Multiquanta flux jumps in superconducting fractal.

We study the magnetic field response of millimeter scale fractal Sierpinski gaskets (SG) assembled of superconducting equilateral triangular patches. Directly imaged quantitative induction maps reveal hierarchical periodic filling of enclosed void areas with multiquanta magnetic flux, which jumps inside the voids in repeating bundles of individual flux quanta Φ0. The number Ns of entering flux quanta in different triangular voids of the SG is proportional to the linear size s of the void, while the field periodicity of flux jumps varies as 1/s. We explain this behavior by modeling the triangular voids in the SG with effective superconducting rings and by calculating their response following the London analysis of persistent currents, Js, induced by the applied field Ha and by the entering flux. With changing Ha, Js reaches a critical value in the vertex joints that connect the triangular superconducting patches and allows the giant flux jumps into the SG voids through phase slips or multiple Abrikosov vortex transfer across the vertices. The unique flux behavior in superconducting SG patterns, may be used to design tunable low-loss resonators with multi-line high-frequency spectrum for microwave technologies.

Magnetic Breakdown and Topology in the Kagome Superconductor CsV_{3}Sb_{5} under High Magnetic Field.

The recently discovered layered kagome metals of composition AV_{3}Sb_{5} (A=K, Rb, Cs) exhibit a complex interplay among superconductivity, charge density wave order, topologically nontrivial electronic band structure and geometrical frustration. Here, we probe the electronic band structure underlying these exotic correlated electronic states in CsV_{3}Sb_{5} with quantum oscillation measurements in pulsed fields up to 86 T. The high-field data reveal a sequence of magnetic breakdown orbits that allows the construction of a model for the folded Fermi surface of CsV_{3}Sb_{5}. The dominant features are large triangular Fermi surface sheets that cover almost half the folded Brillouin zone. These sheets have not yet been detected in angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and display pronounced nesting. The Berry phases of the electron orbits have been deduced from Landau level fan diagrams near the quantum limit without the need for extrapolations, thereby unambiguously establishing the nontrivial topological character of several electron bands in this kagome lattice superconductor.

Ion-beam assisted sputtering of titanium nitride thin films.

Titanium nitride is a material of interest for many superconducting devices such as nanowire microwave resonators and photon detectors. Thus, controlling the growth of TiN thin films with desirable properties is of high importance. This work aims to explore effects in ion beam-assisted sputtering (IBAS), were an observed increase in nominal critical temperature and upper critical fields are in tandem with previous work on Niobium nitride (NbN). We grow thin films of titanium nitride by both, the conventional method of DC reactive magnetron sputtering and the IBAS method, to compare their superconducting critical temperatures [Formula: see text] as functions of thickness, sheet resistance, and nitrogen flow rate. We perform electrical and structural characterizations by electric transport and x-ray diffraction measurements. Compared to the conventional method of reactive sputtering, the IBAS technique has demonstrated a 10% increase in nominal critical temperature without noticeable variation in the lattice structure. Additionally, we explore the behavior of superconducting [Formula: see text] in ultra-thin films. Trends in films grown at high nitrogen concentrations follow predictions of mean-field theory in disordered films and show suppression of superconducting [Formula: see text] due to geometric effects, while nitride films grown at low nitrogen concentrations strongly deviate from the theoretical models.

Nanoscale Antiferromagnetic Domain Imaging using Full-Field Resonant X-ray Magnetic Diffraction Microscopy.

The physical properties of magnetic materials frequently depend not only on the microscopic spin and electronic structures, but also on the structures of mesoscopic length scales that emerge, for instance, from domain formations, or chemical and/or electronic phase separations. However, experimental access to such mesoscopic structures is currently limited, especially for antiferromagnets with net zero magnetization. Here, full-field microscopy and resonant magnetic X-ray diffraction are combined to visualize antiferromagnetic (AF) domains of the spin-orbit Mott insulator Sr2 IrO4 with area over ≈0.1 mm2 and with spatial resolution as high as ≈150 nm. With the unprecedented wide field of views and high spatial resolution, an intertwining of two AF domains on a length comparable to the measured average AF domain wall width of 545 nm is revealed. This mesoscopic structure comprises a substantial portion of the sample surface, and thus can result in a macroscopic response unexpected from its microscopic magnetic structure. In particular, the symmetry analysis presented in this work shows that the inversion symmetry, which is preserved by the microscopic AF order, becomes ill-defined at the mesoscopic length scale. This result underscores the importance of this novel technique for a thorough understanding of the physical properties of antiferromagnets.

Coherent Coupling of Two Remote Magnonic Resonators Mediated by Superconducting Circuits.

We demonstrate microwave-mediated distant magnon-magnon coupling on a superconducting circuit platform, incorporating chip-mounted single-crystal Y_{3}Fe_{5}O_{12} (YIG) spheres. Coherent level repulsion and dissipative level attraction between the magnon modes of the two YIG spheres are demonstrated. The former is mediated by cavity photons of a superconducting resonator, and the latter is mediated by propagating photons of a coplanar waveguide. Our results open new avenues toward exploring integrated hybrid magnonic networks for coherent information processing on a quantum-compatible superconducting platform.

Design and characterization of microstrip patch antennas for high-Tc superconducting terahertz emitters.

We designed and characterized a microstrip pattern of planar patch antennas compatible with a cuprate high-Tc superconducting terahertz emitter. Antenna parameters were optimized using an electromagnetic simulator. We observed repeatable sub-terahertz emissions from each mesa fabricated on identical Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ base crystals in a continuous frequency range of 0.35-0.85 THz. Although there was no significant output power enhancement, a plateau behavior at a fixed frequency was observed below 40 K, indicating moderate impedance matching attributable to the ambient microstrip pattern. A remarkably anisotropic polarization at an axial ratio of up to 16.9 indicates a mode-locking effect. Our results enable constructing compactly assembled, monolithic, and broadly tunable superconducting terahertz sources.

On-Chip Sensing of Hotspots in Superconducting Terahertz Emitters.

Intrinsic Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (BSCCO) are known for their capability to emit high-power terahertz photons with widely tunable frequencies. Hotspots, as inhomogeneous temperature distributions across the junctions, are believed to play a critical role in synchronizing the gauge-invariant phase difference among the junctions, so as to achieve coherent strong emission. In this paper, we demonstrate an on-chip in situ sensing technique that can characterize hotspot distributions on BSCCO. This is achieved by fabricating a series of micro-nanosized "sensor" junctions on top of an "emitter" junction and measuring the critical current on the sensors versus the bias current applied to the emitter. This fully electronic on-chip design can enable efficient close-loop control of hotspots in BSCCO junctions and significantly enhance the functionality of superconducting terahertz emitters.

Disorder raises the critical temperature of a cuprate superconductor.

With the discovery of charge-density waves (CDWs) in most members of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors, the interplay between superconductivity and CDWs has become a key point in the debate on the origin of high-temperature superconductivity. Some experiments in cuprates point toward a CDW state competing with superconductivity, but others raise the possibility of a CDW-superconductivity intertwined order or more elusive pair-density waves (PDWs). Here, we have used proton irradiation to induce disorder in crystals of [Formula: see text] and observed a striking 50% increase of [Formula: see text], accompanied by a suppression of the CDWs. This is in sharp contrast with the behavior expected of a d-wave superconductor, for which both magnetic and nonmagnetic defects should suppress [Formula: see text] Our results thus make an unambiguous case for the strong detrimental effect of the CDW on bulk superconductivity in [Formula: see text] Using tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) measurements, we find indications for potential dynamic layer decoupling in a PDW phase. Our results establish irradiation-induced disorder as a particularly relevant tuning parameter for the many families of superconductors with coexisting density waves, which we demonstrate on superconductors such as the dichalcogenides and [Formula: see text].

Targeted evolution of pinning landscapes for large superconducting critical currents.

The ability of type II superconductors to carry large amounts of current at high magnetic fields is a key requirement for future design innovations in high-field magnets for accelerators and compact fusion reactors, and largely depends on the vortex pinning landscape comprised of material defects. The complex interaction of vortices with defects that can be grown chemically, e.g., self-assembled nanoparticles and nanorods, or introduced by postsynthesis particle irradiation precludes a priori prediction of the critical current and can result in highly nontrivial effects on the critical current. Here, we borrow concepts from biological evolution to create a vortex pinning genome based on a genetic algorithm, naturally evolving the pinning landscape to accommodate vortex pinning and determine the best possible configuration of inclusions for two different scenarios: a natural evolution process initiating from a pristine system and one starting with preexisting defects to demonstrate the potential for a postprocessing approach to enhance critical currents. Furthermore, the presented approach is even more general and can be adapted to address various other targeted material optimization problems.

High-resolution Thermal Micro-imaging Using Europium Chelate Luminescent Coatings.

Micro-electronic devices often undergo significant self-heating when biased to their typical operating conditions. This paper describes a convenient optical micro-imaging technique which can be used to map and quantify such behavior. Europium thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (EuTFC) has a 612 nm luminescence line whose activation efficiency drops strongly with increasing temperature, due to T-dependent interactions between the Eu3+ ion and the organic chelating compound. This material may be readily coated on to a sample surface by thermal sublimation in vacuum. When the coating is excited with ultraviolet light (337 nm) an optical micro-image of the 612 nm luminescent response can be converted directly into a map of the sample surface temperature. This technique offers spatial resolution limited only by the microscope optics (about 1 micron) and time resolution limited by the speed of the camera employed. It offers the additional advantages of only requiring comparatively simple and non-specialized equipment, and giving a quantitative probe of sample temperature.

Vortices in high-performance high-temperature superconductors.

The behavior of vortex matter in high-temperature superconductors (HTS) controls the entire electromagnetic response of the material, including its current carrying capacity. Here, we review the basic concepts of vortex pinning and its application to a complex mixed pinning landscape to enhance the critical current and to reduce its anisotropy. We focus on recent scientific advances that have resulted in large enhancements of the in-field critical current in state-of-the-art second generation (2G) YBCO coated conductors and on the prospect of an isotropic, high-critical current superconductor in the iron-based superconductors. Lastly, we discuss an emerging new paradigm of critical current by design-a drive to achieve a quantitative correlation between the observed critical current density and mesoscale mixed pinning landscapes by using realistic input parameters in an innovative and powerful large-scale time dependent Ginzburg-Landau approach to simulating vortex dynamics.

Toward Superconducting Critical Current by Design.

A new critical-current-by-design paradigm is presented. It aims at predicting the optimal defect landscape in superconductors for targeted applications by elucidating the vortex dynamics responsible for the bulk critical current. To this end, critical current measurements on commercial high-temperature superconductors are combined with large-scale time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations of vortex dynamics.

Convection-enhanced delivery and in vivo imaging of polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of malignant glioma.

A major obstacle to the management of malignant glioma is the inability to effectively deliver therapeutic agent to the tumor. In this study, we describe a polymeric nanoparticle vector that not only delivers viable therapeutic, but can also be tracked in vivo using MRI. Nanoparticles, produced by a non-emulsion technique, were fabricated to carry iron oxide within the shell and the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide (TMZ), as the payload. Nanoparticle properties were characterized and subsequently their endocytosis-mediated uptake by glioma cells was demonstrated. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) can disperse nanoparticles through the rodent brain and their distribution is accurately visualized by MRI. Infusion of nanoparticles does not result in observable animal toxicity relative to control. CED of TMZ-bearing nanoparticles prolongs the survival of animals with intracranial xenografts compared to control. In conclusion, the described nanoparticle vector represents a unique multifunctional platform that can be used for image-guided treatment of malignant glioma. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: GBM remains one of the most notoriously treatment-unresponsive cancer types. In this study, a multifunctional nanoparticle-based temozolomide delivery system was demonstrated to possess enhanced treatment efficacy in a rodent xenograft GBM model, with the added benefit of MRI-based tracking via the incorporation of iron oxide as a T2* contrast material in the nanoparticles.

Plasmonic amplifiers: engineering giant light enhancements by tuning resonances in multiscale plasmonic nanostructures.

The unique ability of plasmonic nanostructures to guide, enhance, and manipulate subwavelength light offers multiple novel applications in chemical and biological sensing, imaging, and photonic microcircuitry. Here the reproducible, giant light amplification in multiscale plasmonic structures is demonstrated. These structures combine strongly coupled components of different dimensions and topologies that resonate at the same optical frequency. A light amplifier is constructed using a silver mirror carrying light-enhancing surface plasmons, dielectric gratings forming distributed Bragg cavities on top of the mirror, and gold nanoparticle arrays self-assembled into the grating grooves. By tuning the resonances of the individual components to the same frequency, multiple enhancement of the light intensity in the nanometer gaps between the particles is achieved. Using a monolayer of benzenethiol molecules on this structure, an average SERS enhancement factor ∼108 is obtained, and the maximum enhancement in the interparticle hot-spots is ∼3 × 10¹°, in good agreement with FDTD calculations. The high enhancement factor, large density of well-ordered hot-spots, and good fidelity of the SERS signal make this design a promising platform for quantitative SERS sensing, optical detection, efficient solid state lighting, advanced photovoltaics, and other emerging photonic applications.

A single-solenoid pulsed-magnet system for single-crystal scattering studies.

We present a pulsed-magnet system that enables x-ray single-crystal diffraction in addition to powder and spectroscopic studies with the magnetic field applied on or close to the scattering plane. The apparatus consists of a single large-bore solenoid, cooled by liquid nitrogen. A second independent closed-cycle cryostat is used for cooling samples near liquid helium temperatures. Pulsed magnetic fields close to ~30 T with a zero-to-peak-field rise time of ~2.9 ms are generated by discharging a 40 kJ capacitor bank into the magnet coil. The unique characteristic of this instrument is the preservation of maximum scattering angle (~23.6°) on the entrance and exit sides of the magnet bore by virtue of a novel double-funnel insert. This instrument will facilitate x-ray diffraction and spectroscopic studies that are impractical, if not impossible, to perform using split-pair and narrow-opening solenoid magnets. Furthermore, it offers a practical solution for preserving optical access in future higher-field pulsed magnets.

Networks of ultrasmall Pd/Cr nanowires as high performance hydrogen sensors.

The newly developed hydrogen sensor, based on a network of ultrasmall pure palladium nanowires sputter-deposited on a filtration membrane, takes advantage of single palladium nanowires' characteristics of high speed and sensitivity while eliminating their nanofabrication obstacles. However, this new type of sensor, like the single palladium nanowires, cannot distinguish hydrogen concentrations above 3%, thus limiting the potential applications of the sensor. This study reports hydrogen sensors based on a network of ultrasmall Cr-buffered Pd (Pd/Cr) nanowires on a filtration membrane. These sensors not only are able to outperform their pure Pd counterparts in speed and durability but also allow hydrogen detection at concentrations up to 100%. The new networks consist of a thin layer of palladium deposited on top of a Cr adhesion layer 1-3 nm thick. Although the Cr layer is insensitive to hydrogen, it enables the formation of a network of continuous Pd/Cr nanowires with thicknesses of the Pd layer as thin as 2 nm. The improved performance of the Pd/Cr sensors can be attributed to the increased surface area to volume ratio and to the confinement-induced suppression of the phase transition from Pd/H solid solution (α-phase) to Pd hydride (ß-phase).

Self-assembled large Au nanoparticle arrays with regular hot spots for SERS.

The cost-effective self-assembly of 80 nm Au nanoparticles (NPs) into large-domain, hexagonally close-packed arrays for high-sensitivity and high-fidelity surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is demonstrated. These arrays exhibit specific optical resonances due to strong interparticle coupling, which are well reproduced by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The gaps between NPs form a regular lattice of hot spots that enable a large amplification of both photoluminescence and Raman signals. At smaller wavelengths the hot spots are extended away from the minimum-gap positions, which allows SERS of larger analytes that do not fit into small gaps. Using CdSe quantum dots (QDs) a 3-5 times larger photoluminescence enhancement than previously reported is experimentally demonstrated and an unambiguous estimate of the electromagnetic SERS enhancement factor of ≈10(4) is obtained by direct scanning electron microscopy imaging of QDs responsible for the Raman signal. Much stronger enhancement of ≈10(8) is obtained at larger wavelengths for benzenethiol molecules penetrating the NP gaps.

Three-dimensional photonic crystal fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrodes: synthesis and optical and electrical properties.

Photovoltaic (PV) schemes often encounter a pair of fundamentally opposing requirements on the thickness of semiconductor layer: a thicker PV semiconductor layer provides enhanced optical density, but inevitably increases the charge transport path length. An effective approach to solve this dilemma is to enhance the interface area between the terminal electrode, i.e., transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and the semiconductor layer. As such, we report a facile, template-assisted, and solution chemistry-based synthesis of 3-dimensional inverse opal fluorinated tin oxide (IO-FTO) electrodes. Synergistically, the photonic crystal structure possessed in the IO-FTO exhibits strong light trapping capability. Furthermore, the electrical properties of the IO-FTO electrodes are studied by Hall effect and sheet resistance measurement. Using atomic layer deposition method, an ultrathin TiO(2) layer is coated on all surfaces of the IO-FTO electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry study indicates that the resulting TiO(2)-coated IO-FTO shows excellent potentials as electrodes for electrolyte-based photoelectrochemical solar cells.

SERS enhancements via periodic arrays of gold nanoparticles on silver film structures.

We discuss surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) structures aimed at providing robust and reproducible enhancements. The structures involve periodic arrays of gold nanospheres near silver film structures that may also be patterned. They enable one to excite Bloch wave surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) that can also couple to local surface plasmons (LSPs) of the nanospheres, leading to the possibility of multiplicative enhancements. If the magnitude of the average electric field, /E/, between the particles is enhanced by g such that /E/ = g/E(0)/, /E(0)/ being the incident field, realistic finite-difference time-domain simulations show that under favorable circumstances g approximately equal 0.6 g(SPP) g(LSP), where g(SPP) and g(LSP) are enhancement factors associated with the individual components. SERS enhancements for the structures can be as high as O(g(4)) = 10(8).

Charge separation and surface reconstruction: a Mn2+ doping study.

Hydrothermal synthesis of Mn doped anatase (TiO2) nanoparticles using scrolled nanotubes of TiO2 and MnCl2 as the starting materials is described. Incorporation of Mn2+ ions on the substitutional sites was confirmed using X-ray absorption fine structure (FT-XAFS) while the oxidation state Mn(II) and coordination environment were determined using both electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Two different hyperfine couplings of 96 and 86 G were found using high-field (130 GHz) EPR reporting that Mn atoms occupy two distinct sites: one undercoordinated (reconstructed surface) and the other octahedral crystalline geometry (nanoparticle core), respectively. It was found that Mn atoms that occupy surface layers are weakly bound to the anatase lattice and can be easily leached using simple dialysis, while those incorporated in the nanoparticle core are bound more strongly and cannot be removed by dialysis. Light excitation EPR reveals that Mn ions incorporated in the surface layers participate in the charge separation, while those trapped deeply in the nanoparticle core do not show any photoactivity. Doping of the core of nanoparticles with Mn2+ ions, on the other hand, enables synthesis of optically transparent films having superparamagnetic behavior at room temperatures with a saturation magnetic moment of 1.23 microB per Mn atom.