SQUIDs, one on either side of a thermally-insulated sample. The correlation between the signals of the SQUIDs is a direct measure of the extent of correlation between the movements of opposite ends of vortices. These measurements were conducted under the previously-unexplored experimental conditions of nominally-zero applied magneticmore » field, such that vortex-vortex interactions were unimportant, and with zero external current. At specific temperatures, the authors observed highly-correlated noise sources, suggesting that the vortices moved as rigid rods. At other temperatures, the noise was mostly uncorrelated, suggesting that the relevant vortices were pinned at more than one point along their length. Part 2 describes the design, construction, performance, and applications of a scanning high-{Tc} SQUID microscope optimized for imaging room-temperature objects with very high spatial resolution and magnetic source sensitivity.« less

Tuning Superconductivity in FeSe Thin Films via Magnesium Doping.

PubMed

Qiu, Wenbin; Ma, Zongqing; Liu, Yongchang; Shahriar Al Hossain, Mohammed; Wang, Xiaolin; Cai, Chuanbing; Dou, Shi Xue

2016-03-01

In contrast to its bulk crystal, the FeSe thin film or layer exhibits better superconductivity performance, which recently attracted much interest in its fundamental research as well as in potential applications around the world. In the present work, tuning superconductivity in FeSe thin films was achieved by magnesium-doping technique. Tc is significantly enhanced from 10.7 K in pure FeSe films to 13.4 K in optimized Mg-doped ones, which is approximately 1.5 times higher than that of bulk crystals. This is the first time achieving the enhancement of superconducting transition temperature in FeSe thin films with practical thickness (120 nm) via a simple Mg-doping process. Moreover, these Mg-doped FeSe films are quite stable in atmosphere with Hc2 up to 32.7 T and Tc(zero) up to 12 K, respectively, implying their outstanding potential for practical applications in high magnetic fields. It was found that Mg enters the matrix of FeSe lattice, and does not react with FeSe forming any other secondary phase. Actually, Mg first occupies Fe-vacancies, and then substitutes for some Fe in the FeSe crystal lattices when Fe-vacancies are fully filled. Simultaneously, external Mg-doping introduces sufficient electron doping and induces the variation of electron carrier concentration according to Hall coefficient measurements. This is responsible for the evolution of superconducting performance in FeSe thin films. Our results provide a new strategy to improve the superconductivity of 11 type Fe-based superconductors and will help us to understand the intrinsic mechanism of this unconventional superconducting system.

Spin-orbit coupling enhanced superconductivity in Bi-rich compounds ABi₃ (A = Sr and Ba).

PubMed

Shao, D F; Luo, X; Lu, W J; Hu, L; Zhu, X D; Song, W H; Zhu, X B; Sun, Y P

2016-02-19

Recently, Bi-based compounds have attracted attentions because of the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, we figured out the role of SOC in ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba) by theoretical investigation of the band structures, phonon properties, and electron-phonon coupling. Without SOC, strong Fermi surface nesting leads to phonon instabilities in ABi3. SOC suppresses the nesting and stabilizes the structure. Moreover, without SOC the calculation largely underestimates the superconducting transition temperatures (Tc), while with SOC the calculated Tc are very close to those determined by measurements on single crystal samples. The SOC enhanced superconductivity in ABi3 is due to not only the SOC induced phonon softening, but also the SOC related increase of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements. ABi3 can be potential platforms to construct heterostructure of superconductor/topological insulator to realize topological superconductivity.

Glass-Derived Superconductive Ceramic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bansal, Narottam P.; Farrell, D. E.

1992-01-01

Critical superconducting-transition temperature of 107.2 K observed in specimen made by annealing glass of composition Bi1.5Pb0.5Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox for 243 h at 840 degrees C. PbO found to lower melting temperature and viscosity of glass, possibly by acting as fluxing agent. Suggested partial substitution of lead into bismuth oxide planes of crystalline phase having Tc of 110 K stabilizes this phase and facilitates formation of it.

Type-I superconductivity in YbSb2 single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Liang L.; Lausberg, Stefan; Kim, Hyunsoo

2012-06-25

We present evidence of type-I superconductivity in YbSb2 single crystals from dc and ac magnetization, heat capacity, and resistivity measurements. The critical temperature and critical field are determined to be Tc≈ 1.3 K and Hc≈ 55 Oe. A small Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ= 0.05, together with typical magnetization isotherms of type-I superconductors, small critical field values, a strong differential paramagnetic effect signal, and a field-induced change from second- to first-order phase transition, confirms the type-I nature of the superconductivity in YbSb2. A possible second superconducting state is observed in the radio-frequency susceptibility measurements, with Tc(2)≈ 0.41 K and Hc(2)≈ 430 Oe.

James C. McGroddy Prize Lecutre: Iron-Based Superconductors: Discovery and Progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosono, Hideo

2015-03-01

The largest breakthrough in the history is the discovery of high Tc Cuprates by G.Bednorz and A.Muller in 1986 and the maximum Tc exceeded 77K, boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen in 1987. However, no new superconductors with high Tc had been reported since then except MgB2 (Tc =39K) discovered by J.Akimitsu in 2001.We found LaFePO superconductor with Tc =3K in 2006 and LaFeAsO1-xFx with Tc =26K (42K at under high pressure of 5GPa) in early 2008. The latter discovery rekindled the extensive superconductivity research globally, and more than 10,000 papers have been published to now. This excitement originates from disprovement of a widely accepted belief that iron with a large magnetic moment is harmful for emergence of superconductivity and relatively high Tc. Extensive research on iron-based superconductors pushed up the maximal Tc to 56K, which is next to high Tc cuprates and has led to the discovery of more than 50 new iron-based superconducting materials to date. Seen are so many advances in elucidation of superconducting properties and pairing mechanism. In this talk, I introduce a tale to the discovery and show the current status by reviewing progresses in materials, properties, mechanism and the application covering the recent hot topics. Emphases are placed on the unique characteristics arising from multi-orbital nature which totally differs from high Tc cuprates.

Running Performance of a Pinning-Type Superconducting Magnetic Levitation Guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okano, M.; Iwamoto, T.; Furuse, M.; Fuchino, S.; Ishii, I.

2006-06-01

A pinning-type superconducting magnetic levitation guide with bulk high-Tc superconductors was studied for use as a goods transportation system, an energy storage system, etc. A superconducting magnetic levitation running test apparatus with a circular track of ca. 38 m length, 12 m diameter, which comprises the magnetic rail constituted by Nd-B-Fe rare-earth permanent magnets and steel plates, was manufactured to examine loss and high-speed performance of the magnetic levitation guide. Running tests were conducted in air. These tests clarify that a vehicle supported by a superconducting magnetic levitation guide runs stably at speeds greater than 42 km/h above the circular track.

High Tc superconducting bolometric and nonbolometric infrared (IR) detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lakeou, Samuel; Rajeswari, M.; Goyal, Anuja

1995-01-01

The workplan for the period August 1994 through August 1995 includes the following: (1) expand the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory to include stand-alone optical response and noise measurement setups; (2) pursue studies of the low frequency excess electrical noise in YBCO films; and (3) enhance the academic support component of the project through increased student and faculty participation.

Imaging the electron-boson coupling in superconducting FeSe films using a scanning tunneling microscope.

PubMed

Song, Can-Li; Wang, Yi-Lin; Jiang, Ye-Ping; Li, Zhi; Wang, Lili; He, Ke; Chen, Xi; Hoffman, Jennifer E; Ma, Xu-Cun; Xue, Qi-Kun

2014-02-07

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy has been used to reveal signatures of a bosonic mode in the local quasiparticle density of states of superconducting FeSe films. The mode appears below Tc as a "dip-hump" feature at energy Ω∼4.7kBTc beyond the superconducting gap Δ. Spectra on strained regions of the FeSe films reveal simultaneous decreases in Δ and Ω. This contrasts with all previous reports on other high-Tc superconductors, where Δ locally anticorrelates with Ω. A local strong coupling model is found to reconcile the discrepancy well, and to provide a unified picture of the electron-boson coupling in unconventional superconductors.

Superconductivity, pseudo-gap, and stripe correlations in high-Tc cuprates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zailan; Denis, Sylvain; Lebert, Blair W.; Bertran, Francois; Le Fèvre, Patrick; Taleb-Ibrahimi, Amina; Castellan, John-Paul; Bolloc'h, David Le; Jacques, Vincent L. R.; Sidis, Yvan; Baptiste, Benoît; Decorse, Claudia; Berthet, Patrick; Perfetti, Luca; d'Astuto, Matteo

2018-05-01

Under-doped La-214 cuprates show a charge- and spin-modulation known as "stripes" [1]. These stripe modulations are (quasi)-static close to 1/8 hole doping where superconductivity is suppressed. The pseudo-gap phase of other cuprate compounds recently also revealed charge modulation, but interpreted rather as a charge density wave (CDW) [2-4], that possibly competes with superconductivity. In this context, to better understand the interplay between the stripe phase and the superconductivity, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the electronic band structure and gap in La-214 cuprates near 1/8 doping (La2-x-yNdySrxCuO4 (x = 0.12; y = 0.0 & 0.4)) and compare with the previous results in the same system [5] and La1.86Ba0.14CuO4 [6]. Our data shows a loss of spectral intensity towards the end of the Fermi arcs, that is possibly due to a strong renormalisation, as already pointed out elsewhere [6], with a noisy but still measurable gap. On the nodal direction no gap is observed within our statistics, but a sizeable decrease in intensity with temperature. Moreover, we do not see any shadow band, but our Fermi surface can be well modelled with a single electron band calculation in the tight binding approximation, even very close to the 1/8 doping La2-x-yNdySrxCuO4 with and without Nd substitution.

Polymorphism control of superconductivity and magnetism in Cs(3)C(60) close to the Mott transition.

PubMed

Ganin, Alexey Y; Takabayashi, Yasuhiro; Jeglic, Peter; Arcon, Denis; Potocnik, Anton; Baker, Peter J; Ohishi, Yasuo; McDonald, Martin T; Tzirakis, Manolis D; McLennan, Alec; Darling, George R; Takata, Masaki; Rosseinsky, Matthew J; Prassides, Kosmas

2010-07-08

The crystal structure of a solid controls the interactions between the electronically active units and thus its electronic properties. In the high-temperature superconducting copper oxides, only one spatial arrangement of the electronically active Cu(2+) units-a two-dimensional square lattice-is available to study the competition between the cooperative electronic states of magnetic order and superconductivity. Crystals of the spherical molecular C(60)(3-) anion support both superconductivity and magnetism but can consist of fundamentally distinct three-dimensional arrangements of the anions. Superconductivity in the A(3)C(60) (A = alkali metal) fullerides has been exclusively associated with face-centred cubic (f.c.c.) packing of C(60)(3-) (refs 2, 3), but recently the most expanded (and thus having the highest superconducting transition temperature, T(c); ref. 4) composition Cs(3)C(60) has been isolated as a body-centred cubic (b.c.c.) packing, which supports both superconductivity and magnetic order. Here we isolate the f.c.c. polymorph of Cs(3)C(60) to show how the spatial arrangement of the electronically active units controls the competing superconducting and magnetic electronic ground states. Unlike all the other f.c.c. A(3)C(60) fullerides, f.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) is not a superconductor but a magnetic insulator at ambient pressure, and becomes superconducting under pressure. The magnetic ordering occurs at an order of magnitude lower temperature in the geometrically frustrated f.c.c. polymorph (Néel temperature T(N) = 2.2 K) than in the b.c.c.-based packing (T(N) = 46 K). The different lattice packings of C(60)(3-) change T(c) from 38 K in b.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) to 35 K in f.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) (the highest found in the f.c.c. A(3)C(60) family). The existence of two superconducting packings of the same electronically active unit reveals that T(c) scales universally in a structure-independent dome-like relationship with proximity to the Mott metal-insulator transition

Tests on a 30 kVA class superconducting transformer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoneda, E. S.; Tashiro, I.; Morohoshi, M.; Ito, D.

To demonstrate the applicability of superconductors to electric power machines, the present authors made and tested a 30 kVA class single-phase superconducting transformer. The aim of the study was to determine the superconducting transformer properties. Therefore the superconducting transformer has a simple structure, i.e. the primary to secondary voltage ratio is 1:1 and the iron core is immersed in liquid helium. The core loss, evaluated from no-load tests, was 13 W and leakage impedance, obtained by short circuit tests, was 0.02 Ω in accordance with a calculated value. The superconducting transformer showed the limitation effect of fault currents. The authors succeeded in continuous operation with a 0.5 Ω load resistance. These results suggest that efficiency can be 98.5%, if the iron core is located outside the cryostat and if high Tc superconductors are used as current leads. Superconducting windings exhibit training quenches in general. The authors also developed a superconducting transformer quench detector with a third winding around the iron core. The quench detector revealed that the secondary winding quenches before the primary winding.

Superconducting properties of NbN film, bridge and meanders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Lalit M.; Verma, Apoorva; Gupta, Anurag; Rout, P. K.; Husale, Sudhir; Budhani, R. C.

2018-05-01

The transport properties of superconducting NbN nanostructures in the form of thin film, bridge of width (w) = 50 μm and three meanders of w = 500, 250 and 100 nm have been investigated by resistance (R) measurements in temperature (T) range = 2 -300 K and magnetic field (B) range = 0 - 7 Tesla. The nanostructuring was carried out using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling. Reduction of sample width results in significant changes in the normal and superconducting state properties. For instance, the observed metallic behavior in the thin film sample is lost and the normal state resistance increases drastically from 2.4 Ω to 418 kΩ for the 100 nm meander. In the superconducting state, the value of critical temperature Tc (upper critical field Bc2 at T = 0 K) reduces gradually with width reduction, it changes from 13.15 K (42.8 Tesla) in the case of thin film sample to 5.7 K (12.7 Tesla) for the 100 nm meander sample. The superconducting transitions are found to get broader for the bridge sample and the meanders additionally show low-temperature resistive tails. In case of all the samples with reduced width, the transition onsets are found to be rounded at surprisingly high values of T ˜ 25 K >> Tc. These results are discussed in terms of the possible effects of FIB processing and weak localization in our samples.

Theoretical study of stability and superconductivity of ScHn (n =4 -8 ) at high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Shifeng; Sheng, Xiaowei; Yan, Xiaozhen; Chen, Yangmei; Song, Bo

2017-09-01

The synthesis of hydrogen sulfides, with the potential of high-temperature superconductivity, was recently proposed at high Tc = 203 K. It motivated us to employ an ab initio approach for the predictions of crystal structures to find the stable scandium hydrides. In addition to the earlier predicted three stoichiometries of ScH, ScH2, and ScH3, we identify three other metallic stoichiometries of ScH4, ScH6, and ScH8, which show superconductivity at significantly higher temperatures. The phases of ScH4 and ScH6, whose stability does not require extremely high pressures (<150 GPa with ZPE), are primarily ionic compounds containing exotic quasimolecular H2 arrangements. The present electron-phonon calculations revealed the superconductive potential of ScH4 and ScH6 with estimated Tc of 98 K and 129 K at 200 GPa and 130 GPa, respectively. The superconductivity of ScHn stems from the large electron-phonon coupling associated with the wagging, bending, and intermediate-frequency modes attributed mainly to the hydrogen atoms.

Unconventional superconductivity in Y5Rh6Sn18 probed by muon spin relaxation

PubMed Central

Bhattacharyya, Amitava; Adroja, Devashibhai; Kase, Naoki; Hillier, Adrian; Akimitsu, Jun; Strydom, Andre

2015-01-01

Conventional superconductors are robust diamagnets that expel magnetic fields through the Meissner effect. It would therefore be unexpected if a superconducting ground state would support spontaneous magnetics fields. Such broken time-reversal symmetry states have been suggested for the high—temperature superconductors, but their identification remains experimentally controversial. We present magnetization, heat capacity, zero field and transverse field muon spin relaxation experiments on the recently discovered caged type superconductor Y5Rh6Sn18 ( TC= 3.0 K). The electronic heat capacity of Y5Rh6Sn18 shows a T3 dependence below Tc indicating an anisotropic superconducting gap with a point node. This result is in sharp contrast to that observed in the isostructural Lu5Rh6Sn18 which is a strong coupling s—wave superconductor. The temperature dependence of the deduced superfluid in density Y5Rh6Sn18 is consistent with a BCS s—wave gap function, while the zero-field muon spin relaxation measurements strongly evidences unconventional superconductivity through a spontaneous appearance of an internal magnetic field below the superconducting transition temperature, signifying that the superconducting state is categorized by the broken time-reversal symmetry. PMID:26286229

Evolution of High-Temperature Superconductivity from a Low-T_{c} Phase Tuned by Carrier Concentration in FeSe Thin Flakes.

PubMed

Lei, B; Cui, J H; Xiang, Z J; Shang, C; Wang, N Z; Ye, G J; Luo, X G; Wu, T; Sun, Z; Chen, X H

2016-02-19

We report the evolution of superconductivity in an FeSe thin flake with systematically regulated carrier concentrations by the liquid-gating technique. With electron doping tuned by the gate voltage, high-temperature superconductivity with an onset at 48 K can be achieved in an FeSe thin flake with T_{c} less than 10 K. This is the first time such high temperature superconductivity in FeSe is achieved without either an epitaxial interface or external pressure, and it definitely proves that the simple electron-doping process is able to induce high-temperature superconductivity with T_{c}^{onset} as high as 48 K in bulk FeSe. Intriguingly, our data also indicate that the superconductivity is suddenly changed from a low-T_{c} phase to a high-T_{c} phase with a Lifshitz transition at a certain carrier concentration. These results help to build a unified picture to understand the high-temperature superconductivity among all FeSe-derived superconductors and shed light on the further pursuit of a higher T_{c} in these materials.

Interface-enhanced high-temperature superconductivity in single-unit-cell FeT e1 -xS ex films on SrTi O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fangsen; Ding, Hao; Tang, Chenjia; Peng, Junping; Zhang, Qinghua; Zhang, Wenhao; Zhou, Guanyu; Zhang, Ding; Song, Can-Li; He, Ke; Ji, Shuaihua; Chen, Xi; Gu, Lin; Wang, Lili; Ma, Xu-Cun; Xue, Qi-Kun

2015-06-01

Recently discovered high-temperature superconductivity in single-unit-cell (UC) FeSe films on SrTi O3 (STO) substrate has stimulated tremendous research interest, both experimental and theoretical. Whether this scenario could be extended to other superconductors is vital in both identifying the enhanced superconductivity mechanism and further raising the critical transition temperature (Tc). Here we successfully prepared single-UC FeT e1 -xS ex(0.1 ≤x ≤0.6 ) films on STO substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and observed U -shaped superconducting gaps (Δ ) up to ˜16.5 meV , nearly ten times the gap value (Δ ˜1.7 meV ) of the optimally doped bulk FeT e0 .6S e0 .4 single crystal (Tc˜14.5 K ). No superconducting gap has been observed on the second UC and thicker FeT e1 -xS ex films at 5.7 K, indicating the important role of the interface. This interface-enhanced high-temperature superconductivity is further confirmed by ex situ transport measurements, which revealed an onset superconducting transition temperature above 40 K, nearly two times higher than that of the optimally doped bulk FeT e0 .6S e0 .4 single crystal. This work demonstrates that interface engineering is a feasible way to discover alternative superconductors with higher Tc.

Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yonghui; Wu, Juefei; Ning, Wei; Li, Nana; Du, Yongping; Chen, Xuliang; Zhang, Ranran; Chi, Zhenhua; Wang, Xuefei; Zhu, Xiangde; Lu, Pengchao; Ji, Cheng; Wan, Xiangang; Yang, Zhaorong; Sun, Jian; Yang, Wenge; Tian, Mingliang; Zhang, Yuheng; Mao, Ho-kwang

2016-01-01

As a new type of topological materials, ZrTe5 shows many exotic properties under extreme conditions. Using resistance and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements under high pressure, while the resistance anomaly near 128 K is completely suppressed at 6.2 GPa, a fully superconducting transition emerges. The superconducting transition temperature Tc increases with applied pressure, and reaches a maximum of 4.0 K at 14.6 GPa, followed by a slight drop but remaining almost constant value up to 68.5 GPa. At pressures above 21.2 GPa, a second superconducting phase with the maximum Tc of about 6.0 K appears and coexists with the original one to the maximum pressure studied in this work. In situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations indicate the observed two-stage superconducting behavior is correlated to the structural phase transition from ambient Cmcm phase to high-pressure C2/m phase around 6 GPa, and to a mixture of two high-pressure phases of C2/m and P-1 above 20 GPa. The combination of structure, transport measurement, and theoretical calculations enable a complete understanding of the emerging exotic properties in 3D topological materials under extreme environments. PMID:26929327

Superconducting thermal neutron detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merlo, V.; Pietropaolo, A.; Celentano, G.; Cirillo, M.; Lucci, M.; Ottaviani, I.; Salvato, M.; Scherillo, A.; Schooneveld, E. M.; Vannozzi, A.

2016-09-01

A neutron detection concept is presented that is based on superconductive niobium nitride (NbN) strips coated by a boron (B) layer. The working principle is well described by a hot spot mechanism: upon the occurrence of the nuclear reactions n + 10B → α + 7Li + 2.8 MeV, the energy released by the secondary particles into the strip induces a superconducting-normal state transition. The latter is recognized as a voltage signal which is the evidence of the incident neutron. The above described detection principle has been experimentally assessed and verified by irradiating the samples with a pulsed neutron beam at the ISIS spallation neutron source (UK). It is found that the boron coated superconducting strips, kept at a temperature T below 11K and current-biased below the critical current IC, are driven into the normal state upon thermal neutron irradiation. Measurements on the counting rate of the device are presented and the basic physical features of the detector are discussed and compared to those of a borated Nb superconducting strip.

Relaxation of the resistive superconducting state in boron-doped diamond films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardakova, A.; Shishkin, A.; Semenov, A.; Goltsman, G. N.; Ryabchun, S.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Bousquet, J.; Eon, D.; Sacépé, B.; Klein, Th.; Bustarret, E.

2016-02-01

We report a study of the relaxation time of the restoration of the resistive superconducting state in single crystalline boron-doped diamond using amplitude-modulated absorption of (sub-)THz radiation (AMAR). The films grown on an insulating diamond substrate have a low carrier density of about 2.5 ×1021cm-3 and a critical temperature of about 2 K . By changing the modulation frequency we find a high-frequency rolloff which we associate with the characteristic time of energy relaxation between the electron and the phonon systems or the relaxation time for nonequilibrium superconductivity. Our main result is that the electron-phonon scattering time varies clearly as T-2, over the accessible temperature range of 1.7 to 2.2 K. In addition, we find, upon approaching the critical temperature Tc, evidence for an increasing relaxation time on both sides of Tc.

Superconducting hot electron bolometers for terahertz sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reese, Matthew Owen

Superconducting Hot Electron Bolometers (HEBs) are good candidates for detecting weak signals in the submillimeter or terahertz range. In this thesis work, a novel fabrication method was developed to make two types of niobium HEBs for different applications. HEBs were designed, fabricated, and then characterized at dc, microwave, and THz frequencies. The first type is a diffusion-cooled HEB, made with a short bridge that determines its cooling time. In this thesis, bridges were typically 400 nm long with bandwidths of about 1 GHz. These diffusion-cooled HEBs were developed as part of a collaboration with the University of Arizona (UA), to develop a proof-of-concept heterodyne array submillimeter camera. Devices were fabricated on thin fused quartz and silica substrates for waveguide coupling in the UA system for the astrophysically interesting 345 and 810 GHz atmospheric windows. The goal of this collaboration is to provide a basis of comparison between Nb diffusion-cooled HEB mixers and superconductorinsulator-superconductor mixers at these frequencies. The second type is a phonon-cooled HEB, made with a ˜3 mum long bridge. Its thermal response is dictated by the electron-phonon relaxation time. These devices were developed in collaboration with Prof. C. Schmuttenmaer's lab in the Yale Chemistry department, Prof. G. Blake at Caltech, and Dr. J. Pearson at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These devices were developed for use in quasi-optic systems to be used as fast (>100 MHz) direct detectors that can view room temperature sources without saturating. A variety of experimental applications are envisioned for these detectors including charge transport measurements of novel materials. A series of dc and microwave measurements were performed on the diffusion-cooled devices. A better understanding of the resistance vs. temperature profile was realized, including what design/fabrication parameters affect it and insight into how it affects device performance. This led to

Unusual superconducting state at 49 K in electron-doped CaFe2As2 at ambient pressure

PubMed Central

Lv, Bing; Deng, Liangzi; Gooch, Melissa; Wei, Fengyan; Sun, Yanyi; Meen, James K.; Xue, Yu-Yi; Lorenz, Bernd; Chu, Ching-Wu

2011-01-01

We report the detection of unusual superconductivity up to 49 K in single crystalline CaFe2As2 via electron-doping by partial replacement of Ca by rare-earth. The superconducting transition observed suggests the possible existence of two phases: one starting at 49 K, which has a low critical field < 4 Oe, and the other at 21 K, with a much higher critical field > 5 T. Our observations are in strong contrast to previous reports of doping or pressurizing layered compounds AeFe2As2 (or Ae122), where Ae = Ca, Sr, or Ba. In Ae122, hole-doping has been previously observed to generate superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) only up to 38 K and pressurization has been reported to produce superconductivity with a Tc up to 30 K. The unusual 49 K phase detected will be discussed. PMID:21911404

PREFACE: Anisotropic and multiband pairing: from borides to multicomponent superconductivity Anisotropic and multiband pairing: from borides to multicomponent superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annett, James; Kusmartsev, Feodor; Bianconi, Antonio

2009-01-01

Caivano et al, in which it is proposed that the Feschbach resonance mechanism operating near to a quantum critical point may lead to stripe-like fluctuations in these materials. A number of papers describe multigap-related effects in high-Tc superconductors. In particular, Atkinson shows how the existence of CuO chain states at the Fermi surface leads to a set of resonances in the induced gap in the chain layer, which have a pronounced effect on the vortex core shape. Kristoffel et al discuss the existence of the two coherence lengths in two-gap superconductors, and describe how this leads to spatially periodic fluctuations, with possible application to high-temperature superconductivity. Kugel et al describe a scenario for phase separation due to long-range Coulomb forces leading to microstrain and nanoscale inhomogeneities in high-Tc cuprates. Kusmartsev and Saarela also argue that charge over-screening may lead to 'Coulomb bubbles' in high-Tc superconductors. Finally, Wysokiński et al describe multigap effects in strontium ruthenate, in particular the effects on the NMR relaxation rate spectra, which are obtained for NMR on different nuclear species.

Ab initio Eliashberg Theory: Making Genuine Predictions of Superconducting Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanna, Antonio; Flores-Livas, José A.; Davydov, Arkadiy; Profeta, Gianni; Dewhurst, Kay; Sharma, Sangeeta; Gross, E. K. U.

2018-04-01

We present an application of Eliashberg theory of superconductivity to study a set of novel superconducting systems with a wide range of structural and chemical properties. The set includes three intercalated group-IV honeycomb layered structures, SH3 at 200 GPa (the superconductor with the highest measured critical temperature), the similar system SeH3 at 150 GPa, and a lithium doped mono-layer of black phosphorus. The theoretical approach we adopt is a recently developed, fully ab initio Eliashberg approach that takes into account the Coulomb interaction in a full energy-resolved fashion avoiding any free parameters like μ*. This method provides reasonable estimations of superconducting properties, including TC and the excitation spectra of superconductors.

Green's-function theory of dirty two-band superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Yasuhiro; Golubov, Alexander A.

2018-06-01

We study the effects of random nonmagnetic impurities on the superconducting transition temperature Tc in a two-band superconductor, where we assume an equal-time spin-singlet s -wave pair potential in each conduction band and the hybridization between the two bands as well as the band asymmetry. In the clean limit, the phase of hybridization determines the stability of two states, called s++ and s+-. The interband impurity scatterings decrease Tc of the two states exactly in the same manner when time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the Hamiltonian. We find that a superconductor with larger hybridization shows more moderate suppression of Tc. This effect can be explained by the presence of odd-frequency Cooper pairs, which are generated by the band hybridization in the clean limit and are broken by impurities.

Superconductivity in the two-dimensional Hubbard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beenen, J.; Edwards, D. M.

1995-11-01

Quasiparticle bands of the two-dimensional Hubbard model are calculated using the Roth two-pole approximation to the one-particle Green's function. Excellent agreement is obtained with recent Monte Carlo calculations, including an anomalous volume of the Fermi surface near half-filling, which can possibly be explained in terms of a breakdown of Fermi liquid theory. The calculated bands are very flat around the (π,0) points of the Brillouin zone in agreement with photoemission measurements of cuprate superconductors. With doping there is a shift in spectral weight from the upper band to the lower band. The Roth method is extended to deal with superconductivity within a four-pole approximation allowing electron-hole mixing. It is shown that triplet p-wave pairing never occurs. A self-consistent solution with singlet dx2-y2-wave pairing is found and optimal doping occurs when the van Hove singularity, corresponding to the flat band part, lies at the Fermi level. Nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic correlations play an important role in flattening the bands near the Fermi level and in favoring superconductivity. However, the mechanism for superconductivity is a local one, in contrast to spin-fluctuation exchange models. For reasonable values of the hopping parameter the transition temperature Tc is in the range 10-100 K. The optimum doping δc lies between 0.14 and 0.25, depending on the ratio U/t. The gap equation has a BCS-like form and 2Δmax/kTc~=4.

Theory of high-TC superconductivity: transition temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harshman, Dale R.; Fiory, Anthony T.; Dow, John D.

2010-12-01

After reading over our published manuscript, we noticed that the discussion concerning the determination of σ for the ruthenate Ba2YRu0.9Cu0.1O6 in section 2.3.1 (3rd paragraph) is somewhat terse. Herein we provide an expanded analysis which better explains our estimate of γ (and thus σ) for this compound. All numbers, figures and conclusions remain unaltered. The ruthenate compounds A2YRu1-xCuxO6 (with A = Ba or Sr; x = 0.05-0.15) are double-perovskites containing no cuprate planes and with ν = μ = 1 [1] (reference [82] in the paper). The determination of γ follows from equation (2.5b), wherein rule 1b introduces the factor 1/2. In the lower limit, one expects a minimum of ~2 charges per Cu dopant, which are shared between two charge reservoirs of each layer type (AO and 1/2 (YRu1-xCuxO4)), producing a net factor of unity. Thus, for Ba2YRu0.9Cu0.1O6 (with TC0 ~ 30-40 K), we estimate γ = (1/2)(1) = 1/2, yielding σ = 0.05 as stated by equation (2.5c) in the paper. While one may expect an average effective charge state for Ru near +5, and that of Cu to be between +2 and +3 (post anneal) [2], the lower-limit estimation provided, which places the corresponding data point in figure 2 to the left of the line, appears sufficient to include the ruthenates with the other high-TC compounds found to follow equation (2.6) so far. Owing to the uncertainty in the experimental values for TC0, as well as the Ru and Cu valence states, however, this compound was excluded in the data analyses presented. Future research will attempt a more accurate determination of the charge per doped Cu, and thus σ. We would also like to point out a typographical correction in the definition of the corresponding ruthenate type II reservoir in the last column of table 1, which should read 1/2 (YRu0.9Cu0.1O4). An unrelated item is found in the fourth line of section 2.3.3, where Tb(O0.80F0.20)FeAs should read Tb(O0.80-yF0.20)FeAs. Additionally, reference [132] is now known and has the form

Perspectives of synchrotron radiation sources with superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Takashi

2007-10-01

The synchrotron radiation source is a magnetic device to generate a periodic magnetic field where a relativistic electron moves along a periodic trajectory and emits light called synchrotron radiation (SR), which has been used as a scientific probe for many years in various fields. Although permanent magnets (PMs) are usually used to generate the magnetic field in the SR source because of their cost-effectiveness and availability, a large number of SR sources with superconductors have been constructed for special uses, i.e., to obtain a strong magnetic field over 3 T, which cannot be achieved by using PMs alone. Most of these SR sources are composed of electromagnets with superconducting coils made of NbTi as in commercially available superconducting magnets. For stronger magnetic field, research on application of Nb3Sn is in progress. On the other hand, utilization of high Tc superconducting bulk magnets has been recently proposed and R&Ds toward realization are being carried out. This paper reviews the currents status of the SR sources with superconductivity and describes the future perspectives.

Superconductivity up to 114 K in the Bi-Al-Ca-Sr-Cu-O compound system without rare-earth elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, C. W.; Bechtold, J.; Gao, L.; Hor, P. H.; Huang, Z. J.

1988-01-01

Stable superconductivity up to 114 K has been reproducibly detected in Bi-Al-Ca-Sr-Cu-O multiphase systems without any rare-earth elements. Pressure has only a slight positive effect on T(c). These observations provide an extra material base for the study of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity and also the prospect of reduced material cost for future applications of superconductivity.

Disentangling superconducting and magnetic orders in NaFe1 -xNixAs using muon spin rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Sky C.; Guguchia, Zurab; Frandsen, Benjamin A.; Gong, Zizhou; Yamakawa, Kohtaro; Almeida, Dalson E.; Onuorah, Ifeanyi J.; Bonfá, Pietro; Miranda, Eduardo; Wang, Weiyi; Tam, David W.; Song, Yu; Cao, Chongde; Cai, Yipeng; Hallas, Alannah M.; Wilson, Murray N.; Munsie, Timothy J. S.; Luke, Graeme; Chen, Bijuan; Dai, Guangyang; Jin, Changqing; Guo, Shengli; Ning, Fanlong; Fernandes, Rafael M.; De Renzi, Roberto; Dai, Pengcheng; Uemura, Yasutomo J.

2018-06-01

Muon spin rotation and relaxation studies have been performed on a "111" family of iron-based superconductors, NaFe1 -xNixAs , using single crystalline samples with Ni concentrations x =0 , 0.4, 0.6, 1.0, 1.3, and 1.5%. Static magnetic order was characterized by obtaining the temperature and doping dependences of the local ordered magnetic moment size and the volume fraction of the magnetically ordered regions. For x =0 and 0.4%, a transition to a nearly-homogeneous long range magnetically ordered state is observed, while for x ≳0.4 % magnetic order becomes more disordered and is completely suppressed for x =1.5 % . The magnetic volume fraction continuously decreases with increasing x . Development of superconductivity in the full volume is inferred from Meissner shielding results for x ≳0.4 % . The combination of magnetic and superconducting volumes implies that a spatially-overlapping coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity spans a large region of the T -x phase diagram for NaFe1 -xNixAs . A strong reduction of both the ordered moment size and the volume fraction is observed below the superconducting TC for x =0.6 , 1.0, and 1.3%, in contrast to other iron pnictides in which one of these two parameters exhibits a reduction below TC, but not both. The suppression of magnetic order is further enhanced with increased Ni doping, leading to a reentrant nonmagnetic state below TC for x =1.3 % . The reentrant behavior indicates an interplay between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity involving competition for the same electrons. These observations are consistent with the sign-changing s± superconducting state, which is expected to appear on the verge of microscopic coexistence and phase separation with magnetism. We also present a universal linear relationship between the local ordered moment size and the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature TN across a variety of iron-based superconductors. We argue that this linear relationship is consistent with an

Pressure-tuned superconductivity and normal-state behavior in Ba (Fe0.943Co0.057)2As2 near the antiferromagnetic boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Wu, Y. F.; Li, X. J.; Bud'ko, S. L.; Canfield, P. C.; Panagopoulos, C.; Li, P. G.; Mu, G.; Hu, T.; Almasan, C. C.; Xiao, H.

2018-04-01

Superconductivity in iron pnictides is unconventional and pairing may be mediated by magnetic fluctuations in the Fe sublattice. Pressure is a clean method to explore superconductivity in iron based superconductors by tuning the ground state continuously without introducing disorder. Here we present a systematic high pressure transport study in Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 single crystals with x =0.057 , which is near the antiferromagnetic instability. Resistivity ρ =ρ0+A Tn was studied under applied pressure up to 7.90 GPa. The parameter n approaches a minimum value of n ≈1 at a critical pressure Pc=3.65 GPa. Near Pc, the superconducting transition temperature Tc reaches a maximum value of 25.8 K. In addition, the superconducting diamagnetism at 2 K shows a sudden change around the same critical pressure. These results may be associated with a possible quantum critical point hidden inside the superconducting dome, near optimum Tc.

Spin-orbit coupling enhanced superconductivity in Bi-rich compounds ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba)

PubMed Central

Shao, D. F.; Luo, X.; Lu, W. J.; Hu, L.; Zhu, X. D.; Song, W. H.; Zhu, X. B.; Sun, Y. P.

2016-01-01

Recently, Bi-based compounds have attracted attentions because of the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, we figured out the role of SOC in ABi3 (A = Sr and Ba) by theoretical investigation of the band structures, phonon properties, and electron-phonon coupling. Without SOC, strong Fermi surface nesting leads to phonon instabilities in ABi3. SOC suppresses the nesting and stabilizes the structure. Moreover, without SOC the calculation largely underestimates the superconducting transition temperatures (Tc), while with SOC the calculated Tc are very close to those determined by measurements on single crystal samples. The SOC enhanced superconductivity in ABi3 is due to not only the SOC induced phonon softening, but also the SOC related increase of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements. ABi3 can be potential platforms to construct heterostructure of superconductor/topological insulator to realize topological superconductivity. PMID:26892681

Magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of Nb/Gd/Nb trilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaydukov, Yu. N.; Vasenko, A. S.; Kravtsov, E. A.; Progliado, V. V.; Zhaketov, V. D.; Csik, A.; Nikitenko, Yu. V.; Petrenko, A. V.; Keller, T.; Golubov, A. A.; Kupriyanov, M. Yu.; Ustinov, V. V.; Aksenov, V. L.; Keimer, B.

2018-04-01

We report on a study of the structural, magnetic, and superconducting properties of Nb (25 nm ) /Gd (df) /Nb (25 nm ) hybrid structures of a superconductor/ ferromagnet (S/F) type. The structural characterization of the samples, including careful determination of the layer thickness, was performed using neutron and x-ray scattering with the aid of depth-sensitive mass spectrometry. The magnetization of the samples was determined by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectometry, and the presence of magnetic ordering for all samples down to the thinnest Gd(0.8 nm) layer was shown. The analysis of the neutron spin asymmetry allowed us to prove the absence of magnetically dead layers in junctions with Gd interlayer thickness larger than one monolayer. The measured dependence of the superconducting transition temperature Tc(df) has a damped oscillatory behavior with well-defined positions of the minimum at df=3 nm and the following maximum at df=4 nm, in qualitative agreement with prior work [J. S. Jiang et al., Phys. Rev. B 54, 6119 (1996), 10.1103/PhysRevB.54.6119]. We use a theoretical approach based on the Usadel equations to analyze the experimental Tc(df) dependence. The analysis shows that the observed minimum at df=3 nm can be described by the so-called zero to π phase transitions of highly transparent S/F interfaces with a superconducting correlation length ξf≈4 nm in Gd. This penetration length is several times higher than for strong ferromagnets like Fe, Co, and Ni, thus simplifying the preparation of S/F structures with df˜ξf which are of topical interest in superconducting spintronics.

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism in Pd doped Y9Co7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimczuk, Tomasz; Strychalska, Judyta; Thompson, Joe; Cava, Robert

The ferromagnetic superconductor Y9Co7 was chemically doped with Pd in an attempt to form Y9Co7-xPdx for 0Superconductivity (Tsc = 2.4 K) and ferromagnetism (TC = 4.5 K) were observed only for the parent Y9Co7 compound. For the lowest tested Pd doping level (x =0.05), strong enhancement of ferromagnetism is observed (TC = 9.35 K), but superconductivity is not seen above 1.8K. The Curie temperature rapidly increases from 4.5 K to about 10 K for a Pd concentration x =0.1 and remains almost unchanged for Y9Co6.8Pd0.2. Project was financially supported by the National Science Centre (Poland) Grant (DEC-2012/07/E/ST3/00584).

Formation of high-Tc YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) films on Y2BaCuO5 substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W. N.; Lu, H. B.; Lin, W. J.; Yao, P. C.; Hsu, H. E.

1988-07-01

High-Tc superconducting YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) films have been successfully prepared on green Y2BaCuO5 (2115) ceramic substrate. The films have been formed by RF sputtering and screen printing with post annealing at 925 C. Regarding superconducting features, the sharp resistivity drop with Tc onset around 95 K (midpoint 84 K) and 99 K (midpoint 89 K) has been observed for RF sputtered and printed films respectively. Both films show the excellent adhesion towards the 2115 substrate. Powder X-ray diffraction profiles indicate a majority of 1237 phase with preferred orientation for RF sputtered thin film.

d +i d chiral superconductivity in a triangular lattice from trigonal bipyramidal complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Chen; Zhang, Li-Da; Wu, Xianxin; Yang, Fan; Hu, Jiangping

2018-04-01

We model the newly predicted high-Tc superconducting candidates constructed by corner-shared trigonal bipyramidal complexes with an effective three-orbital tight-binding Hamiltonian and investigate the pairing symmetry of their superconducting states driven by electron-electron interactions. Our combined weak- and strong-coupling-based calculations consistently identify the chiral d +i d superconductivity as the leading pairing symmetry in a wide doping range with realistic interaction parameters. This pairing state has a nontrivial topological Chern number and can host gapless chiral edge modes, and the vortex cores under magnetic field can carry Majorana zero modes.

Electronic structure and relaxation dynamics in a superconducting topological material

DOE PAGES

Neupane, Madhab; Ishida, Yukiaki; Sankar, Raman; ...

2016-03-03

Topological superconductors host new states of quantum matter which show a pairing gap in the bulk and gapless surface states providing a platform to realize Majorana fermions. Recently, alkaline-earth metal Sr intercalated Bi2Se3 has been reported to show superconductivity with a Tc~3K and a large shielding fraction. Here we report systematic normal state electronic structure studies of Sr0.06Bi2Se3 (Tc~2.5K) by performing photoemission spectroscopy. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we observe a quantum well confined two-dimensional (2D) state coexisting with a topological surface state in Sr0.06Bi2Se3. Furthermore, our time-resolved ARPES reveals the relaxation dynamics showing different decay mechanism between the excitedmore » topological surface states and the two-dimensional states. Our experimental observation is understood by considering the intra-band scattering for topological surface states and an additional electron phonon scattering for the 2D states, which is responsible for the superconductivity. Our first-principles calculations agree with the more effective scattering and a shorter lifetime of the 2D states. In conclusion, our results will be helpful in understanding low temperature superconducting states of these topological materials.« less

First-Principles Study of Superconductivity in Ultra- thin Pb Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noffsinger, Jesse; Cohen, Marvin L.

2010-03-01

Recently, superconductivity in ultrathin layered Pb has been confirmed in samples with as few as two atomic layers [S. Qin, J. Kim, Q. Niu, and C.-K. Shih, Science 2009]. Interestingly, the prototypical strong-coupling superconductor exhibits different Tc's for differing surface reconstructions in samples with only two monolayers. Additionally, Tc is seen to oscillate as the number of atomic layers is increased. Using first principles techniques based on Wannier functions, we analyze the electronic structure, lattice dynamics and electron-phonon coupling for varying thicknesses and surface reconstructions of layered Pb. We discuss results as they relate to superconductivity in the bulk, for which accurate calculations of superconducting properties can be compared to experiment [W. L. McMillan and J.M. Rowell, PRL 1965]. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant No. DMR07-05941, the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. Computational resources have been provided by the Lawrencium computational cluster resource provided by the IT Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231)

Study on Thermal Deformation Behavior of TC4 – ELI Titanium Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Zhang, F. S.; Huang, T.; Song, K. X.

2018-05-01

The TC4-ELI titanium alloy was subjected to hot compression deformation test by the Gleeble-1500D thermal simulation test machine. The thermal deformation behavior of the TC4-ELI titanium alloy was studied under the condition of 850°C-1050°C, 0.001s-1-10s-1 strain rate and 50% deformation. The constitutive equation of TC4-ELI titanium alloy was established based on the hyperbolic sine model of Arrhenius equation. The results show that the flow stress of TC4-ELI titanium alloy decreases with the increase of temperature at high temperature. The calculated heat activation energy of TC4-ELI titanium alloy is 300367.5807J / mol.

Bulk superconductivity in bismuth oxysulfide Bi4O4S3.

PubMed

Singh, Shiva Kumar; Kumar, Anuj; Gahtori, Bhasker; Shruti; Sharma, Gyaneshwar; Patnaik, Satyabrata; Awana, Veer P S

2012-10-10

A very recent report on the observation of superconductivity in Bi(4)O(4)S(3) [Mizuguchi, Y.; http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.3145] could potentially reignite the search for superconductivity in a broad range of layered sulfides. We report here the synthesis of Bi(4)O(4)S(3) at 500 °C by a vacuum encapsulation technique and its basic characterizations. The as-synthesized Bi(4)O(4)S(3) was contaminated with small amounts of Bi(2)S(3) and Bi impurities. The majority phase was found to be tetragonal (space group I4/mmm) with lattice parameters a = 3.9697(2) Å and c = 41.3520(1) Å. Both AC and DC magnetization measurements confirmed that Bi(4)O(4)S(3) is a bulk superconductor with a superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) of 4.4 K. Isothermal magnetization (M-H) measurements indicated closed loops with clear signatures of flux pinning and irreversible behavior. The lower critical field (H(c1)) at 2 K for the new superconductor was found to be ~15 Oe. Magnetotransport measurements showed a broadening of the resistivity (ρ) and a decrease in T(c) (ρ = 0) with increasing magnetic field. The extrapolated upper critical field H(c2)(0) was ~31 kOe with a corresponding Ginzburg-Landau coherence length of ~100 Å . In the normal state, the ρ ~ T(2) dependence was not indicated. Hall resistivity data showed a nonlinear magnetic field dependence. Our magnetization and electrical transport measurements substantiate the appearance of bulk superconductivity in as-synthesized Bi(4)O(4)S(3). On the other hand, Bi heat-treated at the same temperature is not superconducting, thus excluding the possibility of impurity-driven superconductivity in the newly discovered superconductor Bi(4)O(4)S(3).

Low-Tc direct current superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer-based 36-channel magnetocardiography system in a magnetically shielded room

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Yang; Li, Hua; Zhang, Shu-Lin; Wang, Yong-Liang; Kong, Xiang-Yan; Zhang, Chao-Xiang; Zhang, Yong-Sheng; Xu, Xiao-Feng; Yang, Kang; Xie, Xiao-Ming

2015-07-01

We constructed a 36-channel magnetocardiography (MCG) system based on low-Tc direct current (DC) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometers operated inside a magnetically shielded room (MSR). Weakly damped SQUID magnetometers with large Steward-McCumber parameter βc (βc ≈ 5), which could directly connect to the operational amplifier without any additional feedback circuit, were used to simplify the readout electronics. With a flux-to-voltage transfer coefficient ∂ V/∂ Φ larger than 420 μV/Φ 0, the SQUID magnetometers had a white noise level of about 5.5 fT·Hz-1/2 when operated in MSR. 36 sensing magnetometers and 15 reference magnetometers were employed to realize software gradiometer configurations. The coverage area of the 36 sensing magnetometers is 210×210 mm2. MCG measurements with a high signal-to-noise ratio of 40 dB were done successfully using the developed system. Project supported by “One Hundred Persons Project” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB04020200).

Uniaxial compression on the superconductivity of β-BDA-TTP salts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Hiroshi; Ishihara, Tetsuo; Tanaka, Hisaaki; Kuroda, Shin-ichi; Yamada, Jun-ichi

2008-10-01

The β-type BDA-TTP superconductors attract attention due to the high transition temperature Tc at ambient pressure for organic superconductors. In order to get insight into the superconductivity in terms of the dimerized anisotropic triangular lattice model, Tc of β-(BDA-TTP)2X [X = SbF6, X = AsF6] is studied under uniaxial compression by resistivity measurements. Under compression parallel to the donor stack, Tc increases gradually up to 3 (X = SbF6), 5 (X = AsF6) kbar, and decreases under further piston pressure. Under compression perpendicular to the donor stack, Tc decreases gradually up to 2.5 (X = SbF6), 4 (X = AsF6) kbar and then decreases rapidly under further pressure. Only for X = AsF6, a Tc minimum at 3 kbar is found for both direction. These trends in Tc are understood as an interplay between the enhancement of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation and frustration on the triangular lattice. By the interplane compression, Tc increased by 0.5 K up to 2 kbar for both salts, demonstrating the importance of the interlayer interaction.

Superconductivity in Cuba: Reaching the Frontline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arés Muzio, Oscar; Altshuler, Ernesto

The start of experimental research in the field of superconductivity was a very special moment for Cuban physics: Cuban scientists at the Physics Faculty, University of Havana, synthesized the first Cuban superconductor (a 123-YBCO ceramic sample) just 2 months after the publication of the famous paper by Wu and co-workers that triggered the frantic race of High Tc superconductors all over the world. We timely joined the world's frontline in superconductor research.

Magnetically-related properties of bismuth containing high Tc superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vezzoli, Gary C.; Chen, M. F.; Craver, F.; Safari, A.; Moon, B. M.; Lalevic, B.; Burke, Terence; Shoga, M.

1990-08-01

The effect of magnetic fields to 15 T on electrical resistance has been measured for the BiSrCaCuO superconductor at precise temperatures during the transition to the superconducting state from pre-onset conditions to essentially zero resistance conditions. The results show that the temperature at which the magnetic field causes a divergence in the resistance versus 1000/ T curve is approximately the same temperature as the value at which, during cooling, the positive Hall coefficient begins its abrupt descent to zero. This temperature gives the best measure of Tc. It is also shown that small oscillations of low frequency start near onset conditions, the amplitude of which at a given temperature is B-field dependent. Additionally, Hall effect studies as a function of temperature at 4 T in three separate experiments (including high Tc BiSrCaCu PbO of > 90% theoretical density) show that sharp delta-function-like peaks in + RH are observed near Tc and are superimposed on a broader maximum. The Hall data are explicable in terms of exciton formation and ionization. The bound holes associated with these excitons are believed to be the mediators producing Cooper-pairing, and scale very well with Tc for all the known high Tc oxides.

Local charge-density change and superconductivity: A positron study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Y. C.; Sundar, C. S.; Bharathi, A.; Kyle, J.; Nakanishi, H.; Tseng, P. K.; Hor, P. H.; Meng, R. L.; Huang, Z. J.; Chu, C. W.; Wang, Z. Z.; Turchi, P. E. A.; Howell, R. H.; Wachs, A. L.; Fluss, M. J.

1990-03-01

The temperature dependence between 10 and 300 K of the positron lifetime was measured in the high-temperature superconductors YBA2(Cu1-xMx)3O6+δ, where M=Zn and Ga with x=0.0 to 0.07 and δ>0.8. In the undoped and Ga-doped samples, the positron lifetime in the Bloch state, τb, was observed to decrease below Tc. In the Zn-doped samples, a dramatic x-dependent temperature variation of τb was observed: from a decrease of Tb below Tc for x=0.01 to an increase of τb for x>0.02. These new experimental results are interpreted in terms of a change in the local charge density of high-Tc oxides associated with the superconducting transition.

Quasiparticle relaxation in superconducting nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savich, Yahor; Glazman, Leonid; Kamenev, Alex

2017-09-01

We examine energy relaxation of nonequilibrium quasiparticles in "dirty" superconductors with the electron mean free path much shorter than the superconducting coherence length. Relaxation of low-energy nonequilibrium quasiparticles is dominated by phonon emission. We derive the corresponding collision integral and find the quasiparticle relaxation rate. The latter is sensitive to the breaking of time reversal symmetry (TRS) by a magnetic field (or magnetic impurities). As a concrete application of the developed theory, we address quasiparticle trapping by a vortex and a current-biased constriction. We show that trapping of hot quasiparticles may predominantly occur at distances from the vortex core, or the constriction, significantly exceeding the superconducting coherence length.

The effect of the YBCO-PST composite composition on the superconducting carrier concentration determined by microwave studies under high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupski, M.; Stankowski, J.; Przybył, S.; Andrzejewski, B.; Kaczmarek, A.; Hilczer, B.; Marfaing, J.; Caranoni, C.

1999-07-01

The effect of hydrostatic pressure ( p<0.6 GPa) on the superconducting critical temperature Tc in YBa 2Cu 3O 7- δ-Pb(Sc 0.5Ta 0.5)O 3 (YBCO-PST) composite is measured by the method of magnetically modulated microwave absorption (MMMA). The Tc dependence on the PST fraction in weight x (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75) is approximated by an inverted parabola function whereas the influence of pressure on Tc is represented by the equation: d Tc/d p=0.61(2)-1.72(6) x. The result may be explained assuming that PST phase in YBCO-PST composite influences the superconducting carrier concentration similar to the chemical substitution in YBa 2Cu 3O 7 [J.J. Neumeier, H.A. Zimmermann, Phys. Rev. B 47 (1993) 8385]. It is suggested that ions from PST diffuse to YBCO cell during the sintering of the composite.

Temperature-dependent transformation of the magnetic excitation spectrum on approaching superconductivity in Fe(1+y-x)(Ni/Cu)(x)Te(0.5)Se(0.5).

PubMed

Xu, Zhijun; Wen, Jinsheng; Zhao, Yang; Matsuda, Masaaki; Ku, Wei; Liu, Xuerong; Gu, Genda; Lee, D-H; Birgeneau, R J; Tranquada, J M; Xu, Guangyong

2012-11-30

Spin excitations are one of the top candidates for mediating electron pairing in unconventional superconductors. Their coupling to superconductivity is evident in a large number of systems, by the observation of an abrupt redistribution of magnetic spectral weight at the superconducting transition temperature, T(c), for energies comparable to the superconducting gap. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering measurements on Fe-based superconductors, Fe(1+y-x)(Ni/Cu)(x)Te(0.5)Se(0.5) that emphasize an additional signature. The overall shape of the low energy magnetic dispersion changes from two incommensurate vertical columns at T≫T(c) to a distinctly different U-shaped dispersion at low temperature. Importantly, this spectral reconstruction is apparent for temperatures up to ~3T(c). If the magnetic excitations are involved in the pairing mechanism, their surprising modification on the approach to T(c) demonstrates that strong interactions are involved.

Coexistence of static magnetism and superconductivity in SmFeAsO(1-x)F(x) as revealed by muon spin rotation.

PubMed

Drew, A J; Niedermayer, Ch; Baker, P J; Pratt, F L; Blundell, S J; Lancaster, T; Liu, R H; Wu, G; Chen, X H; Watanabe, I; Malik, V K; Dubroka, A; Rössle, M; Kim, K W; Baines, C; Bernhard, C

2009-04-01

The recent observation of superconductivity with critical temperatures (Tc) up to 55 K in the pnictide RFeAsO(1-x)F(x), where R is a lanthanide, marks the first discovery of a non-copper-oxide-based layered high-Tc superconductor. It has raised the suspicion that these new materials share a similar pairing mechanism to the cuprate superconductors, as both families exhibit superconductivity following charge doping of a magnetic parent material. In this context, it is important to follow the evolution of the microscopic magnetic properties of the pnictides with doping and hence to determine whether magnetic correlations coexist with superconductivity. Here, we present a muon spin rotation study on SmFeAsO(1-x)F(x), with x=0-0.30 that shows that, as in the cuprates, static magnetism persists well into the superconducting regime. This analogy is quite surprising as the parent compounds of the two families have rather different magnetic ground states: itinerant spin density wave for the pnictides contrasted with the Mott-Hubbard insulator in the cuprates. Our findings therefore suggest that the proximity to magnetic order and associated soft magnetic fluctuations, rather than strong electronic correlations in the vicinity of a Mott-Hubbard transition, may be the key ingredients of high-Tc superconductors.

High Tc superconducting bolometric and nonbolometric infrared (IR) detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lakeou, Samuel

1995-01-01

Activities carried out during the reporting period are summarized. The workplan for the period August 1994 to August 1995 included the following: (1) expansion of the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory to include stand-alone optical response and noise measurement setups; (2) study the low frequency excess electrical noise in YBCO films; and (3) enhancement of the academic support component of the project through increased student and faculty participation. Abstracts of papers submitted for publication during this reporting period are included as attachments.

Test of a Nb thin film superconducting detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lacquaniti, V.; Maggi, S.; Menichetti, E.

1993-08-01

Results from tests of several Nb thin film microstrip superconducting detectors are reported. A preliminary measurement of critical radius of the hot spot generated by 5 MeV [alpha]-particles is compared with simple model predictions.

Elliptical vortex and oblique vortex lattice in the FeSe superconductor based on the nematicity and mixed superconducting orders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Da-Chuan; Lv, Yang-Yang; Li, Jun; Zhu, Bei-Yi; Wang, Qiang-Hua; Wang, Hua-Bing; Wu, Pei-Heng

2018-03-01

The electronic nematic phase is characterized as an ordered state of matter with rotational symmetry breaking, and has been well studied in the quantum Hall system and the high-Tc superconductors, regardless of cuprate or pnictide family. The nematic state in high-Tc systems often relates to the structural transition or electronic instability in the normal phase. Nevertheless, the electronic states below the superconducting transition temperature is still an open question. With high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope measurements, direct observation of vortex core in FeSe thin films revealed the nematic superconducting state by Song et al. Here, motivated by the experiment, we construct the extended Ginzburg-Landau free energy to describe the elliptical vortex, where a mixed s-wave and d-wave superconducting order is coupled to the nematic order. The nematic order induces the mixture of two superconducting orders and enhances the anisotropic interaction between the two superconducting orders, resulting in a symmetry breaking from C4 to C2. Consequently, the vortex cores are stretched into an elliptical shape. In the equilibrium state, the elliptical vortices assemble a lozenge-like vortex lattice, being well consistent with experimental results.

A superconducting battery material: Lithium gold boride (LiAu3B)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aydin, Sezgin; Şimşek, Mehmet

2018-04-01

The superconducting and potential cathode material properties of ternary boride of LiAu3B have been investigated by density functional first principles. The Li-concentration effects on the actual electronic and structural properties, namely the properties of LixAu9B3 (x = 0, 1, 2) sub-systems are studied. It is remarkably shown that the existence of Li-atoms has no considerable effect on the structural properties of Au-B skeleton in LiAu3B. Then, it can be offered as a potential cathode material for Li-ion batteries with the very small volume deviation of 0.42%, and the suitable average open circuit voltage of ∼1.30 V. Furthermore, the vibrational and superconducting properties such as electron-phonon coupling constant (λ) and critical temperature (Tc) of LiAu3B are studied. The calculated results suggest that LiAu3B should be a superconductor with Tc ∼5.8 K, also.

Electroplating of the superconductive boride MgB2 from molten salts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, Hideki; Yoshii, Kenji; Nishida, Kenji; Imai, Motoharu; Kitazawa, Hideaki

2005-02-01

An electroplating technique of the superconductive boride MgB2 onto graphite substrates is reported. Films of MgB2 with a thickness of tens micrometer were fabricated on the planar and curved surfaces of graphite substrates by means of electrolysis on a mixture of magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and magnesium borate fused at 600 °C under an Ar atmosphere. The electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements revealed that the electroplated MgB2 films undergo a superconducting transition with the critical temperature (Tc) of 36 K.

Bulk Superconductivity Induced by In-Plane Chemical Pressure Effect in Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2-xSex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinno, Gen; Jha, Rajveer; Yamada, Akira; Higashinaka, Ryuji; Matsuda, Tatsuma D.; Aoki, Yuji; Nagao, Masanori; Miura, Osuke; Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu

2016-12-01

We have investigated the Se substitution effect on the superconductivity of optimally doped BiS2-based superconductor Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2. Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2-xSex samples with x = 0-1 were synthesized. With increasing x, in-plane chemical pressure is enhanced. For x ≥ 0.6, superconducting transitions with a large shielding volume fraction are observed in magnetic susceptibility measurements, and the highest Tc is 3.8 K for x = 0.8. From low-temperature electrical resistivity measurements, a zero-resistivity state is observed for all the samples, and the highest Tc is observed for x = 0.8. With increasing Se concentration, the characteristic electrical resistivity changes from semiconducting-like to metallic, suggesting that the emergence of bulk superconductivity is linked with the enhanced metallicity. A superconductivity phase diagram of the Eu0.5La0.5FBiS2-xSex superconductor is established.

Unconventional superconductivity in CaFe0.85Co0.15AsF evidenced by torque measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Hong; Li, X. J.; Mu, G.; Hu, T.

Out-of-plane angular dependent torque measurements were performed on CaFe0.85Co0.15AsF single crystals. Abnormal superconducting fluctuation, featured by enhanced diamagnetism with magnetic field, is detected up to about 1.5 times superconducting transition temperature Tc. Compared to cuprate superconductors, the fluctuation effect in iron-based superconductor is less pronounced. Anisotropy parameter γ is obtained from the mixed state torque data and it is found that γ shows both magnetic field and temperature depenence, pointing to multiband superconductivity. The temperature dependence of penetration depth λ (T) suggests unconventional superconductivity in CaFe0.85Co0.15AsF.

Domain-wall guided nucleation of superconductivity in hybrid ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet layered structures.

PubMed

Gillijns, W; Aladyshkin, A Yu; Lange, M; Van Bael, M J; Moshchalkov, V V

2005-11-25

Domain-wall superconductivity is studied in a superconducting Nb film placed between two ferromagnetic Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetization. The parameters of top and bottom ferromagnetic films are chosen to provide different coercive fields, so that the magnetic domain structure of the ferromagnets can be selectively controlled. From the dependence of the critical temperature Tc on the applied magnetic field H, we have found evidence for domain-wall superconductivity in this three-layered F/S/F structure for different magnetic domain patterns. The phase boundary, calculated numerically for this structure from the linearized Ginzburg-Landau equation, is in good agreement with the experimental data.

Pressure-induced reinforcement of interfacial superconductivity in a Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Junying; Heuckeroth, Claire; Deng, Yuhang; He, Qinglin; Liu, Hong Chao; Liang, Jing; Wang, Jiannong; Sou, Iam Keong; Schilling, James S.; Lortz, Rolf

2017-12-01

We investigate the hydrostatic pressure dependence of interfacial superconductivity occurring at the atomically sharp interface between two non-superconducting materials: the topological insulator (TI) Bi2Te3 and the parent compound Fe1+yTe of the chalcogenide iron-based superconductors. Under pressure, a significant increase in the superconducting transition temperature Tc is observed. We interpret our data in the context of a pressure-induced enhanced coupling of the Fe1+yTe interfacial layer with the Bi2Te3 surface state, which modifies the electronic properties of the interface layer in a way that superconductivity emerges and becomes further enhanced under pressure. This demonstrates the important role of the TI in the interfacial superconducting mechanism.

The Pseudogap in Multiband Superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristoffel, N.; Rubin, P.

2012-11-01

The pseudogap (PG) excitation is analyzed as a natural event in multiband superconductivity. It corresponds to minimal quasiparticle excitation energy of an electron band not touched by the chemical potential. The critical points of the phase diagram are determined by vanishing conditions for normal state pseudogaps (NPG). For two bands (gapped or overlapping) these are positioned on edges of the superconducting dome. Theoretical background for a three-band system with two interband pairing channels is developed. There are three independent superconducting gaps (SCG). The PG is associated with the band component possessing a bare gap which can be quenched by doping. At low doping the PG and the SCG of another band component coexist. The critical point is not fixed in respect of the transition temperature (Tc) dome background. The depletion of the PG associated states is restored here. This effect can also be indirect by the participation of these states in determining the chemical potential position. At the critical point the PG looses its normal state contribution and continues as the SCG of the same band. Illustrative examples on the doping scale have been calculated.

Diffusion-Cooled Tantalum Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skalare, Anders; McGrath, William; Bumble, Bruce; LeDuc, Henry

2004-01-01

A batch of experimental diffusion-cooled hot-electron bolometers (HEBs), suitable for use as mixers having input frequencies in the terahertz range and output frequencies up to about a gigahertz, exploit the superconducting/normal-conducting transition in a thin strip of tantalum. The design and operation of these HEB mixers are based on mostly the same principles as those of a prior HEB mixer that exploited the superconducting/normal- conducting transition in a thin strip of niobium and that was described elsewhere.

Upper critical field measurements in high-Tc superconducting oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ousset, J. C.; Bobo, J. F.; Ulmet, J. P.; Rakoto, H.; Cheggour, N.

We present upper critical field measurements on the superconducting oxides RE Ba2Cu3O7-δ (RE = Y, Gd) performed in a pulsed magnetic field up to 43 T. Values for Hc2 as high as 52 T and 77 T for Y and Gd respectively, are expected at 77 K. However, in order to observe no resistive behaviour up to 43 T the temperature must be decreased down to 50 K. In the case of oxygen deficient systems the magnetoresistance reveals two superconducting phases wich could be related to two different orders of oxygen vacancies. Nous présentons des mesures de champ critique Hc2 sur les supraconducteurs TR Ba 2Cu3O7-δ (TR = Y, Gd) réalisées en champ magnétique pulsé jusqu'à 43 T. Elles permettent de prévoir des valeurs de H c2 de 52 T et 77 T respectivement pour Y et Gd à 77 K. Cependant, pour ne pas observer de comportement résistif jusqu'au champ maximum, il est nécessaire de refroidir l'échantillon jusqu'à 50 K. Dans le cas des systèmes déficients en oxygène (δ important) nous mettons en évidence l'existence de deux phases supraconductrices qui pourraient être dues à deux ordres différents des lacunes d'oxygène.

Temperature and Microstructural Effects on the Superconducting Properties of Niobium Thin Films

DOE PAGES

Beebe, Melissa R.; Valente-Feliciano, Anne -Marie; Beringer, Douglas B.; ...

2016-11-23

Here, superconducting thin films have a wide range of dc and RF applications, from detectors to superconducting radio frequency. Amongst the most used materials, niobium (Nb) has the highest critical temperature (TC) and highest lower critical field (HC1) of the elemental superconductors and can be deposited on a variety of substrates, making Nb thin films very appealing for such applications. Here, we present temperature-dependent dc studies on the critical temperature and critical fields of Nb thin films grown on copper and r-plane sapphire surfaces. Additionally, we correlate the dc superconducting properties of these films with their microstructure, which allows formore » the possibility of tailoring future films for a specific application.« less

Reproducible fabrication and applications of superconducting scanning tunneling microscope tips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naaman, Ofer; Teizer, Winfried; Dynes, Robert C.

2001-03-01

We report on a method developed in our lab, for the fabrication of superconducting scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tips in a reproducible fashion. The fabrication process relies on sequential deposition of superconducting Pb and a proximity-coupled Ag capping layer onto a Pt/Ir tip. The tips were characterized by tunneling into both normal-metal and superconducting films, and the results confirm that the tips are superconducting with Tc and Δ close to that of bulk lead. The lead phonon structure in the tunneling density of states was observed, indicating a single step tunneling process. In an attempt to form STM Josephson junctions, we used our tips to form S/I/S junctions with R_NN ~50-100 kΩ. Results from spectroscopic measurements of these junctions at 2.0 K are discussed within the framework of the Ivanchenko and Zil'berman theory (Soviet Physics JETP, vol.28, 1272; 1969) of Josephson tunneling in the presence of strong phase fluctuations.

Low-activity 124I-PET/low-dose CT versus 99mTc-pertechnetate planar scintigraphy or 99mTc-pertechnetate single-photon emission computed tomography of the thyroid: a pilot comparison.

PubMed

Darr, Andreas M; Opfermann, Thomas; Niksch, Tobias; Driesch, Dominik; Marlowe, Robert J; Freesmeyer, Martin

2013-10-01

The standard thyroid functional imaging method, 99mTc-pertechnetate (99mTc-PT) planar scintigraphy, has technical drawbacks decreasing its sensitivity in detecting nodules or anatomical pathology. 124I-PET, lacking these disadvantages and allowing simultaneous CT, may have greater sensitivity for these purposes. We performed a blinded pilot comparison of 124I-PET(/CT) versus 99mTc-PT planar scintigraphy or its cross-sectional enhancement, 99mTc-PT single-photon emission CT (SPECT), in characterizing the thyroid gland with benign disease. Twenty-one consecutive adults with goiter underwent low-activity (1 MBq/0.027 mCi) 124I-PET/low-dose (30 mAs) CT, 99mTc-PT planar scintigraphy, and 99mTc-PT-SPECT. Endpoints included the numbers of “hot spots” with/without central photopenia and “cold spots” detected, the proportion of these lesions with morphological correlates, the mean volume and diameter of visualized nodules, and the number of cases of lobus pyramidalis or retrosternal thyroid tissue identified. 124I-PET detected significantly more “hot spots” with/without central photopenia (P < 0.001), significantly more nodules (P < 0.001), and more “cold spots” than did 99mTc-PT planar scintigraphy or 99mTc-PT-SPECT, including all lesions seen on the 99mTc-PT modalities. Ultrasonographic correlates were found for all nodules visualized on all 3 modalities and 92.5% of nodules seen only on 124I-PET. Nodules discernible only on 124I-PET had significantly smaller mean volume or diameter (P < 0.001) than did those visualized on 99mTc-PT planar scintigraphy or 99mTc-PT-SPECT. 124I-PET(/CT) identified significantly more patients with a lobus pyramidalis (P < 0.001) or retrosternal thyroid tissue (P < 0.05). 124I-PET(/CT) may provide superior imaging of benign thyroid disease compared to planar or cross-sectional 99mTc-PT scintigraphy.

Tunneling Spectroscopy of Superconducting MoN and NbTiN Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition.

DOE PAGES

Groll, Nickolas; Klug, Jeffrey A.; Cao, Chaoyue; ...

2014-03-03

A tunneling spectroscopy study is presented of superconducting MoN and Nbo.8Tio.2N thin films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The films exhibited a superconducting gap of 2meV and 2.4meV, respectively, with a corresponding critical temperature of 11.5K and 13.4 K, among the highest reported Tc values achieved by the ALD technique.Tunnel junctions were obtained using a mechanical contact method with a Au tip. While the native oxides of these films provided poor tunnel barriers, high quality tunnel junctions with low zero bias conductance (below rvl0%) were obtained using an artificial tunnel barrier of Ah03 on the film's surface grown exmore » situ by ALD. We find a large critical current density on the order of 4 x 106Ncm2 at T =0.8Tc for a 60 run MoN film and demonstrate conformal coating capabilities of ALD onto high aspect ratio geometries. These results suggest that the ALD technique offers significant promise for thin film superconducting device applications.« less

Tunneling spectroscopy of superconducting MoN and NbTiN grown by atomic layer deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groll, Nickolas R.; Klug, Jeffrey A.; Cao, Chaoyue; Altin, Serdar; Claus, Helmut; Becker, Nicholas G.; Zasadzinski, John F.; Pellin, Michael J.; Proslier, Thomas

2014-03-01

A tunneling spectroscopy study is presented of superconducting MoN and Nb0.8Ti0.2N thin films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The films exhibited a superconducting gap of 2 meV and 2.4 meV, respectively, with a corresponding critical temperature of 11.5 K and 13.4 K, among the highest reported Tc values achieved by the ALD technique. Tunnel junctions were obtained using a mechanical contact method with a Au tip. While the native oxides of these films provided poor tunnel barriers, high quality tunnel junctions with low zero bias conductance (below ˜10%) were obtained using an artificial tunnel barrier of Al2O3 on the film's surface grown ex situ by ALD. We find a large critical current density on the order of 4 × 106 A/cm2 at T = 0.8Tc for a 60 nm MoN film and demonstrate conformal coating capabilities of ALD onto high aspect ratio geometries. These results suggest that the ALD technique offers significant promise for thin film superconducting device applications.

Superconductivity with extremely large upper critical fields in Nb2Pd0.81S5

PubMed Central

Zhang, Q.; Li, G.; Rhodes, D.; Kiswandhi, A.; Besara, T.; Zeng, B.; Sun, J.; Siegrist, T.; Johannes, M. D.; Balicas, L.

2013-01-01

Here, we report the discovery of superconductivity in a new transition metal-chalcogenide compound, i.e. Nb2Pd0.81S5, with a transition temperature Tc ≅ 6.6 K. Despite its relatively low Tc, it displays remarkably high and anisotropic superconducting upper critical fields, e.g. μ0Hc2 (T → 0 K) > 37 T for fields applied along the crystallographic b-axis. For a field applied perpendicularly to the b-axis, μ0Hc2 shows a linear dependence in temperature which coupled to a temperature-dependent anisotropy of the upper critical fields, suggests that Nb2Pd0.81S5 is a multi-band superconductor. This is consistent with band structure calculations which reveal nearly cylindrical and quasi-one-dimensional Fermi surface sheets having hole and electron character, respectively. The static spin susceptibility as calculated through the random phase approximation, reveals strong peaks suggesting proximity to a magnetic state and therefore the possibility of unconventional superconductivity. PMID:23486091

Synthesis of high {Tc} superconducting coatings and patterns by melt writing and oxidation of metallic precursor alloys

DOEpatents

Gao, W.; Vander Sande, J.B.

1998-07-28

A method is provided for fabrication of superconducting oxides and superconducting oxide composites and for joining superconductors to other materials. A coating of a molten alloy containing the metallic elements of the oxide is applied to a substrate surface and oxidized to form the superconducting oxide. A material can be contacted to the molten alloy which is subsequently oxidized joining the material to the resulting superconducting oxide coating. Substrates of varied composition and shape can be coated or joined by this method. 5 figs.

Superconductivity in pressurized CeRhG e3 and related noncentrosymmetric compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Honghong; Guo, Jing; Bauer, Eric D.; Sidorov, Vladimir A.; Zhao, Hengcan; Zhang, Jiahao; Zhou, Yazhou; Wang, Zhe; Cai, Shu; Yang, Ke; Li, Aiguo; Li, Xiaodong; Li, Yanchun; Sun, Peijie; Yang, Yi-feng; Wu, Qi; Xiang, Tao; Thompson, J. D.; Sun, Liling

2018-02-01

We report the discovery of superconductivity in pressurized CeRhG e3 , a nonsuperconducting member of the isostructural family of noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion compounds Ce T X3 (T =Co , Rh, Ir and X =Si , Ge). Superconductivity appears in CeRhG e3 at a pressure of 19.6 GPa and the transition temperature TC reaches a maximum value of 1.3 K at 21.5 GPa. This finding provides an opportunity to establish systematic correlations between superconductivity and material properties within this family. Though ambient-pressure unit-cell volumes and critical pressures for superconductivity vary substantially across the series, all family members reach a maximum TCmax at a common (±1.7%) critical cell volume Vcrit, and TCmax at Vcrit increases with increasing spin-orbit coupling strength of the d electrons. These correlations show that substantial Kondo and spin-orbit couplings favor superconductivity in this family, the latter reflecting the role of broken centrosymmetry.

Superconductivity from a non-Fermi-liquid metal: Kondo fluctuation mechanism in slave-fermion theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ki-Seok

2010-03-01

We propose Kondo fluctuation mechanism of superconductivity, differentiated from the spin-fluctuation theory as the standard model for unconventional superconductivity in the weak-coupling approach. Based on the U(1) slave-fermion representation of an effective Anderson lattice model, where localized spins are described by the Schwinger boson theory and hybridization or Kondo fluctuations weaken antiferromagnetic correlations of localized spins, we found an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point from an antiferromagnetic metal to a heavy-fermion metal in our recent study. The Kondo-induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point was shown to be described by both conduction electrons and fermionic holons interacting with critical spin fluctuations given by deconfined bosonic spinons with a spin quantum number 1/2. Surprisingly, such critical modes turned out to be described by the dynamical exponent z=3 , giving rise to the well-known non-Fermi-liquid physics such as the divergent Grüneisen ratio with an exponent 2/3 and temperature-linear resistivity in three dimensions. We find that the z=3 antiferromagnetic quantum critical point becomes unstable against superconductivity, where critical spinon excitations give rise to pairing correlations between conduction electrons and between fermionic holons, respectively, via hybridization fluctuations. Such two kinds of pairing correlations result in multigap unconventional superconductivity around the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point of the slave-fermion theory, where s -wave pairing is not favored generically due to strong correlations. We show that the ratio between each superconducting gap for conduction electrons Δc and holons Δf and the transition temperature Tc is 2Δc/Tc˜9 and 2Δf/Tc˜O(10-1) , remarkably consistent with CeCoIn5 . A fingerprint of the Kondo mechanism is emergence of two kinds of resonance modes in not only spin but also charge fluctuations, where the charge resonance mode at an

Pressure effect on the superconducting and the normal state of β -B i2Pd

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pristáš, G.; Orendáč, Mat.; Gabáni, S.; Kačmarčík, J.; Gažo, E.; Pribulová, Z.; Correa-Orellana, A.; Herrera, E.; Suderow, H.; Samuely, P.

2018-04-01

The pressure effect up to 24.0 kbar on superconducting and normal-state properties of β -B i2Pd single crystal (Tc≈4.98 K at ambient pressure) has been investigated by measurements of the electrical resistivity. In addition, we have performed the heat capacity measurements in the temperature range 0.7-300 K at ambient pressure. The recent calculations of electronic density of states, electron-phonon interaction spectral function, and phonon density of states of β -B i2Pd [Zheng and Margine, Phys. Rev. B 95, 014512 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevB.95.014512], are used to fit the resistivity and the heat capacity data. In the superconducting state we have focused on the influence of pressure on the superconducting transition temperature Tc and upper critical field Hc 2 and a negative effect with d Tc/d p =-0.025 K /kbar and d Hc 2/d p =-8 mT /kbar is found. A simplified Bloch-Grüneisen model was used to analyze the pressure effect on the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity. The obtained results point to a decrease of the electron-phonon coupling parameter λ and to a shift of phonon frequencies to higher values with pressure. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity follows a T2 dependence above Tc up to about 25 K. Together with the enhanced value of Sommerfeld coefficient γ =13.23 mJ mo l-1K-2 these results point to a certain role of the electron-electron interaction in the superconducting pairing mechanism in β -B i2Pd .

Influence of lateral displacement on the levitation performance of a magnetized bulk high-Tc superconductor magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Wang, J. S.; Ma, G. T.; Zheng, J.; Tuo, X. G.; Li, L. L.; Ye, C. Q.; Liao, X. L.; Wang, S. Y.

2012-03-01

Compared with the permanent magnet, the magnetized bulk high-Tc superconductor magnet (MBSCM) can trap higher magnetic field due to its strong flux pinning ability, so it is a good candidate to improve the levitation performance of high-Tc superconductive (HTS) maglev system. The trapped magnetic flux of a MBSCM is sustained by the inductive superconducting current produced by the magnetizing process and is susceptible to the current intensity as well as configuration. In the HTS maglev system, the lateral displacement is an important process to change the superconducting current within a MBSCM and then affects its levitation performance, which is essential for the traffic ability in curve-way, the loading capacity of lateral impact and so on. The research about influence of lateral displacement on the levitation performance of MBSCM is necessary when MBSCM is applied on the HTS maglev vehicle. The experimental investigations about the influence of lateral displacement on the levitation performance of a MBSCM with different trapped fluxes and applied fields are processed in this article. The analyses and conclusions of this article are useful for the practical application of MBSCM in HTS maglev system.

Advanced superconducting gradiometers for mine detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clem, Ted R.

1996-05-01

Sensors incorporating superconducting quantum interference devices provide the greatest sensitivity for magnetic anomaly detection available with current technology. During the 1980s, the Coastal Systems Station (CSS) developed a superconducting magnetic gradiometer capable of operation outside of the laboratory environment. With this sensor, the CSS was able to demonstrate buried mine detection for the U.S. Navy. Subsequently, the sensor was incorporated into a multisensor suite onboard an underwater towed vehicle to provide a robust mine hunting capability for the Magnetic and Acoustic Detection of Mines Project. This sensor using thin film niobium and a new liquid helium cooling concept was developed to provide significant increases in sensitivity and detection range. In the late 1980s, a new class of `high- Tc' superconductor were discovered with critical temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K). This advance has opened up new opportunities for mine reconnaissance and hunting, especially for operation onboard small unmanned underwater vehicles. A high-Tc sensor concept using liquid nitrogen refrigeration has been developed and a test article of that concept is currently being evaluated for its applicability to mobile operation. The design principles for the two new sensor approaches and the results of their evaluations will be described. Finally, the implications of these advances to mine reconnaissance and hunting will be discussed.

Dynamics of correlation-frozen antinodal quasiparticles in superconducting cuprates

PubMed Central

Cilento, Federico; Manzoni, Giulia; Sterzi, Andrea; Peli, Simone; Ronchi, Andrea; Crepaldi, Alberto; Boschini, Fabio; Cacho, Cephise; Chapman, Richard; Springate, Emma; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Greven, Martin; Berciu, Mona; Kemper, Alexander F.; Damascelli, Andrea; Capone, Massimo; Giannetti, Claudio; Parmigiani, Fulvio

2018-01-01

Many puzzling properties of high–critical temperature (Tc) superconducting (HTSC) copper oxides have deep roots in the nature of the antinodal quasiparticles, the elementary excitations with wave vector parallel to the Cu–O bonds. These electronic states are most affected by the onset of antiferromagnetic correlations and charge instabilities, and they host the maximum of the anisotropic superconducting gap and pseudogap. We use time-resolved extreme-ultraviolet photoemission with proper photon energy (18 eV) and time resolution (50 fs) to disclose the ultrafast dynamics of the antinodal states in a prototypical HTSC cuprate. After photoinducing a nonthermal charge redistribution within the Cu and O orbitals, we reveal a dramatic momentum-space differentiation of the transient electron dynamics. Whereas the nodal quasiparticle distribution is heated up as in a conventional metal, new quasiparticle states transiently emerge at the antinodes, similarly to what is expected for a photoexcited Mott insulator, where the frozen charges can be released by an impulsive excitation. This transient antinodal metallicity is mapped into the dynamics of the O-2p bands, thus directly demonstrating the intertwining between the low- and high-energy scales that is typical of correlated materials. Our results suggest that the correlation-driven freezing of the electrons moving along the Cu–O bonds, analogous to the Mott localization mechanism, constitutes the starting point for any model of high-Tc superconductivity and other exotic phases of HTSC cuprates. PMID:29507885

Superconductivity at 33-37 K in A L n2Fe4As4O2 (A =Kand Cs;L n =lanthanides)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Si-Qi; Wang, Zhi-Cheng; He, Chao-Yang; Tang, Zhang-Tu; Liu, Yi; Cao, Guang-Han

2017-09-01

We have synthesized ten iron oxyarsenides, K L n2Fe4As4O2 (L n =Gd,Tb,Dy, and Ho) and Cs L n2Fe4As4O2 (L n =Nd,Sm,Gd,Tb,Dy, and Ho) , with the aid of the lattice-match approach. The resultant compounds possess hole-doped conducting double FeAs layers [AFe4As4] 2 - that are separated by the insulating [Ln2O2] 2 + slabs. Measurements of electrical resistivity and dc magnetic susceptibility demonstrate bulk superconductivity at Tc=33 -37 K. We find that Tc correlates with the axial ratio c /a for all 12442-type superconductors discovered. Also, Tc tends to increase with the lattice mismatch, implying that lattice instability plays a role in the enhancement of superconductivity.

High-temperature superconducting phase of HBr under pressure predicted by first-principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Qinyan; Lu, Pengchao; Xia, Kang; Sun, Jian; Xing, Dingyu

2017-08-01

The high pressure phases of HBr are explored with an ab initio crystal structure search. By taking into account the contribution of zero-point energy (ZPE), we find that the P 4 /n m m phase of HBr is thermodynamically stable in the pressure range from 150 to 200 GPa. The superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of P 4 /n m m HBr is evaluated to be around 73 K at 170 GPa, which is the highest record so far among binary halogen hydrides. Its Tc can be further raised to around 95K under 170 GPa if half of the bromine atoms in the P 4 /n m m HBr are substituted by the lighter chlorine atoms. Our study shows that, in addition to lower mass, higher coordination number, shorter bonds, and more highly symmetric environment for the hydrogen atoms are important factors to enhance the superconductivity in hydrides.

Multigap superconductivity and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in single crystals of the layered boride OsB2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yogesh; Martin, C.; Bud'Ko, S. L.; Ellern, A.; Prozorov, R.; Johnston, D. C.

2010-10-01

Single crystals of superconducting OsB2 [Tc=2.10(5)K] have been grown using a Cu-B eutectic flux. We confirm that OsB2 crystallizes in the reported orthorhombic structure (space group Pmmn ) at room temperature. Both the normal and superconducting state properties of the crystals are studied using various techniques. Heat capacity versus temperature C(T) measurements yield the normal state electronic specific heat coefficient γ=1.95(1)mJ/molK2 and the Debye temperature ΘD=539(2)K . The measured frequencies of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations are in good agreement with those predicted by band structure calculations. Magnetic susceptibility χ(T,H) , electrical resistivity ρ(T) , and C(T,H) measurements ( H is the magnetic field) demonstrate that OsB2 is a bulk low- κ [κ(Tc)=2(1)] type-II superconductor that is intermediate between the clean and dirty limits [(ξ(T=0)/ℓ=0.97)] with a small upper critical magnetic field Hc2(T=0)=186(4)Oe . The penetration depth is λ(T=0)=0.300μm . An anomalous (not single-gap BCS) T dependence of λ was fitted by a two-gap model with Δ1(T=0)/kBTc=1.9 and Δ2(T=0)/kBTc=1.25 , respectively. The discontinuity in the heat capacity at Tc , ΔC/γTc=1.32 , is smaller than the weak-coupling BCS value of 1.43, consistent with the two-gap nature of the superconductivity in OsB2 . An anomalous increase in ΔC at Tc of unknown origin is found in finite H ; e.g., ΔC/γTc≈2.5 for H≈25Oe .

Effect of electron-phonon coupling on the superconducting transition temperature in dodecaboride superconductors: A comparison of LuB12 with ZrB12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teyssier, J.; Lortz, R.; Petrovic, A.; van der Marel, D.; Filippov, V.; Shitsevalova, N.

2008-10-01

We report a detailed study of specific heat, electrical resistivity, and optical spectroscopy in the superconducting boride LuB12 (Tc=0.4K) , and compare it to the higher Tc compound ZrB12 (Tc=6K) . Both compounds have the same structure based on enclosed metallic Lu or Zr ions in oversized boron cages. The infrared reflectivity and ellipsometry in the visible range allow us to extract the optical conductivity from 6 meV to 4 eV in the normal state from 20 to 280 K. By extracting the superconducting properties, phonon density of states, and electron-phonon coupling function from these measurements, we discuss the important factors governing Tc and explain the difference between the two compounds. The phonon density of states seems to be insignificantly modified by substitution of Zr with Lu. However, the soft vibrations of the metal ions in boron cages, responsible for the relatively high Tc in ZrB12 , have almost no contribution to the electron-phonon coupling in LuB12 .

Superconductivity of Ba8Si46-xGax clathrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Zhang, Ruihong; Chen, Ning; Ma, Xingqiao; Cao, Guohui; Luo, Z. P.; Hu, C. R.; Ross, Joseph H., Jr.

2007-03-01

We have presented a combined experimental and theoretical study of the effect of Gallium substitution on the superconductivity of the type I clathrate Ba8Si46-xGax. In Ga-doped clathrates, the Ga state is found to be strongly hybridized with the cage conduction-band state. Ga substitution results in a shift toward to a lower energy, a decrease of density of states at Fermi level, a lowering of the carrier concentration and a breakage of integrity of the sp3 hybridized networks. These play key roles in the suppression of superconductivity. For Ba8Si40Ga6, the onset of the superconducting transition occurs at Tc=3.3 K. The investigation of the magnetic superconducting state shows that Ba8Si40Ga6 is a type II superconductor. The critical magnetic fields were measured to be Hc1=35 Oe and Hc2=8.5 kOe. Our estimate of the lectron-phonon coupling reveals that Ba8Si40Ga6 is a moderate phonon-mediated BCS superconductor.

Three superconducting phases with different categories of pairing in hole- and electron-doped LaFeAs1 -xPxO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyasaka, S.; Uekubo, M.; Tsuji, H.; Nakajima, M.; Tajima, S.; Shiota, T.; Mukuda, H.; Sagayama, H.; Nakao, H.; Kumai, R.; Murakami, Y.

2017-06-01

The phase diagram of the LaFeAs1 -xPxO system has been extensively studied through hole and electron doping as well as As/P substitution. It has been revealed that there are three different superconducting phases with different Fermi surface (FS) topologies and thus with possibly different pairing glues. One of them is well understood as spin fluctuation-mediated superconductivity within a FS nesting scenario. Another one with the FSs in a bad nesting condition must be explained in a different context such as orbital or spin fluctuation in a strongly correlated electronic system. In both phases, T -linear resistivity was commonly observed when the superconducting transition temperature Tc becomes the highest value, indicating that the strength of bosonic fluctuation determines Tc. In the last superconducting phase, the nesting condition of FSs and the related bosonic fluctuation are moderate. Variety of phase diagram characterizes the multiple orbital nature of the iron-based superconductors which are just near the boundary between weak and strong correlation regimes.

Rugged superconducting detector for monitoring infrared energy sources in harsh environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laviano, F.; Gerbaldo, R.; Ghigo, G.; Gozzelino, L.; Minetti, B.; Rovelli, A.; Mezzetti, E.

2010-12-01

Broadband electromagnetic characterization of hot plasmas, such as in nuclear fusion reactors and related experiments, requires detecting systems that must withstand high flux of particles and electromagnetic radiations. We propose a rugged layout of a high temperature superconducting detector aimed at 3 THz collective Thomson scattering (CTS) spectroscopy in hot fusion plasma. The YBa2Cu3O7 - x superconducting film is patterned by standard photolithography and the sensing area of the device is created by means of high-energy heavy ion irradiation, in order to modify the crystal structure both of the superconducting film and of the substrate. This method diminishes process costs and resulting device fragility due to membrane or air-bridge structures that are commonly needed for MIR and FIR radiation detection. Moreover the sensing area of the device is wired by the same superconducting material and thus excellent mechanical strength is exhibited by the whole device, due to the oxide substrate. Continuous wave operation of prototype devices is demonstrated at liquid nitrogen temperature, for selected infrared spectra of broadband thermal energy sources. Several solutions, which exploit the advantages coming from the robustness of this layout in terms of intrinsic radiation hardness of the superconducting material and of the needed optical components, are analysed with reference to applications of infrared electromagnetic detectors in a tokamak machine environment.

Doping dependence of critical temperature for superconductivity induced by hole-phonon interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durajski, A. P.; Szczȩśniak, R.

2017-10-01

To understand the nature of the high-temperature superconductors (cuprates) we have taken into consideration the interaction terms, which possess the structure of the hole-phonon (HP) and hole-hole-phonon (HHP) type. It was shown that for the high value of the HHP potential in comparison to HP, the superconducting critical temperature (TC) reaches the maximum value for the low concentration of holes, which fairly corresponds with the observed maximum of TC for hole-doped cuprates. The analysis was performed within the framework of the Eliashberg approach.

Magnetic Exchange Coupling in Ferromagnetic/Superconducting/Ferromagnetic Multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Melo, C. A. R. Sa

2001-03-01

The possibility of magnetic exchange coupling between ferromagnets (F) separated by superconductor (S) spacers in F/S/F multilayers is analysed theoretically [1,2]. Ideal systems for the observation of magnetic coupling through superconductors are complex oxide multilayers consisting of Colossal Magneto-Resistance (CMR) Ferromagnets and High Critical Temperature Cuprate Superconductors. For this coupling to occur, three "prima facie" conditions need to be satisfied. First, an indirect exchange coupling between the ferromagnets must exist when the superconductor is in its normal state. Second, superconductivity must not be destroyed due to the proximity of ferromagnetic boundaries. Third, roughness of the F/S interfaces must be small. Under these conditions, when the superconductor is cooled below its critical temperature T_c, the magnetic coupling changes. The appearance of the superconducting gap introduces a new length scale (the coherence length of the superconductor) and modifies the temperature dependence of the indirect exchange coupling existent in the normal state. The magnetic coupling is oscillatory both above and below T_c, as well as strongly temperature-dependent. However at low temperatures the indirect exchange coupling decay length is controlled by the coherence length of the superconductor, while at temperatures close to and above Tc the magnetic coupling decay length is controlled by the thermal length. [I would like to thank the Georgia Institute of Technology, NSF (Grant No. DMR-9803111) and NATO (Grant No. CRG-972261) for financial support.] [1] C. A. R. Sa de Melo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 1933 (1997). [2] C. A. R. Sa de Melo, Phys. Rev. B 62, 12303 (2000).

Anomalous enhancement of the lower critical field deep in the superconducting state of LaRu4As12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juraszek, J.; Bochenek, Ł.; Wawryk, R.; Henkie, Z.; Konczykowski, M.; Cichorek, T.

2018-05-01

LaRu4As12 with the critical temperature Tc = 10.4 K displays several features which point at a non-singlet superconducting order parameter, although the bcc crystal structure of the filled skutterudites does not favour the emergence of multiple energy gaps. LaRu4As12 displays an unexpected enhancement of the lower critical field deep in superconducting state which can be attributed to the existence of two superconducting gaps. At T = 0.4 K, the local magnetization measurements were performed utilizing miniaturized Hall sensors.

NMR/MRI with hyperpolarized gas and high Tc SQUID

DOEpatents

Schlenga, Klaus; de Souza, Ricardo E.; Wong-Foy, Annjoe; Clarke, John; Pines, Alexander

2000-01-01

A method and apparatus for the detection of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals and production of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from samples combines the use of hyperpolarized inert gases to enhance the NMR signals from target nuclei in a sample and a high critical temperature (Tc) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) to detect the NMR signals. The system operates in static magnetic fields of 3 mT or less (down to 0.1 mT), and at temperatures from liquid nitrogen (77K) to room temperature. Sample size is limited only by the size of the magnetic field coils and not by the detector. The detector is a high Tc SQUID magnetometer designed so that the SQUID detector can be very close to the sample, which can be at room temperature.

Low-temperature rapid synthesis and superconductivity of Fe-based oxypnictide superconductors.

PubMed

Fang, Ai-Hua; Huang, Fu-Qiang; Xie, Xiao-Ming; Jiang, Mian-Heng

2010-03-17

Fe-based oxypnictide superconductors were successfully synthesized at lower reaction temperatures and with shorter reaction times made possible by starting with less stable compounds, which provide a larger driving force for reactions. Using ball-milled powders of intermediate compounds, phase-pure superconductors with T(c) above 50 K were synthesized at 1173 K in 20 min. This method is particularly advantageous for retaining F, a volatile dopant that enhances superconductivity. Bulk superconductivity and high upper critical fields up to 392 T in Sm(0.85)Nd(0.15)FeAsO(0.85)F(0.15) were demonstrated.

Preparation and substrate reactions of superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurvitch, M.; Fiory, A. T.

1987-09-01

Multiple metal-target dc magnetron sputter deposition of a metallic YBa2Cu3 alloy in pure Ar followed by ex situ oxygen annealing was used to prepare superconducting films on various substrates. This work particularly examines film-substrate reactions which are degrading to superconductivity. Better superconductors were obtained using predeposited buffer layers, notably on cubic zirconia and MgO substrates covered with Ag and Nb. Best films have Tc = 80 K, metallic resistivities with a resistance ratio of about 2, and a critical current density of greater than about 10 kA/sq cm at 4.2 K.

The Fluctuating Bond Model, a Glue for Cuprate Superconductivity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newns, Dennis

2008-03-01

Twenty years of research have yet to produce a consensus on the origin of high temperature superconductivity (HTS). The mechanism of HTS - which originates in the CuO2 plane, common to all HTS families - can be constrained by some key experimental facts regarding superconducting and pseudogap behaviors. Superconductivity, involving a Tc of order 100 K, exhibits an unusual d-wave superconducting gap, with Fermi liquid nodal excitations, and an anomalous doping- dependent oxygen isotope shift. A ``pseudogap,'' also with d-symmetry, leads to a dip in the density of states below a characteristic temperature scale T^*, which has a negative isotope shift; we associate the pseudogap with the recently observed spatially inhomogeneous (nanometer- scale) C4 symmetry breaking. The isotope shifts and other evidence imply a key role for oxygen vibrations, but conventional BCS single-phonon coupling is essentially forbidden by symmetry and by the on-site Coulomb interaction U. In a novel approach, we introduce a model based on a strong, local, nonlinear interaction between electrons within the Cu-O-Cu bond in the CuO2 plane, and the oxygen vibrational degrees of freedom, termed the Fluctuating Bond Model (FBM) [D.M. Newns and C.C. Tsuei, Nature Physics 3, 184 (2007)]. In mean field the model predicts a phase manifesting broken C4 symmetry, with a d-type pseudogap, and an upper phase boundary in temperature, with a negative isotope shift, which we identify with T^*. An intrinsic d-wave pairing tendency is found, leading to a transition temperature dome and an anomalous isotope shift similar to that found experimentally. The softening in the oxygen vibrational frequency below Tc, seen in Raman and neutron spectra, has a natural explanation in the FBM. Recent ab initio calculations have been implemented which provide microscopic support for the model.

Pressure-induced superconductivity in H2-containing hydride PbH4(H2)2

PubMed Central

Cheng, Ya; Zhang, Chao; Wang, Tingting; Zhong, Guohua; Yang, Chunlei; Chen, Xiao-Jia; Lin, Hai-Qing

2015-01-01

High pressure structure, stability, metallization, and superconductivity of PbH4(H2)2, a H2-containing compound combining one of the heaviest elements with the lightest element, are investigated by the first-principles calculations. The metallic character is found over the whole studied pressure range, although PbH4(H2)2 is metastable and easily decompose at low pressure. The decomposition pressure point of 133 GPa is predicted above which PbH4(H2)2 is stable both thermodynamically and dynamically with the C2/m symmetry. Interestedly, all hydrogen atoms pairwise couple into H2 quasi-molecules and remain this style up to 400 GPa in the C2/m structure. At high-pressure, PbH4(H2)2 tends to form the Pb-H2 alloy. The superconductivity of Tc firstly rising and then falling is observed in the C2/m PbH4(H2)2. The maximum of Tc is about 107 K at 230 GPa. The softening of intermediate-frequency phonon induced by more inserted H2 molecules is the main origin of the high Tc. The results obtained represent a significant step toward the understanding of the high pressure behavior of metallic hydrogen and hydrogen-rich materials, which is helpful for obtaining the higher Tc. PMID:26559369

A Hot-electron Direct Detector for Radioastronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris S.; McGrath, William R.; LeDuc, Henry G.; Gershenson, Michael E.

1999-01-01

A hot-electron transition-edge superconducting bolometer with adjustable thermal relaxation speed is proposed. The bolometer contacts are made from a superconductor with high critical temperature which blocks the thermal diffusion of hot carriers into the contacts. Thus electron-phonon interaction is the only mechanism for heat removal. The speed of thermal relaxation for hot electrons in a nanometer-size superconducting bolometer with T(sub c) = 100-300 mK is controlled by the elastic electron mean free path l. The relaxation rate behaves as T(sup 4)l at subkelvin temperatures and can be reduced by a factor of 10-100 by decreasing 1. Then an antenna- or wave guide-coupled bolometer with a time constant approx. = 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -4) s will exhibit photon-noise limited performance at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The bolometer will have a figure-of-merit NEPtau = 10(exp -22) - 10(exp -21) W/Hz at 100 mK which is 10(exp 3) to 10(exp 4) times better (ie: smaller) than that of a state-of-the-art bolometer. A tremendous increase in speed and sensitivity will have a significant impact for observational mapping applications.

Upper critical fields and superconducting transition temperatures of some zirconium-base amorphous transition-metal alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karkut, M. G.; Hake, R. R.

1983-08-01

Superconducting upper critical fields Hc2(T), transition temperatures Tc and normal-state electrical resistivities ρn have been measured in the amorphous transition-metal alloy series Zr1-xCox, Zr1-xNix, (Zr1-xTix)0.78Ni0.22, and (Zr1-xNbx)0.78Ni0.22. Structural integrity of these melt-spun alloys is indicated by x-ray, density, bend-ductility, normal-state electrical resistivity, superconducting transition width, and mixed-state flux-pinning measurements. The specimens display Tc=2.1-3.8 K, ρn=159-190 μΩ cm, and |(dHc2dT)Tc|=28-36 kG/K. These imply electron mean free paths l~2-6 Å, zero-temperature Ginzburg-Landau coherence distances ξG0~50-70 Å, penetration depths λG0~(7-10)×103 Å, and extremely high dirtiness parameters ξ0l~300-1300. All alloys display Hc2(T) curves with negative curvature and (with two exceptions) fair agreement with the standard dirty-limit theory of Werthamer, Helfand, Hohenberg, and Maki (WHHM) for physically reasonable values of spin-orbit-coupling induced, electron-spin-flip scattering time τso. This is in contrast to the anomalously elevated Hc2(T) behavior which is nearly linear in T that is observed by some, and the unphysically low-τso fits to WHHM theory obtained by others, for various amorphous alloys. Current ideas that such anomalies may be due to alloy inhomogeneity are supported by present results on two specimens for which relatively low-τso fits of Hc2(T) to WHHM theory are coupled with superconductive evidence for inhomogeneity: relatively broad transitions at Tc and Hc2 current-density-dependent transitions at Hc2 and (in one specimen) a J-dependent, high-H (>Hc2), resistive "beak effect." In the Zr1-xCox and Zr1-xNix series, Tc decreases linearly with x (and with unfilled-shell average electron-to-atom ratio < ea > in the range 5.05<=< ea ><=6.40 in fair agreement with previous results for these systems and contrary to the Tc vs < ea > behavior of both amorphous and crystalline transition-metal alloys formed

Enhanced superconductivity in aluminum-based hyperbolic metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolyaninova, Vera; Jensen, Christopher; Zimmerman, William; Prestigiacomo, Joseph; Osofsky, Michael; Kim, Heungsoo; Bassim, Nabil; Xing, Zhen; Qazilbash, Mumtaz; Smolyaninov, Igor

One of the most important goals of condensed matter physics is materials by design, i.e. the ability to reliably predict and design materials with a set of desired properties. A striking example is the deterministic enhancement of the superconducting properties of materials. Recent experiments have demonstrated that the metamaterial approach is capable of achieving this goal, such as tripling the critical temperature Tc in Al-Al2O3 epsilon near zero (ENZ) core-shell metamaterial superconductors. Here, we demonstrate that an Al/Al2O3 hyperbolic metamaterial geometry is capable of a similar Tc enhancement, while having superior transport and magnetic properties compared to the core-shell metamaterial superconductors. This work was supported in part by NSF Grant DMR-1104676 and the School of Emerging Technologies at Towson University.

Growth structure and superconductivity of Bi1.7Bi0.3Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ ceramics synthesized from glass-crystal precursors processed in solar type ovens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acrivos, J. V.; Gulamova, D. D.; Chigvinadze, J. G.; Loy, D.

2010-03-01

The growth structure as well as the superconductivity of Bi/Pb2223 alloys is reported. Periodic lattice distortions (PLD) along the ab plane diagonal, direction of superconducting transport at the transition temperature, Tc=107K are found to dominate the growth. Trransport induced by the PLD may be responsible for the sharp Tc transitions, and the bursts of frequency and Abrikosov oscillations observed above the transition temperature up to 150K. Chemical synthesis in a heliostat oven was followed by fast quenching of the melt and annealing at 840-850K, XRD near the Cu K-edge, and Tc measured by axial-torsional vibrations in transverse magnetic fields. Tc and phaase purity obtained by green solid state chemistry, in a solar spectrum, will be discussed.

Point-contact spectroscopy of the iron chalcogenide superconductors: interplay between multiband superconductivity and magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Wan Kyu; Hunt, C. R.; Arham, H. Z.; Lu, X.; Greene, L. H.; Xu, Z. J.; Wen, J. S.; Lin, Z. W.; Li, Q.; Gu, G.

2010-03-01

We report point-contact conductance measurements on the iron chalcogenide superconductors, Fe1+yTe1-xSex. The excess Fe atoms are known to occupy the interstitial sites in the Te-Se plane, affecting the superconductivity as well as the magnetism in this family. For a compound having nominal values of y=0 and x=0.45, a single superconducting transition is observed at 14.2 K. In the superconducting state, BTK-like double peak structures due to Andreev reflection are observed. However, the peak position of different point contacts falls to a wide voltage range, 1.5 -- 4 mV. Additional multiple humps are sometimes observed in a much higher bias voltage range, 8 -- 15 mV. Most strikingly, conductance enhancement persists well above Tc. We will present possible interpretations of these experimental observations in terms of multiband superconductivity and the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism.

Superconducting MgB2 films via precursor postprocessing approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paranthaman, M.; Cantoni, C.; Zhai, H. Y.; Christen, H. M.; Aytug, T.; Sathyamurthy, S.; Specht, E. D.; Thompson, J. R.; Lowndes, D. H.; Kerchner, H. R.; Christen, D. K.

2001-06-01

Superconducting MgB2 films with Tc=38.6 K were prepared using a precursor-deposition, ex situ postprocessing approach. Precursor films of boron, ˜0.5 μm thick, were deposited onto Al2O3 (102) substrates by electron-beam evaporation; a postanneal at 890 °C in the presence of bulk MgB2 and Mg metal produced highly crystalline MgB2 films. X-ray diffraction indicated that the films exhibit some degree of c-axis alignment, but are randomly oriented in plane. Transport current measurements of the superconducting properties show high values of the critical current density and yield an irreversibility line that exceeds that determined by magnetic measurements on bulk polycrystalline materials.

Magnetic order close to superconductivity in the iron-based layered LaO1-xFxFeAs systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de La Cruz, Clarina; Huang, Q.; Lynn, J. W.; Li, Jiying; , W. Ratcliff, II; Zarestky, J. L.; Mook, H. A.; Chen, G. F.; Luo, J. L.; Wang, N. L.; Dai, Pengcheng

2008-06-01

Following the discovery of long-range antiferromagnetic order in the parent compounds of high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) copper oxides, there have been efforts to understand the role of magnetism in the superconductivity that occurs when mobile `electrons' or `holes' are doped into the antiferromagnetic parent compounds. Superconductivity in the newly discovered rare-earth iron-based oxide systems ROFeAs (R, rare-earth metal) also arises from either electron or hole doping of their non-superconducting parent compounds. The parent material LaOFeAs is metallic but shows anomalies near 150K in both resistivity and d.c. magnetic susceptibility. Although optical conductivity and theoretical calculations suggest that LaOFeAs exhibits a spin-density-wave (SDW) instability that is suppressed by doping with electrons to induce superconductivity, there has been no direct evidence of SDW order. Here we report neutron-scattering experiments that demonstrate that LaOFeAs undergoes an abrupt structural distortion below 155K, changing the symmetry from tetragonal (space group P4/nmm) to monoclinic (space group P112/n) at low temperatures, and then, at ~137K, develops long-range SDW-type antiferromagnetic order with a small moment but simple magnetic structure. Doping the system with fluorine suppresses both the magnetic order and the structural distortion in favour of superconductivity. Therefore, like high-Tc copper oxides, the superconducting regime in these iron-based materials occurs in close proximity to a long-range-ordered antiferromagnetic ground state.

Investigation of the superconducting proximity effect (SPE) and magnetic dead layers (MDL) in thin film double layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tateishi, Go

When a thin superconducting film (S film) is condensed onto a thin normal conducting film (N film), the first layers of the S film loose their superconductivity. This phenomenon is generally called the "superconducting proximity effect (SPE)". As an investigation of SPE we focus on the transition temperature of extremely thin NS double layers in the thin regime. Normal metal is condensed on top of insulating Sb, then Pb is deposited on it in small steps. The transition temperature is plotted in an inverse Tc-reduction 1/Delta T c =1/(Ts - Tc) versus Pb thickness graph. To compare our experimental results with the theoretical prediction, a numerical calculation of the SN double layer is performed by our group using the linear gap equation. As a result, there are large discrepancies between the experimental and theoretical results generally. The results of the NS double layers can be divided into three groups in terms of their discrepancies between experiment and theory.(1) Non-coupling (Tc = 0 K): N= Mg, Ag, Cu, Au. There are large deviations between experiment and theory by a factor to the order of 2.5. (2) Weak coupling (Tc is low (< 2.5 K)) : N=Cd, Zn, Al. Deviation is present, but only by a factor of 1.5. (3) Intermediate coupling (T c is around half of Pb's (≈ 4.5 K)) : N=In, Sn. The experimental results agree with the theory. Next, we examine the detection of the magnetic dead layer (MDL) of Ni thin films in terms of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) with several non-magnetic metal substrates. In our results, when Ni film is contact with a polyvalent metal substrate film, the sandwich film has around 2 to 3.5 at.lay. of magnetic dead layers. However we have not observed the magnetic dead Ni layers with the alkali and noble metal substrate film. Finally, we revisit the Pb/Ni system to measure the magnetic scattering of Ni with the method of Weak Localization (WL) to compare with the dephasing rate due to the Tc-reduction. In this series, we use only very thin

High-temperature superconductivity from fine-tuning of Fermi-surface singularities in iron oxypnictides.

PubMed

Charnukha, A; Evtushinsky, D V; Matt, C E; Xu, N; Shi, M; Büchner, B; Zhigadlo, N D; Batlogg, B; Borisenko, S V

2015-12-18

In the family of the iron-based superconductors, the REFeAsO-type compounds (with RE being a rare-earth metal) exhibit the highest bulk superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) up to 55 K and thus hold the key to the elusive pairing mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the intrinsic electronic structure of SmFe0.92Co0.08AsO (Tc = 18 K) is highly nontrivial and consists of multiple band-edge singularities in close proximity to the Fermi level. However, it remains unclear whether these singularities are generic to the REFeAsO-type materials and if so, whether their exact topology is responsible for the aforementioned record Tc. In this work, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the inherent electronic structure of the NdFeAsO0.6F0.4 compound with a twice higher Tc = 38 K. We find a similarly singular Fermi surface and further demonstrate that the dramatic enhancement of superconductivity in this compound correlates closely with the fine-tuning of one of the band-edge singularities to within a fraction of the superconducting energy gap Δ below the Fermi level. Our results provide compelling evidence that the band-structure singularities near the Fermi level in the iron-based superconductors must be explicitly accounted for in any attempt to understand the mechanism of superconducting pairing in these materials.

High-temperature superconductivity from fine-tuning of Fermi-surface singularities in iron oxypnictides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charnukha, A.; Evtushinsky, D. V.; Matt, C. E.; Xu, N.; Shi, M.; Büchner, B.; Zhigadlo, N. D.; Batlogg, B.; Borisenko, S. V.

2015-12-01

In the family of the iron-based superconductors, the REFeAsO-type compounds (with RE being a rare-earth metal) exhibit the highest bulk superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) up to 55 K and thus hold the key to the elusive pairing mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the intrinsic electronic structure of SmFe0.92Co0.08AsO (Tc = 18 K) is highly nontrivial and consists of multiple band-edge singularities in close proximity to the Fermi level. However, it remains unclear whether these singularities are generic to the REFeAsO-type materials and if so, whether their exact topology is responsible for the aforementioned record Tc. In this work, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the inherent electronic structure of the NdFeAsO0.6F0.4 compound with a twice higher Tc = 38 K. We find a similarly singular Fermi surface and further demonstrate that the dramatic enhancement of superconductivity in this compound correlates closely with the fine-tuning of one of the band-edge singularities to within a fraction of the superconducting energy gap Δ below the Fermi level. Our results provide compelling evidence that the band-structure singularities near the Fermi level in the iron-based superconductors must be explicitly accounted for in any attempt to understand the mechanism of superconducting pairing in these materials.

Enhancement of superconductivity near the pressure-induced semiconductor-metal transition in the BiS₂-based superconductors LnO₀.₅F₀.₅BiS₂ (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd).

PubMed

Wolowiec, C T; White, B D; Jeon, I; Yazici, D; Huang, K; Maple, M B

2013-10-23

Measurements of electrical resistivity were performed between 3 and 300 K at various pressures up to 2.8 GPa on the BiS2-based superconductors LnO0.5F0.5BiS2 (Ln=Pr, Nd). At lower pressures, PrO0.5F0.5BiS2 and NdO0.5F0.5BiS2 exhibit superconductivity with critical temperatures Tc of 3.5 and 3.9 K, respectively. As pressure is increased, both compounds undergo a transition at a pressure Pt from a low Tc superconducting phase to a high Tc superconducting phase in which Tc reaches maximum values of 7.6 and 6.4 K for PrO0.5F0.5BiS2 and NdO0.5F0.5BiS2, respectively. The pressure-induced transition is characterized by a rapid increase in Tc within a small range in pressure of ∼0.3 GPa for both compounds. In the normal state of PrO0.5F0.5BiS2, the transition pressure Pt correlates with the pressure where the suppression of semiconducting behaviour saturates. In the normal state of NdO0.5F0.5BiS2, Pt is coincident with a semiconductor-metal transition. This behaviour is similar to the results recently reported for the LnO0.5F0.5BiS2 (Ln=La, Ce) compounds. We observe that Pt and the size of the jump in Tc between the two superconducting phases both scale with the lanthanide element in LnO0.5F0.5BiS2 (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd).

Thin Film Technology of High-Critical-Temperature Superconducting Electronics.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-05

MD- R136 722 THIN FILM TECHNOLOGY OF HIGH-CRITICAL-TEMPERATURE 1/1 SUPERCONDUCTING ELECTRO..(U) WESTINGHOUSE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER...critical temperature has been demonstrated. Work will continue in a closed system to eliminate the base superconductor degradation, reduce leakage...a 5% decline in Tc has been demonstrated. Work will continue in a closed system to eliminate the base superconductor degradation, reduce leakage and

Correlation between superconductivity, band filling, and electron confinement at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smink, A. E. M.; Stehno, M. P.; de Boer, J. C.; Brinkman, A.; van der Wiel, W. G.; Hilgenkamp, H.

2018-06-01

By combined top- and backgating, we explore the correlation of superconductivity with band filling and electron confinement at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. We find that the top- and backgate voltages have distinctly different effects on the superconducting critical temperature, implying that the confining potential well has a profound effect on superconductivity. We investigate the origin of this behavior by comparing the gate dependence of Tc to the corresponding evolution of the band filling with gate voltage. For several backgate voltages, we observe maximum Tc to consistently coincide with a kink in tuning the band filling for high topgate voltage. Self-consistent Schrödinger-Poisson calculations relate this kink to a Lifshitz transition of the second dx y subband. These results establish a major role for confinement-induced subbands in the phase diagram of SrTiO3 surface states, and establish gating as a means to control the relative energy of these states.

Influence of substitution, nonstoichiometry and annealing-conditions on superconductivity and normal conductivity of Fe1+δ (Te1‑x Xx ) (X=Se, S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima, M. S. L.; ElMassalami, M.; Deguchi, K.; Takeya, H.; Takano, Y.

2018-03-01

Thermal evolution of resistivity, ρ(T, x), of as-prepared samples of Fe1+δ Te1‑x S x (δ ≈ 0, x ≤ 0.2 = solubility limit) demonstrate a granular log-in-T character within Ts < T <300K, a Kondo-like resistive contribution within Tc < T < Ts and granular superconductivity at low temperature (Ts = structural transition point of Fe1+δ Te, Tc =superconducting transition point). We attribute the log-in-T character as well as the nonbulk superconducting features of as-prepared samples to their granular superconductor nature. Annealing in oxygen removes Kondo-like contribution, annihilates pair-breaking centres and establishes bulk superconductivity but, in contrast, the high-temperature granular log-in-T character is hardly influenced. This analysis was successfully extended to the isomorphous Fe1+δ Te1‑x Se x as well as to other types of post-synthesis sample-treatment (e.g. annealing in different gas ambient or soaking in particular liquids).

Interfacial superconductivity in a bi-collinear antiferromagnetically ordered FeTe monolayer on a topological insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manna, S.; Kamlapure, A.; Cornils, L.; Hänke, T.; Hedegaard, E. M. J.; Bremholm, M.; Iversen, B. B.; Hofmann, Ph.; Wiebe, J.; Wiesendanger, R.

2017-01-01

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in Fe-based compounds triggered numerous investigations on the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism, and on the enhancement of transition temperatures through interface effects. It is widely believed that the emergence of optimal superconductivity is intimately linked to the suppression of long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) order, although the exact microscopic picture remains elusive because of the lack of atomically resolved data. Here we present spin-polarized scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of ultrathin FeTe1-xSex (x=0, 0.5) films on bulk topological insulators. Surprisingly, we find an energy gap at the Fermi level, indicating superconducting correlations up to Tc~6 K for one unit cell FeTe grown on Bi2Te3, in contrast to the non-superconducting bulk FeTe. The gap spatially coexists with bi-collinear AFM order. This finding opens perspectives for theoretical studies of competing orders in Fe-based superconductors and for experimental investigations of exotic phases in superconducting layers on topological insulators.

Electron-phonon superconductivity in YIn3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billington, D.; Llewellyn-Jones, T. M.; Maroso, G.; Dugdale, S. B.

2013-08-01

First-principles calculations of the electron-phonon coupling were performed on the cubic intermetallic compound YIn3. The electron-phonon coupling constant was found to be λep = 0.42. Using the Allen-Dynes formula with a Coulomb pseudopotential of μ* = 0.10, a Tc of approximately 0.77 K is obtained which is reasonably consistent with the experimentally observed temperature (between 0.8 and 1.1 K). The results indicate that conventional electron-phonon coupling is capable of producing the superconductivity in this compound.

Superconductivity in Bi/Ni bilayer system: Clear role of superconducting phases found at Bi/Ni interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L. Y.; Xing, Y. T.; Merino, I. L. C.; Micklitz, H.; Franceschini, D. F.; Baggio-Saitovitch, E.; Bell, D. C.; Solórzano, I. G.

2018-01-01

Bi/Ni bilayers with varying Bi and Ni layer thicknesses have been prepared by (a) pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) at 300 K and (b) thermal evaporation at 4.2 K. A two-step superconducting transition appears on the electrical transport measurements in the samples prepared by PLD. High-resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy, supported by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) analysis, reveal that two superconducting intermetallic alloys, namely NiBi and NiBi3, are formed by interdiffusion, if the bilayers are prepared at 300 K. The Tc of the two phases behaves very differently in an external magnetic field and the upper critical magnetic fields at zero temperature [Bc 2(0 ) ] were estimated as 1.1 and 7.4 T, respectively. The lower value corresponds to the Bc 2(0) of NiBi3 phase and the higher one is supposed to be of NiBi. These alloys are responsible for the superconductivity and the two-step transition appearing in the Bi/Ni bilayer system. Surprisingly, the Bi-rich phase (NiBi3) is formed near the Ni layer, while the Ni-rich phase (NiBi) is formed far from the Ni layer. The EDXS analysis at nanometer scale clearly shows an unusual increase of Ni concentration near the interface of Bi/substrate. The limited thickness of Bi layer in the interdiffusion process results in an unexpected distribution of Ni concentration. Samples prepared at 4.2 K after annealing at 300 K do not show any superconductivity, which indicates that a nonepitaxial Bi/Ni interface does not induce superconductivity in the case interdiffusion does not occur. These results offer a deeper understanding of the superconductivity in the Bi/Ni bilayer system.

Bias sputtered NbN and superconducting nanowire devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dane, Andrew E.; McCaughan, Adam N.; Zhu, Di; Zhao, Qingyuan; Kim, Chung-Soo; Calandri, Niccolo; Agarwal, Akshay; Bellei, Francesco; Berggren, Karl K.

2017-09-01

Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) promise to combine near-unity quantum efficiency with >100 megacounts per second rates, picosecond timing jitter, and sensitivity ranging from x-ray to mid-infrared wavelengths. However, this promise is not yet fulfilled, as superior performance in all metrics is yet to be combined into one device. The highest single-pixel detection efficiency and the widest bias windows for saturated quantum efficiency have been achieved in SNSPDs based on amorphous materials, while the lowest timing jitter and highest counting rates were demonstrated in devices made from polycrystalline materials. Broadly speaking, the amorphous superconductors that have been used to make SNSPDs have higher resistivities and lower critical temperature (Tc) values than typical polycrystalline materials. Here, we demonstrate a method of preparing niobium nitride (NbN) that has lower-than-typical superconducting transition temperature and higher-than-typical resistivity. As we will show, NbN deposited onto unheated SiO2 has a low Tc and high resistivity but is too rough for fabricating unconstricted nanowires, and Tc is too low to yield SNSPDs that can operate well at liquid helium temperatures. By adding a 50 W RF bias to the substrate holder during sputtering, the Tc of the unheated NbN films was increased by up to 73%, and the roughness was substantially reduced. After optimizing the deposition for nitrogen flow rates, we obtained 5 nm thick NbN films with a Tc of 7.8 K and a resistivity of 253 μΩ cm. We used this bias sputtered room temperature NbN to fabricate SNSPDs. Measurements were performed at 2.5 K using 1550 nm light. Photon count rates appeared to saturate at bias currents approaching the critical current, indicating that the device's quantum efficiency was approaching unity. We measured a single-ended timing jitter of 38 ps. The optical coupling to these devices was not optimized; however, integration with front-side optical

Superconducting ferecrystals: turbostratically disordered atomic-scale layered (PbSe)1.14(NbSe2)n thin films.

PubMed

Grosse, Corinna; Alemayehu, Matti B; Falmbigl, Matthias; Mogilatenko, Anna; Chiatti, Olivio; Johnson, David C; Fischer, Saskia F

2016-09-16

Hybrid electronic heterostructure films of semi- and superconducting layers possess very different properties from their bulk counterparts. Here, we demonstrate superconductivity in ferecrystals: turbostratically disordered atomic-scale layered structures of single-, bi- and trilayers of NbSe2 separated by PbSe layers. The turbostratic (orientation) disorder between individual layers does not destroy superconductivity. Our method of fabricating artificial sequences of atomic-scale 2D layers, structurally independent of their neighbours in the growth direction, opens up new possibilities of stacking arbitrary numbers of hybrid layers which are not available otherwise, because epitaxial strain is avoided. The observation of superconductivity and systematic Tc changes with nanostructure make this synthesis approach of particular interest for realizing hybrid systems in the search of 2D superconductivity and the design of novel electronic heterostructures.

Environmental testing of high Tc superconductive thermal isolators for space-borne cryogenic detector systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wise, Stephanie A.; Buckley, John D.; Randolf, Henry W.; Verbelyi, Darren; Haertling, Gene H.; Hooker, Matthew W.; Selim, Raouf; Caton, Randall

1992-01-01

Thick films of superconductive material on low thermal conductivity substrates (e.g., yttria-stabilized zirconia and fused silica) are considered as a replacement for the existing electrical connections between the detector array and data acquisition and storage electronics in the cryogenic detector systems being developed by NASA. The paper describes some of the design constraints on the superconducting device and presents results of a preliminary analysis of the effects of vibration, gamma irradiation, and long-term exposure to high vacuum and liquid nitrogen encountered in operating such a device in space.

Fully gapped superconductivity in single crystals of noncentrosymmetric Re6Zr with broken time-reversal symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, G. M.; Nie, Z. Y.; Wang, A.; Singh, D.; Xie, W.; Jiang, W. B.; Chen, Y.; Singh, R. P.; Smidman, M.; Yuan, H. Q.

2018-06-01

The noncentrosymmetric superconductor Re6Zr has attracted much interest due to the observation of broken time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting state. Here we report an investigation of the superconducting gap structure of Re6Zr single crystals by measuring the magnetic penetration depth shift Δ λ (T ) and electronic specific heat Ce(T ) . Δ λ (T ) exhibits an exponential temperature dependence behavior for T ≪Tc , which indicates a fully open superconducting gap. Our analysis shows that a single gap s -wave model is sufficient to describe both the superfluid density ρs(T ) and Ce(T ) results, with a fitted gap magnitude larger than the weak coupling BCS value, providing evidence for fully gapped superconductivity in Re6Zr with moderate coupling.

Coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in Ca1 -xNaxFe2As2 : Universal suppression of the magnetic order parameter in 122 iron pnictides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materne, Philipp; Kamusella, Sirko; Sarkar, Rajib; Goltz, Til; Spehling, Johannes; Maeter, Hemke; Harnagea, Luminita; Wurmehl, Sabine; Büchner, Bernd; Luetkens, Hubertus; Timm, Carsten; Klauss, Hans-Henning

2015-10-01

We present a detailed investigation of the magnetic and superconducting properties of Ca1 -xNaxFe2As2 single crystals with x =0.00 , 0.35, 0.50, and 0.67 by means of the local probe techniques Mössbauer spectroscopy and muon spin relaxation experiments. With increasing Na-substitution level, the magnetic order parameter is suppressed. For x =0.50 we find a microscopic coexistence of magnetic and superconducting phases accompanied by a reduction of the magnetic order parameter below the superconducting transition temperature Tc. A systematic comparison with other 122 pnictides reveals a square-root correlation between the reduction of the magnetic order parameter and the ratio of the transition temperatures Tc/TN , which can be understood in the framework of a Landau theory. In the optimally doped sample with Tc≈34 K, diluted magnetism is found and the temperature dependence of the penetration depth and superfluid density are obtained, proving the presence of two superconducting s -wave gaps.

Investigation of Pb doping on electrical, structural and superconducting properties of YBa2-xPbxCu3O7-δ superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezzatpour, S.; Sharifzadegan, L.; Sarvari, F.; Sedghi, H.

2018-06-01

In this study the high temperature superconductor YBa2-xPbxCu3O7-δ with doping x = ,0.05,0.1,0.15 were prepared by the standard solid-state reaction method. The effect of Pb substitution on Ba site of YBCO superconducting system, structural, electrical and superconducting properties of Y-based superconductor has been investigated. The measurements of dc resisitivity were performed on all samples with four-probe method using low frequency/lowAC current (4 mA) . The superconducting temperature, Tc, were determined from the resistivity versus temperature (R-T) curves. Results show that Pb doping reduced the cirtical temperature(Tc) and superconductivity properties of our samples. The maximum and the minimum Tc were observed for the samples with x = 0.15 and x = 0.1 respectively. The structure and phase purity of samples were examined by the X-ray powder diffraction technique (XRD) performed by means of D8 Advance Bruker diffractometer with Cu kα radiation. The grain morphology of surface of the samples was analyzed by sacanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD patterns of polycrystalline materials of composition YBa2-xPbxCu3O7-δ revealed that all prepared samples are orthorhombic. All of the peaks of YBCO and YBa2-xPbxCu3O7-δ have been used for the estimation of volume fractions of the phases and ignored the void peaks.

Unconventional Superconductivity in La(7)Ir(3) Revealed by Muon Spin Relaxation: Introducing a New Family of Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor That Breaks Time-Reversal Symmetry.

PubMed

Barker, J A T; Singh, D; Thamizhavel, A; Hillier, A D; Lees, M R; Balakrishnan, G; Paul, D McK; Singh, R P

2015-12-31

The superconductivity of the noncentrosymmetric compound La(7)Ir(3) is investigated using muon spin rotation and relaxation. Zero-field measurements reveal the presence of spontaneous static or quasistatic magnetic fields below the superconducting transition temperature T(c)=2.25  K-a clear indication that the superconducting state breaks time-reversal symmetry. Furthermore, transverse-field rotation measurements suggest that the superconducting gap is isotropic and that the pairing symmetry of the superconducting electrons is predominantly s wave with an enhanced binding strength. The results indicate that the superconductivity in La(7)Ir(3) may be unconventional and paves the way for further studies of this family of materials.

Superconductivity in engineered two-dimensional electron gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubukov, Andrey V.; Kivelson, Steven A.

2017-11-01

We consider Kohn-Luttinger mechanism for superconductivity in a two-dimensional electron gas confined to a narrow well between two grounded metallic planes with two occupied subbands with Fermi momenta kF L>kF S . On the basis of a perturbative analysis, we conclude that non-s -wave superconductivity emerges even when the bands are parabolic. We analyze the conditions that maximize Tc as a function of the distance to the metallic planes, the ratio kF L/kF S , and rs, which measures the strength of Coulomb correlations. The largest attraction is in p -wave and d -wave channels, of which p wave is typically the strongest. For rs=O (1 ) we estimate that the dimensionless coupling λ ≈10-1 , but it likely continues increasing for larger rs (where we lose theoretical control).

Superconductivity and role of pnictogen and Fe substitution in 112-LaPdxP n2 (P n =Sb ,Bi )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retzlaff, Reiner; Buckow, Alexander; Komissinskiy, Philipp; Ray, Soumya; Schmidt, Stefan; Mühlig, Holger; Schmidl, Frank; Seidel, Paul; Kurian, Jose; Alff, Lambert

2015-03-01

We report on the epitaxial growth of As-free and phase-pure thin films of the 112-pnictide compounds LaPdxP n2 (P n =Sb ,Bi ) grown on (100) MgO substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the HfCuSi2 structure of the material with a peculiar pnictogen square net layer. The superconducting transition temperature Tc varies little with Pd concentration. LaPdxSb2 has a higher Tc (3.2 K) by about 20% compared with LaPdxBi2 (2.7 K). Fe substitution of Pd leads to a rapid decay of superconductivity, suggesting that these superconductors are conventional type II.

The overdoped region of the high Tc superconducting Bi2212 revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaki, N.; Yang, H.-B.; Rameau, J. D.; Johnson, P. D.; Claus, H.; Hinks, D. G.

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) is used to probe the temperature dependence of the gaps observed in the antinodal region of the Fermi surface (FS) in overdoped Bi2212. In particular we study samples with doping levels greater than 0.19, the latter having previously been determined to be the doping level associated with a Fermi surface reconstruction. Careful simulation of the measured ARPES spectra indicates that any gap observed in this region of the FS at these doping levels is a reflection of the range of superconducting gaps associated with inhomogeneities observed in STM studies of the same systems. With this observation we are able to reexamine the phase diagram associated with the Bi2212 system and discuss the origin of the pseudogap associated with the underdoped region. This work is supported in part by the Center for Emergent Superconductivity (CES), an EFRC funded by the U.S. DOE. The work is also supported in part by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02- 98CH10886 at BNL and Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357 at ANL.

Superconducting order from disorder in 2H-TaSe2-xSx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lijun; Deng, Xiaoyu; Wang, Zhen; Liu, Yu; Abeykoon, Milinda; Dooryhee, Eric; Tomic, Aleksandra; Huang, Yanan; Warren, John B.; Bozin, Emil S.; Billinge, Simon J. L.; Sun, Yuping; Zhu, Yimei; Kotliar, Gabriel; Petrovic, Cedomir

2017-12-01

We report on the emergence of robust superconducting order in single crystal alloys of TaSe2-xSx (0 ≤ × ≤ 2). The critical temperature of the alloy is surprisingly higher than that of the two end compounds TaSe2 and TaS2. The evolution of superconducting critical temperature Tc(x) correlates with the full width at half maximum of the Bragg peaks and with the linear term of the high-temperature resistivity. The conductivity of the crystals near the middle of the alloy series is higher or similar than that of either one of the end members 2H-TaSe2 and/or 2H-TaS2. It is known that in these materials superconductivity is in close competition with charge density wave order. We interpret our experimental findings in a picture where disorder tilts this balance in favor of superconductivity by destroying the charge density wave order.

Doping dependence of low-energy quasiparticle excitations in superconducting Bi2212.

PubMed

Ino, Akihiro; Anzai, Hiroaki; Arita, Masashi; Namatame, Hirofumi; Taniguchi, Masaki; Ishikado, Motoyuki; Fujita, Kazuhiro; Ishida, Shigeyuki; Uchida, Shinichi

2013-12-05

: The doping-dependent evolution of the d-wave superconducting state is studied from the perspective of the angle-resolved photoemission spectra of a high-Tc cuprate, Bi2Sr2CaCu2 O8+δ (Bi2212). The anisotropic evolution of the energy gap for Bogoliubov quasiparticles is parametrized by critical temperature and superfluid density. The renormalization of nodal quasiparticles is evaluated in terms of mass enhancement spectra. These quantities shed light on the strong coupling nature of electron pairing and the impact of forward elastic or inelastic scatterings. We suggest that the quasiparticle excitations in the superconducting cuprates are profoundly affected by doping-dependent screening.

Doping dependence of low-energy quasiparticle excitations in superconducting Bi2212

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The doping-dependent evolution of the d-wave superconducting state is studied from the perspective of the angle-resolved photoemission spectra of a high-Tc cuprate, Bi2Sr2CaCu2 O8+δ (Bi2212). The anisotropic evolution of the energy gap for Bogoliubov quasiparticles is parametrized by critical temperature and superfluid density. The renormalization of nodal quasiparticles is evaluated in terms of mass enhancement spectra. These quantities shed light on the strong coupling nature of electron pairing and the impact of forward elastic or inelastic scatterings. We suggest that the quasiparticle excitations in the superconducting cuprates are profoundly affected by doping-dependent screening. PMID:24314035

Fe-vacancy and superconductivity in FeSe-based superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C. H.; Chen, T. K.; Chang, C. C.; Lee, Y. C.; Wang, M. J.; Huang, K. C.; Wu, P. M.; Wu, M. K.

2018-06-01

This review summarizes recent advancements in FeSe and related systems. The FeSe and related superconductors are currently receiving considerable attention for the high Tcs observed and for many similar features to the high Tc cuprate superconductors. These similarities suggest that understanding the FeSe based compounds could potentially help our understanding of the cuprates. We shall first review the common features observed in the FeSe-based system. It was found that with a careful control of material synthesizing processes, numerous rich phases have been observed in the FeSe-based system. Detailed studies show that the Fe-vacancy ordered phases found in the FeSe based compounds, which are non-superconducting Mott insulators, are the parent compounds of the superconductors. Superconductivity emerges from the parent phases by disordering the Fe vacancy order, often by a simple annealing treatment. Recent high temperature X-ray diffraction experiments show that the degree of structural distortion associated with the disorder of Fe-vacancy is closely related to volume fraction of the superconductivity observed. These results suggest the strong lattice to spin coupling are important for the occurrence of superconductivity in FeSe based superconductors.

A fully superconducting bearing system for flywheel applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ke-xi; Wu, Dong-jie; Jiao, Y. L.; Zheng, M. H.

2016-06-01

A fully superconducting magnetic suspension structure has been designed and constructed for the purpose of superconducting bearing applications in flywheel energy storage systems. A thrust type bearing and two journal type bearings, those that are composed of melt textured high-Tc superconductor YBCO bulks and Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, are used in the bearing system. The rotor dynamical behaviors, including critical speeds and rotational loss, are studied. Driven by a variable-frequency three-phase induction motor, the rotor shaft attached with a 25 kg flywheel disc can be speeded up to 15 000 rpm without serious resonance occurring. Although the flywheel system runs stably in the supercritical speeds region, very obvious rotational loss is unavoidable. The loss mechanism has been discussed in terms of eddy current loss and hysteresis loss.

Uniaxial-Strain-Orientation Dependence of the Competition between Mott and Charge Ordered Phases and their Corresponding Superconductivity of β-(BDA-TTP)2I3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuruzzaman, Md.; Yokogawa, Keiichi; Yoshino, Harukazu; Yoshimoto, Haruo; Kikuchi, Koichi; Kaihatsu, Takayuki; Yamada, Jun-ichi; Murata, Keizo

2012-12-01

We studied the electronic transport properties of the charge transfer salt β-(BDA-TTP)2I3 [BDA-TTP: 2,5-bis(1,3-dithian-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene] by applying uniaxial strains along the three crystallographic axes, and obtained three corresponding temperature-pressure phase diagrams. Three phase diagrams were quite dependent on the direction of compression. Following the preceding paper by Kikuchi et al., we speculate that the insulating states are of 1/2-filled Mott insulators for the a- and b-axes compressions, and of 1/4-filled charge ordered states for the c-axis compression as well as hydrostatic pressure. The superconducting phase under uniaxial strain was realized with Tc = 5 K at 1.9 GPa along the a-axis and with Tc = 5.6 K at 1.75 GPa along the b-axis. Superconductivity was also reproduced with a Tc of 9.5 K at 1.0 GPa for the c-axis compressions in the range of 0.85 to 1.53 GPa as previously reported. We studied tentative measurement on upper critical fields, Bc2's of these superconductivities and found that the extrapolated values, Bc2(0)'s, exceeded Pauli-limit by about 2--3 times. However, at least in terms of Bc2, the difference in superconductivity associated with two different insulating states was not clear.

Superconducting gap of the single crystal β-PdBi2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuzaki, H.; Nagai, K.; Kase, N.; Nakano, T.; Takeda, N.

2017-07-01

We investigate superconducting and normal properties of the single crystal of β-PdBi2. The electrical resistivity ρ(T) shows superconductivity at Tc = 5.0 K. Residual resistivity ratio (RRR) is estimated to be 2.9 obtained from ρ(300 K)/ρ(5.0 K). The H c2 curve obtained from ρ(T) in magnetic fields shows cleat enhancement from the Wertharmer-Helfand-Hohenberg theory in dirty limit. Specific heat C(T) measurement shows that clear jump is observed at T c = 4.8 K. T-dependence of the electronic specific heat C e(T) suggests full-gap symmetry with a single gap and strong coupling with ΔC e/γT c = 1.8.

Hot-Electron Photon Counters for Detecting Terahertz Photons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris; Sergeyev, Andrei

2005-01-01

A document proposes the development of hot-electron photon counters (HEPCs) for detecting terahertz photons in spaceborne far-infrared astronomical instruments. These would be superconducting- transition-edge devices: they would contain superconducting bridges that would have such low heat capacities that single terahertz photons would cause transient increases in their electron temperatures through the superconducting- transition range, thereby yielding measurable increases in electrical resistance. Single devices or imaging arrays of the devices would be fabricated as submicron-sized bridges made from films of disordered Ti (which has a superconducting- transition temperature of .0.35 K) between Nb contacts on bulk silicon or sapphire substrates. In operation, these devices would be cooled to a temperature of .0.3 K. The proposed devices would cost less to fabricate and operate, relative to integrating bolometers of equal sensitivity, which must be operated at a temperature of approx. = 0.1 K.

Control of superconductivity by means of electric-field-induced strain in superconductor/piezoelectric hybrids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamopoulos, D.; Zeibekis, M.; Zhang, S. J.

2018-01-01

The controlled modification of superconductivity by any means, specifically in hybrid systems, has attracted much interest in the recent decades. Here, we present experimental data and phenomenological modeling on the control of TC of superconducting (SC) Nb thin films, with thickness 3 nm ≤ dN b≤50 nm, under the application of in-plane strain, S(Eex) induced by an external out-of-plane electric field, Eex to piezoelectric (PE) single crystals, namely, ( 1 -x )Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3 (PMN-xPT), with x = 0.27 and 0.31. We report experimental modification of TC of Nb by Eex, accurately described by a phenomenological model that incorporates the constitutive relation S(Eex) of PMN-xPT. The systematic experimental-phenomenological modeling approach introduced here is generic and paves the way for an understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms in any SC/PE hybrid.

Role of Pr substitution as deoxygenation in suppression of superconductivity in GdPr-123 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamani, Z.; Akhavan, M.

1996-02-01

Predominantly single phase polycrystalline Gd 1- xPr xBa 2Cu 3O 7- y (GdPr-123) samples with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0 have been prepared by standard solid state reaction technique and characterized by XRD. The electrical resistivity measurements show the suppression of superconductivity with increasing x. Two plateaus appear in the Tc versus x curve at x ≈ 0-0.05 and at x ≈ 0.15-0.25 followed by a decrease to zero at xcr ≈ 0.45, similar to the plateaus of Tc versus 7 - y curve at 7 - y ≈ 6.8 -7 and at 7 - y ≈ 6.55-6.75 in RBa 2Cu 3O 7 - y ( R-123) ( R: Y or rare earth except Ce, Pr, Pm, Tb) systems. The valency of Pr was determined by magnetization measurements in the temperature range 100 K to 250 K. This data indicates a mixed valence state for Pr ions with an effective magnetic moment μ ≈ 2.69 μB per Pr ion, which yields a valency for Pr of ≈ 3.86 +. For these systems, Tc( x) does not follow the Abrikosov-Gor'kov pair breaking theory. We suggest that the suppression of superconductivity by Pr-substitution can be explained by means of an effective increasing of the oxygen deficiency in the structure, in a similar way to what happens in an R-123 system, when 7 - y is decreased in a controlled manner. This implies that CuO 2 planes are responsible for superconductivity through the effect of chains.

The Effect of Twins on Critical Currents of High Tc Superconductors

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

particles to stick together due to electrostatic forces. To overcome this we have formed a slurry of the material in liquid nitrogen and flash...can use and the liquid convection tends to counteract the separation process. We have-now designed a magnetic track which particles will slide down with...Currents of High Tc Superconductors" - A.M. Campbell and M.F. Ashby The initial work on levitation forces and separation of superconducting powders has

Inducing superconductivity in Weyl semimetal microstructures by selective ion sputtering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bachmann, Maja D.; Nair, Nityan; Flicker, Felix

By introducing a superconducting gap in Weyl or Dirac semimetals, the superconducting state inherits the nontrivial topology of their electronic structure. As a result, Weyl superconductors are expected to host exotic phenomena, such as nonzero-momentum pairing due to their chiral node structure, or zero-energy Majorana modes at the surface. These are of fundamental interest to improve our understanding of correlated topological systems, and, moreover, practical applications in phase-coherent devices and quantum applications have been proposed. Proximity-induced superconductivity promises to allow these experiments on nonsuperconducting Weyl semimetals. Here, we show a new route to reliably fabricate superconducting microstructures from the nonsuperconductingmore » Weyl semimetal NbAs under ion irradiation. Furthermore, the significant difference in the surface binding energy of Nb and As leads to a natural enrichment of Nb at the surface during ion milling, forming a superconducting surface layer (Tc ~ 3.5 K). Being formed from the target crystal itself, the ideal contact between the superconductor and the bulk may enable an effective gapping of the Weyl nodes in the bulk because of the proximity effect. Simple ion irradiation may thus serve as a powerful tool for the fabrication of topological quantum devices from monoarsenides, even on an industrial scale.« less

Inducing superconductivity in Weyl semimetal microstructures by selective ion sputtering

PubMed Central

Bachmann, Maja D.; Nair, Nityan; Flicker, Felix; Ilan, Roni; Meng, Tobias; Ghimire, Nirmal J.; Bauer, Eric D.; Ronning, Filip; Analytis, James G.; Moll, Philip J. W.

2017-01-01

By introducing a superconducting gap in Weyl or Dirac semimetals, the superconducting state inherits the nontrivial topology of their electronic structure. As a result, Weyl superconductors are expected to host exotic phenomena, such as nonzero-momentum pairing due to their chiral node structure, or zero-energy Majorana modes at the surface. These are of fundamental interest to improve our understanding of correlated topological systems, and, moreover, practical applications in phase-coherent devices and quantum applications have been proposed. Proximity-induced superconductivity promises to allow these experiments on nonsuperconducting Weyl semimetals. We show a new route to reliably fabricate superconducting microstructures from the nonsuperconducting Weyl semimetal NbAs under ion irradiation. The significant difference in the surface binding energy of Nb and As leads to a natural enrichment of Nb at the surface during ion milling, forming a superconducting surface layer (Tc ~ 3.5 K). Being formed from the target crystal itself, the ideal contact between the superconductor and the bulk may enable an effective gapping of the Weyl nodes in the bulk because of the proximity effect. Simple ion irradiation may thus serve as a powerful tool for the fabrication of topological quantum devices from monoarsenides, even on an industrial scale. PMID:28560340

Inducing superconductivity in Weyl semimetal microstructures by selective ion sputtering

DOE PAGES

Bachmann, Maja D.; Nair, Nityan; Flicker, Felix; ...

2017-05-24

By introducing a superconducting gap in Weyl or Dirac semimetals, the superconducting state inherits the nontrivial topology of their electronic structure. As a result, Weyl superconductors are expected to host exotic phenomena, such as nonzero-momentum pairing due to their chiral node structure, or zero-energy Majorana modes at the surface. These are of fundamental interest to improve our understanding of correlated topological systems, and, moreover, practical applications in phase-coherent devices and quantum applications have been proposed. Proximity-induced superconductivity promises to allow these experiments on nonsuperconducting Weyl semimetals. Here, we show a new route to reliably fabricate superconducting microstructures from the nonsuperconductingmore » Weyl semimetal NbAs under ion irradiation. Furthermore, the significant difference in the surface binding energy of Nb and As leads to a natural enrichment of Nb at the surface during ion milling, forming a superconducting surface layer (Tc ~ 3.5 K). Being formed from the target crystal itself, the ideal contact between the superconductor and the bulk may enable an effective gapping of the Weyl nodes in the bulk because of the proximity effect. Simple ion irradiation may thus serve as a powerful tool for the fabrication of topological quantum devices from monoarsenides, even on an industrial scale.« less

Quantitative determination of pairing interactions for high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates

PubMed Central

Bok, Jin Mo; Bae, Jong Ju; Choi, Han-Yong; Varma, Chandra M.; Zhang, Wentao; He, Junfeng; Zhang, Yuxiao; Yu, Li; Zhou, X. J.

2016-01-01

A profound problem in modern condensed matter physics is discovering and understanding the nature of fluctuations and their coupling to fermions in cuprates, which lead to high-temperature superconductivity and the invariably associated strange metal state. We report the quantitative determination of normal and pairing self-energies, made possible by laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements of unprecedented accuracy and stability. Through a precise inversion procedure, both the effective interactions in the attractive d-wave symmetry and the repulsive part in the full symmetry are determined. The latter is nearly angle-independent. Near Tc, both interactions are nearly independent of frequency and have almost the same magnitude over the complete energy range of up to about 0.4 eV, except for a low-energy feature at around 50 meV that is present only in the repulsive part, which has less than 10% of the total spectral weight. Well below Tc, they both change similarly, with superconductivity-induced features at low energies. Besides finding the pairing self-energy and the attractive interactions for the first time, these results expose the central paradox of the problem of high Tc: how the same frequency-independent fluctuations can dominantly scatter at angles ±π/2 in the attractive channel to give d-wave pairing and lead to angle-independent repulsive scattering. The experimental results are compared with available theoretical calculations based on antiferromagnetic fluctuations, the Hubbard model, and quantum-critical fluctuations of the loop-current order. PMID:26973872

Interface-induced superconductivity at ∼25 K at ambient pressure in undoped CaFe2As2 single crystals

PubMed Central

Zhao, Kui; Lv, Bing; Deng, Liangzi; Huyan, Shu-Yuan; Xue, Yu-Yi; Chu, Ching-Wu

2016-01-01

Superconductivity has been reversibly induced/suppressed in undoped CaFe2As2 (Ca122) single crystals through proper thermal treatments, with Tc at ∼25 K at ambient pressure and up to 30 K at 1.7 GPa. We found that Ca122 can be stabilized in two distinct tetragonal (T) phases at room temperature and ambient pressure: PI with a nonmagnetic collapsed tetragonal (cT) phase at low temperature and PII with an antiferromagnetic orthorhombic (O) phase at low temperature, depending on the low-temperature annealing condition. Neither phase at ambient pressure is superconducting down to 2 K. However, systematic annealing for different time periods at 350 °C on the as-synthesized crystals, which were obtained by quenching the crystal ingot from 850 °C, reveals the emergence of superconductivity over a narrow time window. Whereas the onset Tc is insensitive to the anneal time, the superconductive volume fraction evolves with the time in a dome-shaped fashion. Detailed X-ray diffraction profile analyses further reveal mesoscopically stacked layers of the PI and the PII phases. The deduced interface density correlates well with the superconducting volume measured. The transport anomalies of the T–cT transition, which is sensitive to lattice strain, and the T–O transition, which is associated with the spin-density-wave (SDW) transition, are gradually suppressed over the superconductive region, presumably due to the interface interactions between the nonmagnetic metallic cT phase and the antiferromagnetic O phase. The results provide the most direct evidence to date for interface-enhanced superconductivity in undoped Ca122, consistent with the recent theoretical prediction. PMID:27799564

High-temperature superconductivity in space-charge regions of lanthanum cuprate induced by two-dimensional doping

PubMed Central

Baiutti, F.; Logvenov, G.; Gregori, G.; Cristiani, G.; Wang, Y.; Sigle, W.; van Aken, P. A.; Maier, J.

2015-01-01

The exploitation of interface effects turned out to be a powerful tool for generating exciting material properties. Such properties include magnetism, electronic and ionic transport and even superconductivity. Here, instead of using conventional homogeneous doping to enhance the hole concentration in lanthanum cuprate and achieve superconductivity, we replace single LaO planes with SrO dopant planes using atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (two-dimensional doping). Electron spectroscopy and microscopy, conductivity measurements and zinc tomography reveal such negatively charged interfaces to induce layer-dependent superconductivity (Tc up to 35 K) in the space-charge zone at the side of the planes facing the substrate, where the strontium (Sr) profile is abrupt. Owing to the growth conditions, the other side exhibits instead a Sr redistribution resulting in superconductivity due to conventional doping. The present study represents a successful example of two-dimensional doping of superconducting oxide systems and demonstrates its power in this field. PMID:26481902

Ultrasonic attenuation in superconducting molybdenum-rhenium alloys.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashkin, M.; Deis, D. W.; Gottlieb, M.; Jones, C. K.

1971-01-01

Investigation of longitudinal sound attenuation in superconducting Mo-Re alloys as a function of temperature, magnetic field, and frequency. Evaporated thin film CdS transducers were used for the measurements at frequencies up to 3 GHz. The normal state attenuation coefficient was found to be proportional to the square of frequency over this frequency range. Measurements in zero magnetic field yielded a value of the energy gap parameter close to the threshold value of 3.56 kTc, appropriate to a weakly coupled dirty limit superconductor.

Simultaneous optimization of spin fluctuations and superconductivity under pressure in an iron-based superconductor.

PubMed

Ji, G F; Zhang, J S; Ma, Long; Fan, P; Wang, P S; Dai, J; Tan, G T; Song, Y; Zhang, C L; Dai, Pengcheng; Normand, B; Yu, Weiqiang

2013-09-06

We present a high-pressure NMR study of the overdoped iron pnictide superconductor NaFe0.94Co0.06As. The low-energy antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the normal state, manifest as the Curie-Weiss upturn in the spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/(75)T1T, first increase strongly with pressure but fall again at P>Popt=2.2  GPa. Neither long-ranged magnetic order nor a structural phase transition is encountered up to 2.5 GPa. The superconducting transition temperature Tc shows a pressure dependence identical to the spin fluctuations. Our observations demonstrate that magnetic correlations and superconductivity are optimized simultaneously as a function of the electronic structure, thereby supporting very strongly a magnetic origin of superconductivity.

Complementary Response of Static Spin-Stripe Order and Superconductivity to Nonmagnetic Impurities in Cuprates

DOE PAGES

Guguchia, Z.; Roessli, B.; Khasanov, R.; ...

2017-08-22

Here, we report muon-spin rotation and neutron-scattering experiments on nonmagnetic Zn impurity effects on the static spin-stripe order and superconductivity of the La214 cuprates. Remarkably, it was found that, for samples with hole doping x≈1/8, the spin-stripe ordering temperature T so decreases linearly with Zn doping y and disappears at y≈4%, demonstrating a high sensitivity of static spin-stripe order to impurities within a CuO 2 plane. Moreover, Tso is suppressed by Zn in the same manner as the superconducting transition temperature Tc for samples near optimal hole doping. This surprisingly similar sensitivity suggests that the spin-stripe order is dependent onmore » intertwining with superconducting correlations.« less

Complementary Response of Static Spin-Stripe Order and Superconductivity to Nonmagnetic Impurities in Cuprates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guguchia, Z.; Roessli, B.; Khasanov, R.

Here, we report muon-spin rotation and neutron-scattering experiments on nonmagnetic Zn impurity effects on the static spin-stripe order and superconductivity of the La214 cuprates. Remarkably, it was found that, for samples with hole doping x≈1/8, the spin-stripe ordering temperature T so decreases linearly with Zn doping y and disappears at y≈4%, demonstrating a high sensitivity of static spin-stripe order to impurities within a CuO 2 plane. Moreover, Tso is suppressed by Zn in the same manner as the superconducting transition temperature Tc for samples near optimal hole doping. This surprisingly similar sensitivity suggests that the spin-stripe order is dependent onmore » intertwining with superconducting correlations.« less

Superconducting fluctuations at arbitrary disorder strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, Nikolai A.; Skvortsov, Mikhail A.

2018-04-01

We study the effect of superconducting fluctuations on the conductivity of metals at arbitrary temperatures T and impurity scattering rates τ-1. Using the standard diagrammatic technique but in the Keldysh representation, we derive the general expression for the fluctuation correction to the dc conductivity applicable for any space dimensionality and analyze it in the case of the film geometry. We observe that the usual classification in terms of the Aslamazov-Larkin, Maki-Thompson, and density-of-states diagrams is to some extent artificial since these contributions produce similar terms, which partially cancel each other. In the diffusive limit, our results fully coincide with recent calculations in the Keldysh technique. In the ballistic limit near the transition, we demonstrate the absence of a divergent term (Tτ ) 2 attributed previously to the density-of-states contribution. In the ballistic limit far above the transition, the temperature-dependent part of the conductivity correction is shown to grow as T τ /ln(T /Tc) , where Tc is the critical temperature.

Kramers non-magnetic superconductivity in LnNiAsO superconductors.

PubMed

Li, Yuke; Luo, Yongkang; Li, Lin; Chen, Bin; Xu, Xiaofeng; Dai, Jianhui; Yang, Xiaojun; Zhang, Li; Cao, Guanghan; Xu, Zhu-an

2014-10-22

We investigated a series of nickel-based oxyarsenides LnNiAsO (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) compounds. CeNiAsO undergoes two successive anti-ferromagnetic transitions at TN1=9.3 K and TN2=7.3 K; SmNiAsO becomes an anti-ferromagnet below TN≃3.5 K; NdNiAsO keeps paramagnetic down to 2 K but orders anti-ferromagnetically below TN≃1.3 K. Superconductivity was observed only in Kramers non-magnetic LaNiAsO and PrNiAsO with Tc=2.7 K and 0.93 K, respectively. The superconductivity of PrNiAsO is further studied by upper critical field and specific heat measurements, which reveal that PrNiAsO is a weakly coupled Kramers non-magnetic superconductor. Our work confirms that the nickel-based oxyarsenide superconductors are substantially different in mechanism to iron-based ones, and are likely to be described by the conventional superconductivity theory.

Suppression of superconductivity in Fe chalcogenides by annealing: A reverse effect to pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Peng; Louca, Despina; Llobet, Anna; Yan, Jiaqiang; Arita, Ryotaro

2012-02-01

Superconductivity in FeTe1-xSex can be controlled by annealing, in the absence of extrinsic influences. Using neutron diffraction, we show that TC sensitively depends on the atomic configurations of the Te and Se ions. Low temperature annealing not only homogenizes the Te and Se ion distribution as previously observed, it suppresses TC because of changes in the chalcogen ions' z-parameter. In particular, the height of Te from the Fe basal plane is much reduced while that for Se shows a modest increase. These trends are reverse of the effects induced by pressure.

Pressure-induced superconductivity in the iron-based ladder material BaFe2S3.

PubMed

Takahashi, Hiroki; Sugimoto, Akira; Nambu, Yusuke; Yamauchi, Touru; Hirata, Yasuyuki; Kawakami, Takateru; Avdeev, Maxim; Matsubayashi, Kazuyuki; Du, Fei; Kawashima, Chizuru; Soeda, Hideto; Nakano, Satoshi; Uwatoko, Yoshiya; Ueda, Yutaka; Sato, Taku J; Ohgushi, Kenya

2015-10-01

All the iron-based superconductors identified so far share a square lattice composed of Fe atoms as a common feature, despite having different crystal structures. In copper-based materials, the superconducting phase emerges not only in square-lattice structures but also in ladder structures. Yet iron-based superconductors without a square-lattice motif have not been found, despite being actively sought out. Here, we report the discovery of pressure-induced superconductivity in the iron-based spin-ladder material BaFe2S3, a Mott insulator with striped-type magnetic ordering below ∼120 K. On the application of pressure this compound exhibits a metal-insulator transition at about 11 GPa, followed by the appearance of superconductivity below Tc = 14 K, right after the onset of the metallic phase. Our findings indicate that iron-based ladder compounds represent promising material platforms, in particular for studying the fundamentals of iron-based superconductivity.

Multigap superconductivity in the charge density wave superconductor LaPt2Si2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Debarchan; Gupta, Ritu; Bhattacharyya, A.; Biswas, P. K.; Adroja, D. T.; Hossain, Z.

2018-05-01

The superconducting gap structure of a charge density wave (CDW) superconductor LaPt2Si2 (Tc=1.6 K) having a quasi-two-dimensional crystal structure has been investigated using muon spin rotation/relaxation (μ SR ) measurements in transverse field (TF), zero field (ZF), and longitudinal field (LF) geometries. Rigorous analysis of TF-μ SR spectra in the superconducting state corroborates that the temperature dependence of the effective penetration depth, λL, derived from muon spin depolarization, fits to a two gap s wave model (i.e., s +s wave) suggesting that the Fermi surface contains two gaps of different magnitude rather than an isotropic gap expected for a conventional s wave superconductor. On the other hand, ZF μ SR data do not show any significant change in muon spin relaxation rate above and below the superconducting transition temperature indicating the fact that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state of this material.

Induction magnetometer using a high-Tc superconductor coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasada, Ichiro

2010-05-01

An induction magnetometer consisting of a search coil and an inverting operational amplifier is simple in structure and in signal transferring mechanism from the magnetic field input to the voltage output. Because this magnetometer is based on Faraday's law of induction, it has a lower cutoff frequency r/(2πL), where r is the resistance of the coil and L is its inductance. An attempt has been made to lower the cutoff frequency of the induction magnetometer by using a high-Tc superconductor coil. With a pancake coil (inner diameter ≈18 cm and outer diameter ≈23 cm, 92 turns, 3.23 mH) made of a Bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide (BSCCO) superconductor tape of 5 mm in width and 0.23 mm in thickness, the cutoff frequency achieved was 1.7 Hz which is much lower than that obtained with a bulky copper search coil which is typically in the range of 10-20 Hz. In the experiment, an inverting amplifier was made with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor operational amplifier and was immersed in liquid nitrogen together with a BSCCO high-Tc superconducting coil. Discussion is made on the resolution of the induction magnetometer using a high-Tc superconductor search coil.

Strong Coupling Superconductivity in the Vicinity of the Structural Quantum Critical Point in (CaxSr1-x)3Rh4Sn13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Wing Chi; Cheung, Yiu Wing; Saines, Paul J.; Imai, Masaki; Matsumoto, Takuya; Michioka, Chishiro; Yoshimura, Kazuyoshi; Goh, Swee K.

The family of the superconducting quasiskutterudites (CaxSr1-x)3Rh4Sn13 features a structural quantum critical point at xc = 0 . 9 , around which a dome-shaped variation of the superconducting transition temperature Tc is found. In this talk, we present the specific heat data for the normal and the superconducting states of the entire series straddling the quantum critical point. Our analysis indicates a significant lowering of the effective Debye temperature on approaching xc, which we interpret as a result of phonon softening accompanying the structural instability. Furthermore, a remarkably large enhancement of 2 Δ /kBTc and ΔC / γTc beyond the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer values is found in the vicinity of the structural quantum critical point. Reference: Wing Chi Yu et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press, 2015) This work was supported by the CUHK (Startup Grant, Direct Grant No. 4053071), UGC Hong Kong (ECS/24300214), Grants-in-Aid from MEXT (22350029 and 23550152), and Glasstone Bequest, Oxford.

Superconductivity above 100 K in Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O films made by thermal decomposition of metal carboxylates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klee, M.; de Vries, J. W. C.; Brand, W.

1988-11-01

Superconducting layers in the Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O system are prepared by thermal decomposition of metal carboxylates. The films are deposited on MgO single crystal and ceramic substrates using a spin-coating and dip-coating process. The Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O films consist mainly of the low- Tc phase ( c-axis=3.073 nm), whereas partial substitution of Bi by Pb favours the formation of the high- Tc phase ( c-axis=3.707 nm). Films deposited on MgO (100) are strong c-axis preferentially oriented grown. While the Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O films show a step in the resistance versus temperature curve ( Tcf⋍80 K) due to the presence of the low- Tc and the high- Tc phase, the Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O films have an onset at 110 K and are superconducting at 104 K. The temperature dependence of the critical current indicates that in the Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O system weak links of superconductor-isolator-superconductor type are present, while in the Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O samples the contact is formed by normal-metal barriers. Using magnetic fields up to 5 T, the anisotropy of the resistive transition of the high- Tc phase was studied. In Bi(Pb)-Ca-Sr-Cu-O films the anisotropy ratio is about 18, and the corresponding coherence lengths are ξ ab(0)⋍3.6 nm and ξ c(0)⋍0.2 nm. These values are nearly the same as in the low- Tc phase.

The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelbke, C. Korad; Morrissey, D. J.; York, R. C.

1996-10-01

The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University has constructed and operates two superconducting cyclotrons for research in nuclear science, accelerator and instrumental physics. The K500, the world's first superconducting cyclotron, was commissioned in 1982 and the K1200, the world's most powerful cyclotron, was commissioned in 1988. Heavy-ion beams across the entire periodic table produced in a pair of ECR ion sources and accelerated to energies on the order of 100 MeV/A are delivered to a modern and versatile complement of experimental apparatus, including the new S800 high-resolution superconducting magnetic spectrograph now undergoing initial testing. The diverse variety of beams are used for studies of the quantum-statistical properties of hot nuclei, the liquid-gas phase transition in nuclear matter, and for nuclear structure research, particularly with radioactive ion beams from the A1200 fragment separator. The NSCL provides radioactive nuclear beams out to the limits of stability on both the neutron-rich and the proton-rich sides of the valley of stability. The laboratory is also used for multi-disciplinary research in astrophysics, condensed matter physics, geophysics, medicine, and biology. The NSCL has recently proposed a major upgrade of its facility based on coupled operation of the two cyclotrons. The upgrade will provide large increases in beam intensities for radioactive beam production and increased energies of the heaviest beams.

Positron annihilation in the high-Tc superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Bulbul

1989-01-01

A model for positron annihilation in the high-Tc oxides is constructed based on the strongly correlated nature of the electrons in these systems. It is shown that the change in positron lifetime as a function of temperature in superconducting, nearly defect-free YBa2Cu3O7 and La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 can be understood on the basis of this model assuming that real hole-pair formation takes place in the superfluid state. The observed positron-lifetime changes in YBa2Cu3O7-x as a function of x is also found to be consistent with this model.

Spin-rotation symmetry breaking and triplet superconducting state in doped topological insulator CuxBi2Se3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Guo-Qing

Spontaneous symmetry breaking is an important concept for understanding physics ranging from the elementary particles to states of matter. For example, the superconducting state breaks global gauge symmetry, and unconventional superconductors can break additional symmetries. In particular, spin rotational symmetry is expected to be broken in spin-triplet superconductors. However, experimental evidence for such symmetry breaking has not been obtained so far in any candidate compounds. We report 77Se nuclear magnetic resonance measurements which showed that spin rotation symmetry is spontaneously broken in the hexagonal plane of the electron-doped topological insulator Cu0.3Bi2Se3 below the superconducting transition temperature Tc =3.4 K. Our results not only establish spin-triplet (odd parity) superconductivity in this compound, but also serve to lay a foundation for the research of topological superconductivity (Ref.). We will also report the doping mechanism and superconductivity in Sn1-xInxTe.

Superconducting Properties and μSR Study of the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Nb_0.5Os_0.5.

PubMed

Singh, D; Barker, J A T; Arumugam, Thamizhavel; Hillier, A D; Paul, D McK; Singh, R P

2017-12-21

The properties of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor ($\\alpha$-$\\textit{Mn}$ structure) Nb$_{0.5}$Os$_{0.5}$ is investigated using resistivity, magnetization, specific heat, and muon spin relaxation and rotation ($\\mu$SR) measurements. These measurements suggest that Nb$_{0.5}$Os$_{0.5}$ is a weakly coupled ($\\lambda_{e-ph}$ $\\sim$ 0.53) type-II superconductor ($\\kappa_{GL}$ $\\approx$ 61) having a bulk superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ = 3.07 K. The specific heat data in the superconductive regime fits well with the single-gap BCS model indicating nodeless s-wave superconductivity in Nb$_{0.5}$Os$_{0.5}$. The $\\mu$SR measurements also confirm $\\textit{s}$-wave superconductivity with the preserved time-reversal symmetry. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

The status, recent progress and promise of superconducting materials for practical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowell, J. M.

1989-03-01

The author summarizes the progress in materials science and engineering that created today's superconducting technology. He reviews the state of the technology with conventional materials by looking at two particular applications: large-scale applications involving conductors, for example, magnets; and electronics and instrumentation applications. The state-of-the art is contrasted with the present understanding of the high-Tc oxide materials.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Flow Stress Prediction of TC4-DT Alloy in Single-Phase Region and Dual-Phase Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jianglin; Zeng, Weidong; Zhu, Yanchun; Yu, Hanqing; Zhao, Yongqing

2015-05-01

Isothermal compression tests of TC4-DT titanium alloy at the deformation temperature ranging from 1181 to 1341 K covering α + β phase field and β-phase field, the strain rate ranging from 0.01 to 10.0 s-1 and the height reduction of 70% were conducted on a Gleeble-3500 thermo-mechanical simulator. The experimental true stress-true strain data were employed to develop the strain-compensated Arrhenius-type flow stress model and artificial neural network (ANN) model; the predictability of two models was quantified in terms of correlation coefficient ( R) and average absolute relative error (AARE). The R and AARE for the Arrhenius-type flow stress model were 0.9952 and 5.78%, which were poorer linear relation and more deviation than 0.9997 and 1.04% for the feed-forward back-propagation ANN model, respectively. The results indicated that the trained ANN model was more efficient and accurate in predicting the flow behavior for TC4-DT titanium alloy at elevated temperature deformation than the strain-compensated Arrhenius-type constitutive equations. The constitutive relationship compensating strain could track the experimental data across the whole hot working domain other than that at high strain rates (≥1 s-1). The microstructure analysis illustrated that the deformation mechanisms existed at low strain rates (≤0.1 s-1), where dynamic recrystallization occurred, were far different from that at high strain rates (≥1 s-1) that presented bands of flow localization and cracking along grain boundary.

Origin of Superconductivity and Latent Charge Density Wave in NbS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heil, Christoph; Poncé, Samuel; Lambert, Henry; Schlipf, Martin; Margine, Elena R.; Giustino, Feliciano

2017-08-01

We elucidate the origin of the phonon-mediated superconductivity in 2 H -NbS2 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 -NbS2 , and show that the low- and high-energy peaks observed in tunneling spectra correspond to the Γ - and K -centered Fermi surface pockets, respectively. The present findings call for further efforts to determine whether our proposed mechanism underpins superconductivity in the whole family of metallic transition metal dichalcogenides.

Superconductivity induced by In substitution into the topological crystalline insulator Pb0.5Sn0.5Te

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, R. D.; Schneeloch, J. A.; Liu, T. S.; Camino, F. E.; Tranquada, J. M.; Gu, G. D.

2014-07-01

Indium substitution turns the topological crystalline insulator (TCI) Pb0.5Sn0.5Te into a possible topological superconductor. To investigate the effect of the indium concentration on the crystal structure and superconducting properties of (Pb0.5Sn0.5)1-xInxTe, we have grown high-quality single crystals using a modified floating-zone method and have performed systematic studies for indium content in the range 0≤x≤0.35. We find that the single crystals retain the rocksalt structure up to the solubility limit of indium (x ˜0.30). Experimental dependencies of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and the upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) on the indium content x have been measured. The maximum Tc is determined to be 4.7 K at x =0.30, with μ0Hc2(T =0)≈5 T.

Superconductivity in two-dimensional NbSe2 field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Bana, Mohammed S.; Wolverson, Daniel; Russo, Saverio; Balakrishnan, Geetha; Mck Paul, Don; Bending, Simon J.

2013-12-01

We describe investigations of superconductivity in few molecular layer NbSe2 field effect transistors. While devices fabricated from NbSe2 flakes less than eight molecular layers thick did not conduct, thicker flakes were superconducting with an onset Tc that was only slightly depressed from the bulk value for 2H-NbSe2 (7.2 K). The resistance typically showed a small, sharp high temperature transition followed by one or more broader transitions which usually ended in a wide tail to zero resistance at low temperatures. We speculate that these multiple resistive transitions are related to disorder in the layer stacking. The behavior of several flakes has been characterized as a function of temperature, applied field and back-gate voltage. We find that the conductance in the normal state and transition temperature depend weakly on the gate voltage, with both conductivity and Tc decreasing as the electron concentration is increased. The application of a perpendicular magnetic field allows the evolution of different resistive transitions to be tracked and values of the zero temperature upper critical field, Hc2(0), and coherence length, ξ(0), to be independently estimated. Our results are analyzed in terms of available theories for these phenomena.

Single-Gap Superconductivity and Dome of Superfluid Density in Nb-Doped SrTiO 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiemann, Markus; Beutel, Manfred H.; Dressel, Martin; Lee-Hone, Nicholas R.; Broun, David M.; Fillis-Tsirakis, Evangelos; Boschker, Hans; Mannhart, Jochen; Scheffler, Marc

2018-06-01

SrTiO3 exhibits a superconducting dome upon doping with Nb, with a maximum critical temperature Tc≈0.4 K . Using microwave stripline resonators at frequencies from 2 to 23 GHz and temperatures down to 0.02 K, we probe the low-energy optical response of superconducting SrTiO3 with a charge carrier concentration from 0.3 to 2.2 ×1020 cm-3 , covering the majority of the superconducting dome. We find single-gap electrodynamics even though several electronic bands are superconducting. This is explained by a single energy gap 2 Δ due to gap homogenization over the Fermi surface consistent with the low level of defect scattering in Nb-doped SrTiO3 . Furthermore, we determine Tc, 2 Δ , and the superfluid density as a function of charge carrier concentration, and all three quantities exhibit the characteristic dome shape.

Correlation between non-Fermi-liquid behavior and superconductivity in (Ca, La)(Fe,Co)As2 iron arsenides: A high-pressure study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, W.; Ke, F.; Xu, Xiaofeng; Sankar, R.; Xing, X.; Xu, C. Q.; Jiang, X. F.; Qian, B.; Zhou, N.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, M.; Li, B.; Chen, B.; Shi, Z. X.

2017-11-01

Non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) phenomena associated with correlation effects have been widely observed in the phase diagrams of unconventional superconducting families. Exploration of the correlation between the normal state NFL, regardless of its microscopic origins, and the superconductivity has been argued as a key to unveiling the mystery of the high-Tc pairing mechanism. Here we systematically investigate the pressure-dependent in-plane resistivity (ρ ) and Hall coefficient (RH) of a high-quality 112-type Fe-based superconductor Ca1 -xLaxFe1 -yCoyAs2 (x =0.2 ,y =0.02 ). With increasing pressure, the normal-state resistivity of the studied sample exhibits a pronounced crossover from non-Fermi-liquid to Fermi-liquid behaviors. Accompanied with this crossover, Tc is gradually suppressed. In parallel, the extremum in the Hall coefficient RH(T ) curve, possibly due to anisotropic scattering induced by spin fluctuations, is also gradually suppressed. The symbiosis of NFL and superconductivity implies that these two phenomena are intimately related. Further study on the pressure-dependent upper critical field reveals that the two-band effects are also gradually weakened with increasing pressure and reduced to the one-band Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg limit in the low-Tc regime. Overall, our paper supports the picture that NFL, multigap, and extreme RH(T ) are all of the same magnetic origin, i.e., the spin fluctuations in the 112 iron arsenide superconductors.

Crystal Field Excitations Across High Tc Phase Diagram in La1 . 6 - x Nd0 . 4 Srx CuO4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Qianli; Maharaj, Dalini; Buhariwalla, Connor; Kolesnikov, Alexander; Stone, Matthew; Gaulin, Bruce

The family of high Tc superconductors(SC) La1 . 6 - x Nd0 . 4 Srx CuO4 (Nd-LSCO) has been studied as it displays a complex picture of the canonical hole-doped high Tc phase diagram. It displays static charge and spin stripe order over a range of Sr doping, which are optimized around x=0.125. Nd-LSCO evolves from an AFM insulating phase at x=0, to a region (0.05 superconductivity at low temperatures, to an optimally-doped SC(x=0.19) with Tc=20K, and to what is believed to be a conventional non-superconducting Fermi liquid for x > 0 . 25 . Here I present time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering data of the Nd3+ crystalline electric field (CEF) levels on polycrystalline samples of Nd-LSCO over a range of compositions up to x=0.4. The experiments were performed on the SEQUOIA chopper spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source, and observe the evolution of the splitting of the J=9/2 multiplet appropriate to Nd3+ as a function of Sr concentrations (x=0.04,0.12,0.2,0.24 and 0.4) and (4K, 35K and 200K) temperature. We observe sharp CEF transitions near 21 meV and 27 meV at low x, evolve to a single transition near 24meV near x=0.1, in agreement with the onset of a superconducting ground state. NSERC.

Enhancement of the finite-frequency superfluid response in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered superconducting films

PubMed Central

Mondal, Mintu; Kamlapure, Anand; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Jesudasan, John; Bagwe, Vivas; Benfatto, Lara; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-01-01

The persistence of a soft gap in the density of states above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the pseudogap, has long been thought to be a hallmark of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, in the last few years this paradigm has been strongly revised by increasing experimental evidence for the emergence of a pseudogap state in strongly-disordered conventional superconductors. Nonetheless, the nature of this state, probed primarily through scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements, remains partly elusive. Here we show that the dynamic response above Tc, obtained from the complex ac conductivity, is highly modified in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered NbN films. Below the pseudogap temperature, T*, the superfluid stiffness acquires a strong frequency dependence associated with a marked slowing down of critical fluctuations. When translated into the length-scale of fluctuations, our results suggest a scenario of thermal phase fluctuations between superconducting domains in a strongly disordered s-wave superconductor. PMID:23446946

Enhancement of the finite-frequency superfluid response in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered superconducting films.

PubMed

Mondal, Mintu; Kamlapure, Anand; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Jesudasan, John; Bagwe, Vivas; Benfatto, Lara; Raychaudhuri, Pratap

2013-01-01

The persistence of a soft gap in the density of states above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the pseudogap, has long been thought to be a hallmark of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, in the last few years this paradigm has been strongly revised by increasing experimental evidence for the emergence of a pseudogap state in strongly-disordered conventional superconductors. Nonetheless, the nature of this state, probed primarily through scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements, remains partly elusive. Here we show that the dynamic response above Tc, obtained from the complex ac conductivity, is highly modified in the pseudogap regime of strongly disordered NbN films. Below the pseudogap temperature, T*, the superfluid stiffness acquires a strong frequency dependence associated with a marked slowing down of critical fluctuations. When translated into the length-scale of fluctuations, our results suggest a scenario of thermal phase fluctuations between superconducting domains in a strongly disordered s-wave superconductor.

Imaging of current distributions in superconducting thin film structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dönitz, Dietmar

2006-10-01

Local analysis plays an important role in many fields of scientific research. However, imaging methods are not very common in the investigation of superconductors. For more than 20 years, Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LTSEM) has been successfully used at the University of Tübingen for studying of condensed matter phenomena, especially of superconductivity. In this thesis LTSEM was used for imaging current distributions in different superconducting thin film structures: - Imaging of current distributions in Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic interlayer, also known as SIFS junctions, showed inhomogeneous current transport over the junctions which directly led to an improvement in the fabrication process. An investigation of improved samples showed a very homogeneous current distribution without any trace of magnetic domains. Either such domains were not present or too small for imaging with the LTSEM. - An investigation of Nb/YBCO zigzag Josephson junctions yielded important information on signal formation in the LTSEM both for Josephson junctions in the short and in the long limit. Using a reference junction our signal formation model could be verified, thus confirming earlier results on short zigzag junctions. These results, which could be reproduced in this work, support the theory of d-wave symmetry in the superconducting order parameter of YBCO. Furthermore, investigations of the quasiparticle tunneling in the zigzag junctions showed the existence of Andreev bound states, which is another indication of the d-wave symmetry in YBCO. - The LTSEM study of Hot Electron Bolometers (HEB) allowed the first successful imaging of a stable 'Hot Spot', a self-heating region in HEB structures. Moreover, the electron beam was used to induce an - otherwise unstable - hot spot. Both investigations yielded information on the homogeneity of the samples. - An entirely new method of imaging the current distribution in superconducting interference devices

Observation of dx2-y-Like Superconducting Gap in an Electron-Doped High-Temperature Superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, T.; Kamiyama, T.; Takahashi, T.; Kurahashi, K.; Yamada, K.

2001-02-01

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of the electron-doped high-temperature superconductor Nd2-xCexCuO4 (x = 0.15, transition temperature Tc = 22 K) has found the quasiparticle signature as well as the anisotropic dx2-y-like superconducting gap. The spectral line shape at the superconducting state shows a strong anisotropic nature of the many-body interaction. The result suggests that the electron-hole symmetry is present in the high-temperature superconductors.

High Tc screen-printed YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films - Effect of the substrate material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, Narottam P.; Simons, Rainee N.; Farrell, D. E.

1988-08-01

Thick films of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) have been deposited on highly polished alumina, magnesia spinel, nickel aluminum titanate (Ni-Al-Ti), and barium tetratitanate (Ba-Ti) substrates by the screen printing technique. Properties of the films were found to be highly sensitive to the choice of the substrate material. The film on Ba-Ti turned green after firing, due to a reaction with the substrate and were insulating. A film on Ni-Al-Ti had a Tc (onset) of about 95 K and lost 90 percent of its resistance by about 75 K. However, even at 4 K it was not fully superconducting, possibly due to a reaction between the film and the substrate and interdiffusion of the reaction products. The film on alumina had Tc (onset) of about 96 K, Tc (zero) of about 66 K, and Delta Tc of about 10 K. The best film was obtained on spinel and had Tc (onset) of about 94 K, zero resistance at 81 K, and a transition width of about 7 K.

High Tc screen-printed YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films - Effect of the substrate material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bansal, Narottam P.; Simons, Rainee N.; Farrell, D. E.

1988-01-01

Thick films of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) have been deposited on highly polished alumina, magnesia spinel, nickel aluminum titanate (Ni-Al-Ti), and barium tetratitanate (Ba-Ti) substrates by the screen printing technique. Properties of the films were found to be highly sensitive to the choice of the substrate material. The film on Ba-Ti turned green after firing, due to a reaction with the substrate and were insulating. A film on Ni-Al-Ti had a Tc (onset) of about 95 K and lost 90 percent of its resistance by about 75 K. However, even at 4 K it was not fully superconducting, possibly due to a reaction between the film and the substrate and interdiffusion of the reaction products. The film on alumina had Tc (onset) of about 96 K, Tc (zero) of about 66 K, and Delta Tc of about 10 K. The best film was obtained on spinel and had Tc (onset) of about 94 K, zero resistance at 81 K, and a transition width of about 7 K.

Whole-head SQUID system in a superconducting magnetic shield.

PubMed

Ohta, H; Matsui, T; Uchikawa, Y

2004-11-30

We have constructed a mobile whole-head SQUID system in a superconducting magnetic shield - a cylinder of high Tc superconductor BSCCO of 65 cm in diameter and 160 cm in length. We compared the noise spectra of several SQUID sensors of SNS Josephson junctions in the superconducting magnetic shield with those of the same SQUID sensors in a magnetically shielded room of Permalloy. The SQUID sensors in the superconducting magnetic shield are more than 100 times more sensitive than those in a magnetically shielded room of Permalloy below 1 Hz. We tested the whole-head SQUID system in the superconducting magnetic shield observing somatosensory signals evoked by stimulating the median nerve in the right wrist of patients by current pulses. We present data of 64 and 128 traces versus the common time axis for comparison. Most sensory responses of human brains phase out near 250 ms. However monotonic rhythms still remain even at longer latencies than 250 ms. The nodes of these rhythm are very narrow even at these longer latencies just indicating low noise characteristics of the SQUID system at low-frequencies. The current dipoles at the secondary somatosensory area SII are evoked at longer latencies than 250 ms contributing to a higher-level brain function. The SQUID system in a superconducting magnetic shield will also have advantages when it is used as a DC MEG to study very slow activities and function of the brain.

Phase slips in superconducting films with constrictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Sang L.; Bollinger, A. T.; Bezryadin, A.

2004-12-01

A system of two coplanar superconducting films seamlessly connected by a bridge is studied. We observe two distinct resistive transitions as the temperature is reduced. The first one, occurring in the films, shows some properties of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. The second apparent transition (which is in fact a crossover) is related to freezing out of thermally activated phase slips (TAPS) localized on the bridge. We also propose a powerful indirect experimental method allowing an extraction of the sample’s zero-bias resistance from high-current-bias measurements. Using direct and indirect measurements, we have determined the resistance R(T) of the bridges within a range of eleven orders of magnitude. Over such broad range the resistance follows a simple relation R(T)=RNexp[-(c/t)(1-t)3/2] , where c=ΔF(0)/kTc is the normalized free energy of a phase slip at zero temperature, t=T/Tc is normalized temperature, and RN is the normal resistance of the bridge.

Prototype Development of Remote Operated Hot Uniaxial Press (ROHUP) to Fabricate Advanced Tc-99 Bearing Ceramic Waste Forms - 13381

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alaniz, Ariana J.; Delgado, Luc R.; Werbick, Brett M.

The objective of this senior student project is to design and build a prototype construction of a machine that simultaneously provides the proper pressure and temperature parameters to sinter ceramic powders in-situ to create pellets of rather high densities of above 90% (theoretical). This ROHUP (Remote Operated Hot Uniaxial Press) device is designed specifically to fabricate advanced ceramic Tc-99 bearing waste forms and therefore radiological barriers have been included in the system. The HUP features electronic control and feedback systems to set and monitor pressure, load, and temperature parameters. This device operates wirelessly via portable computer using Bluetooth{sup R} technology.more » The HUP device is designed to fit in a standard atmosphere controlled glove box to further allow sintering under inert conditions (e.g. under Ar, He, N{sub 2}). This will further allow utilizing this HUP for other potential applications, including radioactive samples, novel ceramic waste forms, advanced oxide fuels, air-sensitive samples, metallic systems, advanced powder metallurgy, diffusion experiments and more. (authors)« less

Fe(II)- and Sulfide-Facilitated Reduction of 99Tc(VII)O4- in Microbially Reduced Hyporheic Zone Sediments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, Jim K.

Redox-reactive, biogeochemical phases generated by reductive microbial activity in hyporheic zone sediments from a dynamic groundwater-river interaction zone were evaluated for their ability to reduce soluble pertechnetate [99Tc(VII)O4-] to less soluble Tc(IV). The sediments were bioreduced by indigenous microorganisms that were stimulated by organic substrate addition in synthetic groundwater with or without sulfate. In most treatments, 20 µmol L-1 initial aqueous Tc(VII) was reduced to near or below detection (3.82×10-9 mol L-1) over periods of days to months in suspensions of variable solids concentrations. Native sediments containing significant lithogenic Fe(II) in various phases were, in contrast, unreactive with Tc(VII). Themore » reduction rates in the bioreduced sediments increased with increases in sediment mass, in proportion to weak acid-extractable Fe(II) and sediment-associated sulfide (AVS). The rate of Tc(VII) reduction was first order with respect to both aqueous Tc(VII) concentration and sediment mass, but correlations between specific reductant concentrations and reaction rate were not found. X-ray microprobe measurements revealed a strong correlation between Tc hot spots and Fe-containing mineral particles in the sediment. However, only a portion of Fe-containing particles were Tc-hosts. The Tc-hot spots displayed a chemical signature (by EDXRF) similar to pyroxene. The application of autoradiography and electron microprobe allowed further isolation of Tc-containing particles that were invariably found to be ca 100 µm aggregates of primary mineral material embedded within a fine-grained phyllosilicate matrix. EXAFS spectroscopy revealed that the Tc(IV) within these were a combination of a Tc(IV)O2-like phase and Tc(IV)-Fe surface clusters, with a significant fraction of a TcSx-like phase in sediments incubated with SO42-. AVS was implicated as a more selective reductant at low solids concentration even though its concentration was below

Fe(II)- and sulfide-facilitated reduction of 99Tc(VII)O4- in microbially reduced hyporheic zone sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, James K.; Heald, Steve M.; McKinley, James P.; Plymale, Andrew E.; Resch, Charles T.; Moore, Dean A.

2014-07-01

Redox-reactive, biogeochemical phases generated by reductive microbial activity in hyporheic zone sediments from a dynamic groundwater-river interaction zone were evaluated for their ability to reduce soluble pertechnetate [99Tc(VII)O4-] to less soluble Tc(IV). The sediments were bioreduced by indigenous microorganisms that were stimulated by organic substrate addition in synthetic groundwater with or without sulfate. In most treatments, 20 μmol L-1 initial aqueous Tc(VII) was reduced to near or below detection (3.82 × 10-9 mol L-1) over periods of days to months in suspensions of variable solids concentrations. Native sediments containing significant lithogenic Fe(II) in various phases were, in contrast, unreactive with Tc(VII). The reduction rates in the bioreduced sediments increased with increases in sediment mass, in proportion to weak acid-extractable Fe(II) and sediment-associated sulfide (AVS). The rate of Tc(VII) reduction was first order with respect to both aqueous Tc(VII) concentration and sediment mass, but correlations between specific reductant concentrations and reaction rate were not found. X-ray microprobe measurements revealed a strong correlation between Tc hot spots and Fe-containing mineral particles in the sediment. However, only a portion of Fe-containing particles were Tc-hosts. The Tc-hot spots displayed a chemical signature (by EDXRF) similar to pyroxene. The application of autoradiography and electron microprobe allowed further isolation of Tc-containing particles that were invariably found to be ca 100 μm aggregates of primary mineral material embedded within a fine-grained phyllosilicate matrix. EXAFS spectroscopy revealed that the Tc(IV) within these were a combination of a Tc(IV)O2-like phase and Tc(IV)-Fe surface clusters, with a significant fraction of a TcSx-like phase in sediments incubated with SO42-. AVS was implicated as a more selective reductant at low solids concentration even though its concentration was below that

Strong Meissner screening change in superconducting radio frequency cavities due to mild baking

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romanenko, A., E-mail: aroman@fnal.gov; Grassellino, A.; Barkov, F.

We investigate “hot” regions with anomalous high field dissipation in bulk niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities for particle accelerators by using low energy muon spin rotation (LE-μSR) on corresponding cavity cutouts. We demonstrate that superconducting properties at the hot region are well described by the non-local Pippard/BCS model for niobium in the clean limit with a London penetration depth λ{sub L}=23±2 nm. In contrast, a cutout sample from the 120 ∘C baked cavity shows a much larger λ>100 nm and a depth dependent mean free path, likely due to gradient in vacancy concentration. We suggest that these vacancies can efficiently trap hydrogen andmore » hence prevent the formation of hydrides responsible for rf losses in hot regions.« less

Environmental test program for superconducting materials and devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haertling, Gene; Randolph, Henry; Hsi, Chi-Shiung; Verbelyi, Darren

1992-01-01

A systematic approach to obtaining real time, superconducting YBa2Cu30(7-x) materials is presented. The work was carried out under the overall direction of Clemson University with tasks being performed at both Clemson and Westinghouse (Aiken, SC). Clemson prepared the tapecast superconducting 123 material and fabricated in into substrate-supported, environmentally-protected conducting links. Following this, all of the elements were individually tested for resistance vs. temperature and Tc; and then a portion of them were kept at Clemson for further testing while a randomly selected group was delivered to Westinghouse for specialized testing and evaluation in their low temperature/high vacuum and radiation facilities. In addition, a number of control samples (12 ea.) were put on the shelf at Clemson for further reference at the end of the testing period. The specific tests conducted at Clemson and Westinghouse/SRC are presented with a summary of the results.

Far-infrared Optical Conductivity Gap in Superconducting MgB2 Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnahan, M. A.; Kaindl, R. A.; Chemla, D. S.; Christen, H. M.; Zhai, H. Y.; Paranthaman, M.; Lowndes, D. H.

2002-03-01

The prospect of unconventional coupling in the superconductor MgB2 motivates experiments which probe the density of states around the superconducting gap. The frequency and temperature dependent optical conductivity contains important spectroscopic information about the fundamental gap excitations as well as providing a contactless measure of the superconducting condensate. Here we present the first measurements of the far-infrared conductivity of MgB2 over a broad frequency range which spans excitations across its lowest-energy superconducting gap [1]. Thin films of MgB2 are grown on Al_2O3 substrates through e-beam evaporation and subsequent ex-situ annealing [2]. Both the real and imaginary parts of the conductivity are obtained - without recourse to Kramers-Kronig transformations - from terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Below Tc we observe a depletion of oscillator strength due to the opening of a superconducting gap. We find a gap size of 2Δ ≈ 5 meV. This result, a value which is only half that expected in weak-coupling BCS theory, disfavors a conventional isotropic single-gap scenario. [1] R. Kaindl et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. (to appear). [2] M. Paranthaman et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 3669 (2001).

Elaboration of the α-model derived from the BCS theory of superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnston, David C.

2013-10-14

The single-band α-model of superconductivity (Padamsee et al 1973 J. Low Temp. Phys. 12 387) is a popular model that was adapted from the single-band Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory of superconductivity mainly to allow fits to electronic heat capacity versus temperature T data that deviate from the BCS prediction. The model assumes that the normalized superconducting order parameter Δ(T)/Δ(0) and therefore the normalized London penetration depth λL(T)/λL(0) are the same as in BCS theory, calculated using the BCS value αBCS ≈ 1.764 of α ≡ Δ(0)/kBTc, where kB is The single-band α-model of superconductivity (Padamsee et al 1973 J. Low Temp.more » Phys. 12 387) is a popular model that was adapted from the single-band Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory of superconductivity mainly to allow fits to electronic heat capacity versus temperature T data that deviate from the BCS prediction. The model assumes that the normalized superconducting order parameter Δ(T)/Δ(0) and therefore the normalized London penetration depth λL(T)/λL(0) are the same as in BCS theory, calculated using the BCS value αBCS ≈ 1.764 of α ≡ Δ(0)/kBTc, where kB is Boltzmann's constant and Tc is the superconducting transition temperature. On the other hand, to calculate the electronic free energy, entropy, heat capacity and thermodynamic critical field versus T, the α-model takes α to be an adjustable parameter. Here we write the BCS equations and limiting behaviors for the superconducting state thermodynamic properties explicitly in terms of α, as needed for calculations within the α-model, and present plots of the results versus T and α that are compared with the respective BCS predictions. Mechanisms such as gap anisotropy and strong coupling that can cause deviations of the thermodynamics from the BCS predictions, especially the heat capacity jump at Tc, are considered. Extensions of the α-model that have appeared in the literature, such as the two

Effect of gamma irradiation on the TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9-δ superconducting properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadhim, Bahjat B.; Khaleel, Imad H.; Hussein, Bushra H.; Jasim, Kareem Ail; Shaban, Auday H.; AL-Maiyaly, Bushra K. H.; Mahdi, Shatha H.

2018-05-01

The aim of the present work is studing the influence of gamma irradiation on the superconducting properties of TlBr2Ca2Cu3O9-δ compound, at room temperature by using 137Cs source with dose 10,20 and 30 MRad. Specimen has been prepared by solid state reaction process. Superconductor properties and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studied before and after irradiation. It is showed that our compound has tetragonal structure correspond to the 1223 phase with decreasing of the ratio c/a due to gamma irradiation. In addition, the transition temperature (Tc(on)&Tc(off)) were decreasing from 110 to 85 K, and 129 to 117 K respectivelya,when the dose increasing from 0 to 20 MRad and increase Tc(on) to 119 K &Tc(off) 132 for dose 30 MRad.

Chemical trend of superconducting transition temperature in hole-doped delafossite of CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, Akitaka; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi

2012-12-01

We have performed the first-principles calculations about the superconducting transition temperature Tc of hole-doped delafossite CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2. Calculated Tc are about 50 K (CuAlO2), 40 K (AgAlO2) and 3 K(AuAlO2) at maximum in the optimum hole-doping concentration. The low Tc of AuAlO2 is attributed to the weak electron-phonon interaction caused by the low covalency and heavy atomic mass.

Effect of disorder on the pressure-induced superconducting state of CeAu 2Si 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Z.; Giriat, G.; Scheerer, G. W.; Lapertot, G.; Jaccard, D.

2015-03-01

CeAu2Si2 is a newly discovered pressure-induced heavy fermion superconductor, which shows very unusual interplay between superconductivity and magnetism under pressure. Here we compare the results of high-pressure measurements on single-crystalline CeAu2Si2 samples with different levels of disorder. It is found that while the magnetic properties are essentially sample independent, superconductivity is rapidly suppressed when the residual resistivity of the sample increases. We show that the depression of bulk Tc can be well understood in terms of pair breaking by nonmagnetic disorder, which strongly suggests an unconventional pairing state in pressurized CeAu2Si2 . Furthermore, increasing the level of disorder leads to the emergence of another phase transition at T* within the magnetic phase, which might be in competition with superconductivity.

The p-wave superconductivity in the presence of Rashba interaction in 2DEG

PubMed Central

Weng, Ke-Chuan; Hu, C. D.

2016-01-01

We investigate the effect of the Rashba interaction on two dimensional superconductivity. The presence of the Rashba interaction lifts the spin degeneracy and gives rise to the spectrum of two bands. There are intraband and interband pairs scattering which result in the coupled gap equations. We find that there are isotropic and anisotropic components in the gap function. The latter has the form of cos φk where . The former is suppressed because the intraband and the interband scatterings nearly cancel each other. Hence, −the system should exhibit the p-wave superconductivity. We perform a detailed study of electron-phonon interaction for 2DEG and find that, if only normal processes are considered, the effective coupling strength constant of this new superconductivity is about one-half of the s-wave case in the ordinary 2DEG because of the angular average of the additional in the anisotropic gap function. By taking into account of Umklapp processes, we find they are the major contribution in the electron-phonon coupling in superconductivity and enhance the transition temperature Tc. PMID:27459677

Pressure-induced superconductivity in semimetallic 1 T -TiTe2 and its persistence upon decompression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, U.; Malavi, P. S.; Sahoo, S.; Joseph, B.; Karmakar, S.

2018-02-01

Pristine 1 T -TiTe2 single crystal has been studied for resistance and magnetoresistance behavior under quasihydrostatic and nonhydrostatic compressions. While the semimetallic state is retained in nearly hydrostatic pressures, small nonhydrostatic compression leads to an abrupt change in low-temperature resistance, a signature of possible charge density wave (CDW) ordering, that eventually collapses above 6.2 GPa. Superconductivity emerges at ˜5 GPa, rapidly increasing to a critical temperature (Tc) of 5.3 K at 12 GPa, irrespective of pressure condition. Pressure studies thus evidence that 1 T -TiTe2 exhibits superconductivity irrespective of the formation of the CDW-like state, implying the existence of phase-separated domains. Most surprisingly, the superconducting state persists upon decompression, establishing a novel phase diagram with suppressed P scale. The pressure quenchable superconductivity, of multiband nature and relatively high upper critical field, makes 1 T -TiTe2 unique among other layered dichalcogenides.

Robust odd-parity superconductivity in the doped topological insulator NbxBi2Se3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smylie, M. P.; Willa, K.; Claus, H.; Snezhko, A.; Martin, I.; Kwok, W.-K.; Qiu, Y.; Hor, Y. S.; Bokari, E.; Niraula, P.; Kayani, A.; Mishra, V.; Welp, U.

2017-09-01

We present resistivity and magnetization measurements on proton-irradiated crystals demonstrating that the superconducting state in the doped topological insulator NbxBi2Se3 (x =0.25 ) is surprisingly robust against disorder-induced electron scattering. The superconducting transition temperature Tc decreases without indication of saturation with increasing defect concentration, and the corresponding scattering rates far surpass expectations based on conventional theory. The low-temperature variation of the London penetration depth Δ λ (T ) follows a power law [Δ λ (T ) ˜T2] indicating the presence of symmetry-protected point nodes. Our results are consistent with the proposed robust nematic Eu pairing state in this material.

Impact of cool-down conditions at Tc on the superconducting rf cavity quality factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, J.-M.; Kugeler, O.; Knobloch, J.

2013-10-01

Many next-generation, high-gradient accelerator applications, from energy-recovery linacs to accelerator-driven systems (ADS) rely on continuous wave (CW) operation for which superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) systems are the enabling technology. However, while SRF cavities dissipate little power, they must be cooled by liquid helium and for many CW accelerators the complexity as well as the investment and operating costs of the cryoplant can prove to be prohibitive. We investigated ways to reduce the dynamic losses by improving the residual resistance (Rres) of niobium cavities. Both the material treatment and the magnetic shielding are known to have an impact. In addition, we found that Rres can be reduced significantly when the cool-down conditions during the superconducting phase transition of the niobium are optimized. We believe that not only do the cool-down conditions impact the level to which external magnetic flux is trapped in the cavity but also that thermoelectric currents are generated which in turn create additional flux that can be trapped. Therefore, we investigated the generation of flux and the dynamics of flux trapping and release in a simple model niobium-titanium system that mimics an SRF cavity in its helium tank. We indeed found that thermal gradients along the system during the superconducting transition can generate a thermoelectric current and magnetic flux, which subsequently can be trapped. These effects may explain the observed variation of the cavity’s Rres with cool-down conditions.

Gap features of layered iron-selenium-tellurium compound below and above the superconducting transition temperature by break-junction spectroscopy combined with STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekino, T.; Sugimoto, A.; Gabovich, A. M.

2018-05-01

We studied correlations between the superconducting gap features of Te-substituted FeSe observed by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) and break-junction tunnelling spectroscopy (BJTS). At bias voltages outside the superconducting gap-energy range, the broad gap structure exists, which becomes the normal-state gap above the critical temperature, T c. Such behaviour is consistent with the model of the partially gapped density-wave superconductor involving both superconducting gaps and pseudogaps, which has been applied by us earlier to high-Tc cuprates. The similarity suggests that the parent electronic spectrum features should have much in common for these classes of materials.

In-situ deposition of YBCO high-Tc superconducting thin films by MOCVD and PE-MOCVD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhao, J.; Noh, D. W.; Chern, C.; Li, Y. Q.; Norris, P. E.; Kear, B.; Gallois, B.

1991-01-01

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) offers the advantages of a high degree of compositional control, adaptability for large scale production, and the potential for low temperature fabrication. The capability of operating at high oxygen partial pressure is particularly suitable for in situ formation of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) thin films having a sharp zero-resistance transition with T(sub c) greater than 90 K and J(sub c) of approximately 10(exp 4) A on YSZ have been prepared, in situ, at a substrate temperature of about 800 C. Moreover, the ability to form oxide films at low temperature is very desirable for device applications of HTSC materials. Such a process would permit the deposition of high quality HTSC films with a smooth surface on a variety of substrates. Highly c-axis oriented, dense, scratch resistant, superconducting YBCO thin films with mirror-like surfaces have been prepared, in situ, at a reduced substrate temperature as low as 570 C by a remote microwave-plasma enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process. Nitrous oxide was used as a reactant gas to generate active oxidizing species. This process, for the first time, allows the formation of YBCO thin films with the orthorhombic superconducting phase in the as-deposited state. The as-deposited films grown by PE-MOCVD show attainment of zero resistance at 72 K with a transition width of about 5 K. MOCVD was carried out in a commercial production scale reactor with the capability of uniform deposition over 100 sq cm per growth run. Preliminary results indicate that PE-MOCVD is a very attractive thin film deposition process for superconducting device technology.

Progress of applied superconductivity research at Materials Research Laboratories, ITRI (Taiwan)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, R. S.; Wang, C. M.

1995-01-01

A status report based on the applied high temperature superconductivity (HTS) research at Materials Research Laboratories (MRL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is given. The aim is to develop fabrication technologies for the high-TC materials appropriate to the industrial application requirements. To date, the majorities of works have been undertaken in the areas of new materials, wires/tapes with long length, prototypes of magnets, large-area thin films, SQUID's and microwave applications.

James C. McGroddy Prize Talk: Superconductivity in alkali-metal doped Carbon-60

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hebard, Arthur

2008-03-01

Carbon sixty (C60), which was first identified in 1985 in laser desorption experiments, is unquestionably an arrestingly beautiful molecule. The high symmetry of the 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces symmetrically arrayed in a soccer-ball like structure invites special attention and continues to stimulate animated speculation. The availability in 1990 of macroscopic amounts of purified C60 derived from carbon-arc produced soot allowed the growth and characterization of both bulk and thin-film samples. Crystalline C60 is a molecular solid held together by weak van der Waals forces. The fcc structure has a 74% packing fraction thus allowing ample opportunity (26% available volume) for the intercalation of foreign atoms into the interstitial spaces of the three dimensional host. This opportunity catalyzed much of the collaborative work amongst chemists, physicists and materials scientists at Bell Laboratories, and resulted in the discovery of superconductivity in alkali-metal doped C60 with transition temperatures (Tc) in the mid-30-kelvin range. In this talk I will review how the successes of this initial team effort stimulated a worldwide collaboration between experimentalists and theorists to understand the promise and potential of an entirely new class of superconductors containing only two elements, carbon and an intercalated alkali metal. Although the cuprates still hold the record for the highest Tc, there are still open scientific questions about the mechanism that gives rise to such unexpectedly high Tc's in the non-oxide carbon-based superconductors. The doped fullerenes have unusual attributes (e.g., narrow electronic bands, high disorder, anomalous energy scales, and a tantalizing proximity to a metal-insulator Mott transition), which challenge conventional thinking and at the same time provide useful insights into new directions for finding even higher Tc materials. The final chapter of the `soot to superconductivity' story has yet to be written.

The effect of TM doping on the superconducting properties of ZrNi2-xTMxGa (TM = Cu, Co) Heusler compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basaula, Dharma Raj; Brock, Jeffrey; Khan, Mahmud

2018-05-01

We have explored the structural and superconducting properties of ZrNi2-xTMxGa (TM = Cu, Co) Heusler compounds via x-ray diffraction, scanning electron mi croscopy, electrical resistivity, dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. All samples crystallized in the cubic L21 structure at room temperature. For x ≤ 0.25, all the ZrNi2-xCuxGa compounds showed superconducting properties and a decrease in TC with increasing Cu concentration. The dc magnetization data suggested type-II superconductivity for all the Cu-doped compounds. Contrary to the ZrNi2-xCuxGa compounds, no superconductivity was observed in the ZrNi2-xCoxGa compounds. Substitution of Ni by a small concentration of Co destroyed superconductivity in the Co-doped compounds. The experimental results are discussed and possible explanations are provided.

Electrical NEP in hot-electron titanium superconducting bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Pereverzev, Sergey V.; Olaya, David; Wei, Jian; Gershenson, Michael E.; Sergeev, Andrei V.

2008-07-01

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10-18-10-20 W/Hz1/2 for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (~ 4-5 K) mirrors. Recentlyi, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (~ 20 fW/K at 300 mK and ~ 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP ~ 3×10-21 W/Hz1/2 at 40 mK and NEP ~ 3×10-19 W/Hz1/2 at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photonsii. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (~ 6 μm × 0.35 μm × 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7×10-18 W/Hz1/2 derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (~ μs) are a unique combination not found in other detectors.

Large superconducting double-gap, a pronounced pseudogap and evidence for proximity-induced topological superconductivity in the Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe interfacial superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, J. Y.; He, M. Q.; He, Q. L.; Law, K. T.; Sou, I. K.; Lortz, R.; Petrovic, A. P.

We investigate directional point-contact spectroscopy on a Bi2Te3/ Fe1+yTe heterostructure, fabricated via van der Waals epitaxy, which is interfacial superconducting with an onset TC at 12K and zero resistance below 8K. A large superconducting twin-gap structure is seen down to 0.27K, together with a zero bias conductance peak. The anisotropic smaller gap (Δ1) is around 5 meV at 0.27K and closes at 8K, while the other one (Δ2), as large as 12 meV, is isotropic and eventually evolves into a pseudogap closing at 40K. Both, the two-gap BTK and Dynes models can well reproduce our data, demonstrating Δ1 should be associated with the proximity-induced superconductivity in the topological Bi2Te3 layer, while Δ2 may be attributed to an intrinsically-doped FeTe thin film at the interface. This work was supported by grants from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (603010, SEGHKUST03).

Dimensionality of superconductivity in the layered organic material EtMe3P [Pd(dmit)2] 2 under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, R.; Yanagita, Y.; Namaizawa, T.; Komuro, S.; Furukawa, T.; Itou, T.; Kato, R.

2018-06-01

We measured the ac magnetic susceptibility for the layered organic superconductor EtMe3P [Pd(dmit)2] 2 under pressure with a dc magnetic field applied perpendicular to the ac field. We investigated the dc field dependence of the ac susceptibility in detail and concluded that the superconductivity in EtMe3P [Pd(dmit)2] 2 is an anisotropic three-dimensional superconductivity even at low temperatures, which contrasts with the large majority of other correlated electron layered superconductors such as high-Tc cuprate and κ -(ET) 2X systems.

Unexpected superconductivity at nanoscale junctions made on the topological crystalline insulator Pb0.6Sn0.4Te

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Shekhar; Aggarwal, Leena; Roychowdhury, Subhajit; Aslam, Mohammad; Gayen, Sirshendu; Biswas, Kanishka; Sheet, Goutam

2016-09-01

Discovery of exotic phases of matter from the topologically non-trivial systems not only makes the research on topological materials more interesting but also enriches our understanding of the fascinating physics of such materials. Pb0.6Sn0.4Te was recently shown to be a topological crystalline insulator. Here, we show that by forming a mesoscopic point-contact using a normal non-superconducting elemental metal on the surface of Pb0.6Sn0.4Te, a superconducting phase is created locally in a confined region under the point-contact. This happens when the bulk of the sample remains to be non-superconducting, and the superconducting phase emerges as a nano-droplet under the point-contact. The superconducting phase shows a high transition temperature Tc that varies for different point-contacts and falls in a range between 3.7 K and 6.5 K. Therefore, this Letter presents the discovery of a superconducting phase on the surface of a topological crystalline insulator, and the discovery is expected to shed light on the mechanism of induced superconductivity in topologically non-trivial systems in general.

Power Systems Development Facility Gasification Test Campaing TC18

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Southern Company Services

2005-08-31

In support of technology development to utilize coal for efficient, affordable, and environmentally clean power generation, the Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) located in Wilsonville, Alabama, routinely demonstrates gasification technologies using various types of coals. The PSDF is an engineering scale demonstration of key features of advanced coal-fired power systems, including a KBR Transport Gasifier, a hot gas particulate control device (PCD), advanced syngas cleanup systems, and high pressure solids handling systems. This report details Test Campaign TC18 of the PSDF gasification process. Test campaign TC18 began on June 23, 2005, and ended on August 22, 2005, with the gasifiermore » train accumulating 1,342 hours of operation using Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal. Some of the testing conducted included commissioning of a new recycle syngas compressor for gasifier aeration, evaluation of PCD filter elements and failsafes, testing of gas cleanup technologies, and further evaluation of solids handling equipment. At the conclusion of TC18, the PSDF gasification process had been operated for more than 7,750 hours.« less

Two-gap superconductivity in Mo8Ga41 and its evolution upon vanadium substitution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verchenko, V. Yu.; Khasanov, R.; Guguchia, Z.; Tsirlin, A. A.; Shevelkov, A. V.

2017-10-01

Zero-field and transverse-field muon spin rotation/relaxation (μ SR ) experiments were undertaken in order to elucidate the microscopic properties of a strongly coupled superconductor Mo8Ga41 with Tc=9.8 K. The upper critical field extracted from the transverse-field μ SR data exhibits significant reduction with respect to the data from thermodynamic measurements indicating the coexistence of two independent length scales in the superconducting state. Accordingly, the temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth of Mo8Ga41 is described using a model in which two s wave superconducting gaps are assumed. A V for Mo substitution in the parent compound leads to the complete suppression of one superconducting gap, and Mo7VGa41 is well described within the single s wave gap scenario. The reduction in the superfluid density and the evolution of the low-temperature resistivity upon V substitution indicate the emergence of a competing state in Mo7VGa41 that may be responsible for the closure of one of the superconducting gaps.

Cyclosporine and Vancomycin + Amikacin Induced Hot Kidney Appearance in a Young Adult and a Pediatric Patient.

PubMed

Çayır, Derya; Araz, Mine; Filik, Mustafa; Erdoğan, Mehmet

2017-10-03

The appearance of a hot kidney on bone scintigraphy is rare and can be seen due to various factors. In our clinic, we observed hot kidney appearance in two patients to whom technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (Tc-99m MDP) whole body scan has been performed: a young male adult at the age of 18 who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia with a presumptive diagnosis of avascular necrosis, and a 9-year-old girl with cystitis for a pre-diagnosis of osteomyelitis. The first patient had a history of cyclosporine usage and the second patient was being treated with amikacin + vancomycin. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first cases where hot-kidney appearance on Tc-99m MDP whole body scan due to the use of cyclosporin and amikacin + vancomycin is demonstrated.

Superconducting magnetic sensors for mine detection and classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clem, Ted R.; Koch, Roger H.; Keefe, George A.

1995-06-01

Sensors incorporating Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) provide the greatest sensitivity for magnetic anomaly detection available with current technology. During the 1980's, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Coastal Systems Station (CSS) developed a superconducting magnetic sensor capable of operation outside of the laboratory environment. This sensor demonstrated rugged, reliable performance even onboard undersea towed platforms. With this sensor, the CSS was able to demonstrate buried mine detection for the US Navy. Subsequently the sensor was incorporated into a multisensor suite onboard an underwater towed vehicle to provide a robust mine hunting capability for the Magnetic and Acoustic Detection of Mines (MADOM) project. This sensor technology utilized niobium superconducting componentry cooled by liquid helium to temperatures on the order of 4 degrees Kelvin (K). In the late 1980's a new class of superconductors was discovered with critical temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77K). This advance has opened up new opportunities, especially for mine reconnaissance and hunting from small unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). This paper describes the magnetic sensor detection and classification concept developed for MADOM. In addition, opportunities for UUV operations made possible with high Tc technology and the Navy's current efforts in this area will be addressed.

Common electronic origin of superconductivity in (Li,Fe)OHFeSe bulk superconductor and single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films.

PubMed

Zhao, Lin; Liang, Aiji; Yuan, Dongna; Hu, Yong; Liu, Defa; Huang, Jianwei; He, Shaolong; Shen, Bing; Xu, Yu; Liu, Xu; Yu, Li; Liu, Guodong; Zhou, Huaxue; Huang, Yulong; Dong, Xiaoli; Zhou, Fang; Liu, Kai; Lu, Zhongyi; Zhao, Zhongxian; Chen, Chuangtian; Xu, Zuyan; Zhou, X J

2016-02-08

The mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors remains an outstanding issue in condensed matter physics. The electronic structure plays an essential role in dictating superconductivity. Recent revelation of distinct electronic structure and high-temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films provides key information on the role of Fermi surface topology and interface in inducing or enhancing superconductivity. Here we report high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the electronic structure and superconducting gap of an FeSe-based superconductor, (Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFe0.98Se, with a Tc at 41 K. We find that this single-phase bulk superconductor shows remarkably similar electronic behaviours to that of the superconducting single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films in terms of Fermi surface topology, band structure and the gap symmetry. These observations provide new insights in understanding high-temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films and the mechanism of superconductivity in the bulk iron-based superconductors.

Common electronic origin of superconductivity in (Li,Fe)OHFeSe bulk superconductor and single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films

PubMed Central

Zhao, Lin; Liang, Aiji; Yuan, Dongna; Hu, Yong; Liu, Defa; Huang, Jianwei; He, Shaolong; Shen, Bing; Xu, Yu; Liu, Xu; Yu, Li; Liu, Guodong; Zhou, Huaxue; Huang, Yulong; Dong, Xiaoli; Zhou, Fang; Liu, Kai; Lu, Zhongyi; Zhao, Zhongxian; Chen, Chuangtian; Xu, Zuyan; Zhou, X. J.

2016-01-01

The mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors remains an outstanding issue in condensed matter physics. The electronic structure plays an essential role in dictating superconductivity. Recent revelation of distinct electronic structure and high-temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films provides key information on the role of Fermi surface topology and interface in inducing or enhancing superconductivity. Here we report high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the electronic structure and superconducting gap of an FeSe-based superconductor, (Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFe0.98Se, with a Tc at 41 K. We find that this single-phase bulk superconductor shows remarkably similar electronic behaviours to that of the superconducting single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films in terms of Fermi surface topology, band structure and the gap symmetry. These observations provide new insights in understanding high-temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films and the mechanism of superconductivity in the bulk iron-based superconductors. PMID:26853801

Highly textured oxypnictide superconducting thin films on metal substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iida, Kazumasa; Kurth, Fritz; Chihara, Masashi; Sumiya, Naoki; Grinenko, Vadim; Ichinose, Ataru; Tsukada, Ichiro; Hänisch, Jens; Matias, Vladimir; Hatano, Takafumi; Holzapfel, Bernhard; Ikuta, Hiroshi

2014-10-01

Highly textured NdFeAs(O,F) thin films have been grown on ion beam assisted deposition-MgO/Y2O3/Hastelloy substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The oxypnictide coated conductors showed a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 43 K with a self-field critical current density (Jc) of 7.0 × 10 4 A / cm 2 at 5 K, more than 20 times higher than powder-in-tube processed SmFeAs(O,F) wires. Albeit higher Tc as well as better crystalline quality than Co-doped BaFe2As2 coated conductors, in-field Jc of NdFeAs(O,F) was lower than that of Co-doped BaFe2As2. These results suggest that grain boundaries in oxypnictides reduce Jc significantly compared to that in Co-doped BaFe2As2 and, hence biaxial texture is necessary for high Jc.

Superconducting and Normal State Properties of OsB2*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yogesh; Niazi, A.; Zong, X.; Suh, B. J.; Vannette, M. W.; Prozorov, R.; Johnston, D. C.

2007-03-01

OsB2 is a layered superhard metallic material that was found to superconduct below Tc= 2.1 K.^1 We report the first detailed measurements of the static and dynamic magnetic susceptibilities χ, electrical resistivity, heat capacity Cp, penetration depth, and ^11B NMR on OsB2 to characterize its superconducting and normal state properties. The results confirm that OsB2 is a bulk superconductor below Tc= 2.1 K@. Its properties can be described by a close to weak-coupling s-wave BCS model with an electron-phonon coupling constant λ= 0.4--0.5, δ(0)/(kBTc) 1.9, a small Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ of order 5 or less, and a small zero-temperature critical magnetic field of roughly 500 Oe. The ^11B NMR measurements in the normal state show a nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time T1= 2.1 s at room temperature and a Korringa law with T1T = 610 s.K at lower T, and a correspondingly small T-independent Knight shift. These results indicate a small s character of the conduction electron wave function at the B site at the Fermi level. Our results will be compared to corresponding data for MgB2.1. J. K. Vandenberg et al., Mater. Res. Bull. 10, 889 (1975).^*Supported by the USDOE under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-82. Permanent address: Dept. Phys., The Catholic Univ. Korea.

Robust odd-parity superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Nb x Bi 2 Se 3

DOE PAGES

Smylie, M. P.; Willa, K.; Claus, H.; ...

2017-09-15

We present resistivity and magnetization measurements on proton-irradiated crystals demonstrating that the superconducting state in the doped topological insulator Nb xBi 2Se 3 (x = 0.25) is surprisingly robust against disorder-induced electron scattering. The superconducting transition temperature Tc decreases without indication of saturation with increasing defect concentration, and the corresponding scattering rates far surpass expectations based on conventional theory. The low-temperature variation of the London penetration depth Δλ(T) follows a power law [Δλ(T)~T 2] indicating the presence of symmetry-protected point nodes. Lastly, our results are consistent with the proposed robust nematic E u pairing state in this material.

IR detector system based on high-Tc superconducting bolometer on SI membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnus, M.; Hefle, G.; Heidenblut, T.; Khrebtov, Igor A.; Laukemper, J.; Michalke, W.; Neff, H.; Schwierzi, B.; Semtchinova, O. K.; Steinbeiss, E.; Tkachenko, A. D.

1996-06-01

An infrared detector system based on high-T(subscript c) superconducting (HTS) membrane bolometer is reported. Superconducting transition-edge bolometer has been manufactured by silicon micromachining using an epitaxial GdBa(subscript 2)Cu(subscript 3)O(subscript 7-x) film on an epitaxial yttria- stabilized zirconia buffer layer on silicon. The active area of the element is 0.85 X 0.85 mm(superscript 2). The membrane thickness is 1 micrometers , those of the buffer layer and HTS films are 50 nm. The detectivity of bolometer, D(superscript *), is 3.8 X 10(superscript 9) cm Hz(superscript 1/2) W(superscript -1) at 84.5 K and within the frequency regime 100 < f < 300 Hz. The optical response is 580 V/W at time constant 0.4 ms. This is one of the fastest composite type HTS-bolometer ever reported. The bolometer is mounted on a metal N(subscript 2)-liquid cryostat, which fits the preamplifier. With the volume of N(subscript 2)-reservoir being 0.1 liter, the cryostat holds nitrogen for about 8 hours. Using only wire heater with constant current, the temperature stability of about 0.03 K/h is achieved. The detector system can be used in IR- Fourier spectroscopy at wavelengths longer than the typical operating range of semiconductor detectors (wavelength greater than about 20 micrometers ).

Fabrication of High-T(sub c) Hot-Electron Bolometric Mixers for Terahertz Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, M. J.; Kleinsasser, A. W.; Delin, K. A.; Vasquez, R. P.; Karasik, B. S.; McGrath, W. R.; Gaidis, M. C.

1996-01-01

Superocnducting hot-electron bolometers (HEB) represent a promising candidate for heterodyne mixing at frequencies exceeding 1 THz. Nb HEB mixers offer performance competitive with tunnel junctions without the frequency limit imposed by the superconducting energy gap.

Evidence for k-dependent, in-plane anisotropy of the superconducting gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, B. O.; Shen, Z. X.; Dessau, D. S.; Spicer, W. E.; Mitzi, D. B.; Lombardo, L.; Kapitulnik, A.; Arko, A. J.

1992-11-01

We find the superconducting gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ single crystals is anisotropic in k space by roughly a factor of 2 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Matching the k-space symmetry of the gap values provides a stringent constraint on theories of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. A review of the literature shows that many puzzling results can be explained by anisotropic gaps in the high-Tc cuprates.

Electride and superconductivity behaviors in Mn5Si3-type intermetallics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yaoqing; Wang, Bosen; Xiao, Zewen; Lu, Yangfan; Kamiya, Toshio; Uwatoko, Yoshiya; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Hosono, Hideo

2017-08-01

Electrides are unique in the sense that they contain localized anionic electrons in the interstitial regions. Yet they exist with a diversity of chemical compositions, especially under extreme conditions, implying generalized underlying principles for their existence. What is rarely observed is the combination of electride state and superconductivity within the same material, but such behavior would open up a new category of superconductors. Here, we report a hexagonal Nb5Ir3 phase of Mn5Si3-type structure that falls into this category and extends the electride concept into intermetallics. The confined electrons in the one-dimensional cavities are reflected by the characteristic channel bands in the electronic structure. Filling these free spaces with foreign oxygen atoms serves to engineer the band topology and increase the superconducting transition temperature to 10.5 K in Nb5Ir3O. Specific heat analysis indicates the appearance of low-lying phonons and two-gap s-wave superconductivity. Strong electron-phonon coupling is revealed to be the pairing glue with an anomalously large ratio between the superconducting gap Δ0 and Tc, 2Δ0/kBTc = 6.12. The general rule governing the formation of electrides concerns the structural stability against the cation filling/extraction in the channel site.

Fully gapped superconductivity with no sign change in the prototypical heavy-fermion CeCu2Si2

PubMed Central

Yamashita, Takuya; Takenaka, Takaaki; Tokiwa, Yoshifumi; Wilcox, Joseph A.; Mizukami, Yuta; Terazawa, Daiki; Kasahara, Yuichi; Kittaka, Shunichiro; Sakakibara, Toshiro; Konczykowski, Marcin; Seiro, Silvia; Jeevan, Hirale S.; Geibel, Christoph; Putzke, Carsten; Onishi, Takafumi; Ikeda, Hiroaki; Carrington, Antony; Shibauchi, Takasada; Matsuda, Yuji

2017-01-01

In exotic superconductors, including high-Tc copper oxides, the interactions mediating electron Cooper pairing are widely considered to have a magnetic rather than a conventional electron-phonon origin. Interest in this exotic pairing was initiated by the 1979 discovery of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeCu2Si2, which exhibits strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations. A hallmark of unconventional pairing by anisotropic repulsive interactions is that the superconducting energy gap changes sign as a function of the electron momentum, often leading to nodes where the gap goes to zero. We report low-temperature specific heat, thermal conductivity, and magnetic penetration depth measurements in CeCu2Si2, demonstrating the absence of gap nodes at any point on the Fermi surface. Moreover, electron irradiation experiments reveal that the superconductivity survives even when the electron mean free path becomes substantially shorter than the superconducting coherence length. This indicates that superconductivity is robust against impurities, implying that there is no sign change in the gap function. These results show that, contrary to long-standing belief, heavy electrons with extremely strong Coulomb repulsions can condense into a fully gapped s-wave superconducting state, which has an on-site attractive pairing interaction. PMID:28691082

Record Low NEP in the Hot-Electron Titanium Nanobolometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Olaya, David; Wei, Jian; Pereverzev, Sergey; Gershenson, Michael E.; Kawamura, Jonathan H.; McGrath, William R.; Sergeev, Andrei V.

2006-01-01

We are developing hot-electron superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) capable of counting THz photons and operating at T = 0.3K. We fabricated superconducting Ti nanosensors with Nb contacts with a volume of approx. 3x10(exp -3) cu microns on planar Si substrate and have measured the thermal conductance due to the weak electron-phonon coupling in the material G = 4x10(exp -14) W/K at 0.3 K. The corresponding phonon-noise NEP = 3x10(exp -19) W/Hz(sup 1/2). Detection of single optical photons (1550nm and 670nm wavelength) has been demonstrated for larger devices and yielded the thermal time constants of 30 microsec at 145 mK and of 25 microsec at 190 mK. This Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) is expected to have a sufficient energy resolution for detecting individual photons with (nu) > 1 THz where NEP approx. 3x10(exp -20) W/Hz(sup 1/2) is needed for spectroscopy in space.

Superconducting fluctuations in molybdenum nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskaran, R.; Thanikai Arasu, A. V.; Amaladass, E. P.; Vaidhyanathan, L. S.; Baisnab, D. K.

2018-02-01

MoN thin films have been deposited using reactive sputtering. The change in resistance near superconducting transition temperature at various magnetic fields has been analyzed based on superconducting fluctuations in the system. The Aslamazov and Larkin scaling theory has been utilized to analyze the conductance change. The results indicate that most of the measurements show two dimensional (2D) nature and exhibit scaling behavior at lower magnetic fields (<7T), while a cross over to three dimensional (3D) nature has been clearly observed in measurements at higher fields (>7T). We have also analyzed our data based on the model in which there is no explicit dependence of Tc. These analyses also substantiate a crossover from a 2D nature to a 3D at larger fields. Analysis using lowest Landau level scaling theory for a 2D system exhibit scaling behavior and substantiate our observations. The broadening at low resistance part has been explained based on thermally activated flux flow model and show universal behavior. The dependence of Uo on magnetic field indicates both single and collective vortex behavior.

Hall effect in high- Tc Y 1Ba 2Cu 3O 7-δ superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vezzoli, G. C.; Burke, T.; Moon, B. M.; Lalevic, B.; Safari, A.; Sundar, H. G. K.; Bonometti, R.; Alexander, C.; Rau, C.; Waters, K.

1989-04-01

We have performed point-by-point and continuous Hall effect experiments as a function of temperature in polycrystalline Y 1Ba 2Cu 3O 7-δ. We have shown that the positive Hall constant shows an abrupt increase upon decreasing temperature at a value just above Tc. This temperature corresponds to where the resistance versus temperature data deviates from linearity. At very high fields of 6.8 and 15 T we observe a subsequent decrease in RH. We interpret these data as supportive of a contribution toward the superconductivity mechanism arising from internal excitions or change transfer excitations such that the bound exciton concentration increases near Tc at the expense of positive carries which are reflected in both bound and free holes.

Routes to High-Temperature Superconductivity: A Lesson from FeSe/SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Dung-Hai

2018-03-01

Raising the superconducting transition temperature to a point where applications are practical is one of the most important challenges in science. In this review, we aim at gaining insights on the Tc controlling factors for a particular high-temperature superconductor family - the FeSe-based superconductors. In particular, we discuss the mechanisms by which the Cooper pairing temperature is enhanced from ˜8 K in bulk FeSe to ˜80 K in the interface between an atomic layer of FeSe and SrTiO3. This includes the experimental hints and the theoretical simulation of the involved mechanisms. We end by applying these insights to suggest some possible high-temperature superconducting systems.

Superconductivity, pairing symmetry, and disorder in the doped topological insulator Sn1 -xInxTe for x ≥0.10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smylie, M. P.; Claus, H.; Kwok, W.-K.; Louden, E. R.; Eskildsen, M. R.; Sefat, A. S.; Zhong, R. D.; Schneeloch, J.; Gu, G. D.; Bokari, E.; Niraula, P. M.; Kayani, A.; Dewhurst, C. D.; Snezhko, A.; Welp, U.

2018-01-01

The temperature dependence of the London penetration depth Δ λ (T ) in the superconducting doped topological crystalline insulator Sn1 -xInxTe was measured down to 450 mK for two different doping levels, x ≈0.45 (optimally doped) and x ≈0.10 (underdoped), bookending the range of cubic phase in the compound. The results indicate no deviation from fully gapped BCS-like behavior, eliminating several candidate unconventional gap structures. Critical field values below 1 K and other superconducting parameters are also presented. The introduction of disorder by repeated particle irradiation with 5 MeV protons does not enhance Tc, indicating that ferroelectric interactions do not compete with superconductivity.

Electrical NEP in Hot-Electron Titanium Superconducting Bolometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, Boris S.; Pereverzev, Sergey V.; Olaya, David; Wei, Jian; Gershenson, Michael E.; Sergeev, Andrei V.

2008-01-01

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10(sup -1) - 10(sup -20) W/Hz(sup 1/2) for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (approximately 4-5 K) mirrors. Recently, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (approximately 20 fW/K at 300 mK and approximately 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -21) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 40 mK and NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -19) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photons. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (approximately 6 micrometers x 0.35 micrometers x 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7 x 10(sup -18) W/Hz(sup 1/2) derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (approximately microns) are a unique combination not

Superconducting state parameters of monovalent and polyvalent amorphous

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sonvane, Y. A., E-mail: yas@ashd.svnit.ac.in; Patel, H. P., E-mail: patel.harshal2@gmail.com; Thakor, P. B., E-mail: pbthakor@rediffmail.com

2015-08-28

In the present study deals, we have calculated superconducting state parameter (SSP) like electron-phonon coupling strength λ, coulomb pseudo potential, μ*, transition temperature Tc, isotope effect exponent α and effective interaction strength N{sub 0}V of monovalent (Li), divalent (Zn), trivalent (In) and tetravalent (Pb) amorphous. To carry out this work we have used our newly constructed model pseudo potential to describe electron ion interaction along with three different local field correction functions like Hartree, Taylor and Sarkar et al. The present results are found in good agreement with other available theoretical as well as experimental data.

Superconducting state parameters of monovalent and polyvalent amorphous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonvane, Y. A.; Patel, H. P.; Thakor, P. B.

2015-08-01

In the present study deals, we have calculated superconducting state parameter (SSP) like electron-phonon coupling strength λ, coulomb pseudo potential, μ*, transition temperature Tc, isotope effect exponent α and effective interaction strength N0V of monovalent (Li), divalent (Zn), trivalent (In) and tetravalent (Pb) amorphous. To carry out this work we have used our newly constructed model pseudo potential to describe electron ion interaction along with three different local field correction functions like Hartree, Taylor and Sarkar et al. The present results are found in good agreement with other available theoretical as well as experimental data.

μSR and NMR study of the superconducting Heusler compound YPd2Sn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadaoui, H.; Shiroka, T.; Amato, A.; Baines, C.; Luetkens, H.; Pomjakushina, E.; Pomjakushin, V.; Mesot, J.; Pikulski, M.; Morenzoni, E.

2013-09-01

We report on muon-spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) and 119Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements to study the microscopic superconducting and magnetic properties of the Heusler compound with the highest superconducting transition temperature, YPd2Sn (Tc=5.4 K). Measurements in the vortex state provide the temperature dependence of the effective magnetic penetration depth λ(T) and the field dependence of the superconducting gap Δ(0). The results are consistent with a very dirty s-wave BCS superconductor with a gap Δ(0)=0.85(3) meV, λ(0)=212(1) nm, and a Ginzburg-Landau coherence length ξGL(0)≅23 nm. In spite of its very dirty character, the effective density of condensed charge carriers is high compared to that in the normal state. The μSR data in a broad range of applied fields are well reproduced by taking into account a field-related reduction of the effective superconducting gap. Zero-field μSR measurements, sensitive to the possible presence of very small magnetic moments, do not show any indications of magnetism in this compound.

Association of hyperfunctioning thyroid adenoma with thyroid cancer presenting as "trapping only" nodule at 99mTcO4- scintigraphy.

PubMed

dell'Erba, L; Gerundini, P; Caputo, M; Bagnasco, M

2003-11-01

Rarely may a non-hyperfunctioning thyroid nodule present as "hot" at Technetium-99m pertechnetate (99mTcO4-) and "cold" at radioiodine scintigraphy at late acquisitions. We report the case of a hyperthyroid female patient whose 99mTcO4- scintigraphy showed two "hot" nodules, whereas Iodide-131 (131I-) revealed a lack of indicator uptake by the larger, and intense uptake by the smaller nodule. The patient underwent surgery: histology demonstrated that the larger nodule, mismatched at pertechnetate vs iodine scintigraphy, was a papillary carcinoma. Our suggestion is to perform thyroid scintigraphy with radioiodine in hyperthyroid patients with more than one nodule concentrating pertechnetate, especially when an ultrasonographic pattern possibly suspect for malignancy is present.

Superconductivity in Ta3Pd3Te14 with quasi-one-dimensional PdTe2 chains.

PubMed

Jiao, Wen-He; He, Lan-Po; Liu, Yi; Xu, Xiao-Feng; Li, Yu-Ke; Zhang, Chu-Hang; Zhou, Nan; Xu, Zhu-An; Li, Shi-Yan; Cao, Guang-Han

2016-02-15

We report bulk superconductivity at 1.0 K in a low-dimensional ternary telluride Ta3Pd3Te14 containing edge-sharing PdTe2 chains along crystallographic b axis, similar to the recently discovered superconductor Ta4Pd3Te16. The electronic heat capacity data show an obvious anomaly at the transition temperature, which indicates bulk superconductivity. The specific-heat jump is ΔC/(γ(n)T(c)) ≈ 1.35, suggesting a weak coupling scenario. By measuring the low-temperature thermal conductivity, we conclude that Ta3Pd3Te14 is very likely a dirty s-wave superconductor. The emergence of superconductivity in Ta3Pd3Te14 with a lower T(c), compared to that of Ta4Pd3Te16, may be attributed to the lower density of states.

Coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe.

PubMed

Lu, X F; Wang, N Z; Wu, H; Wu, Y P; Zhao, D; Zeng, X Z; Luo, X G; Wu, T; Bao, W; Zhang, G H; Huang, F Q; Huang, Q Z; Chen, X H

2015-03-01

Iron selenide superconductors exhibit a number of unique characteristics that are helpful for understanding the mechanism of superconductivity in high-Tc iron-based superconductors more generally. However, in the case of AxFe2Se2 (A = K, Rb, Cs), the presence of an intergrown antiferromagnetic insulating phase makes the study of the underlying physics problematic. Moreover, FeSe-based systems intercalated with alkali metal ions, NH3 molecules or organic molecules are extremely sensitive to air, which prevents the further investigation of their physical properties. It is therefore desirable to find a stable and easily accessible FeSe-based superconductor to study its physical properties in detail. Here, we report the synthesis of an air-stable material, (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe, which remains superconducting at temperatures up to ~40 K, by means of a novel hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is unambiguously determined by a combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, antiferromagnetic order is shown to coexist with superconductivity. This synthetic route opens a path for exploring superconductivity in other related systems, and confirms the appeal of iron selenides as a platform for understanding superconductivity in iron pnictides more broadly.

High-Pressure Study of the Ground- and Superconducting-State Properties of CeAu2Si2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheerer, Gernot W.; Giriat, Gaétan; Ren, Zhi; Lapertot, Gérard; Jaccard, Didier

2017-06-01

The pressure-temperature phase diagram of the new heavy-fermion superconductor CeAu2Si2 is markedly different from those studied previously. Indeed, superconductivity emerges not on the verge but deep inside the magnetic phase, and mysteriously Tc increases with the strengthening of magnetism. In this context, we have carried out ac calorimetry, resistivity, and thermoelectric power measurements on a CeAu2Si2 single crystal under high pressure. We uncover a strong link between the enhancement of superconductivity and quantum-critical-like features in the normal-state resistivity. Non-Fermi-liquid behavior is observed around the maximum of superconductivity and enhanced scattering rates are observed close to both the emergence and the maximum of superconductivity. Furthermore we observe signatures of pressure- and temperature-driven modifications of the magnetic structure inside the antiferromagnetic phase. A comparison of the features of CeAu2Si2 and its parent compounds CeCu2Si2 and CeCu2Ge2 plotted as function of the unit-cell volume leads us to propose that critical fluctuations of a valence crossover play a crucial role in the superconducting pairing mechanism. Our study illustrates the complex interplay between magnetism, valence fluctuations, and superconductivity.

Measurements of Tc (Q,P): Depression of the Superfluid Transition Temperature by a Heat Current Along the Lambda Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Yuan-Ming; Larson, Melora; Israelsson, Ulf

1999-01-01

We report experimental measurements of Tc (Q,P) for heat currents (Q) between I1and 100 micro W/sq cm and pressure (P) between SVP and 15 bar. The measurements were performed in a normal gravity environment, using the low-gravity simulator facility at JPL without the magnet being energized. The sample pressure was controlled to 0.1 micro bar using a hot volume, and a Straty-Adams capacitive pressure gauge. The total volume of helium in the sample cell and the hot volume was held constant using a pneumatic low temperature valve. A melting curve thermometer (MCT) measured the transition temperature (Tc) with a resolution of about 10 nK through a sidewall probe of the thermal conductivity sample cell. We employed the same measurement technique and procedure described by DAS. Preliminary results indicate that Tc (Q,P) depends very little on the pressure in the pressure range between SVP and 15 bar with a variation in the amplitude of Tc(Q,P) of less than about 5% observable in this pressure range. According to the Renormalization-group theory calculation by Haussmann and Dohm, the amplitude of Tc (Q,P) has a leading pressure-dependence term proportional to xi(sub 0) (sup (1/nu)), where xi(sub 0) is the correlation-length amplitude and nu is the correlation-length exponent. Thus, a small pressure dependence of the amplitude of Tc (Q,P) is expected since xi(sub 0) is very weakly dependent on pressure between SVP and 15 bar, consistent with our measurements.

Thermal Expansion Behavior in TcO2. Toward Breaking the Tc-Tc Bond.

PubMed

Reynolds, Emily; Zhang, Zhaoming; Avdeev, Maxim; Thorogood, Gordon J; Poineau, Frederic; Czerwinski, Kenneth R; Kimpton, Justin A; Kennedy, Brendan J

2017-08-07

The structure of TcO 2 between 25 and 1000 °C has been determined in situ using X-ray powder diffraction methods and is found to remain monoclinic in space group P2 1 /c. Thermal expansion in TcO 2 is highly anisotropic, with negative thermal expansion of the b axis observed above 700 °C. This is the result of an anomalous expansion along the a axis that is a consequence of weakening of the Tc-Tc bonds.

van Hove Singularities and Spectral Smearing in High Temperature Superconducting H3S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, Yundi; Pickett, Warren E.

The superconducting phase of hydrogen sulfide at Tc=200 K observed by Drozdov and collaborators at pressures around 200 GPa is simple bcc Im 3 m H3S reopens questions about what is achievable in high Tc. The various ''extremes'' that are involved - pressure, implying extreme reduction of volume, extremely high H phonon energy scale around 1400K, extremely high temperature for a superconductor - necessitate a close look at new issues raised by these characteristics in relation to high Tc. We have applied first principles methods to analyze the H3S electronic structure, particularly the van Hove singularities (vHs) and the effect of sulfur. Focusing on the two closely spaced vHs near the Fermi level that give rise to the impressively sharp peak in the density of states, the implications of strong coupling Migdal-Eliashberg theory are assessed. The electron spectral density smearing due to virtual phonon emission and absorption, as done in earlier days for A15 superconductors, must be included explicitly to obtain accurate theoretical predictions and a correct understanding. Means for increasing Tc in H3S-like materials will be mentioned. NSF DMR Grant 1207622.

Spectroscopic views of high-Tc superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendin, Göran

1989-01-01

Recent progress in the fields of photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, inverse photoemission, and infrared- and optical reflectivity applied to high-Tc superconductors is analyzed in terms of correlation effects, transport properties and Fermi liquid behaviour. For the CuO2 based materials, a picture emerges of localized holes in copper 3d levels and itinerant holes in oxygen 2p-like bands. A Fermi liquid picture and a superconducting gap is indicated by angle-resolved photo-emission, infrared absorption, and NMR. A Fermi surface is indicated by positron annihilation. Infrared absorption reveals strongly frequency and temperature dependent scattering and polaronic behaviour for frequencies below 0.1 eV. Infrared absorption indicates a maximum superconducting gap of 2Δ/kBTc = 8 and suggests that ordinary samples may show a range of gaps 2 < 2Δ/kBTc < 8 resulting in commonly measured average values of 2Δ/kBTc = 5. An interesting possibility in YBaCuO, suggested by infrared reflectivity and photoconductivity measurements, is that polarons in the CuO2 planes with 0.13 eV excitation energy mediate an attractive interaction between quasi-holes in O 2p-derived conduction bands. The polarons will involve important lattice distortions even if, as is frequently assumed, magnetic polaron effects may be the essential thing.

Robust zero resistance in a superconducting high-entropy alloy at pressures up to 190 GPa

PubMed Central

Guo, Jing; Wang, Honghong; von Rohr, Fabian; Wang, Zhe; Cai, Shu; Zhou, Yazhou; Yang, Ke; Li, Aiguo; Jiang, Sheng; Wu, Qi; Cava, Robert J.; Sun, Liling

2017-01-01

We report the observation of extraordinarily robust zero-resistance superconductivity in the pressurized (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high-entropy alloy––a material with a body-centered-cubic crystal structure made from five randomly distributed transition-metal elements. The transition to superconductivity (TC) increases from an initial temperature of 7.7 K at ambient pressure to 10 K at ∼60 GPa, and then slowly decreases to 9 K by 190.6 GPa, a pressure that falls within that of the outer core of the earth. We infer that the continuous existence of the zero-resistance superconductivity from 1 atm up to such a high pressure requires a special combination of electronic and mechanical characteristics. This high-entropy alloy superconductor thus may have a bright future for applications under extreme conditions, and also poses a challenge for understanding the underlying quantum physics. PMID:29183981

Robust zero resistance in a superconducting high-entropy alloy at pressures up to 190 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jing; Wang, Honghong; von Rohr, Fabian; Wang, Zhe; Cai, Shu; Zhou, Yazhou; Yang, Ke; Li, Aiguo; Jiang, Sheng; Wu, Qi; Cava, Robert J.; Sun, Liling

2017-12-01

We report the observation of extraordinarily robust zero-resistance superconductivity in the pressurized (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high-entropy alloy--a material with a body-centered-cubic crystal structure made from five randomly distributed transition-metal elements. The transition to superconductivity (TC) increases from an initial temperature of 7.7 K at ambient pressure to 10 K at ˜60 GPa, and then slowly decreases to 9 K by 190.6 GPa, a pressure that falls within that of the outer core of the earth. We infer that the continuous existence of the zero-resistance superconductivity from 1 atm up to such a high pressure requires a special combination of electronic and mechanical characteristics. This high-entropy alloy superconductor thus may have a bright future for applications under extreme conditions, and also poses a challenge for understanding the underlying quantum physics.

Antenna-coupled transition-edge hot-electron microbolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Shafinaz; Timbie, Peter T.; Malu, Siddharth; McCammon, Dan; Nelms, Kari L.; Pathak, Rashmi; van der Weide, Daniel W.; Allen, Christine A.; Abrahams, J.; Chervenak, James A.; Hsieh, Wen-Ting; Miller, Timothy M.; Moseley, S. H., Jr.; Stevenson, Thomas R.; Wollack, Edward J.

2004-10-01

We are developing a new type of detector for observational cosmology and astrophysical research. Incoming radiation from the sky is coupled to a superconducting microstrip transmission line that terminates in a thin film absorber. At sub-Kelvin temperature, the thermal isolation between the electrons and the lattice makes it possible for the electrons in the small absorber (100's of cubic micro-meter) and superconducting bilayer (Transition Edge Sensor) to heat up by the radiation absorbed by the electrons of the normal absorbing layer. We call this detector a Transition-edge Hot-electron Micro-bolometer (THM). THMs can be fabricated by photo lithography, so it is relatively easy to make matched detectors for a large focal plane array telescope. We report on the thermal properties of Mo/Au THMs with Bi/Au absorbers.

An instrument for spatial conductivity measurements of high Tc superconducting (HTSC) materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vansant, T.

1991-01-01

High T(sub c) Superconducting (HTSC) thin films are suggested for use in a number of aerospace applications such as an IR bolometer and as electromagnetic shielding. As part of its flight assurance role, the Materials Branch of the Goddard Space Flight Center has initiated development of an instrument capable of measuring variations in conductivity for flat samples using an eddy current testing device and an X-Y positioning table. This instrument was used to examine bulk HTSC samples. System changes that would enable characterization of thin film materials are discussed.

Anyon Superconductivity of Sb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maksoed, Wh-; Parengkuan, August

2016-10-01

In any permutatives to Pedro P. Kuczhynski from Peru, for anyon superconductivity sought EZ Kuchinskii et al.: ``Anion height dependence of Tc & d.o.s of Fe-based Superconductors'', 2010 as well as ``on the basis of electron microscopy & AFM measurements, these phenomena are quantified with focus on fractal dimension, particle perimeter & size of the side branch(tip width) in bert Stegemann et al.:Crystallization of Sb nanoparticles-Pattern Formation & Fractal Growth'', J.PhysChem B., 2004. For dendritic & dendrimer fractal characters shown further: ``antimony denrites were found to be composed of well-crystallized nanoflakes with size 20-4 nm''- Bou Zhau, et al., MaterialLetters, 59 (2005). The alkyl triisopropyl attached in TIPSb those includes in DNA, haemoglobin membrane/fixed-bed reactor for instance quotes in Dragony Fu, Nature Review Cancer, 12 (Feb 2012). Heartfelt Gratitudes to HE. Mr. Prof. Ir. Handojo.

Raman and fluorescence characteristics of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering from doped superconducting cuprates

DOE PAGES

Huang, H. Y.; Jia, C. J.; Chen, Z. Y.; ...

2016-01-22

Measurements of spin excitations are essential for an understanding of spin-mediated pairing for superconductivity; and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) provides a considerable opportunity to probe high-energy spin excitations. However, whether RIXS correctly measures the collective spin excitations of doped superconducting cuprates remains under debate. Here we demonstrate distinct Raman- and fluorescence-like RIXS excitations of Bi1.5Pb0.6Sr1.54CaCu2O8+δ. Combining photon-energy and momentum dependent RIXS measurements with theoretical calculations using exact diagonalization provides conclusive evidence that the Raman-like RIXS excitations correspond to collective spin excitations, which are magnons in the undoped Mott insulators and evolve into paramagnons in doped superconducting compounds. In contrast,more » the fluorescence-like shifts are due primarily to the continuum of particle-hole excitations in the charge channel. Our results show that under the proper experimental conditions RIXS indeed can be used to probe paramagnons in doped high-Tc cuprate superconductors.« less

Neutron scattering study on the magnetic and superconducting phases of MnP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Shinichiro; Lancon, Diane; Ronnow, Henrik; Hansen, Thomas; Gardner, Jason

We have performed series of neutron scattering experiments on MnP. MnP has been investigated for decades because of its rich magnetic phase diagram. The magnetic structure of MnP is ferromagnetic (FM) below TC = 291 K. It transforms into a helimagnetic structure at TS = 47 K with a propagation vector q = 0 . 117a* . Superconductivity was found in MnP under pressures of 8 GPa with a TSC around 1 K by J.-G. Cheng. Since Mn-based superconductors are rare, and the superconducting phase occurs in the vicinity of FM, new magnetic and helimagnetic phases, there is a need to understand how the magnetism evolves as one approach the superconducting state. MnP is believed to be a double helix magnetic structure at TS = 47 K. We observed new 2 δ and 3 δ satellite peaks whose intensity are 200 ~ 1000 times smaller than these of 1 δ satellite peaks on the cold triple axis spectrometer SIKA under zero magnetic fields. We also found the periods of helimagnetic structure changes as a function of temperature. If time permits, we will discuss recent experiments under pressure. However, we have complete picture of magnetic structure of this system with and without applied pressure, revealing the interplay between the magnetic and superconducting phases.

Study on superconducting state parameters of Cu1-xZrx metallic glasses using model potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jambusarwala, Tasneem S.; Gajjar, P. N.

2018-05-01

The superconducting state parameters (SSP) of Cu1-xZrx metallic glasses over the full range of concentration x of Zr have been investigated to study influence of various local pseudopotentials. The study includes the computation of electron-phonon coupling strength (λ), transition temperature (TC), isotope effect exponent (α) and effective interaction strength (N0V) using fourteen different forms of local model potentials. The local field correction function proposed by Taylor (T) is used. The influence of model potential on various parameters is ranging from 6% to 83% for pure Zr and 28% to 84% for pure Cu. The present study confirms that the identification of model potential is vital in studying Superconducting State Parameters.

Role of hybridization in the superconducting properties of an extended d p Hubbard model: a detailed numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calegari, E. J.; Magalhães, S. G.; Gomes, A. A.

2005-04-01

The Roth's two-pole approximation has been used by the present authors to study the effects of the hybridization in the superconducting properties of a strongly correlated electron system. The model used is the extended Hubbard model which includes the d-p hybridization, the p-band and a narrow d-band. The present work is an extension of our previous work (J. Mod. Phys. B 18(2) (2004) 241). Nevertheless, some important correlation functions necessary to estimate the Roth's band shift, are included together with the temperature T and the Coulomb interaction U to describe the superconductivity. The superconducting order parameter of a cuprate system, is obtained following Beenen and Edwards formalism. Here, we investigate in detail the change of the order parameter associated to temperature, Coulomb interaction and Roth's band shift effects on superconductivity. The phase diagram with Tc versus the total occupation number nT, shows the difference respect to the previous work.

Electrotechnical prospects for superconducting applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunet, Y.; Renard, M.

After a review of the classical limitations, due to iron and copper losses, we give the necessary superconducting properties, needed to achieve significant progresses, either in the size, or in the efficiency of electrotechnical plants. The successive achievement in SC will be explained, in relation with the physics of usual SC, and the needed properties for technology. The problems encountered in electrotechnics by decreasing interest are : networks losses and stability, storage of energy production, transformation and protection. In each case, SC solutions may be found or at least imagined. We shall review the limitations estimated in each case, generally by extrapolation of small scale experiments, with 4 K SC, and try to see what are the modifications which may be obtained by the use of high Tc SC. Special attention will be paid to energy storage and electrical machinery and the interest of completely superconducting plants will be shown. Une fois précisées les limitations actuelles des matériels électriques imposées essentiellement par l'utilisation de matériaux comme le fer ou le cuivre, nous détaillons les caractéristiques des supraconducteurs susceptibles d'améliorer les performances des installations électrotechniques. Les progrès successifs des conducteurs supraconducteurs sont expliqués en tenant compte de leur impact technologique. Les problèmes rencontrés en électrotechnique sont : les pertes et la stabilité des réseaux, le stockage et la production de l'énergie. Dans chaque cas des solutions supraconductrices existent ou peuvent être imaginées. Nous examinons notamment pour les machines électriques et le stockage de l'énergie, les solutions qui existent ou sont en cours de développement avec des supraconducteurs à basse température (˜ 4 K) et quelles sont les modifications apportées par l'utilisation de supraconducteurs à haut Tc.