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A microwave technique suitable for investigating the AC magnetic susceptibility of small samples in the GHz frequency range is presented. The method-which is based on the use of a coplanar waveguide resonator, within the resonator perturbation approach-allows one to obtain the absolute value of the complex susceptibility, from which the penetration depth and the superfluid density can be determined. We report on the characterization of several iron-based superconducting systems, belonging to the 11, 122, 1144, and 12442 families. In particular, we show the effect of different kinds of doping for the 122 family, and the effect of proton irradiation in a 122 compound. Finally, the paradigmatic case of the magnetic superconductor EuP-122 is discussed, since it shows the emergence of both superconducting and ferromagnetic transitions, marked by clear features in both the real and imaginary parts of the AC susceptibility.
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We report the critical current density (Jc) and vortex pinning properties in single crystals of a novel iron-based superconductor (IBS) KCa2Fe4As4F2 with large Jc in the pristine state, before and after introduction of artificial defects by swift-particle irradiation. The effects of 2.6 GeV U and 3 MeV proton irradiations in KCa2Fe4As4F2 single crystals on transition temperature Tc and Jc, including its dose dependence, are systematically studied. Jc~8 MA/cm2 under a self-field at 2 K in the pristine crystal is strongly enhanced up to 19.4 and 17.5 MA/cm2 by irradiation of 2.6 GeV U-ions and 3 MeV protons, respectively. Suppression of Tc and dose dependence of Jc in KCa2Fe4As4F2 is different from that in a representative IBS of (Ba,K)Fe2As2, which can be explained by considering the presence of embedded defects in pristine KCa2Fe4As4F2. The vortex dynamics in the pristine and proton irradiated KCa2Fe4As4F2 single crystals are also investigated from the analyses of the field dependence of Jc and the normalized magnetic relaxation rate. In addition to the contribution of embedded defects, weak collective pinning is considered for comprehensive analyses. Vortex dynamics in KCa2Fe4As4F2 is similar to those in (Ba,K)Fe2As2 to some extent, and different from that in anisotropic Li0.8Fe0.2OHFeSe. Large anisotropy, due to the presence of insulating blocking layers in KCa2Fe4As4F2, which leads to much lower irreversibility field (Hirr) compared with 122-type IBSs, strongly affect the vortex dynamics.
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Static (DC) and dynamic (AC, at 14 MHz and 8 GHz) magnetic susceptibilities of single crystals of a ferromagnetic superconductor, EuFe2(As1-xPx)2 (x = 0.23), were measured in pristine state and after different doses of 2.5 MeV electron or 3.5 MeV proton irradiation. The superconducting transition temperature, Tc(H), shows an extraordinarily large decrease. It starts at Tc(H=0)≈24K in the pristine sample for both AC and DC measurements, but moves to almost half of that value after moderate irradiation dose. Remarkably, after the irradiation not only Tc moves significantly below the FM transition, its values differ drastically for measurements at different frequencies, ≈16 K in AC measurements and ≈12 K in a DC regime. We attribute such a large difference in Tc to the appearance of the spontaneous internal magnetic field below the FM transition, so that the superconductivity develops directly into the mixed spontaneous vortex-antivortex state where the onset of diamagnetism is known to be frequency-dependent. We also examined the response to the applied DC magnetic fields and studied the annealing of irradiated samples, which almost completely restores the superconducting transition. Overall, our results suggest that in EuFe2(As1-xPx)2 superconductivity is affected by local-moment ferromagnetism mostly via the spontaneous internal magnetic fields induced by the FM subsystem. Another mechanism is revealed upon irradiation where magnetic defects created in ordered Eu2+ lattice act as efficient pairbreakers leading to a significant Tc reduction upon irradiation compared to other 122 compounds. On the other hand, the exchange interactions seem to be weakly screened by the superconducting phase leading to a modest increase of Tm (less than 1 K) after the irradiation drives Tc to below Tm. Our results suggest that FM and SC phases coexist microscopically in the same volume.
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We report on ion irradiation experiments performed on compounds belonging to the [Formula: see text] family, each one involving the partial substitution of an atom of the parent compound (K for Ba, Co for Fe, and P for As), with an optimal composition to maximize the superconducting critical temperature [Formula: see text]. Employed ion beams were 3.5-MeV protons, 250-MeV Au ions, and 1.2-GeV Pb ions, but additional data from literature are also considered, thus covering a wide range of ions and energies. Microwave characterization based on the use of a coplanar waveguide resonator allowed us to investigate the irradiation-induced [Formula: see text] degradation, as well as the increase of normal state resistivity and London penetration depth. The damage was quantified in terms of displacements per atom (dpa). From this broad and comprehensive set of experimental data, clear scaling laws emerge, valid in the range of moderate irradiation-induced disorder (dpa up to 5 [Formula: see text] 10 [Formula: see text] were investigated). In these conditions, linear trends with dpa were found for all the modification rates, while a power law dependence on the ion energy was found for heavy-ion irradiation. All these scaling laws are reported and discussed throughout the paper.
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In the electronic nematic state, an electronic system has a lower symmetry than the crystal structure of the same system. Electronic nematic states have been observed in various unconventional superconductors such as cuprate, iron-based, heavy-fermion, and topological superconductors. The relation between nematicity and superconductivity is a major unsolved problem in condensed matter physics. By angle-resolved specific heat measurements, we report bulk quasiparticle evidence of nematicity in the topological superconductor Sr_{x}Bi_{2}Se_{3}. The specific heat exhibited a clear twofold symmetry despite the threefold symmetric lattice. Most importantly, the twofold symmetry appeared in the normal state above the superconducting transition temperature. This is explained by the angle-dependent Zeeman effect due to the anisotropic density of states in the nematic phase. Such results highlight the interrelation between nematicity and unconventional superconductivity.
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The interplay between superconductivity and magnetism is one of the oldest enigmas in physics. Usually, the strong exchange field of ferromagnet suppresses singlet superconductivity via the paramagnetic effect. In EuFe2(As0.79P0.21)2, a material that becomes not only superconducting at 24.2 K but also ferromagnetic below 19 K, the coexistence of the two antagonistic phenomena becomes possible because of the unusually weak exchange field produced by the Eu subsystem. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that when the ferromagnetism adds to superconductivity, the Meissner state becomes spontaneously inhomogeneous, characterized by a nanometer-scale striped domain structure. At yet lower temperature and without any externally applied magnetic field, the system locally generates quantum vortex-antivortex pairs and undergoes a phase transition into a domain vortex-antivortex state characterized by much larger domains and peculiar Turing-like patterns. We develop a quantitative theory of this phenomenon and put forth a new way to realize superconducting superlattices and control the vortex motion in ferromagnetic superconductors by tuning magnetic domains-unprecedented opportunity to consider for advanced superconducting hybrids.
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Superconductivity (SC) with the suppression of long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is observed in the parent compounds of both iron-based and cuprate superconductors. The AFM wave vectors are bicollinear (π, 0) in the parent compound FeTe different from the collinear AFM order (π, π) in most iron pnictides. Study of the phase diagram of Fe1+yTe1-xSex is the most direct way to investigate the competition between bicollinear AFM and SC. However, presence of interstitial Fe affects both magnetism and SC of Fe1+yTe1-xSex, which hinders the establishment of the real phase diagram. Here, we report the comparison of doping-temperature (x-T) phase diagrams for Fe1+yTe1-xSex (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.43) single crystals before and after removing interstitial Fe. Without interstitial Fe, the AFM state survives only for x < 0.05, and bulk SC emerges from x = 0.05, and does not coexist with the AFM state. The previously reported spin glass state, and the coexistence of AFM and SC may be originated from the effect of the interstitial Fe. The phase diagram of Fe1+yTe1-xSex is found to be similar to the case of the "1111" system such as LaFeAsO1-xFx, and is different from that of the "122" system.
RESUMEN
Iron chalcogenide Fe(Te,Se) attracted much attention due to its simple structure, which is favorable for probing the superconducting mechanism. Its less toxic nature compared with iron arsenides is also advantageous for applications of iron-based superconductors. By intercalating spacer layers, superconducting transition temperature has been raised over 40 K. On the other hand, the presence of excess Fe is almost unavoidable in Fe(Te,Se) single crystals, which hinders the appearance of bulk superconductivity and causes strong controversies over its fundamental properties. Here we report a Systematical study of O2-annealing dynamics in Fe(1+y)Te(1-x)Sex by controlling the amount of O2, annealing temperature, and time. Bulk superconductivity can be gradually induced by increasing the amount of O2 and annealing time at suitable temperatures. The optimally annealed crystals can be easily obtained by annealing with ~1.5% molar ratio of oxygen at 400 °C for more than 1 hour. Superconductivity was witnessed to evolve mainly from the edge of the crystal to the central part. After the optimal annealing, the complete removal of excess Fe was demonstrated via STM measurements. Some fundamental properties were recharacterized and compared with those of as-grown crystals to discuss the influence of excess Fe.
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R2Fe3Si5 (R= Sc, Y, Lu) contains nonmagnetic iron and has a relatively high superconducting transition temperature Tc among iron-containing superconductors. An anomalous temperature dependence of specific heat C(T) has been reported for polycrystalline samples down to 1 K. We have grown R2Fe3Si5 single crystals, confirmed the anomalous C(T) dependence, and found a second drop in specific heat below 1 K. In Lu2Fe3Si5, we can reproduce C(T) below Tc, assuming two distinct energy gaps 2Δ 1/kBTc = 4.4 and 2Δ 2/kBTc = 1.1, with nearly equal weights, indicating that Lu2Fe3Si5 is a two-gap superconductor similar to MgB2. Hall coefficient measurements and band structure calculation also support the multiband contributions to the normal-state properties. The specific heat in the Sc2Fe3Si5 single crystals also shows the two-gap feature. R5Ir4Si10 (R = Sc, rare earth) is also a superconductor where competition between superconductivity and the charge-density wave is known for rare earths but not for Sc. We have performed detailed specific heat measurements on Sc5Ir4Si10 single crystals and found that C(T) deviates slightly from the behavior expected for weak-coupling superconductors. C(T) for these superconductors can also be reproduced well by assuming two superconducting gaps.
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Initially inspired by biological motors, new types of nanodevice have been proposed for controlling the motion of nanoparticles. Structures incorporating spatially asymmetric potential profiles (ratchet substrates) have been realized experimentally to manipulate vortices in superconductors, particles in asymmetric silicon pores, as well as charged particles through artificial pores and arrays of optical tweezers. Using theoretical ideas, we demonstrate experimentally how to guide flux quanta in layered superconductors using a drive that is asymmetric in time instead of being asymmetric in space. By varying the time-asymmetry of the drive, we are able experimentally to increase or decrease the density of magnetic flux at the centre of superconducting samples that have no spatial ratchet substrate. This is the first ratchet without a ratchet potential. The experimental results can be well described by numerical simulations considering the dragging effect of two types of vortices penetrating layered superconductors in tilted magnetic fields.
