Wigner Crystal and Colossal Magnetoresistance in InSb Doped with Mn.

We report magnetotransport investigation of nonmagnetic InSb single crystal doped with manganese at Mn concentration NMn ~ 1,5 × 10(17) cm(-3) in the temperature range T = 300 K-40 mK, magnetic field B = 0-25T and hydrostatic pressure P = 0-17 kbar. Resistivity saturation was observed in the absence of magnetic field at temperatures below 200 mK while applied increasing external magnetic field induced colossal drop of resistivity (by factor 10(4)) at B ~ 4T with further gigantic resistivity increase (by factor 10(4)) at 15T. Under pressure, P = 17 kbar, resistivity saturation temperature increased up to 1,2 K. Existing models are discussed in attempt to explain resistivity saturation, dramatic influence of magnetic field and pressure on resistivity with the focus on possible manifestation of three dimensional Wigner crystal formed in InSb by light electrons and heavy holes.

Pressure tuning the Fermi level through the Dirac point of giant Rashba semiconductor BiTeI.

We report measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the giant Rashba semiconductor BiTeI under applied pressures up to ∼2 GPa. We observe one high frequency oscillation at all pressures and one low frequency oscillation that emerges between ∼0.3-0.7 GPa indicating the appearance of a second small Fermi surface. BiTeI has a conduction band bottom that is split into two sub-bands due to the strong Rashba coupling, resulting in a 'Dirac point'. Our results suggest that the chemical potential starts below the Dirac point in the conduction band at ambient pressure and moves upward, crossing it as pressure is increased. The presence of the chemical potential above this Dirac point results in two Fermi surfaces. We present a simple model that captures this effect and can be used to understand the pressure dependence of our sample parameters. These extracted parameters are in quantitative agreement with first-principles calculations and other experiments. The parameters extracted via our model support the notion that pressure brings the system closer to the predicted topological quantum phase transition.

High-magnetic-field lattice length changes in URu2Si2.

We report high-magnetic-field (up to 45 T) c-axis thermal-expansion and magnetostriction experiments on URu(2)Si(2) single crystals. The sample length change ΔL(c)(T(HO))/L(c) associated with the transition to the "hidden order" phase becomes increasingly discontinuous as the magnetic field is raised above 25 T. The reentrant ordered phase III is clearly observed in both the thermal expansion ΔL(c)(T)/L(c) and magnetostriction ΔL(c)(B)/L(c) above 36 T, in good agreement with previous results. The sample length is also discontinuous at the boundaries of this phase, mainly at the upper boundary. A change in the sign of the coefficient of thermal expansion α(c)=1/L(c)(∂ΔL(c)/∂T) is observed at the metamagnetic transition (B(M) ~ 38 T), which is likely related to the existence of a quantum critical end point.

High resolution miniature dilatometer based on an atomic force microscope piezocantilever.

Thermal expansion, or dilation, is closely related to the specific heat, and provides useful information regarding material properties. The accurate measurement of dilation in confined spaces coupled with other limiting experimental environments such as low temperatures and rapidly changing high magnetic fields requires a new sensitive millimeter size dilatometer that has little or no temperature and field dependence. We have designed an ultracompact dilatometer using an atomic force microscope piezoresistive cantilever as the sensing element and demonstrated its versatility by studying the charge density waves in alpha uranium to high magnetic fields (up to 31 T). The performance of this piezoresistive dilatometer was comparable to that of a titanium capacitive dilatometer.

Magnetic-field-induced lattice anomaly inside the superconducting state of CeCoIn5: anisotropic evidence of the possible Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state.

We report high magnetic field linear magnetostriction experiments on CeCoIn5 single crystals. Two features are remarkable: (i) a sharp discontinuity in all the crystallographic axes associated with the upper superconducting critical field B(c2) that becomes less pronounced as the temperature increases and (ii) a distinctive second orderlike feature observed only along the c axis in the high field (10 T < or approximately B< or = B(c2)) low temperature (T < or approximately 0.35 K) region. This second order transition is observed only when the magnetic field lies within 20 degrees of the ab planes and there is no signature of it above B(c2), which raises questions regarding its interpretation as a field induced magnetically ordered phase. Good agreement with previous results suggests that this anomaly is related to the transition to a possible Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state.

Magnetic enhancement of superconductivity from electron spin domains.

Since the discovery of superconductivity, there has been a drive to understand the mechanisms by which it occurs. The BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) model successfully treats the electrons in conventional superconductors as pairs coupled by phonons (vibrational modes of oscillation) moving through the material, but there is as yet no accepted model for high-transition-temperature, organic or 'heavy fermion' superconductivity. Experiments that reveal unusual properties of those superconductors could therefore point the way to a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. In particular, the response of a material to a magnetic field can be revealing, because this usually reduces or quenches superconductivity. Here we report measurements of the heat capacity and magnetization that show that, for particular orientations of an external magnetic field, superconductivity in the heavy-fermion material CeCoIn(5) is enhanced through the magnetic moments (spins) of individual electrons. This enhancement occurs by fundamentally altering how the superconducting state forms, resulting in regions of superconductivity alternating with walls of spin-polarized unpaired electrons; this configuration lowers the free energy and allows superconductivity to remain stable. The large magnetic susceptibility of this material leads to an unusually strong coupling of the field to the electron spins, which dominates over the coupling to the electron orbits.