Magnetic flux distributions in chiral helimagnet/superconductor bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kato, Masaru, E-mail: kato@ms.osakafu-u.ac.jp [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1, Gakuencho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Fukui, Saoto [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1, Gakuencho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Sato, Osamu [Osaka Prefecture University College of Technology, 26-12, Saiwaicho, Neyagawa, Osaka 572-8572 (Japan); Togawa, Yoshihiko [Department of Physics and Electronics, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1, Gakuencho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Vortex states in a chiral helimagnet/superconductor bilayer are investigated. • Vortex and anti-vortex appears depending on strength of helimagnet. • Vortex is elongated under a gradient field. • Vortices form a undulated triangular lattice. - Abstarct: Vortex states in a chiral helimagnet/superconductor bilayer are investigated numerically, using the Ginzburg–Landau equations with the finite element method. In this bilayer, effect of the chiral helimagnet on the superconductor is taken as an external field. Magnetic field distribution can be controlled by an applied field to the bilayer. It is shown that a single vortex in a gradient field is elongated along the field gradient. In zero applied field, there are up- and down vortices which are parallel or antiparallel to the z-axis, respectively. But increasing the applied field, down-vortices disappear and up-vortices form undulated triangular lattices.

Fermi-surface reconstruction by stripe order in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Laliberté, Francis

2012-02-01

The origin of pairing in a superconductor resides in the underlying normal state. In the cuprate high-temperature superconductor YBCO, application of a magnetic field to suppress superconductivity reveals a ground state that appears to break the translational symmetry of the lattice, pointing to some density-wave order [1,2,3]. In another cuprate, Eu-LSCO, the onset of stripe order - a modulation of spin and charge densities - at low temperature is well established [4]. By a comparative study of thermoelectric transport in the cuprates YBCO and Eu-LSCO, we show that the two materials exhibit a very similar process of Fermi-surface reconstruction as a function of temperature and doping [5,6]. This strongly suggests that Fermi-surface reconstruction is caused by stripe order in both cases, compelling evidence that stripe order is a generic tendency of hole-doped cuprates.[4pt] Work done in collaboration with J. Chang, N. Doiron-Leyraud, E. Hassinger, R. Daou, D. LeBoeuf, M. Rondeau, B. J. Ramshaw, R. Liang, D. A. Bonn, W. N. Hardy, S. Pyon, T. Takayama, H. Takagi, I. Sheikin, L. Malone, C. Proust, K. Behnia and L. Taillefer.[4pt] [1] N. Doiron-Leyraud et al., Nature 447, 565 (2007).[0pt] [2] D. LeBoeuf et al., Nature 450, 533 (2007).[0pt] [3] D. LeBoeuf et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 054506 (2011).[0pt] [4] J. Fink et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 092503 (2011).[0pt] [5] J. Chang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 057005 (2010).[0pt] [6] F. Lalibert'e et al., Nat. Commun. 2, 432 (2011).

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-04-30

In addition to the record high superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}), high temperature cuprate superconductors are characterized by their unusual superconducting properties below T{sub c}, and anomalous normal state properties above T{sub c}. In the superconducting state, although it has long been realized that superconductivity still involves Cooper pairs, as in the traditional BCS theory, the experimentally determined d-wave pairing is different from the usual s-wave pairing found in conventional superconductors. The identification of the pairing mechanism in cuprate superconductors remains an outstanding issue. The normal state properties, particularly in the underdoped region, have been found to be at odd with conventional metals which is usually described by Fermi liquid theory; instead, the normal state at optimal doping fits better with the marginal Fermi liquid phenomenology. Most notable is the observation of the pseudogap state in the underdoped region above T{sub c}. As in other strongly correlated electrons systems, these unusual properties stem from the interplay between electronic, magnetic, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom. Understanding the microscopic process involved in these materials and the interaction of electrons with other entities is essential to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Since the discovery of high-T{sub c} superconductivity in cuprates, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has provided key experimental insights in revealing the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors. These include, among others, the earliest identification of dispersion and a large Fermi surface, an anisotropic superconducting gap suggestive of a d-wave order parameter, and an observation of the pseudogap in underdoped samples. In the mean time, this technique itself has experienced a dramatic improvement in its energy and momentum resolutions, leading to a series of new discoveries not

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-01-01

In addition to the record high superconducting transition temperature (T c ), high temperature cuprate superconductors are characterized by their unusual superconducting properties below T c , and anomalous normal state properties above T c . In the superconducting state, although it has long been realized that superconductivity still involves Cooper pairs, as in the traditional BCS theory, the experimentally determined d-wave pairing is different from the usual s-wave pairing found in conventional superconductors. The identification of the pairing mechanism in cuprate superconductors remains an outstanding issue. The normal state properties, particularly in the underdoped region, have been found to be at odd with conventional metals which is usually described by Fermi liquid theory; instead, the normal state at optimal doping fits better with the marginal Fermi liquid phenomenology. Most notable is the observation of the pseudogap state in the underdoped region above T c . As in other strongly correlated electrons systems, these unusual properties stem from the interplay between electronic, magnetic, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom. Understanding the microscopic process involved in these materials and the interaction of electrons with other entities is essential to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Since the discovery of high-T c superconductivity in cuprates, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has provided key experimental insights in revealing the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors. These include, among others, the earliest identification of dispersion and a large Fermi surface, an anisotropic superconducting gap suggestive of a d-wave order parameter, and an observation of the pseudogap in underdoped samples. In the mean time, this technique itself has experienced a dramatic improvement in its energy and momentum resolutions, leading to a series of new discoveries not thought possible

The oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane penetration depth in cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khasanov, R [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Shengelaya, A [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Morenzoni, E [Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Conder, K [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETH Zuerich and PSI Villigen, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Savic, I M [Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro); Keller, H [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland)

2004-10-13

Muon spin rotation ({mu}SR) studies of the oxygen isotope ({sup 16}O/{sup 18}O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth {lambda}{sub ab} in cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) are presented. First, the doping dependence of the OIE on the transition temperature T{sub c} in various HTS is briefly discussed. It is observed that different cuprate families show similar doping dependences of the OIE on T{sub c}. Then, bulk {mu}SR, low-energy {mu}SR, and magnetization studies of the total and site-selective OIE on {lambda}{sub ab} are described in some detail. A substantial OIE on {lambda}{sub ab} was observed in various cuprate families at all doping levels, suggesting that cuprate HTS are non-adiabatic superconductors. The experiments clearly demonstrate that the total OIE on T{sub c} and {lambda}{sub ab} arise from the oxygen sites within the superconducting CuO{sub 2} planes, demonstrating that the phonon modes involving the movement of planar oxygen are dominantly coupled to the supercarriers. Finally, it is shown that the OIE on T{sub c} and {lambda}{sub ab} exhibit a relation that appears to be generic for different families of cuprate HTS. The observation of these unusual isotope effects implies that lattice effects play an essential role in cuprate HTS and have to be considered in any realistic model of high-temperature superconductivity.

Quantum critical scaling at the edge of Fermi liquid stability in a cuprate superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Butch, Nicholas P; Jin, Kui; Kirshenbaum, Kevin; Greene, Richard L; Paglione, Johnpierre

2012-05-29

In the high-temperature cuprate superconductors, the pervasiveness of anomalous electronic transport properties suggests that violation of conventional Fermi liquid behavior is closely tied to superconductivity. In other classes of unconventional superconductors, atypical transport is well correlated with proximity to a quantum critical point, but the relative importance of quantum criticality in the cuprates remains uncertain. Here, we identify quantum critical scaling in the electron-doped cuprate material La(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4) with a line of quantum critical points that surrounds the superconducting phase as a function of magnetic field and charge doping. This zero-temperature phase boundary, which delineates a metallic Fermi liquid regime from an extended non-Fermi liquid ground state, closely follows the upper critical field of the overdoped superconducting phase and gives rise to an expanse of distinct non-Fermi liquid behavior at finite temperatures. Together with signatures of two distinct flavors of quantum fluctuations, these facts suggest that quantum criticality plays a significant role in shaping the anomalous properties of the cuprate phase diagram.

Simulation of ion-beam induced defects in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dineva, M.; Marksteiner, M.; Lang, W.

2005-01-01

Full text: Heavy-ion irradiation of cuprate superconductors is well known to produce columnar defect tracks along which magnetic vortices can be pinned. Hence, this effect has a large potential for practical applications and can enhance the critical current of the high-temperature superconducting materials. On the other hand, little work has been devoted to light-ion irradiation of the new superconductors. Our previous experimental results have indicated a systematic change of electric transport properties when irradiating YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) with 75 KEXV He + ions. The purpose of the present study is the investigation of the ion-target interactions with computer simulation programs based on the binary collision approximation. The program package SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) is widely used to simulate the impact of energetic ions (10 eV to 2 GeV) on a solid target using a quantum mechanical treatment of ion-atom collisions under the assumption of an unstructured target material. A similar program, MARLOWE, includes the exact crystalline structure of the target and, thus, is able to calculate ion channeling effects and angle dependences. Detailed results of the penetration range of ions into YBCO, scattering cascades, creation of vacancies and interstitials, are reported for various kinds of ions. One of the central results is that light ions with energy of about 80 KEXV can penetrate through thin films of the cuprate superconductors and create point defects, mainly by oxygen displacement. (author)

Considerations for improved polycrystalline cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, S.L.; Shaw, T.M.

1990-01-01

Polycrystalline cuprate superconductors exhibit two-stage superconducting transitions, that are characteristic of granular systems. This behaviour suggests approaches involving improvements in intra and inter-grain properties in order to improve the technologically important superconducting properties such as the magnetic remanent moment and transport critical current density. This paper reports results of our studies on oxygenation, twin density control through grain size and changes in flux pinning within the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ matrix with Ag substitution under the heading of intra-grain properties and the detrimental effect of grain boundary phases and the effect of Ag substitution on grain boundary pinning under the heading of inter-grain properties

Effects of magnetic field on the cuprate high-Tc superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lake, B.; Aeppli, G.; Christensen, N.B.

2004-01-01

This article discusses neutron scattering measurements on the cuprate, high transition temperature superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) in an applied magnetic field. LSCO is a type-II superconductor and magnetic flux can penetrate the material via the formation of vorticies. Phase coherent...

Aspects of electron correlations in the cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenig, W.

1995-01-01

We review concepts and effects of electron correlations in the copper-oxide superconductors. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, we provide an overview of results of various electron spectroscopies, Raman scattering and optical conductivity studies with a particular emphasis on experiments which identify the charge and spin correlations relevant to the cuprates. Second, we focus on microscopic theories of the single-particle excitations, and the charge and spin dynamics in the normal state of cuprates considering those models which incorporate strong electron correlations. The single-particle spectrum of the three-band Hubbard model is reviewed and related to results of electron spectroscopy. The carrier dynamics in the t-J model and the one-band Hubbard model at low doping is discussed in detail. We examine approaches which describe the single-particle excitations of correlated electron systems at finite doping. Theories of the static and dynamic magnetic correlations are considered and we speculate on the consequences of the spin dynamics for Raman scattering and the optical conductivity. Finally, selected phenomenological ideas are reviewed. ((orig.))

Doping dependence of charge order in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Mou, Yingping; Feng, Shiping

2017-12-01

In the recent studies of the unconventional physics in cuprate superconductors, one of the central issues is the interplay between charge order and superconductivity. Here the mechanism of the charge-order formation in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is investigated based on the t-J model. The experimentally observed momentum dependence of the electron quasiparticle scattering rate is qualitatively reproduced, where the scattering rate is highly anisotropic in momentum space, and is intriguingly related to the charge-order gap. Although the scattering strength appears to be weakest at the hot spots, the scattering in the antinodal region is stronger than that in the nodal region, which leads to the original electron Fermi surface is broken up into the Fermi pockets and their coexistence with the Fermi arcs located around the nodal region. In particular, this electron Fermi surface instability drives the charge-order correlation, with the charge-order wave vector that matches well with the wave vector connecting the hot spots, as the charge-order correlation in the hole-doped counterparts. However, in a striking contrast to the hole-doped case, the charge-order wave vector in the electron-doped side increases in magnitude with the electron doping. The theory also shows the existence of a quantitative link between the single-electron fermiology and the collective response of the electron density.

Energy gap of ferromagnet-superconductor bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halterman, Klaus; Valls, Oriol T

2003-10-15

The excitation spectrum of clean ferromagnet-superconductor bilayers is calculated within the framework of the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Because of the proximity effect, the superconductor induces a gap in the ferromagnet spectrum, for thin ferromagnetic layers. The effect depends strongly on the exchange field in the ferromagnet. We find that as the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer increases, the gap disappears, and that its destruction arises from those quasiparticle excitations with wave vectors mainly along the interface. We discuss the influence that the interface quality and Fermi energy mismatch between the ferromagnet and superconductor have on the calculated energy gap. We also evaluate the density of states in the ferromagnet, and we find it in all cases consistent with the gap results.

Characteristics of the Mott transition and electronic states of high-temperature cuprate superconductors from the perspective of the Hubbard model

Science.gov (United States)

Kohno, Masanori

2018-04-01

A fundamental issue of the Mott transition is how electrons behaving as single particles carrying spin and charge in a metal change into those exhibiting separated spin and charge excitations (low-energy spin excitation and high-energy charge excitation) in a Mott insulator. This issue has attracted considerable attention particularly in relation to high-temperature cuprate superconductors, which exhibit electronic states near the Mott transition that are difficult to explain in conventional pictures. Here, from a new viewpoint of the Mott transition based on analyses of the Hubbard model, we review anomalous features observed in high-temperature cuprate superconductors near the Mott transition.

Half-integer flux quantum effect in cuprate superconductors - a probe of pairing symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuei, C.C.; Kirtley, J.R.; Gupta, A.; Sun, J.Z.; Moler, K.A.; Wang, J.H.

1996-01-01

Based on macroscopic quantum coherence effects arising from pair tunneling and flux quantization, a series of tricrystal experiments have been designed and carried out to test the order parameter symmetry in high-T c cuprate superconductors. By using a scanning SQUID microscope, we have directly and non-invasively observed the spontaneously generated half-integer flux quantum effect in controlled-orientation tricrystal cuprate superconducting systems. The presence or absence of the half-integer flux quantum effect as a function of the tricrystal geometry allows us to prove that the order parameter symmetry in the YBCO and Tl2201 systems is consistent with that of the d x 2 -y 2 pair state. (orig.)

Theory of antiferromagnetic pairing in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plakida, N.M.

2006-01-01

A review of the antiferromagnetic exchange and spin-fluctuation pairing theory in the cuprate superconductors is given. We briefly discuss a phenomenological approach and a theory in the limit of weak Coulomb correlations. A microscopic theory in the strong correlation limit is presented in more detail. In particular, results of our recently developed theory for the effective p-d Hubbard model and the reduced t-J model are given. We have proved that retardation effects for the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction are unimportant that results in pairing of all charge carriers in the conduction band and high Tc proportional to the Fermi energy. The spin-fluctuation interaction caused by kinematic interaction gives an additional contribution to the d-wave pairing. Dependence of Tc on the hole concentration and the lattice constant (or pressure) and an oxygen isotope shift are discussed

Nonmonotonic critical temperature in superconductor ferromagnet bilayers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fominov, Ya. V.; Fominov, I.V.; Chtchelkatchev, N.M.; Golubov, Alexandre Avraamovitch

2002-01-01

The critical temperature Tc of a superconductor/ferromagnet (SF) bilayer can exhibit nonmonotonic dependence on the thickness df of the F layer. SF systems have been studied for a long time; according to the experimental situation, a ¿dirty¿ limit is often considered which implies that the mean free

D-wave condensate and essential phenomenological description of some properties of high-Tc cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunne, L.J.; Univ. of Sussex, Falmer; Braendas, E.J.; Murrell, J.N.

1999-01-01

The discovery of high T c superconducting cuprates occurred over a decade ago but the cause of the superconducting condensation and electronic structure of such compounds is still a matter of considerable debate. While there is no agreement as to the pairing mechanism, there is, on the other hand, a wide consensus about the main properties which a theoretical description should provide. In this article, a theory is presented which accounts in a straightforward way for many of the essential properties of the high T c cuprate superconductors. Some further developments of the model are suggested, particularly relating to the normal state spin-gap which the model does not currently describe

The Origin of Tc Enhancement in Heterostructure Cuprate Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doron L. Bergman

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Recent experiments on heterostructures composed of two or more films of cuprate superconductors of different oxygen doping levels have shown a remarkable Tc enhancement (up to 50% relative to single compound films. We provide a simple explanation of the enhancement which arises naturally from a collection of experimental works. We show that the enhancement could be caused by a structural change in the lattice, namely an increase in the distance of the apical oxygen from the copper-oxygen plane. This increase modifies the effective off-site interaction in the plane which in turn enhances the d-wave superconductivity order parameter. To illustrate this point we study the extended Hubbard model using the fluctuation exchange approximation.

Magnetic field induced incommensurate resonance in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jingge; Cheng Li; Guo Huaiming; Feng Shiping

2009-01-01

The influence of a uniform external magnetic field on the dynamical spin response of cuprate superconductors in the superconducting state is studied based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. It is shown that the magnetic scattering around low and intermediate energies is dramatically changed with a modest external magnetic field. With increasing the external magnetic field, although the incommensurate magnetic scattering from both low and high energies is rather robust, the commensurate magnetic resonance scattering peak is broadened. The part of the spin excitation dispersion seems to be an hourglass-like dispersion, which breaks down at the heavily low energy regime. The theory also predicts that the commensurate resonance scattering at zero external magnetic field is induced into the incommensurate resonance scattering by applying an external magnetic field large enough

Tunneling in cuprate and bismuthate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasadzinski, J.F.; Huang, Qiang; Tralshawala, N.

1991-10-01

Tunneling measurements using a point-contact technique are reported for the following high temperature superconducting oxides: Ba 1-x K x BiO 3 (BKBO), Nd 2-x Ce x CuO 4 (NCCO), Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 7 (BSCCO) and Tl 2 Ba 2 CaCu 2 O x (TBCCO). For the bismuthate, BKBO, ideal, S-I-N tunneling characteristics are observed using a Au tip. The normalized conductance is fitted to a BCS density of states and thermal smearing only proving there is no fundamental limitation in BKBO for device applications. For the cuprates, the normalized conductance displays BCS-like characteristics, but with a broadening larger than from thermal smearing. Energy gap values are presented for each material. For BKBO and NCCO the Eliashberg functions, α 2 F(ω), obtained from the tunneling are shown to be in good agreement with neutron scattering results. Proximity effect tunneling studies are reported for Au/BSCCO bilayers and show that the energy gap of BSCCO can be observed through Au layers up to 600 Angstrom thick

Flop transitions in cuprate and color superconductors: From SO(5) to SO(10) unification?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandrasekharan, S.; Chudnovsky, V.; Schlittgen, B.; Wiese, U.-J

2001-03-01

The phase diagrams of cuprate superconductors and of QCD at non-zero baryon chemical potential are qualitatively similar. The Neel phase of the cuprates corresponds to the chirally broken phase of QCD, and the high-temperature superconducting phase corresponds to the color superconducting phase. In the SO(5) theory for the cuprates the SO(3){sub s} spin rotational symmetry and the U(1){sub em} gauge symmetry of electromagnetism are dynamically unified. This suggests that the SU(2){sub L} x SU(2){sub R} x U(1){sub B} chiral symmetry of QCD and the SU(3){sub c} color gauge symmetry may get unified to SO(10). Dynamical enhancement of symmetry from SO(2){sub s} x Z(2) to SO(3){sub s} is known to occur in anisotropic antiferromagnets. In these systems the staggered magnetization flops from an easy 3-axis into the 12-plane at a critical value of the external magnetic field. Similarly, the phase transitions in the SO(5) and SO(10) models are flop transitions of a 'superspin'. Despite this fact, a renormalization group flow analysis in 4 -- {epsilon} dimensions indicates that a point with full SO(5) or SO(10) symmetry exists neither in the cuprates nor in QCD.

Flop transitions in cuprate and color superconductors: From SO(5) to SO(10) unification?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandrasekharan, S.; Chudnovsky, V.; Schlittgen, B.; Wiese, U.-J.

2001-01-01

The phase diagrams of cuprate superconductors and of QCD at non-zero baryon chemical potential are qualitatively similar. The Neel phase of the cuprates corresponds to the chirally broken phase of QCD, and the high-temperature superconducting phase corresponds to the color superconducting phase. In the SO(5) theory for the cuprates the SO(3) s spin rotational symmetry and the U(1) em gauge symmetry of electromagnetism are dynamically unified. This suggests that the SU(2) L x SU(2) R x U(1) B chiral symmetry of QCD and the SU(3) c color gauge symmetry may get unified to SO(10). Dynamical enhancement of symmetry from SO(2) s x Z(2) to SO(3) s is known to occur in anisotropic antiferromagnets. In these systems the staggered magnetization flops from an easy 3-axis into the 12-plane at a critical value of the external magnetic field. Similarly, the phase transitions in the SO(5) and SO(10) models are flop transitions of a 'superspin'. Despite this fact, a renormalization group flow analysis in 4 -- ε dimensions indicates that a point with full SO(5) or SO(10) symmetry exists neither in the cuprates nor in QCD

Systematics of c-axis phonons in the thallium- and bismuth-based cuprate superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tsvetkov, A.A.; Dulic, Diana; Marel, D. van der; Damascelli, A.; Kaljushnaia, G.A.; Gorina, J.I.; Senturina, N.N.; Kolesnikov, N.N.; Ren, Z.F.; Wang, J.H.; Menovsky, A.A.; Palstra, T.T.M.

1999-01-01

We present grazing incidence reflectivity measurements in the far-infrared region at temperatures above and below Tc for a series of thallium- (Tl2Ba2CuO6, Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8) and bismuth- (Bi2Sr2CuO6, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8, and Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2O8) based cuprate superconductors. From the spectra, which are

Pseudogap-generated a coexistence of Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Huaisong; Gao, Deheng; Feng, Shiping

2017-03-01

One of the most intriguing puzzle is why there is a coexistence of Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in the pseudogap phase of cuprate superconductors? This puzzle is calling for an explanation. Based on the t - J model in the fermion-spin representation, the coexistence of the Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in cuprate superconductors is studied by taking into account the pseudogap effect. It is shown that the pseudogap induces an energy band splitting, and then the poles of the electron Green's function at zero energy form two contours in momentum space, however, the electron spectral weight on these two contours around the antinodal region is gapped out by the pseudogap, leaving behind the low-energy electron spectral weight only located at the disconnected segments around the nodal region. In particular, the tips of these disconnected segments converge on the hot spots to form the closed Fermi pockets, generating a coexistence of the Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets. Moreover, the single-particle coherent weight is directly related to the pseudogap, and grows linearly with doping. The calculated result of the overall dispersion of the electron excitations is in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. The theory also predicts that the pseudogap-induced peak-dip-hump structure in the electron spectrum is absent from the hot-spot directions.

Two-particle self-consistent analysis for the electron-hole asymmetry of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogura, Daisuke; Kuroki, Kazuhiko [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka (Japan)

2017-06-15

In the hole-doped type cuprate superconductors, it is well-known that the superconducting transition temperature T{sub c} exhibits a dome-like structure against doping. On the other hand, recent experiments unveil that T{sub c} in the electron-doped compounds shows a monotonic increase with decreasing the doping, at least down to a very small doping rate. Our recent study for the three-band d-p model has unveiled that this asymmetric behavior can be explained as a combined effect of the intrinsic electron-hole asymmetry in systems comprising Cu3 d and O2 p orbitals and the band-filling-dependent vertex correction. In the present study, we study another compound Tl{sub 2} Ba{sub 2} CuO{sub 6} to show that this explanation can be applied to other cuprate superconductors with the small d{sub z{sup 2}} orbital mixture. By varying the d-p offset, we also study how the strength of the d-p hybridization controls the spin fluctuation and hence the pairing interaction. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Competing pseudogap and impurity effects on the normal-state specific heat properties of cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Dzhumanov, S.; Karimboev, E. X.

2014-07-01

In this paper, we show that the pseudogap in the excitation spectra of high-Tc cuprates together with the impurity phase and charge inhomogeneity plays key roles in determining the essential features of their anomalous specific heat properties observed above Tc. We consider the doped cuprate superconductor as a multi-carrier model system (which consists of intrinsic and extrinsic polarons and pre-formed bosonic Cooper pairs) and study the competing pseudogap and impurity effects on the normal-state electronic specific heat of high-Tc cuprates taking into account charge inhomogeneities. We argue that unconventional electron-phonon interactions are responsible for the precursor Cooper pairing in the polaronic band below a mean-field temperature T∗ and the existence of a pseudogap above Tc in the cuprates. The electronic specific heat Ce(T) of doped cuprates below T∗ is calculated taking into account three contributions coming from the excited components of Cooper pairs, the ideal Bose-gas of incoherent Cooper pairs and the unpaired carriers in the impurity band. Above T∗, two contributions to Ce(T) coming from the unpaired intrinsic and extrinsic polarons are calculated within the two-component degenerate Fermi-gas model. By comparing our results with the experimental Ce(T) data obtained for La- and Y-based cuprates, we find that the observed behaviors of Ce(T) (below and above T∗) are similar to the calculated results for Ce(T) and the BCS-type jumps of Ce(T) at T∗ may be depressed by the impurity effects and may become more or less pronounced BCS-type anomalies in Ce(T) .

Effect of shear stress on electromagnetic behaviors in superconductor-ferromagnetic bilayer structure

Science.gov (United States)

Yong, Huadong; Zhao, Meng; Jing, Ze; Zhou, Youhe

2014-09-01

In this paper, the electromagnetic response and shielding behaviour of superconductor-ferromagnetic bilayer structure are studied. The magnetomechanical coupling in ferromagnetic materials is also considered. Based on the linear piezomagnetic coupling model and anti-plane shear deformation, the current density and magnetic field in superconducting strip are obtained firstly. The effect of shear stress on the magnetization of strip is discussed. Then, we consider the magnetic cloak for superconductor-ferromagnetic bilayer structure. The magnetic permeability of ferromagnetic material is obtained for perfect cloaking in uniform magnetic field with magnetomechanical coupling in ferromagnet. The simulation results show that the electromagnetic response in superconductors will change by applying the stress only to the ferromagnetic material. In addition, the performance of invisibility of structure for non-uniform field will be affected by mechanical stress. It may provide a method to achieve tunability of superconducting properties with mechanical loadings.

Calculation of TC in a normal-superconductor bilayer using the microscopic-based Usadel theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinis, John M.; Hilton, G.C.; Irwin, K.D.; Wollman, D.A.

2000-01-01

The Usadel equations give a theory of superconductivity, valid in the diffusive limit, that is a generalization of the microscopic equations of the BCS theory. Because the theory is expressed in a tractable and physical form, even experimentalists can analytically and numerically calculate detailed properties of superconductors in physically relevant geometries. Here, we describe the Usadel equations and review their solution in the case of predicting the transition temperature T C of a thin normal-superconductor bilayer. We also extend this calculation for thicker bilayers to show the dependence on the resistivity of the films. These results, which show a dependence on both the interface resistance and heat capacity of the films, provide important guidance on fabricating bilayers with reproducible transition temperatures

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palczewski, Ari Deibert [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2010-01-01

This dissertation is comprised of three different angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on cuprate superconductors. The first study compares the band structure from two different single layer cuprates Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ (Tl2201) T_{c, max} ≈ 95 K and (Bi _1.35Pb_0.85)(Sr_1.47La_0.38)CuO_6+δ (Bi2201) T_{c, max} ≈ 35 K. The aim of the study was to provide some insight into the reasons why single layer cuprate's maximum transition temperatures are so different. The study found two major differences in the band structure. First, the Fermi surface segments close to (π,0) are more parallel in Tl2201 than in Bi2201. Second, the shadow band usually related to crystal structure is only present in Bi2201, but absent in higher T_c Tl2201. The second study looks at the different ways of doping Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (Bi2212) in-situ by only changing the post bake-out vacuum conditions and temperature. The aim of the study is to systematically look into the generally overlooked experimental conditions that change the doping of a cleaved sample in ultra high vacuum (UHV) experiments. The study found two major experimental facts. First, in inadequate UHV conditions the carrier concentration of Bi2212 increases with time, due to the absorption of oxygen from CO₂/CO molecules, prime contaminants present in UHV systems. Second, in a very clean UHV system at elevated temperatures (above about 200 K), the carrier concentration decreases due to the loss of oxygen atoms from the Bi-O layer. The final study probed the particle-hole symmetry of the pseudogap phase in high temperature superconducting cuprates by looking at the thermally excited bands above the Fermi level. The data showed a particle-hole symmetric pseudogap which symmetrically closes away from the nested FS before the node. The data is

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palczewski, Ari Deibert [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2010-01-01

This dissertation is comprised of three different angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on cuprate superconductors. The first study compares the band structure from two different single layer cuprates Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ (Tl2201) T_c,max ~95 K and (Bi_1.35Pb_0.85)(Sr_1.47La_0.38)CuO_6+δ (Bi2201) T_c,max 35 K. The aim of the study was to provide some insight into the reasons why single layer cuprate's maximum transition temperatures are so different. The study found two major di erences in the band structure. First, the Fermi surface segments close to ( π,0) are more parallel in Tl2201 than in Bi2201. Second, the shadow band usually related to crystal structure is only present in Bi2201, but absent in higher T_c Tl2201. The second study looks at the different ways of doping Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (Bi2212) in-situ by only changing the post bake-out vacuum conditions and temperature. The aim of the study is to systematically look into the generally overlooked experimental conditions that change the doping of a cleaved sample in ultra high vacuum (UHV) experiments. The study found two major experimental facts. First, in inadequate UHV conditions the carrier concentration of Bi2212 increases with time, due to the absorption of oxygen from CO₂/CO molecules, prime contaminants present in UHV systems. Second, in a very clean UHV system at elevated temperatures (above about 200 K), the carrier concentration decreases due to the loss of oxygen atoms from the Bi-O layer. The final study probed the particle-hole symmetry of the pseudogap phase in high temperature superconducting cuprates by looking at the thermally excited bands above the Fermi level. The data showed a particle-hole symmetric pseudogap which symmetrically closes away from the nested FS before the node. The data is consistent with

Comprehensive Study of the Model Mercury-Based Cuprate Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greven, Martin [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2017-11-13

This is the Final Report on DE-SC0006858, which opened 15 August 2011 and closed 14 August 2017. The Principal Investigator is Martin Greven, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 555455 (email: greven@umn.edu). The Administrative Point of Contact is Patricia Jondahl, phone: 612-624-5599, email: awards@umn.edu. The DOE Program is the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Program manager is Dr. P. Thiyagarajan, Neutron Scattering SC-22.2/ Germantown Bldg. (email: Thiyagarajan@science.doe.gov). The chief activity was the crystal growth, characterization, neutron and X-ray scattering study of the mercury-based cuprates, arguably the most desirable high-Tc superconductors for experimental study due to their record values of Tc and their relatively simple crystal structures. It is thought that the unusual magnetic and charge degrees of freedom of the copper-oxygen sheets that form the fundamental building block of all cuprate superconductors give rise to the high Tc and to many other unusual properties exhibited by the class of quantum materials. Neutron scattering experiments were performed to reveal the nature of the magnetic degrees of freedom of the copper-oxygen sheets, whereas X-ray scattering experiments and complementary charge-transport experiments were performed to reveal the nature of the charge degrees of freedom. In addition, collaborations were initiated with experts in the use of complementary experimental techniques. The primary products are (i) scientific articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, (ii) scientific presentations at national and international conferences, and (iii) education of postdoctoral researchers, PhD graduate students and undergraduate researchers by providing a research experience in crystal growth, characterization and scattering. Twenty scientific papers were published in peer-reviewed journals, thirty-one invited talks were presented at national or international conferences, or as

Inequivalence of single-particle and population lifetimes in a cuprate superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuolong [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Sobota, J. A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Leuenberger, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); He, Y. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Hashimoto, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lu, D. H. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Eisaki, H. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki (Japan); Kirchmann, P. S. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Shen, Z. -X. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

We study optimally doped Bi-2212 (T_c=96 K) using femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Energy-resolved population lifetimes are extracted and compared with single-particle lifetimes measured by equilibrium photoemission. The population lifetimes deviate from the single-particle lifetimes in the low excitation limit by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Fundamental considerations of electron scattering unveil that these two lifetimes are in general distinct, yet for systems with only electron-phonon scattering they should converge in the low-temperature, low-fluence limit. As a result, the qualitative disparity in our data, even in this limit, suggests that scattering channels beyond electron-phonon interactions play a significant role in the electron dynamics of cuprate superconductors.

Imaging of topological magnetic pinning in superconductor-ferrimagnet bilayer with scanning Hall microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchevsky, M; Higgins, M J; Bhattacharya, S; Fratello, V J

2011-01-01

In a superconducting film deposited on ferromagnetic substrate with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, vortex matter is confined by the magnetic potential landscape. Using scanning Hall microscopy we visualize flux accumulation and removal in a superconductor-ferrimagnet (S/F) bilayer prepared by rf sputtering of thin niobium film on bismuth-doped rare-earth iron garnet. Penetration of the perpendicular magnetic field in the S/F bilayer follows magnetic domain boundaries and is laterally guided by the garnet magnetization component along the field direction. Upon field removal, localization of the remnant flux at the disclination points of the labyrinthine domain pattern is observed. Our experiments show evidence for strong vortex pinning due the special topology of the domain pattern. Ac magnetic imaging of the transport current distribution in the bilayer reveals complex flow paths commensurate with the magnetic domain boundaries. Topological magnetic pinning can be a useful tool for enhancement and control of critical current in thin film superconductors.

Imaging of topological magnetic pinning in superconductor-ferrimagnet bilayer with scanning Hall microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchevsky, M [Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 12344 (United States); Higgins, M J [Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States); Bhattacharya, S [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400 005 (India); Fratello, V J, E-mail: mmartchevskii@lbl.gov [Integrated Photonics, Inc., Hillsborough, NJ 08844 (United States)

2011-02-15

In a superconducting film deposited on ferromagnetic substrate with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, vortex matter is confined by the magnetic potential landscape. Using scanning Hall microscopy we visualize flux accumulation and removal in a superconductor-ferrimagnet (S/F) bilayer prepared by rf sputtering of thin niobium film on bismuth-doped rare-earth iron garnet. Penetration of the perpendicular magnetic field in the S/F bilayer follows magnetic domain boundaries and is laterally guided by the garnet magnetization component along the field direction. Upon field removal, localization of the remnant flux at the disclination points of the labyrinthine domain pattern is observed. Our experiments show evidence for strong vortex pinning due the special topology of the domain pattern. Ac magnetic imaging of the transport current distribution in the bilayer reveals complex flow paths commensurate with the magnetic domain boundaries. Topological magnetic pinning can be a useful tool for enhancement and control of critical current in thin film superconductors.

Ultra-fast pump-probe determination of electron-phonon coupling in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragan

2010-03-01

Fresh femtosecond spectroscopy experiments show the electron-phonon interaction strength λ to be 0.7 and 1.4 for YBCO and LSCO respectively and not around 0.2 as previously reported [1]. The revised estimates arise primarily from improved time-resolution, and also partly from improved modeling. Comparison with classical superconductors and pnictides shows non-monotonic correlation of λ with Tc. Systematic new measurements of the condensate vaporization energy (Uv) in cuprates [2] and pnictides reveals a power-law dependence on Tc with exponent 2. However, Uc is 16-18 times greater than the BCS condensation energy Uc, implying that a significant heat capacity of the ``bosonic glue.'' In contrast, charge-density wave systems with electronically driven ordering transitions have Uv˜Uc. The data suggest BCS and Eliashberg-based models to be inappropriate for describing the physics of high-temperature superconductors, and point towards polaron models which consider strong or intermediate λ.[4pt] [1] C.Gadermeier et al., arXiv:0902.1636[0pt] [2] P.Kusar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 227001 (2008)

Excitation spectra and wave functions of quasiparticle bound states in bilayer Rashba superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higashi, Yoichi, E-mail: higashiyoichi@ms.osakafu-u.ac.jp [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai 599-8531 (Japan); Nagai, Yuki [CCSE, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 178-4-4, Wakashiba, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0871 (Japan); Yoshida, Tomohiro [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan); Kato, Masaru [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai 599-8531 (Japan); Yanase, Youichi [Department of Physics, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • We focus on the pair-density wave state in bilayer Rashba superconductors. • The zero energy Bogoliubov wave functions are localized at the edge and vortex core. • We investigate the excitation spectra of edge and vortex bound states. - Abstract: We study the excitation spectra and the wave functions of quasiparticle bound states at a vortex and an edge in bilayer Rashba superconductors under a magnetic field. In particular, we focus on the quasiparticle states at the zero energy in the pair-density wave state in a topologically non-trivial phase. We numerically demonstrate that the quasiparticle wave functions with zero energy are localized at both the edge and the vortex core if the magnetic field exceeds the critical value.

Electronic bound states in parity-preserving QED3 applied to high-Tc cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christiansen, H.R.; Cima, O.M. Del; Ferreira Junior, M.M.; Maranhao Univ., Sao Luis, MA; Helayel-Neto, J.A.; Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas

2001-08-01

We consider a parity-preserving QED 3 model with spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry as a framework for the evaluation of the electron-electron interaction potential underlying high-T e superconductivity. The fact that resulting potential, - C s K o (Mr), is non-confining and weak (in the sense of Kato) strongly suggests the mechanism of pair-condensation. This potential, compatible with an s-wave order parameters, is then applied to the Schrodinger equation for the sake of numerical calculations, thereby enforcing the existence of bound states. The results worked out by means of our theoretical framework are checked by considering a number of phenomenological data extracted from different copper oxide superconductors. The agreement may motivate a deeper analysis of our model viewing an application to quasi-planar cuprate superconductors. The data analyzed here suggest an energy scale of 1-10 meV for the breaking of the U(1)-symmetry. (author)

Electromagnetic response in kinetic energy driven cuprate superconductors: Linear response approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krzyzosiak, Mateusz; Huang, Zheyu; Feng, Shiping; Gonczarek, Ryszard

2010-01-01

Within the framework of the kinetic energy driven superconductivity, the electromagnetic response in cuprate superconductors is studied in the linear response approach. The kernel of the response function is evaluated and employed to calculate the local magnetic field profile, the magnetic field penetration depth, and the superfluid density, based on the specular reflection model for a purely transverse vector potential. It is shown that the low temperature magnetic field profile follows an exponential decay at the surface, while the magnetic field penetration depth depends linearly on temperature, except for the strong deviation from the linear characteristics at extremely low temperatures. The superfluid density is found to decrease linearly with decreasing doping concentration in the underdoped regime. The problem of gauge invariance is addressed and an approximation for the dressed current vertex, which does not violate local charge conservation is proposed and discussed.

Infrared absorption spectra of various doping states in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonemitsu, K.; Bishop, A.R.; Lorenzana, J.

1992-01-01

Doping states in a two-dimensional three-band extended Peierls-Hubbard model was investigated within inhomogeneous Hartree-Fock and random phase approximation. They are very sensitive to small changes of interaction parameters and their distinct vibrational and optical absorption spectra can be used to identify different doping states. For electronic parameters relevant to cuprate superconductors, as intersite electron-phonon interaction strength increases, the doping state changes from a Zhang-Rice state to a covalent molecular singlet state accompanied by local quenching of the Cu magnetic moment and large local lattice distortion in an otherwise undistorted antiferromagnetic background. In a region where both intersite electron-phonon interaction and on-site electron-electron repulsion are large, we obtain new stable global phases including a bond-order-wave state and a mixed state of spin-Peierls bonds and antiferromagnetic Cu spins, as well as many metastable states. Doping in the bond-order-wave region induces separation of spin and charge. 9 refs

Pseudogap temperature T* of cuprate superconductors from the Nernst effect

Science.gov (United States)

Cyr-Choinière, O.; Daou, R.; Laliberté, F.; Collignon, C.; Badoux, S.; LeBoeuf, D.; Chang, J.; Ramshaw, B. J.; Bonn, D. A.; Hardy, W. N.; Liang, R.; Yan, J.-Q.; Cheng, J.-G.; Zhou, J.-S.; Goodenough, J. B.; Pyon, S.; Takayama, T.; Takagi, H.; Doiron-Leyraud, N.; Taillefer, Louis

2018-02-01

We use the Nernst effect to delineate the boundary of the pseudogap phase in the temperature-doping phase diagram of hole-doped cuprate superconductors. New data for the Nernst coefficient ν (T ) of YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO), La1.8 -xEu0.2SrxCuO4 (Eu-LSCO), and La1.6 -xNd0.4SrxCuO4 (Nd-LSCO) are presented and compared with previously published data on YBCO, Eu-LSCO, Nd-LSCO, and La2 -xSrxCuO4 (LSCO). The temperature Tν at which ν /T deviates from its high-temperature linear behavior is found to coincide with the temperature at which the resistivity ρ (T ) deviates from its linear-T dependence, which we take as the definition of the pseudogap temperature T★—in agreement with the temperature at which the antinodal spectral gap detected in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) opens. We track T★ as a function of doping and find that it decreases linearly vs p in all four materials, having the same value in the three LSCO-based cuprates, irrespective of their different crystal structures. At low p ,T★ is higher than the onset temperature of the various orders observed in underdoped cuprates, suggesting that these orders are secondary instabilities of the pseudogap phase. A linear extrapolation of T★(p ) to p =0 yields T★(p →0 ) ≃TN (0), the Néel temperature for the onset of antiferromagnetic order at p =0 , suggesting that there is a link between pseudogap and antiferromagnetism. With increasing p ,T★(p ) extrapolates linearly to zero at p ≃pc 2 , the critical doping below which superconductivity emerges at high doping, suggesting that the conditions which favor pseudogap formation also favor pairing. We also use the Nernst effect to investigate how far superconducting fluctuations extend above the critical temperature Tc, as a function of doping, and find that a narrow fluctuation regime tracks Tc, and not T★. This confirms that the pseudogap phase is not a form of precursor superconductivity, and fluctuations in the phase of the

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helm, Toni

2013-01-01

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd 2-x Ce x CuO 4 (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helm, Toni

2013-09-18

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd{sub 2-x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4} (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helm, Toni

2013-09-18

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd{sub 2-x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4} (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Transport measurements in superconductor/Heusler bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imort, Inga-Mareen; Fabretti, Savio; Thomas, Patrick; Reiss, Guenter; Thomas, Andy [Fakultaet fuer Physik, Universitaet Bielefeld, Bielefeld (Germany)

2012-07-01

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism are two contrary phenomena due to their electronic properties. The investigation of superconductor (S)/ferromagnet (F) heterostructures has attracted a lot of scientific interest since they allow studying the interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism. Additionally, applications seem possible such as F/S/F spin valves and S/F/S π-junctions. Using transport- and magnetotransport-measurements, we investigate the behavior of the superconducting transition temperature T{sub c} in NbTi/Co{sub 2}FeSi bilayers as a function of different layer thicknesses and for varying magnetic moments of the Co{sub 2}FeSi layers. Using rf-magnetron sputtering, NbTi/Co{sub 2}FeSi bilayers were grown on single-crystalline MgO(001) substrates and in-situ annealed at different temperatures. The layered character of our samples has been tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD) scans. The electronic and magnetic transport measurements have been performed between 3 and 300 K with the magnetic field up to 4 T oriented in the film plane. The dependence of T{sub c} on the NbTi- and Co{sub 2}FeSi-layer thickness enables an estimation of the interface transparency of the NbTi/Co{sub 2}FeSi barrier in the framework of recent theoretical models.

Superconductivity in doped two-leg ladder cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Jihong; Yuan Feng; Feng Shiping

2006-01-01

Within the t-J ladder model, superconductivity with a modified d-wave symmetry in doped two-leg ladder cuprates is investigated based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. It is shown that the spin-liquid ground-state at the half-filling evolves into the superconducting ground-state upon doping. In analogy to the doping dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in the planar cuprate superconductors, the superconducting transition temperature in doped two-leg ladder cuprates increases with increasing doping in the underdoped regime, and reaches a maximum in the optimal doping, then decreases in the overdoped regime

Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and T c in a cuprate high-T c superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-03-01

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 T c 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-T c superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and T c 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 T c increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and T c suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance T c.

Quasiparticle density of states, localization, and distributed disorder in the cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Sulangi, Miguel Antonio; Zaanen, Jan

2018-04-01

We explore the effects of various kinds of random disorder on the quasiparticle density of states of two-dimensional d -wave superconductors using an exact real-space method, incorporating realistic details known about the cuprates. Random on-site energy and pointlike unitary impurity models are found to give rise to a vanishing DOS at the Fermi energy for narrow distributions and low concentrations, respectively, and lead to a finite, but suppressed, DOS at unrealistically large levels of disorder. Smooth disorder arising from impurities located away from the copper-oxide planes meanwhile gives rise to a finite DOS at realistic impurity concentrations. For the case of smooth disorder whose average potential is zero, a resonance is found at zero energy for the quasiparticle DOS at large impurity concentrations. We discuss the implications of these results on the computed low-temperature specific heat, the behavior of which we find is strongly affected by the amount of disorder present in the system. We also compute the localization length as a function of disorder strength for various types of disorder and find that intermediate- and high-energy states are quasiextended for low disorder, and that states near the Fermi energy are strongly localized and have a localization length that exhibits an unusual dependence on the amount of disorder. We comment on the origin of disorder in the cuprates and provide constraints on these based on known results from scanning tunneling spectroscopy and specific heat experiments.

Visualizing electron pockets in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Tanmoy; Markiewicz, R. S.; Bansil, A.; Balatsky, A. V.

2012-06-01

Fingerprints of the electron pocket in cuprates have been obtained only in numerous magnetotransport measurements, but its absence in spectroscopic observations poses a long-standing mystery. We develop a theoretical tool to provide ways to detect electron pockets via spectroscopies including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) spectra, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). We show that the quasiparticle-interference (QPI) pattern, measured by STM, shows an additional seven q vectors associated with the scattering on the electron pocket than that on the hole pocket. Furthermore, the Bogolyubov quasiparticle scatterings of the electron pocket lead to a second magnetic resonance mode in the INS spectra at a higher resonance energy. Finally, we reanalyze some STM, INS, and ARPES experimental data of several cuprates which dictates the direct fingerprints of electron pockets in these systems.

Transport anomalies and quantum criticality in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xu; Yu, Heshan; He, Ge; Hu, Wei; Yuan, Jie; Zhu, Beiyi [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Jin, Kui, E-mail: kuijin@iphy.ac.cn [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190 (China)

2016-06-15

Highlights: • Electrical transport and its complementary thermal transport on electron-doped cuprates are reviewed. • The common features of electron-doped cuprates are sorted out and shown in the last figure. • The complex superconducting fluctuations and quantum fluctuations are distinguished. - Abstract: Superconductivity research is like running a marathon. Three decades after the discovery of high-T{sub c} cuprates, there have been mass data generated from transport measurements, which bring fruitful information. In this review, we give a brief summary of the intriguing phenomena reported in electron-doped cuprates from the aspect of electrical transport as well as the complementary thermal transport. We attempt to sort out common features of the electron-doped family, e.g. the strange metal, negative magnetoresistance, multiple sign reversals of Hall in mixed state, abnormal Nernst signal, complex quantum criticality. Most of them have been challenging the existing theories, nevertheless, a unified diagram certainly helps to approach the nature of electron-doped cuprates.

Growth of superconductor material in a fluxed melt, and article of manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, K.A.; Schneemeyer, L.F.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a method for making a body of bismuth-strontium calcium cuprate, lead-substituted bismuth strontium calcium cuprate, or thallium-barium calcium cuprate superconductor material. It comprises cooling a melt at least locally, the melt comprising constituents of the material, characterized in that the melts further comprises a flux component comprising at least one fluxing agent selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, such that the cuprate body has superconductor properties at a temperature of 77 K

Pairing symmetries of several iron-based superconductor families and some similarities with cuprates and heavy-fermions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Das Tanmoy

2012-03-01

Full Text Available We show that, by using the unit-cell transformation between 1 Fe per unit cell to 2 Fe per unit cell, one can qualitatively understand the pairing symmetry of several families of iron-based superconductors. In iron-pnictides and iron-chalcogenides, the nodeless s±-pairing and the resulting magnetic resonance mode transform nicely between the two unit cells, while retaining all physical properties unchanged. However, when the electron-pocket disappears from the Fermi surface with complete doping in KFe2As2, we find that the unit-cell invariant requirement prohibits the occurrence of s±-pairing symmetry (caused by inter-hole-pocket nesting. However, the intra-pocket nesting is compatible here, which leads to a nodal d-wave pairing. The corresponding Fermi surface topology and the pairing symmetry are similar to Ce-based heavy-fermion superconductors. Furthermore, when the Fermi surface hosts only electron-pockets in KyFe2-xSe2, the inter-electron-pocket nesting induces a nodeless and isotropic d-wave pairing. This situation is analogous to the electron-doped cuprates, where the strong antiferromagnetic order creates similar disconnected electron-pocket Fermi surface, and hence nodeless d-wave pairing appears. The unit-cell transformation in KyFe2-xSe2 exhibits that the d-wave pairing breaks the translational symmetry of the 2 Fe unit cell, and thus cannot be realized unless a vacancy ordering forms to compensate for it. These results are consistent with the coexistence picture of a competing order and nodeless d-wave superconductivity in both cuprates and KyFe1.6Se2.

Spectroscopic Imaging Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Studies of Electronic Structure in the Superconducting and Pseudogap Phases of Cuprate High-Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Fujita, Kazuhiro; Schmidt, Andrew R.; Kim, Eun-Ah; Lawler, Michael J.; Lee, Dung Hai; Davis, J. C.; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Uchida, Shin-ichi

2012-01-01

One of the key motivations for the development of atomically resolved spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) has been to probe the electronic structure of cuprate high temperature superconductors. In both the d-wave superconducting (dSC) and the pseudogap (PG) phases of underdoped cuprates, two distinct classes of electronic states are observed using SI-STM. The first class consists of the dispersive Bogoliubov quasiparticles of a homogeneous d-wave superconductor. These are detected below a lower energy scale |E|=Δ0 and only upon a momentum space (k-space) arc which terminates near the lines connecting k=±(π/a0,0) to k=±(0,π/a0). Below optimal doping, this ``nodal'' arc shrinks continuously with decreasing hole density. In both the dSC and PG phases, the only broken symmetries detected in the |E|≤Δ0 states are those of a d-wave superconductor. The second class of states occurs at energies near the pseudogap energy scale |E|˜ Δ1 which is associated conventionally with the ``antinodal'' states near k=±(π/a0,0) and k=±(0,π/a0). We find that these states break the expected 90°-rotational (C4) symmetry of electronic structure within CuO2 unit cells, at least down to 180°-rotational (C2) symmetry (nematic) but in a spatially disordered fashion. This intra-unit-cell C4 symmetry breaking coexists at |E|˜Δ1 with incommensurate conductance modulations locally breaking both rotational and translational symmetries (smectic). The characteristic wavevector Q of the latter is determined, empirically, by the k-space points where Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference terminates, and therefore evolves continuously with doping. The properties of these two classes of |E|˜Δ1 states are indistinguishable in the dSC and PG phases. To explain this segregation of k-space into the two regimes distinguished by the symmetries of their electronic states and their energy scales |E|˜Δ1 and |E|≤Δ0, and to understand how this impacts the electronic

Temperature controlled infrared broadband cloaking with the bilayer coatings of semiconductor and superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaohua [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); College of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224051 (China); Liu, Youwen, E-mail: ywliu@nuaa.edu.cn [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); Feng, Yuncai [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • We first propose that the cloak is composed of the bilayer of semiconductor and superconductor. • We realize the infrared broadband cloaking based on the scattering cancellation method. • The cloaking frequency can be tuned by external temperature. - Abstract: The infrared broadband tunable cloaking have been proposed and investigated with the bilayer coating materials of semiconductor (n-Ge) and high-temperature superconductor (YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}), whose cloaking frequency can be controlled by external temperature. The analytical solution is derived based on the scattering cancellation cloaking technique from the Mie scattering theory, and the full-wave numerical simulation is performed by the finite element method. The calculated and simulated results have demonstrated that this invisibility cloak may reduce the total scattering cross section of the composite structure of 90% over a broad frequency band of nearly 20 THz, and the infrared cloaking frequency can be tuned by the external temperature. It can provide a feasible way to design a broadband tunable cloak.

Comparison of electromechanical properties and lattice distortions of different cuprate high temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

Scheuerlein, C.; Grether, A; Rikel, M O; Hudspeth, J; Sugano, M; Ballarino, A; Bottura, L

2016-01-01

The electromechanical properties of different cuprate high-temperature superconductors, notably two ReBCO tapes, a reinforced and a nonreinforced Bi-2223 tape, and a Bi-2212 wire, have been studied. The axial tensile stress and strain, as well as the transverse compressive stress limits at which an irreversible critical current degradation occurs, are compared. The experimental setup has been integrated in a high-energy synchrotron beamline, and the self-field critical current and lattice parameter changes as a function of tensile stress and strain of a reinforced Bi-2223 tape have been measured simultaneously. Initially, the Bi-2223 filaments exhibit nearly linear elastic behavior up to the strain at which an irreversible degradation is observed. At 77 K, an axial Bi-2223 filament precompression of 0.09% in the composite tape and a Bi-2223 Poisson ratio ν = 0.21 have been determined.

Electronic bound states in parity-preserving QED{sub 3} applied to high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansen, H.R. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]. E-mail: hugo@cbpf.br; Cima, O.M. Del [Universidade Catolica de Petropolis, RJ (Brazil). Grupo de Fisica Teorica]. E-mail: delcima@gft.ucp.br; Ferreira Junior, M.M. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]|[Maranhao Univ., Sao Luis, MA (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica]. E-mail: manojr@cbpf.br; Helayel-Neto, J.A. [Universidade Catolica de Petropolis, RJ (Brazil). Grupo de Fisica Teorica]|[Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]. E-mail: helayel@gft.ucp.br

2001-08-01

We consider a parity-preserving QED{sub 3} model with spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry as a framework for the evaluation of the electron-electron interaction potential underlying high-T{sub e} superconductivity. The fact that resulting potential, - C{sub s} K{sub o} (Mr), is non-confining and weak (in the sense of Kato) strongly suggests the mechanism of pair-condensation. This potential, compatible with an s-wave order parameters, is then applied to the Schrodinger equation for the sake of numerical calculations, thereby enforcing the existence of bound states. The results worked out by means of our theoretical framework are checked by considering a number of phenomenological data extracted from different copper oxide superconductors. The agreement may motivate a deeper analysis of our model viewing an application to quasi-planar cuprate superconductors. The data analyzed here suggest an energy scale of 1-10 meV for the breaking of the U(1)-symmetry. (author)

Images of interlayer Josephson vortices in single-layer cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moler, K. A.; Kirtley, J. R.; Liang, R.; Bonn, D. A.; Hardy, W. N.; Williams, J. M.; Schlueter, J. A.; Hinks, D.; Villard, G.; Maignan, A.; Nohara, M.; Takagi, H.

2000-01-01

The interlayer penetration depth in layered superconductors may be determined from scanning Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscope images of interlayer Josephson vortices. The authors compare their findings at 4 K for single crystals of the organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Cu(NCS) 2 and three near-optimally doped cuprate superconductors: La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , (Hg, Cu)Ba 2 CuO 4+δ , and Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+δ

Raman scattering in cuprate superconductors : an analysis in the spin bag model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behera, S.N.; Gaitonde, D.M.

1992-01-01

The spin bag model for the high temperature superconductivity (SC) in the cuprates is reformulated, so that the spin density wave (SDW) collective mode mediated pairing interaction between the doped charge carriers, has a formal similarity to the usual phonon mediated BCS mechanism. The collective modes of the spin bag superconductor are calculated and the spectral density function for the amplitude mode is plotted. The self energy and the spectral density function of an optic phonon are calculated in the spin bag superconducting state. The spectral density function does not couple to the SDW-amplitude mode. A low frequency is shown to harden while the high frequency (greater than the SC-gap) one softens; which are features in qualitative agreement with the behaviour seen in the Raman data. When the phonon frequency is larger than the SC-gap, its spectral function shows a low frequency weak peak, attributed to the SC-gap excitation which is not observed experimentally. (author). 21 refs., 3 figs

Excess Oxygen Defects in Layered Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Lightfoot, P.; Pei, S. Y.; Jorgensen, J. D.; Manthiram, A.; Tang, X. X.; Goodenough, J. B.

1990-09-01

Neutron powder diffraction has been used to study the oxygen defect chemistry of two non-superconducting layered cuprates, La{sub 1. 25}Dy{sub 0.75}Cu{sub 3.75}F{sub 0.5}, having a T{sup {asterisk}}- related structure, and La{sub 1.85}Sr{sub 1.15}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 6.25}, having a structure related to that of the newly discovered double-layer superconductor La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 6}. The role played by oxygen defects in determining the superconducting properties of layered cuprates is discussed.

Charged domain-wall dynamics in doped antiferromagnets and spin fluctuations in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaanen, J.; Horbach, M.L.; van Saarloos, W.

1996-01-01

Evidence is accumulating that the electron liquid in the cuprate superconductors is characterized by many-hole correlations of the charged magnetic domain-wall type. Here we focus on the strong-coupling limit where all holes are bound to domain walls. We assert that at high temperatures a classical domain-wall fluid is realized and show that the dynamics of such a fluid is characterized by spatial and temporal crossover scales set by temperature itself. The fundamental parameters of this fluid are such that the domain-wall motions dominate the low-frequency spin fluctuations and we derive predictions for the behavior of the dynamical magnetic susceptibility. We argue that a crossover occurs from a high-temperature classical to a low-temperature quantum regime, in direct analogy with helium. We discuss some general characteristics of the domain-wall quantum liquid, realized at low temperatures. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Fermion local charged boson model and cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, K.P.; Kakani, S.L.

2002-01-01

One of the most exciting developments in Science in past few years is the discovery of high temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in cuprates. It has been observed that the superconducting state in these cuprates is rather normal compared to the anomalous normal state. This discovery has led to deluge of experimental and theoretical researches all along the world. These cuprates are close to metal-insulator transition and the stability of the insulating and metallic phase depends on the degree of doping. Measurements of physical properties of these systems have revealed many anomalous results both in the superconducting and normal states, e.g. d-wave superconducting gap, the presence of pseudo gap in the normal state, static or dynamic striped structure of CuO 2 planes etc. These have posed serious theoretical challenges towards formulating the mechanisms of pairing and explanation of anomalous behaviour. Several theoretical proposals have been advanced and only a few are likely to survive in the teeth of some reliable experimental data. A combined mechanism mediated by phonons and lochons (local charged bosons, local pairs or bipolarons) for the pairing of fermions (holes or electrons) belonging to a wide band provides a microscopic explanation of anomalous normal state properties of HTSC cuprates and vindicates features of the phenomenological marginal Fermi liquid formulation. In the present review article detailed features of combined lochon and phonon mediated pairing mechanism are presented and a contact with the normal and superconducting state properties of HTSC in YBa 2 Cu 3 O x does indicate pair hopping between planes via such resonant centres lying in between the CuO 2 planes. (author)

What is strange about high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates?

Science.gov (United States)

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.

What can Andreev bound states tell us about superconductors?

Science.gov (United States)

Millo, Oded; Koren, Gad

2018-08-06

Zero-energy Andreev bound states, which manifest themselves in the tunnelling spectra as zero-bias conductance peaks (ZBCPs), are abundant at interfaces between superconductors and other materials and on the nodal surface of high-temperature superconductors. In this review, we focus on the information such excitations can provide on the properties of superconductor systems. First, a general introduction to the physics of Andreev bound states in superconductor/normal metal interfaces is given with a particular emphasis on why they appear at zero energy in d -wave superconductors. Then, specific spectroscopic tunnelling studies of thin films, bilayers and junctions are described, focusing on the corresponding ZBCP features. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) studies show that the ZBCPs on the c -axis YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- δ (YBCO) films are correlated with the surface morphology and appear only in proximity to (110) facets. STS on c -axis La 1.88 Sr 0.12 CuO 4 (LSCO) films exhibiting the 1/8 anomaly shows spatially modulated peaks near zero bias associated with the anti-phase ordering of the d -wave order parameter predicted at this doping level. ZBCPs were also found in micrometre-size edge junctions of YBCO/SrRuO 3 /YBCO, where SrRuO 3 is ferromagnetic. Here, the results are consistent with a crossed Andreev reflection effect (CARE) at the narrow domain walls of the SrRuO 3 ZBCPs measured in STS studies of manganite/cuprate bilayers could not be attributed to CARE because the manganite's domain wall is much larger than the coherence length in YBCO, and instead are attributed to proximity-induced triplet-pairing superconductivity with non-conventional symmetry. And finally, ZBCPs found in junctions of non-intentionally doped topological insulator films of Bi 2 Se 3 and the s -wave superconductor NbN are attributed to proximity-induced p x  + ip y triplet order parameter in the topological material.This article is part of the theme issue 'Andreev bound states'. �

Oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cava, R.J.

2000-01-01

This article briefly reviews ceramic superconductors from historical and materials perspectives. It describes the factors that distinguish high-temperature cuprate superconductors from most electronic ceramics and places them in the context of other families of superconducting materials. Finally, it describes some of the scientific issues presently being actively pursued in the search for the mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity and the directions of research into new superconducting ceramics in recent years

Stabilization of high Tc phase in bismuth cuprate superconductor by lead doping

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Ram. P.; Pachauri, J. P.; Khokle, W. S.; Nagpal, K. C.; Date, S. K.

1991-01-01

It has been widely ascertained that doping of lead in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems promotes the growth of high T sub c (110 K) phase, improves critical current density, and lowers processing temperature. A systematic study was undertaken to determine optimum lead content and processing conditions to achieve these properties. A large number of samples with cationic compositions of Bi(2-x)Pb(x)Sr2Ca2Cu3 (x = 0.2 to 2.0) were prepared by conventional solid state reaction technique. Samples of all compositions were annealed together at a temperature and characterized through resistance temperature (R-T) measurements and x ray diffraction to determine the zero resistance temperature, T sub c(0) and to identify presence of phases, respectively. The annealing temperature was varied between 790 and 880 C to optimize processing parameters. Results are given. In brief, an optimum process is reported along with composition of leaded bismuth cuprate superconductor which yields nearly a high T sub c single phase with highly stable superconducting properties.

U(1) x SU(2) Chern-Simons gauge theory of underdoped cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, P.A.; Su Zhao-Bin; Yu Lu

1998-05-01

The Chern-Simons bosonization with U(1)xSU(2) gauge field is applied to the 2-D t-J model in the limit t>>J, to study the normal state properties of underdoped cuprate superconductors. We prove the existence of an upper bound on the partition function for holons in a spinon background, and we find the optimal spinon configuration saturating the upper bound on average - a coexisting flux phase and s+id-like RVB state. After neglecting the feedback of holon fluctuations on the U(1) field B and spinon fluctuations on the SU(2) field V, the holon field is a fermion and the spinon field is a hard-core boson. Within this approximation we show that the B field produces a π flux phase for the holons, converting them into Dirac-like fermions, while the V field, taking into account the feedback of holons produces a gap for the spinons vanishing in the zero doping limit. The nonlinear σ-model with a mass term describes the crossover from the short-ranged antiferromagnetic (AF) state in doped samples to long range AF order in reference compounds. Moreover, we derive a low-energy effective action in terms of spinons holons and a self-generated U(1) gauge field. Neglecting the gauge fluctuations, the holons are described by the Fermi liquid theory with a Fermi surface consisting of 4 ''half-pockets'' centered at (+-π/2,+-π/2) and one reproduces the results for the electron spectral function obtained in the mean field approximation, in agreement with the photoemission data on underdoped cuprates. The gauge fluctuations are not confining due to coupling to holons, but nevertheless yield an attractive interaction between spinons and holons leading to a bound state with electron quantum numbers. The renormalisation effects due to gauge fluctuations give rise to non-Fermi liquid behaviour for the composite electron, in certain temperature range showing the linear in T resistivity. This formalism provides a new interpretation of the spin gap in the underdoped superconductors

Isotope and multiband effects in layered superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bussmann-Holder, Annette; Keller, Hugo

2012-06-13

In this review we consider three classes of superconductors, namely cuprate superconductors, MgB(2) and the new Fe based superconductors. All of these three systems are layered materials and multiband compounds. Their pairing mechanisms are under discussion with the exception of MgB(2), which is widely accepted to be a 'conventional' electron-phonon interaction mediated superconductor, but extending the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory to account for multiband effects. Cuprates and Fe based superconductors have higher superconducting transition temperatures and more complex structures. Superconductivity is doping dependent in these material classes unlike in MgB(2) which, as a pure compound, has the highest values of T(c) and a rapid suppression of superconductivity with doping takes place. In all three material classes isotope effects have been observed, including exotic ones in the cuprates, and controversial ones in the Fe based materials. Before the area of high-temperature superconductivity, isotope effects on T(c) were the signature for phonon mediated superconductivity-even when deviations from the BCS value to smaller values were observed. Since the discovery of high T(c) materials this is no longer evident since competing mechanisms might exist and other mediating pairing interactions are discussed which are of purely electronic origin. In this work we will compare the three different material classes and especially discuss the experimentally observed isotope effects of all three systems and present a rather general analysis of them. Furthermore, we will concentrate on multiband signatures which are not generally accepted in cuprates even though they are manifest in various experiments, the evidence for those in MgB(2), and indications for them in the Fe based compounds. Mostly we will consider experimental data, but when possible also discuss theoretical models which are suited to explain the data.

Quantum oscillation signatures of spin-orbit interactions controlling the residual nodal bilayer-splitting in underdoped high-Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil; Shekhter, Arkady

2015-03-01

We investigate the origin of the small residual nodal bilayer-splitting in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x using the results of recently published angle-resolved quantum oscillation data [Sebastian et al., Nature 511, 61 (2014)]. A crucial clue to the origin of the residual bilayer-splitting is found to be provided by the anomalously small Zeeman-splitting of some of the observed cyclotron orbits. We show that such an anomalously Zeeman-splitting (or small effective g-factor) for a subset of orbits can be explained by spin-orbit interactions, which become significant in the nodal regions as a result of the vanishing bilayer coupling. The primary effect of spin-orbit interactions is to cause quasiparticles traversing the nodal region of the Brillouin zone to undergo a spin flip. We suggest that the Rashba-like spin-orbit interactions, naturally present in bilayer systems, have the right symmetry and magnitude to give rise to a network of coupled orbits consistent with experimental observations in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. This work is supported by the DOEm BES proposal LANLF100, while the magnet lab is supported by the NSF and Florida State.

Effect of spontaneous decay of superconductor quasiparticles in the tunneling density of states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coffey, D.

1993-01-01

Superconductivity has been successfully described with either the Landau-Ginzburg theory of second order phase transitions or with strong-coupling versions of the original BCS theory for almost fifty years. Recent tunneling and photoemission data on the cuprate oxide superconductors may now provide evidence of corrections to the mean field approximation. It has been shown by Zasadzinski et al. that there is a dip at eV ≅ 3Δ 0 in the SIS tunneling conductance, which is the derivative of the current across a superconductor-insulator-superconductor junction with respect to the applied voltage, for a set of cuprate superconductors whose T c 's range from 5.5K to 100K. Recently L. Coffey and I proposed an explanation of this feature in terms of the spontaneous decay of mean field quasiparticles. We showed that corrections to the mean field approximation for a superconductor lead to different frequency thresholds for spontaneous quasiparticle decay with different superconductor order parameter symmetries. These effects lead to features in the superconductor density of states and in the SIS tunneling conductance and provide experimental evidence of d-wave symmetry for the superconductor order parameter in the cuprates. I discuss model and also evidence of quasiparticle decay in ARPES data on Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8

Superconductors go organic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singleton, John; Mielke, Charles

2002-01-01

Superconductors made from organic molecules are revealing fascinating new physics and could offer huge technological potential as well. Solid-state physicists are simple people. They believe that basic research is best carried out on chemically simple materials. Traditionally they have focused on inorganic elements, alloys, and other straightforward compounds. This approach has provided some notable successes. For example, any physicist over 35 will remember the huge fuss surrounding the discovery of high-temperature cuprate superconductors in 1986, which led to the infamous 'Woodstock of physics' meeting the following year. Just before the cuprates were discovered, however, an alternative view had begun to emerge. Physical chemists such as Klaus Bechgaard, Peter Day, Gunzi Saito, Viktor Schegolev and Jack Williams were suggesting that the 'simple-materials-are-best' assumption was misplaced. They argued that some of the most exciting studies in solid-state physics can - and should - be attempted on crystalline organic materials. Although chemically complex, such materials are beautifully simple in other ways, and they can, for example, provide much more information about basic phenomena like superconductivity and magnetism than supposedly simple materials. Physicists eventually embraced these materials with enthusiasm, and the number of papers on crystalline organic metals overtook those on the high-temperature cuprate superconductors three years ago. The gap has widened ever since, and the fact that God and a billion years of evolution have produced a processor based on three-dimensional arrays of molecules, rather than silicon or gallium-arsenide chips, is taken as a good omen by those working in the field. (U.K.)

Observation of magnetooptical effects in several high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dillon, J.F. Jr; Lyons, K.B.

1992-01-01

Recent so called 'anyon' theories of high temperature superconductivity in layer structure materials suggested that at some temperature T TP ≥T c there is a symmetry breaking transition below which these materials may be in either of two distinct states related to each other by time reversal. The study of magneto-optical effects in superconductors reviewed here was undertaken to explore time reversal symmetry of these materials. Using novel technique with rotating λ/2 plate at 525 nm, 'circular dichroism' was observed on reflection from epitaxial films and single crystals of cuprate superconductor with layer structures. The onset of dichroism was at temperatures of ∼ 180K to ∼ 300K. These results appear to support the 'anyon' theories. However, circular dichroism was also seen in films and single crystals of bismuthate superconductors with cubic structure, to which the theories seem inapplicable. In sharp contrast, Spielman et al., at Stanford in a very sensitive experiment at 1060 nm have seen no evidence of non-reciprocal circular birefringence in epitaxial cuprate superconducting films. Weber et al. at Dortmund have recently reported the observation at 633 nm of non-reciprocal magneto-optical effects on single crystals of cuprate superconductors, but none on films. (author). 15 refs., 5 figs

Amperean Pairing and the Pseudogap Phase of Cuprate Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Patrick A.

2014-07-01

The enigmatic pseudogap phase in underdoped cuprate high-Tc superconductors has long been recognized as a central puzzle of the Tc problem. Recent data show that the pseudogap is likely a distinct phase, characterized by a medium range and quasistatic charge ordering. However, the origin of the ordering wave vector and the mechanism of the charge order is unknown. At the same time, earlier data show that precursive superconducting fluctuations are also associated with this phase. We propose that the pseudogap phase is a novel pairing state where electrons on the same side of the Fermi surface are paired, in strong contrast with conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory which pairs electrons on opposite sides of the Fermi surface. In this state the Cooper pair carries a net momentum and belongs to a general class called pair density wave. The microscopic pairing mechanism comes from a gauge theory formulation of the resonating valence bond (RVB) picture, where spinons traveling in the same direction feel an attractive force in analogy with Ampere's effects in electromagnetism. We call this Amperean pairing. Charge order automatically appears as a subsidiary order parameter even when long-range pair order is destroyed by phase fluctuations. Our theory gives a prediction of the ordering wave vector which is in good agreement with experiment. Furthermore, the quasiparticle spectrum from our model explains many of the unusual features reported in photoemission experiments. The Fermi arc, the unusual way the tip of the arc terminates, and the relation of the spanning vector of the arc tips to the charge ordering wave vector also come out naturally. Finally, we propose an experiment that can directly test the notion of Amperean pairing.

The pseudogap in the c-axis optical conductivity in high Tc-cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, H.

1999-01-01

The pseudogap phenomenon is most remarkable in the underdoped region of high-T c cuprates. Since the superconducting state in the optimally doped high-T c cuprates is well described by the BCS-like d-wave superconductors, it is natural to assume that the pseudogap arises from the standard superconducting fluctuation. In particular in the layered compounds like high-T c cuprates Varlamov and his coworkers pointed out the density of states (DOS) correction to the superconducting fluctuation will play the crucial role. However, unfortunately in their analysis d-wave nature of the high-T c cuprates is ignored. Perhaps more seriously some unnecessary approximations were introduced in their analysis. The present theory gives somewhat different expressions of quasi-particle density of states for B = 0 and B ≠ 0, which can be tested experimentally. (orig.)

Stabilization of high T(sub c) phase in bismuth cuprate superconductor by lead doping

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Ram. P.; Pachauri, J. P.; Khokle, W. S.; Nagpal, K. C.; Date, S. K.

1990-01-01

It has widely been ascertained that doping of lead in Bi:Sr:Ca:Cu:O systems promotes the growth of high T(sub c) (110 K) phase, improves critical current density, and lowers processing temperature. A systematic investigation is undertaken to determine optimum lead content and processing conditions to achieve these. A large number of samples with cationic compositions of Bi(2-x)Pb(x)Sr2Ca2Cu3 (x = 0.2 to 2.0) were prepared by conventional solid state reaction technique. Samples of all compositions were annealed together at a temperature and characterized through resistance-temperature (R-T) measurements and x ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the zero resistance temperature, T(sub c)(0) and to identify presence of phases, respectively. The annealing temperature was varied between 790 C to optimize processing parameters. Results are given. In brief, an optimum process is reported along with composition of leaded bismuth cuprate superconductor which yields nearly a high T(sub c) single phase with highly stable superconducting properties.

Universal linear-temperature resistivity: possible quantum diffusion transport in strongly correlated superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Tao; Liu, Yinshang; Xiao, Hong; Mu, Gang; Yang, Yi-Feng

2017-08-25

The strongly correlated electron fluids in high temperature cuprate superconductors demonstrate an anomalous linear temperature (T) dependent resistivity behavior, which persists to a wide temperature range without exhibiting saturation. As cooling down, those electron fluids lose the resistivity and condense into the superfluid. However, the origin of the linear-T resistivity behavior and its relationship to the strongly correlated superconductivity remain a mystery. Here we report a universal relation [Formula: see text], which bridges the slope of the linear-T-dependent resistivity (dρ/dT) to the London penetration depth λ L at zero temperature among cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and heavy fermion superconductors CeCoIn 5 , where μ 0 is vacuum permeability, k B is the Boltzmann constant and ħ is the reduced Planck constant. We extend this scaling relation to different systems and found that it holds for other cuprate, pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors as well, regardless of the significant differences in the strength of electronic correlations, transport directions, and doping levels. Our analysis suggests that the scaling relation in strongly correlated superconductors could be described as a hydrodynamic diffusive transport, with the diffusion coefficient (D) approaching the quantum limit D ~ ħ/m*, where m* is the quasi-particle effective mass.

Relationship between Magnetic Anisotropy below Pseudogap Temperature and Short-Range Antiferromagnetic Order in High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Morinari, Takao

2018-06-01

The central issue in high-temperature cuprate superconductors is the pseudogap state appearing below the pseudogap temperature T*, which is well above the superconducting transition temperature. In this study, we theoretically investigate the rapid increase of the magnetic anisotropy below the pseudogap temperature detected by the recent torque-magnetometry measurements on YBa2Cu3Oy [Y. Sato et al., 10.1038/nphys4205" xlink:type="simple">Nat. Phys. 13, 1074 (2017)]. Applying the spin Green's function formalism including the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction arising from the buckling of the CuO2 plane, we obtain results that are in good agreement with the experiment and find a scaling relationship. Our analysis suggests that the characteristic temperature associated with the magnetic anisotropy, which coincides with T*, is not a phase transition temperature but a crossover temperature associated with the short-range antiferromagnetic order.

Five-fold way to new high Tc superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Discovery of high c superconductivity in La2−BaCuO4 by Bednorz and Muller in 1986 was a breakthrough in the 75-year long search for new superconductors. Since then new high c superconductors, not involving copper, have also been discovered. Superconductivity in cuprates also inspired resonating valence ...

Oxygen hole mechanism of superconductivity in cuprates and other metal oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, C.N.R.

1989-01-01

Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates. An issue that is central to any model is the nature of copper and oxygen species in the cuprates since superconductivity clearly owes its origin to the Cu-O sheets universally present in all the cuprate families. Thus, the five families of cuprate superconductors, La 2 - x M x CuO 4 (M = Ca, Sr or Ba) of the K 2 NiF 4 structure, LnBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ (Ln = Y or rare earth), Bi 2 (Ca, Sr) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 4 , Tl 2 (Ca, Ba) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 4 and Tl (Ca, Ba) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 3 , all contain two-dimensional Cu-O sheets. The Cu-O chains additionally present in the 123 compounds do not seem to play any crucial role. It has been generally believed that magnetic, superconducting and related properties of cuprates have some thing to do with the mixed valency of copper. For example, the resonating valence bond (RVB) model requires the presence of holes on Cu sites (Cu 3 + species). There are also a few models, however, based on the presence of holes on oxygen sites (O - species); dimerization of oxygen holes has also been suggested to occur by a few workers. It is the purpose of this article to briefly present the available experimental evidence for the presence of oxygen holes and to discuss their role in high-temperature conductivity. It will be shown that these holes play a role in other oxide materials as well as including the Cu-free Ba 1 - x K x BiO 3 superconductor

Multilayered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12(O1-x,Fx) 2 studied by temperature-dependent scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Akira; Ekino, Toshikazu; Gabovich, Alexander M.; Sekine, Ryotaro; Tanabe, Kenji; Tokiwa, Kazuyasu

2017-05-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements were carried out on a multilayered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12 (O1 -x,Fx )2. STM topography revealed random spot structures with the characteristic length ≤0.5 nm. The conductance spectra d I /d V (V ) show the coexistence of smaller gaps ΔS and large gaps (pseudogaps) ΔL. The pseudogap-related features in the superconducting state were traced with the spatial resolution of ˜0.07 nm. Here, I and V are the tunnel current and bias voltage, respectively. The temperature, T , dependence of ΔS follows the reduced Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) dependence. The hallmark ratio 2 ΔS(T =0 ) /kBTc equals to 4.9, which is smaller than those of other cuprate superconductors. Here, Tc is the superconducting critical temperature and kB is the Boltzmann constant. The larger gap ΔL survives in the normal state and even increases with T above Tc. The T dependencies of the spatial distributions for both relevant gaps (Δ map), as well as for each gap separately (ΔS and ΔL), were obtained. From the histogram of Δ map, the averaged gap values were found to be Δ¯S=˜24 meV and Δ¯L=˜79 meV. The smaller gap ΔS shows a spatially homogeneous distribution while the larger gap ΔL is quite inhomogeneous, indicating that rather homogeneous superconductivity coexists with the patchy distributed pseudogap. The spatial variation length ξΔ L of ΔL correlates with the scale of the topography spot structures, being approximately 0.4 nm. This value is considerably smaller than the coherence length of this class of superconductors, suggesting that ΔL is strongly affected by the disorder of the apical O/F.

An overview of the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, M K; Wen, Y C; Chen, T K; Chang, C C; Wu, P M; Wang, M J; Lin, P H; Lee, W C

2015-01-01

This review intends to summarize recent advancements in FeSe and related systems. The FeSe and related superconductors are currently receiving considerable attention for the high critical temperature (T C ) observed and for many similar features to the high T C cuprate superconductors. These similarities suggest that understanding the FeSe-based compounds could potentially help our understanding of the cuprates. We begin the review by presenting common features observed in the FeSe- and FeAs-based systems. Then we discuss the importance of careful control of the material preparation allowing for a systematic structure characterization. With this control, numerous rich phases have been observed. Importantly, we suggest that the Fe-vacancy ordered phases found in the FeSe-based compounds, which are non-superconducting magnetic Mott insulators, are the parent compounds of the superconductors. Superconductivity can emerge from the parent phases by disordering the Fe vacancy order, often by a simple annealing treatment. Then we review physical properties of the Fe chalcogenides, specifically the optical properties and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results. From the literature, strong evidence points to the existence of orbital modification accompanied by a gap-opening, prior to the structural phase transition, which is closely related to the occurrence of superconductivity. Furthermore, strong lattice to spin coupling are important for the occurrence of superconductivity in FeSe. Therefore, it is believed that the iron selenides and related compounds will provide essential information to understand the origin of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors, and possibly the superconducting cuprates. (topical review)

Electron transport in a bilayer graphene/layered superconductor NbSe2 junction: effect of work function difference

Science.gov (United States)

Yarimizu, Katsuhide; Tomori, Hikari; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Kanda, Akinobu

2018-03-01

We have experimentally studied electron transport in a bilayer graphene (BLG)/layered superconductor NbSe2 junction encapsulated with hexagonal boron nitride. The junction exhibits nonlinear current-voltage characteristics which strongly depend on the gate voltage around the charge neutrality point (CNP) of the BLG. Besides, we observe that the gate voltage dependence of electron transport in the BLG portion close to the junction interface is different from that of the BLG portion apart from the interface, indicating that the spatial variation of the Dirac point in the charge transfer region due to the difference in work function between superconductor and graphene needs to be considered in the analysis of the superconducting proximity effect.

Metal-insulator crossover in superconducting cuprates in strong magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, P.A.; Su Zhaobin; Yu Lu

2001-02-01

The metal-insulator crossover of the in-plane resistivity upon temperature decrease, recently observed in several classes of cuprate superconductors, when a strong magnetic field suppresses the superconductivity, is explained using the U(1)xSU(2) Chern-Simons gauge field theory. The origin of this crossover is the same as that for a similar phenomenon observed in heavily underdoped cuprates without magnetic field. It is due to the interplay between the diffusive motion of the charge carriers and the 'peculiar' localization effect due to short-range antiferromagnetic order. We also calculate the in-plane transverse magnetoresistance which is in a fairly good agreement with available experimental data. (author)

Angle-resolved photoemission in high Tc cuprates from theoretical viewpoints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohyama, T.; Maekawa, S.

2000-01-01

The angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) technique has been developed rapidly over the last decade, accompanied by the improvement of energy and momentum resolutions. This technique has been established as the most powerful tool to investigate the high T c cuprate superconductors. We review recent ARPES data on the cuprates from a theoretical point of view, with emphasis on the systematic evolution of the spectral weight near the momentum (π, 0) from insulator to overdoped systems. The effects of charge stripes on the ARPES spectra are also reviewed. Some recent experimental and theoretical efforts to understand the superconducting state and the pseudogap phenomenon are discussed. (author)

Boundary conditions in Ginsburg Landau theory and critical temperature of high-T superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Lykov, A. N.

2008-06-01

New mixed boundary conditions to the Ginsburg-Landau equations are found to limit the critical temperature ( T) of high- T superconductors. Moreover, the value of the pseudogap in these superconductors can be explained by using the method. As a result, the macroscopic approach is proposed to increase T of cuprate superconductors.

Positron Annihilation Studies of the Electronic Structure of Selected High-Temperature Cuprate and Organic Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Lie Ping

The understanding of the electronic structure of the high-T_{c} superconductors could be important for a full theoretical description of the mechanism behind superconductivity in these materials. In this thesis, we present our measurements of the positron -electron momentum distributions of the cuprate superconductors Bi_2Sr_2CaCu _2O_8, Tl _2Ba_2Ca _2Cu_3O_ {10}, and the organic superconductor kappa-(BEDT)_2Cu(NCS) _2. We use the positron Two-dimensional Angular Correlation of Annihilation Radiation technique to make the measurements on single crystals and compare our high-statistics data with band structure calculations to determine the existence and nature of the respective Fermi surfaces. The spectra from unannealed Bi _2Sr_2CaCu _2O_8 exhibit effects of the superlattice modulation in the BiO_2 layers, and a theoretical understanding of the modulation effects on the electronic band structure is required to interpret these spectra. Since the present theory does not consider the modulation, we have developed a technique to remove the modulation effects from our spectra, and the resultant data when compared with the positron -electron momentum distribution calculation, yield features consistent with the predicted CuO_2 and BiO_2 Fermi surfaces. In the data from unannealed Tl_2Ba _2Ca_2Cu_3 O_{10}, we only observe indications of the TlO Fermi surfaces, and attribute the absence of the predicted CuO_2 Fermi surfaces to the poor sample quality. In the absence of positron-electron momentum calculations for kappa-(BEDT)_2Cu(NCS) _2, we compare our data to electronic band structure calculations, and observed features suggestive of the predicted Fermi surface contributions from the BEDT cation layers. A complete positron-electron calculation for kappa-(BEDT)_2 Cu(NCS)_2 is required to understand the positron wavefunction effects in this material.

Two classes of superconductors discovered in our material research: Iron-based high temperature superconductor and electride superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosono, Hideo

2009-01-01

We discovered two new classes of superconductors in the course of material exploration for electronic-active oxides. One is 12CaO . 7Al 2 O 3 crystal in which electrons accomodate in the crystallographic sub-nanometer-sized cavities. This material exhibiting metal-superconductor transition at 0.2 K is the first electride superconductor. The other is iron oxypnicitides with a layered structure. This superconductor is rather different from high T c cuprates in several respects. The high T c is emerged by doping carriers to the metallic parent phases which undergo crystallographic transition (tetra to ortho) and Pauli para to antiferromagnetic transition at ∼150 K. The T c is robust to impurity doping to the Fe sites or is induced by partial substitution of the Fe 2+ sites with Co 2+ or Ni 2+ . This article gives a brief summary of these discoveries and recent advances.

Simulating atomic-scale phenomena on surfaces of unconventional superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreisel, Andreas; Andersen, Brian [Niels Bohr Institute (Denmark); Choubey, Peayush; Hirschfeld, Peter [Univ. of Florida (United States); Berlijn, Tom [CNMS and CSMD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States)

2016-07-01

Interest in atomic scale effects in superconductors has increased because of two general developments: First, the discovery of new materials as the cuprate superconductors, heavy fermion and Fe-based superconductors where the coherence length of the cooper pairs is as small to be comparable to the lattice constant, rendering small scale effects important. Second, the experimental ability to image sub-atomic features using scanning-tunneling microscopy which allows to unravel numerous physical properties of the homogeneous system such as the quasi particle excitation spectra or various types of competing order as well as properties of local disorder. On the theoretical side, the available methods are based on lattice models restricting the spatial resolution of such calculations. In the present project we combine lattice calculations using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations describing the superconductor with wave function information containing sub-atomic resolution obtained from ab initio approaches. This allows us to calculate phenomena on surfaces of superconductors as directly measured in scanning tunneling experiments and therefore opens the possibility to identify underlying properties of these materials and explain observed features of disorder. It will be shown how this method applies to the cuprate material Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8} and a Fe based superconductor.

Transport Properties of an Electron-Hole Bilayer in Contact with a Superconductor Hybrid Junction

Science.gov (United States)

Bercioux, D.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Bergeret, F. S.

2017-08-01

We investigate the transport properties of a junction consisting of an electron-hole bilayer in contact with normal and superconducting leads. The electron-hole bilayer is considered as a semimetal with two electronic bands. We assume that in the region between the contacts the system hosts an exciton condensate described by a BCS-like model with a gap Γ in the quasiparticle density of states. We first discuss how the subgap electronic transport through the junction is mainly governed by the interplay between two kinds of reflection processes at the interfaces: the standard Andreev reflection at the interface between the superconductor and the exciton condensate, and a coherent crossed reflection at the semimetal-exciton-condensate interface that converts electrons from one layer into the other. We show that the differential conductance of the junction shows a minimum at voltages of the order of Γ /e . Such a minimum can be seen as a direct hallmark of the existence of the gapped excitonic state.

Universal spectral signatures in pnictides and cuprates: the role of quasiparticle-pair coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacks, William; Mauger, Alain; Noat, Yves

2017-11-08

Understanding the physical properties of a large variety of high-T c superconductors (SC), the cuprate family as well as the more recent iron-based superconductors, is still a major challenge. In particular, these materials exhibit the 'peak-dip-hump' structure in the quasiparticle density of states (DOS). The origin of this structure is explained within our pair-pair interaction (PPI) model: The non-superconducting state consists of incoherent pairs, a 'Cooper-pair glass' which, due to the PPI, undergoes a Bose-like condensation below T c to the coherent SC state. We derive the equations of motion for the quasiparticle operators showing that the DOS 'peak-dip-hump' is caused by the coupling between quasiparticles and excited pair states, or 'super-quasiparticles'. The renormalized SC gap function becomes energy-dependent and non retarded, reproducing accurately the experimental spectra of both pnictides and cuprates, despite the large difference in gap value.

Boundary conditions in Ginsburg-Landau theory and critical temperature of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lykov, A.N.

2008-01-01

New mixed boundary conditions to the Ginsburg-Landau equations are found to limit the critical temperature (T c ) of high-T c superconductors. Moreover, the value of the pseudogap in these superconductors can be explained by using the method. As a result, the macroscopic approach is proposed to increase T c of cuprate superconductors

High transition temperature superconductor/insulator bilayers for the development of ultra-fast electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirena, M.; Félix, L. Avilés; Haberkorn, N.

2013-01-01

High transition temperature superconductor (HTc)/SrTiO 3 (STO) bilayers were fabricated by sputtering deposition on (100) STO substrates. Their transport and morphological properties were characterized using conductive atomic force microscopy. The STO barriers present good insulating properties, with long attenuation lengths (λ ∼ 1 nm) which reduce the junction resistance and increase the operating critical current. The samples present roughness values smaller than 1 nm, with an extremely low density of surface defects (∼5 × 10 −5 defects/μm 2 ). The high control of the barrier quality over large defect free surfaces is encouraging for the development of microelectronics devices based in HTc Josephson junctions

Nernst effect in the electron-doped cuprate superconductor L a2 -xC exCu O4

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, P. R.; Sarkar, Tarapada; Higgins, J. S.; Greene, Richard L.

2018-01-01

We report a systematic study of the Nernst effect in films of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor L a2 -xC exCu O4 as a function of temperature and magnetic field (up to 14 T) over a range of doping from underdoped (x =0.08 ) to overdoped (x =0.16 ). We have determined the characteristic field scale HC2 * of superconducting fluctuation which is found to track the domelike dependence of superconductivity (TC). The fall of HC2 * and TC with underdoping is most likely due to the onset of long-range antiferromagnetic order. We also report the temperature onset, Tonset, of superconducting fluctuations above TC. For optimally doped x =0.11 Tonset (≅39 K ) is high compared to TC (26 K). For higher doping Tonset decreases and tends to zero along with the critical temperature at the end of the superconducting dome. The superconducting gap closely tracks HC2 * measured from the temperature- and field-dependent Nernst signal.

EDITORIAL: The electromagnetic properties of iron-based superconductors The electromagnetic properties of iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Prozorov, Ruslan; Gurevich, Alex; Luke, Graeme

2010-05-01

Iron-based superconductors, discovered just a few years ago, are members of a diverse family of pnictides and chalcogenides which may potentially contain hundreds of superconducting compounds. The unconventional, multiband superconductivity in these materials most likely emerges from the quintessential magnetic Fe ions. Along with many similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, the proximity of antiferromagnetism to superconductivity in these semi-metallic materials has attracted much attention. The massive effort aimed at understanding superconductivity in the high-Tc cuprates has stimulated the development of numerous state-of-the-art experimental techniques, improved crystal growth methods and a variety of new theoretical insights. These tools and models were already available and readily applied to the new iron-based superconductors for which lots of high quality new results are being reported literally every day. The current special section represents only a snapshot of these extensive studies performed in the second half of 2009, less than two years after the discovery of 26 K superconductivity in the LaFeAsO compound. The range of various experiments is impressive and this issue is mostly focused on the electromagnetic properties of these iron-based materials. The electromagnetic response is sensitive to the microscopic electronic behavior and therefore can be used to probe the mechanism of superconductivity. On the other hand, it is the electromagnetic response that determines many possible applications of these superconductors, particularly given their extremely high upper critical fields. At this point it is already quite clear that the iron-based superconductors cannot unambiguously fit into any known type of superconductor class and have been placed in one of their own. The metallic ground state of the parent compounds is different from the insulating state of the cuprates and generally exhibits a lower electromagnetic anisotropy. However, similar to the

Can positron 2D-ACAR resolve the electronic structure of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, L.P.; Lynn, K.G.; Harshman, D.R.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the authors examine the ability of the positron Two-Dimensional Angular Correlation Annihilation Radiation (2D-ACAR) technique to resolve the electronic structures of high-T c cuprate superconductors. Following a short description of the technique, discussions of the theoretical assumptions, data analysis and experimental considerations, in relation to the high-T c superconductors, are given. The authors briefly review recent 2D-ACAR experiments on YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCuO 8+δ and La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 . The 2D-ACAR technique is useful in resolving the band crossings associated with the layers of the superconductors that are preferentially sampled by the positrons. Together with other Fermi surface measurements (namely angle-resolved photoemission), 2D-ACAR can resolve some of the electronic structures of high-T c cuprate superconductors

Determination of Retardation Effects in the High Tc Cuprates from Sharvin Contact Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutscher, G.

1995-01-01

It is well known that retardation effects are essential to allow the attractive part of the electron-electron interaction (for instance, phonon mediated) to overcome the Coulomb repulsion. In new superconductors such as the cuprates for which the interaction is a priori unknown, it is therefore essential to determine the retarded and non retarded parts of the interaction. We show how this can be achieved by an analysis of Sharvin contact measurements between a noble metal tip and a cuprate. It turns out that both the retarded and non retarded parts are large, the former being however larger than the later

2011 Aspen Winter Conference on Contrasting Superconductivity of Pnictides and Cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, P. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Schmalian, J. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Canfield, P. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Chakravarty, S. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States)

2011-05-02

Our quest for materials with better properties is closely integral to the fabric of our society. Currently the development of materials that will allow for improved generation, transport, and storage of energy is at the forefront of our research in condensed matter physics and materials science. Among these materials, compounds that exhibit correlated electron states and emergent phenomena such as superconductivity have great promise, but also difficulties that need to be overcome: problems associated with our need to reliably find, understand, improve and control these promising materials. At the same time, the field of correlated electrons represents the frontier of our understanding of the electronic properties of solids. It contains deep open scientific issues within the broad area of quantum phenomena in matter. The aim of this workshop is to explore and understand the physics of recently discovered Fe-based high-temperature superconductors and contrast and compare them with the cuprates. The superconductivity in iron pnictides, with transition temperatures in excess of 55 K, was discovered in early 2008. The impact of this discovery is comparable to cuprates discovered in 1986. At the same time a number of recent experimental developments in cuprates may lead to a shift in our thinking with regards to these materials. There is therefore much to be learned by devoting a conference in which both classes of superconductors are discussed, especially at this nascent stage of the pnictides.

Fe-vacancy and superconductivity in FeSe-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Correlation and disorder-enhanced nematic spin response in superconductors with weakly broken rotational symmetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Brian Møller; Graser, S.; Hirschfeld, P. J.

2012-01-01

Recent experimental and theoretical studies have highlighted the possible role of an electronic nematic liquid in underdoped cuprate superconductors. We calculate, within a model of d-wave superconductor with Hubbard correlations, the spin susceptibility in the case of a small explicitly broken...

High transition temperature superconductor/insulator bilayers for the development of ultra-fast electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sirena, M.; Félix, L. Avilés [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Atómico Bariloche, CNEA, Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina); Instituto Balseiro, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and CNEA, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina); Haberkorn, N. [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Atómico Bariloche, CNEA, Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina)

2013-07-29

High transition temperature superconductor (HTc)/SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) bilayers were fabricated by sputtering deposition on (100) STO substrates. Their transport and morphological properties were characterized using conductive atomic force microscopy. The STO barriers present good insulating properties, with long attenuation lengths (λ ∼ 1 nm) which reduce the junction resistance and increase the operating critical current. The samples present roughness values smaller than 1 nm, with an extremely low density of surface defects (∼5 × 10{sup −5} defects/μm{sup 2}). The high control of the barrier quality over large defect free surfaces is encouraging for the development of microelectronics devices based in HTc Josephson junctions.

Evidence for Crossed Andreev Reflections in (100)YBa2Cu3O7+δ-SrRuO3 superconductor-ferromagnet bilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asulin, I.; Yuli, O.; Millo, O.; Koren, G.

2005-01-01

Full Text:Since the ferromagnetic side of a superconductor-ferromagnet junction is spin polarized, Andreev reflections are suppressed. Consequently, the proximity induced superconductor order parameter in the ferromagnet is expected to decay rapidly, on the order of a nm, the typical coherence length in a ferromagnet. Our scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements on thin epitaxial (100)YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7+ δ-SrRuO 3 (YBaCuO-SrO) bilayers, where SrO is a ferromagnet, indeed show that on most of the junction area the superconductor order parameter vanishes in the SrO layers thicker than 8 nm. However, we find localized regions, arranged along narrow (< 10 nm) stripes, where the order parameter (superconductor-like gap structure) penetrates the ferromagnet over more than 20 nm. This is attributed to 'Crossed Andreev Reflections,' taking place at domain boundaries, where an electron from one magnetic domain is retro reflected as a hole with opposite spin in an adjacent domain. Our observation may account for the (not abundant) cases where a long-range proximity effect was found in superconductor-ferromagnet proximity systems

Unconventional superconductors. Anisotropy and multiband effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Askerzade, Iman [Ankara Univ. (Turkey). Center of Excellence of Superconductivity Research of Turkey; Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Azerbaijan). Inst. of Physics

2012-07-01

This book deals with the new class of materials unconventional superconductors, cuprate compounds, borocarbides, magnesium-diboride and oxypnictides. It gives a systematical review of physical properties of novel superconductors. There is an increasing number of fundamental properties of these compounds which are relevant to future applications, opening new possibilities. The theoretical explanation is presented as generalization of Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology and microscopical Eliashberg theory for multiband and anisotropic superconductors. Various applications of this approaches and time dependent version of two-band Ginzburg-Landau theory are considered. An important topic are fluctuations in two-band and anisotropic superconductors. Significant new results on current problems are presented to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book useful as a reference for students and researchers. (orig.)

Unconventional superconductors anisotropy and multiband effects

CERN Document Server

Askerzade, Iman

2012-01-01

This book deals with the new class of materials unconventional superconductors, cuprate compounds, borocarbides, magnesium-diboride and oxypnictides. It gives a systematical review of physical properties of novel  superconductors. There is an increasing number of fundamental properties of these compounds which are relevant to future applications, opening new possibilities. The theoretical explanation is presented as generalization of Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology and microscopical Eliashberg theory for multiband and anisotropic superconductors. Various applications of this approachs and time dependent version of two-band Ginzburg-Landau theory are considered. An important topic are fluctuations in two-band and anisotropic superconductors. Significant  new results on current problems are presented to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book useful as a reference for students and researchers.

Interpretation of scanning tunneling quasiparticle interference and impurity states in cuprates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreisel, A; Choubey, Peayush; Berlijn, T; Ku, W; Andersen, B M; Hirschfeld, P J

2015-05-29

We apply a recently developed method combining first principles based Wannier functions with solutions to the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations to the problem of interpreting STM data in cuprate superconductors. We show that the observed images of Zn on the surface of Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8} can only be understood by accounting for the tails of the Cu Wannier functions, which include significant weight on apical O sites in neighboring unit cells. This calculation thus puts earlier crude "filter" theories on a microscopic foundation and solves a long-standing puzzle. We then study quasiparticle interference phenomena induced by out-of-plane weak potential scatterers, and show how patterns long observed in cuprates can be understood in terms of the interference of Wannier functions above the surface. Our results show excellent agreement with experiment and enable a better understanding of novel phenomena in the cuprates via STM imaging.

Insights on the cuprate high energy anomaly observed in ARPES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, B.; Johnston, S.; Devereaux, T.P.

2010-01-01

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). The anomaly is present for both hole- and electron-doped cuprates as well as the half-filled parent insulators with different energy scales arising on either side of the phase diagram. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. creating a 'waterfall'-like appearance, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram. We find that the anomaly demarcates a transition, or cross-over, from a quasiparticle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character.

Insights on the cuprate high energy anomaly observed in ARPES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moritz, B., E-mail: moritzb@slac.stanford.ed [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202 (United States); Johnston, S. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada); Devereaux, T.P. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2010-07-15

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). The anomaly is present for both hole- and electron-doped cuprates as well as the half-filled parent insulators with different energy scales arising on either side of the phase diagram. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. creating a 'waterfall'-like appearance, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram. We find that the anomaly demarcates a transition, or cross-over, from a quasiparticle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character.

Phase transitions and transport in anisotropic superconductors with large thermal fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.S.

1991-01-01

Fluctuation effects in conventional superconductors such as broadening of phase transitions and flux creep tend to be very small primarily because of the large coherence lengths. Thus mean field theory, with only small fluctuation corrections, usually provides an adequate description of these systems. Regimes in which fluctuation effects cause qualitatively different physics are very difficult to study as they typically occur in very small regions of the phase diagram or, in transport, require measuring extremely small voltages. In striking contrast, in the high temperature cuprate superconductors a combination of factors - short coherence lengths, anisotropy and higher temperatures - make fluctuation effects many orders of magnitude larger. The current understanding of transport and phase transitions in the cuprate superconductors-particularly YBCO and BSCCO-is reviewed. New results are presented on the two-dimensional regimes and 2D-3D crossover in the strongly anisotropic case of BSCCO. The emphasis is on pinning and vortex glass behavior

Effect of interlayer tunneling on the electronic structure of bilayer cuprates and quantum phase transitions in carrier concentration and high magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovchinnikov, S. G.; Makarov, I. A.; Shneyder, E. I.

2011-01-01

We present a theoretical study of the electronic structure of bilayer HTSC cuprates and its evolution under doping and in a high magnetic field. Analysis is based on the t-t′-t″-J* model in the generalized Hartree-Fock approximation. Possibility of tunneling between CuO2 layers is taken into account in the form of a nonzero integral of hopping between the orbitals of adjacent planes and is included in the scheme of the cluster form of perturbation theory. The main effect of the coupling between two CuO 2 layers in a unit cell is the bilayer splitting manifested in the presence of antibonding and bonding bands formed by a combination of identical bands of the layers themselves. A change in the doping level induces reconstruction of the band structure and the Fermi surface, which gives rise to a number of quantum phase transitions. A high external magnetic field leads to a fundamentally different form of electronic structure. Quantum phase transitions in the field are observed not only under doping, but also upon a variation of the field magnitude. Because of tunneling between the layers, quantum transitions are also split; as a result, a more complex sequence of the Lifshitz transitions than in single-layer structures is observed.

Giant proximity effect in ferromagnetic bilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Silvia; Charlton, Tim; Quintanilla, Jorge; Suter, Andreas; Moodera, Jagadeesh; Prokscha, Thomas; Salman, Zaher; Forgan, Ted

2013-03-01

The proximity effect is a phenomenon where an ordered state leaks from a material into an adjacent one over some finite distance, ξ. For superconductors, this distance is ~ the coherence length. Nevertheless much longer-range, ``giant'' proximity effects have been observed in cuprate junctions. This surprising effect can be understood as a consequence of critical opalescence. Since this occurs near all second order phase transitions, giant proximity effects should be very general and, in particular, they should be present in magnetic systems. The ferromagnetic proximity effect has the advantage that its order parameter (magnetization) can be observed directly. We investigate the above phenomenon in Co/EuS bilayer films, where both materials undergo ferromagnetic transitions but at rather different temperatures (bulk TC of 1400K for Co and 16.6K for EuS). A dramatic increase in the range of the proximity effect is expected near the TC of EuS. We present the results of our measurements of the magnetization profiles as a function of temperature, carried out using the complementary techniques of low energy muon rotation and polarized neutron reflectivity. Work supported by EPSRC, STFC and ONR grant N00014-09-1-0177 and NSF grant DMR 0504158.

Probing superconductors. Spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanaguri, Tetsuo

2011-01-01

Discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a cuprate triggered developments of various spectroscopic tools which have been utilized to elucidate electronic states of this mysterious compound. Particularly, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning-tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy are improved considerably. It is now possible to map the superconducting gap in both momentum and real spaces using these two techniques. Here we review spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy which is able to explore momentum-space phase structure of the superconducting gap, as well as real-space structure. Applications of this technique to a cuprate and an iron-based superconductor are discussed. (author)

Prospects of Anderson's theorem for disordered cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosal, Amit; Chakraborty, Debmalya; Kaushal, Nitin

2018-05-01

We develop a simple pairing theory of superconductivity in strongly correlated d-wave superconductors for up to a moderate strength of disorder. Our description implements the key ideas of Anderson, originally proposed for disordered s-wave superconductors, but in addition takes care of the inherent strong electronic repulsion in these compounds, as well as the inhomogeneities. We first obtain the self-consistent one-particle states, that capture the effects of disorder exactly, and strong correlations using Gutzwiller approximation. These 'normal states' (at zero temperature) when coupled through BCS-type pairing attractions, produces results which are nearly identical to those from a more sophisticated Gutzwiller augmented Bogoliubov-de Gennes analysis.

Investigation of renormalization effects in high temperature cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zabolotnyy, Volodymyr B.

2008-01-01

It has been found that the self-energy of high-T C cuprates indeed exhibits a well pronounced structure, which is currently attributed to coupling of the electrons either to lattice vibrations or to collective magnetic excitations in the system. To clarify this issue, the renormalization effects and the electronic structure of two cuprate families Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ were chosen as the main subject for this thesis. With a simple example of an electronic system coupled to a collective mode unusual renormalization features observed in the photoemission spectra are introduced. It is shown that impurity substitution in general leads to suppression of the unusual renormalization. Finally an alternative possibility to obtain a purely superconducting surface of Y-123 via partial substitution of Y atoms with Ca is introduced. It is shown that renormalization in the superconducting Y-123 has similar strong momentum dependence as in the Bi-2212 family. It is also shown that in analogy to Bi-2212 the renormalization appears to have strong dependence on the doping level (no kinks for the overdoped component) and practically vanishes above T C suggesting that coupling to magnetic excitations fits much better than competing scenarios, according to which the unusual renormalization in ARPES spectra is caused by the coupling to single or multiple phononic modes. (orig.)

Critical Doping for the Onset of Fermi-Surface Reconstruction by Charge-Density-Wave Order in the Cuprate Superconductor La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Badoux

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The Seebeck coefficient S of the cuprate superconductor La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} (LSCO was measured in magnetic fields large enough to access the normal state at low temperatures, for a range of Sr concentrations from x=0.07 to x=0.15. For x=0.11, 0.12, 0.125, and 0.13, S/T decreases upon cooling to become negative at low temperatures. The same behavior is observed in the Hall coefficient R_{H}(T. In analogy with other hole-doped cuprates at similar hole concentrations p, the negative S and R_{H} show that the Fermi surface of LSCO undergoes a reconstruction caused by the onset of charge-density-wave modulations. Such modulations have indeed been detected in LSCO by x-ray diffraction in precisely the same doping range. Our data show that in LSCO this Fermi-surface reconstruction is confined to 0.085

Fundamental studies of superconductors using scanning magnetic imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirtley, J R [Center for Probing the Nanoscale, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States)

2010-12-01

In this review I discuss the application of scanning magnetic imaging to fundamental studies of superconductors, concentrating on three scanning magnetic microscopies-scanning SQUID microscopy (SSM), scanning Hall bar microscopy (SHM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). I briefly discuss the history, sensitivity, spatial resolution, invasiveness and potential future developments of each technique. I then discuss a selection of applications of these microscopies. I start with static imaging of magnetic flux: an SSM study provides deeper understanding of vortex trapping in narrow strips, which are used to reduce noise in superconducting circuitry. Studies of vortex trapping in wire lattices, clusters and arrays of rings and nanoholes show fascinating ordering effects. The cuprate high-T{sub c} superconductors are shown to have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry by magnetic imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect. Arrays of superconducting rings act as a physical analog for the Ising spin model, with the half-integer flux quantum effect helping to eliminate one source of disorder in antiferromagnetic arrangements of the ring moments. Tests of the interlayer tunneling model show that the condensation energy available from this mechanism cannot account for the high critical temperatures observed in the cuprates. The strong divergence in the magnetic fields of Pearl vortices allows them to be imaged using SSM, even for penetration depths of a millimeter. Unusual vortex arrangements occur in samples comparable in size to the coherence length. Spontaneous magnetization is not observed in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}, which is believed to have p{sub x} {+-} ip{sub y} pairing symmetry, although effects hundreds of times bigger than the sensitivity limits had been predicted. However, unusual flux trapping is observed in this superconductor. Finally, unusual flux arrangements are also observed in magnetic superconductors. I then turn to vortex dynamics: imaging of vortices

Fundamental studies of superconductors using scanning magnetic imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Kirtley, J. R.

2010-12-01

In this review I discuss the application of scanning magnetic imaging to fundamental studies of superconductors, concentrating on three scanning magnetic microscopies—scanning SQUID microscopy (SSM), scanning Hall bar microscopy (SHM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). I briefly discuss the history, sensitivity, spatial resolution, invasiveness and potential future developments of each technique. I then discuss a selection of applications of these microscopies. I start with static imaging of magnetic flux: an SSM study provides deeper understanding of vortex trapping in narrow strips, which are used to reduce noise in superconducting circuitry. Studies of vortex trapping in wire lattices, clusters and arrays of rings and nanoholes show fascinating ordering effects. The cuprate high-Tc superconductors are shown to have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry by magnetic imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect. Arrays of superconducting rings act as a physical analog for the Ising spin model, with the half-integer flux quantum effect helping to eliminate one source of disorder in antiferromagnetic arrangements of the ring moments. Tests of the interlayer tunneling model show that the condensation energy available from this mechanism cannot account for the high critical temperatures observed in the cuprates. The strong divergence in the magnetic fields of Pearl vortices allows them to be imaged using SSM, even for penetration depths of a millimeter. Unusual vortex arrangements occur in samples comparable in size to the coherence length. Spontaneous magnetization is not observed in Sr2RuO4, which is believed to have px ± ipy pairing symmetry, although effects hundreds of times bigger than the sensitivity limits had been predicted. However, unusual flux trapping is observed in this superconductor. Finally, unusual flux arrangements are also observed in magnetic superconductors. I then turn to vortex dynamics: imaging of vortices in rings of highly underdoped

Ceramic superconductor/metal composite materials employing the superconducting proximity effect

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Matthew J.

2002-01-01

Superconducting composite materials having particles of superconducting material disposed in a metal matrix material with a high electron-boson coupling coefficient (.lambda.). The superconducting particles can comprise any type of superconductor including Laves phase materials, Chevrel phase materials, A15 compounds, and perovskite cuprate ceramics. The particles preferably have dimensions of about 10-500 nanometers. The particles preferably have dimensions larger than the superconducting coherence length of the superconducting material. The metal matrix material has a .lambda. greater than 0.2, preferably the .lambda. is much higher than 0.2. The metal matrix material is a good proximity superconductor due to its high .lambda.. When cooled, the superconductor particles cause the metal matrix material to become superconducting due to the proximity effect. In cases where the particles and the metal matrix material are chemically incompatible (i.e., reactive in a way that destroys superconductivity), the particles are provided with a thin protective metal coating. The coating is chemically compatible with the particles and metal matrix material. High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cuprate ceramic particles are reactive and therefore require a coating of a noble metal resistant to oxidation (e.g., silver, gold). The proximity effect extends through the metal coating. With certain superconductors, non-noble metals can be used for the coating.

Investigation of renormalization effects in high temperature cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zabolotnyy, Volodymyr B.

2008-04-16

It has been found that the self-energy of high-T{sub C} cuprates indeed exhibits a well pronounced structure, which is currently attributed to coupling of the electrons either to lattice vibrations or to collective magnetic excitations in the system. To clarify this issue, the renormalization effects and the electronic structure of two cuprate families Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} and YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} were chosen as the main subject for this thesis. With a simple example of an electronic system coupled to a collective mode unusual renormalization features observed in the photoemission spectra are introduced. It is shown that impurity substitution in general leads to suppression of the unusual renormalization. Finally an alternative possibility to obtain a purely superconducting surface of Y-123 via partial substitution of Y atoms with Ca is introduced. It is shown that renormalization in the superconducting Y-123 has similar strong momentum dependence as in the Bi-2212 family. It is also shown that in analogy to Bi-2212 the renormalization appears to have strong dependence on the doping level (no kinks for the overdoped component) and practically vanishes above T{sub C} suggesting that coupling to magnetic excitations fits much better than competing scenarios, according to which the unusual renormalization in ARPES spectra is caused by the coupling to single or multiple phononic modes. (orig.)

Unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle graphene superlattices

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Yuan; Fatemi, Valla; Fang, Shiang; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Kaxiras, Efthimios; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2018-04-01

The behaviour of strongly correlated materials, and in particular unconventional superconductors, has been studied extensively for decades, but is still not well understood. This lack of theoretical understanding has motivated the development of experimental techniques for studying such behaviour, such as using ultracold atom lattices to simulate quantum materials. Here we report the realization of intrinsic unconventional superconductivity—which cannot be explained by weak electron–phonon interactions—in a two-dimensional superlattice created by stacking two sheets of graphene that are twisted relative to each other by a small angle. For twist angles of about 1.1°—the first ‘magic’ angle—the electronic band structure of this ‘twisted bilayer graphene’ exhibits flat bands near zero Fermi energy, resulting in correlated insulating states at half-filling. Upon electrostatic doping of the material away from these correlated insulating states, we observe tunable zero-resistance states with a critical temperature of up to 1.7 kelvin. The temperature–carrier-density phase diagram of twisted bilayer graphene is similar to that of copper oxides (or cuprates), and includes dome-shaped regions that correspond to superconductivity. Moreover, quantum oscillations in the longitudinal resistance of the material indicate the presence of small Fermi surfaces near the correlated insulating states, in analogy with underdoped cuprates. The relatively high superconducting critical temperature of twisted bilayer graphene, given such a small Fermi surface (which corresponds to a carrier density of about 1011 per square centimetre), puts it among the superconductors with the strongest pairing strength between electrons. Twisted bilayer graphene is a precisely tunable, purely carbon-based, two-dimensional superconductor. It is therefore an ideal material for investigations of strongly correlated phenomena, which could lead to insights into the physics of high

Conductive polymer/superconductor bilayer structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDevitt, J.T.; Haupt, S.G.; Riley, D.R.; Zhao, J.; Grassi, J.; Lo, R.K.; Jones, C.

1994-01-01

The preparation of a hybrid conducting polymer/high-temperature superconductor device consisting of a polypyrrole-coated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-∂ microbridge is reported. Electrochemical techniques are exploited to alter the oxidation state of the polymer and, in doing so, it is found for the first time that superconductivity can be modulated in a controllable and reproducible fashion by a polymer layer. Whereas the neutral (insulating) polypyrrole only slightly influences the electrical properties of the underlying YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-∂ film, the oxidized (conductive) polymer depresses Tc by up to 50K. In a similar fashion, the oxidation state of the polymer is found to modulate reversibly the magnitude of J c , the superconducting critical current. Thus, a new type of molecular switch for controlling superconductivity is demonstrated. Electrochemical, resistance vs. temperature, conact resistance, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements are utilized to explore the polymer/superconductor interactions

Prediction of superconductivity in Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, G. Q.; Xing, Z. W.; Xing, D. Y.

2015-01-01

It is shown that bilayer phosphorene can be transformed from a direct-gap semiconductor to a BCS superconductor by intercalating Li atoms. For the Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene, we find that the electron occupation of Li-derived band is small and superconductivity is intrinsic. With increasing the intercalation of Li atoms, both increased metallicity and strong electron-phonon coupling are favorable for the enhancement of superconductivity. The obtained electron-phonon coupling λ can be larger than 1 and the superconducting temperature T c can be increased up to 16.5 K, suggesting that phosphorene may be a good candidate for a nanoscale superconductor

Prediction of superconductivity in Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, G. Q. [Department of Physics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023 (China); National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Xing, Z. W., E-mail: zwxing@nju.edu.cn [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Xing, D. Y. [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2015-03-16

It is shown that bilayer phosphorene can be transformed from a direct-gap semiconductor to a BCS superconductor by intercalating Li atoms. For the Li-intercalated bilayer phosphorene, we find that the electron occupation of Li-derived band is small and superconductivity is intrinsic. With increasing the intercalation of Li atoms, both increased metallicity and strong electron-phonon coupling are favorable for the enhancement of superconductivity. The obtained electron-phonon coupling λ can be larger than 1 and the superconducting temperature T{sub c} can be increased up to 16.5 K, suggesting that phosphorene may be a good candidate for a nanoscale superconductor.

Edge instabilities of topological superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, Johannes S. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany); Assaad, Fakher F. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Schnyder, Andreas P. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)

2016-07-01

Nodal topological superconductors display zero-energy Majorana flat bands at generic edges. The flatness of these edge bands, which is protected by time-reversal and translation symmetry, gives rise to an extensive ground state degeneracy and a diverging density of states. Therefore, even arbitrarily weak interactions lead to an instability of the flat-band edge states towards time-reversal and translation-symmetry broken phases, which lift the ground-state degeneracy. Here, we employ Monte Carlo simulations combined with mean-field considerations to examine the instabilities of the flat-band edge states of d{sub xy}-wave superconductors. We find that attractive interactions induce a complex s-wave pairing instability together with a density wave instability. Repulsive interactions, on the other hand, lead to ferromagnetism mixed with spin-triplet pairing at the edge. We discuss the implications of our findings for experiments on cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

Role of the orbital degree of freedom in iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Ming; Zhang, Yan; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Lu, Donghui

2017-10-01

Almost a decade has passed since the serendipitous discovery of the iron-based high temperature superconductors (FeSCs) in 2008. The fact that, as in the copper oxide high temperature superconductors, long-range antiferromagnetism in the FeSCs arises in proximity to superconductivity immediately raised the question of the degree of similarity between the two. Despite the great resemblance in their phase diagrams, there exist important differences between the FeSCs and the cuprates that need to be considered in order to paint a full picture of these two families of high temperature superconductors. One of the key differences is the multi-orbital multi-band nature of the FeSCs, which contrasts with the effective single-band nature of the cuprates. Systematic studies of orbital related phenomena in FeSCs have been largely lacking. In this review, we summarize angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements across various FeSC families that have been reported in literature, focusing on the systematic trends of orbital dependent electron correlations and the role of different Fe 3d orbitals in driving the nematic transition, the spin-density-wave transition, and superconductivity.

Impurity scattering effect on charge transport in high-Tc cuprate junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Y.; Asano, Y.; Kashiwaya, S.

2004-01-01

It is known that the zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) is expected in tunneling spectra of normal-metal/high-Tc cuprate junctions because of the formation of the midgap Andreev resonant states (MARS) at junction interfaces. In the present review, we report the recent theoretical study of impurity scattering effects on the tunneling spectroscopy. In the former part of the present paper, we discuss impurity effects in normal metal. We calculate tunneling conductance for diffusive normal metal (DN)/high Tc cuprate junctions based on the Keldysh Green's function technique. Besides the ZBCP due to the MARS, we can expect ZBCP caused by the different origin, i.e., the coherent Andreev reflection (CAR) assisted by the proximity effect in DN. Their relative importance depends on the angle a between the interface normal and the crystal axis of high-Tc superconductors. At α = 0, we find the ZBCP by the CAR for low transparent junctions with small Thouless energies in DN; this is similar to the case of diffusive normal metal/insulator/s-wave superconductor junctions. Under increase of α from zero to π/4, the contribution of MARS to ZBCP becomes more prominent and the effect of the CAR is gradually suppressed. Such complex spectral features would be observable in conductance spectra of high-Tc junctions at very low temperatures. In the latter part of our paper, we study impurity effects in superconductors. We consider impurities near the junction interface on the superconductor side. The conductance is calculated from the Andreev and the normal reflection coefficients which are estimated by using the single-site approximation in an analytic calculation and by the recursive Green function method in a numerical simulation. We find splitting of the ZBCP in the presence of the time reversal symmetry. Thus the zero-field splitting of ZBCP in the experiment does not perfectly prove an existence of broken time reversal symmetry state

Experimental formation of a fractional vortex in a superconducting bi-layer

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Y.; Yamamori, H.; Yanagisawa, T.; Nishio, T.; Arisawa, S.

2018-05-01

We report the experimental formation of a fractional vortex generated by using a thin superconducting bi-layer in the form of a niobium bi-layer, observed as a magnetic flux distribution image taken by a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope. Thus, we demonstrated that multi-component superconductivity can be realized by an s-wave conventional superconductor, because, in these superconductors, the magnetic flux is no longer quantized as it is destroyed by the existence of an inter-component phase soliton (i-soliton).

Spins in the vortices of a high-temperature superconductor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lake, B.; Aeppli, G.; Clausen, K.N.

2001-01-01

Neutron scattering is used to characterize the magnetism of the vortices for the optimally doped high-temperature superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4 (x = 0.163) in an applied magnetic field. As temperature is reduced, Low-frequency spin fluctuations first disappear with the loss of vortex mobility......, but then reappear. We find that the vortex state can be regarded as an inhomogeneous mixture of a superconducting spin fluid and a material containing a nearly ordered antiferromagnet. These experiments show that as for many other properties of cuprate superconductors, the important underlying microscopic forces...

The Effective Coherence Length in Anisotropic Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polturak, E.; Koren, G.; Nesher, O

1999-01-01

If electrons are transmitted from a normal conductor(N) into a superconductor(S), common wisdom has it that the electrons are converted into Cooper pairs within a coherence length from the interface. This is true in conventional superconductors with an isotropic order parameter. We have established experimentally that the situation is rather different in high Tc superconductors having an anisotropic order parameter. We used epitaxial thin film S/N bilayers having different interface orientations in order to inject carriers from S into N along different directions. The distance to which these carriers penetrate were determined through their effect on the Tc of the bilayers. We found that the effective coherence length is 20A only along the a or b directions, while in other directions we find a length of 250dr20A out of plane, and an even larger value for in-plane, off high symmetry directions. These observations can be explained using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model adapted to anisotropic superconductivity. Several implications of our results on outstanding problems with high Tc junctions will be discussed

Hard-Wired Dopant Networks and the Prediction of High Transition Temperatures in Ceramic Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, J.C.

2010-01-01

The review multiple successes of the discrete hard-wired dopant network model ZZIP, and comment on the equally numerous failures of continuum models, in describing and predicting the properties of ceramic superconductors. The prediction of transition temperatures can be regarded in several ways, either as an exacting test of theory, or as a tool for identifying theoretical rules for defining new homology models. Popular first principle methods for predicting transition temperatures in conventional crystalline superconductors have failed for cuprate HTSC, as have parameterized models based on CuO2 planes (with or without apical oxygen). Following a path suggested by Bayesian probability, it was found that the glassy, self-organized dopant network percolative model is so successful that it defines a new homology class appropriate to ceramic superconductors. The reasons for this success in an exponentially complex (non-polynomial complete, NPC) problem are discussed, and a critical comparison is made with previous polynomial (PC) theories. The predictions are successful for the superfamily of all ceramics, including new non-cuprates based on FeAs in place of CuO2.

Probing the singlet character of the two-hole states in cuprate superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghiringhelli, G; Brookes, NB; Tjeng, LH; Mizokawa, T; Tjernberg, O; Menovsky, AA; Steeneken, P.G.

Using spin-resolved resonant photoemission we have probed the singlet vs. triplet character of the two-hole state in the layered cuprates Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta La2-xSrxCuO4 and Sr2CuO2Cl2. The combination of the photon circular polarization with the photoelectron spin detection gives access to the

Coherence factors in a high-tc cuprate probed by quasi-particle scattering off vortices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanaguri, T; Kohsaka, Y; Ono, M; Maltseva, M; Coleman, P; Yamada, I; Azuma, M; Takano, M; Ohishi, K; Takagi, H

2009-02-13

When electrons pair in a superconductor, quasi-particles develop an acute sensitivity to different types of scattering potential that is described by the appearance of coherence factors in the scattering amplitudes. Although the effects of coherence factors are well established in isotropic superconductors, they are much harder to detect in their anisotropic counterparts, such as high-superconducting-transition-temperature cuprates. We demonstrate an approach that highlights the momentum-dependent coherence factors in Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2. We used Fourier-transform scanning tunneling spectroscopy to reveal a magnetic-field dependence in quasi-particle scattering interference patterns that is sensitive to the sign of the anisotropic gap. This result is associated with the d-wave coherence factors and quasi-particle scattering off vortices. Our technique thus provides insights into the nature of electron pairing as well as quasi-particle scattering processes in unconventional superconductors.

London penetration depth and thermal fluctuations in the sulphur hydride 203 K superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talantsev, E.F.; Crump, W.P. [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); Storey, J.G.; Tallon, J.L. [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Lower Hutt (New Zealand)

2017-03-15

Recently, compressed H{sub 2}S has been shown to become superconducting at 203 K under a pressure of 155 GPa. One might expect fluctuations to dominate at such temperatures. Using the magnetisation critical current, we determine the ground-state London penetration depth, λ{sub 0} = 189 nm, and the superconducting energy gap, Δ{sub 0} = 27.8 meV, and find these parameters are similar to those of cuprate superconductors. We also determine the fluctuation temperature scale, T{sub fluc} = 1470 K, which shows that, unlike the cuprates, T{sub c} of the hydride is not limited by fluctuations. This is due to its three dimensionality and suggests the search for better superconductors should refocus on three-dimensional systems where the inevitable thermal fluctuations are less likely to reduce the observed T{sub c}. (copyright 2016 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Identifying the genes of unconventional high temperature superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiangping

We elucidate a recently emergent framework in unifying the two families of high temperature (high [Formula: see text]) superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. The unification suggests that the latter is simply the counterpart of the former to realize robust extended s-wave pairing symmetries in a square lattice. The unification identifies that the key ingredients (gene) of high [Formula: see text] superconductors is a quasi two dimensional electronic environment in which the d -orbitals of cations that participate in strong in-plane couplings to the p -orbitals of anions are isolated near Fermi energy. With this gene, the superexchange magnetic interactions mediated by anions could maximize their contributions to superconductivity. Creating the gene requires special arrangements between local electronic structures and crystal lattice structures. The speciality explains why high [Formula: see text] superconductors are so rare. An explicit prediction is made to realize high [Formula: see text] superconductivity in Co/Ni-based materials with a quasi two dimensional hexagonal lattice structure formed by trigonal bipyramidal complexes.

Local electromagnetic waves in layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gvozdikov, V.M.; Vega-Monroy, R.

1999-01-01

A dispersion equation for electromagnetic waves localized on a defect layer of a layered superconductor is obtained in the frame of a model which neglects electron hopping between layers but assumes an arbitrary current-current response function within the layers. The defect layer differs from the rest of the layers by density and mass of charge carriers. It is shown that near the critical temperature in the London limit the local mode lies within the superconducting gap and has a wave vector threshold depending on the layered crystal and defect layer parameters. In the case of highly anisotropic layered superconductors, like Bi- or Tl-based high-T c cuprates, the local mode exists within a narrow range of positive variations of the mass and charge carriers. (author)

Scanning X-ray microscopy of superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stahl, Claudia; Ruoss, Stephen; Weigand, Markus; Schuetz, Gisela [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart (Germany); Zahn, Patrick; Bayer, Jonas [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart (Germany); Research Institute for Innovative Surfaces, FINO, Aalen University (Germany); Albrecht, Joachim [Research Institute for Innovative Surfaces, FINO, Aalen University (Germany)

2016-07-01

The magnetic flux distribution arising from a high-T{sub c} superconductor is detected and visualized with high spatial resolution using scanning x-ray microscopy (SXM). Therefore, we introduce a sensor layer, namely, an amorphous, soft-magnetic CoFeB cover layer. The magnetic stray fields of the supercurrents lead to a local reorientation of the magnetic moments in the ferromagnet, which is visualized using the large x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) effect of the Co and Fe L3-edge. We show that the XMCD contrast in the sensor layer corresponds to the in-plane magnetic flux distribution of the superconductor and can hence be used to image magnetic structures in superconductors with high spatial resolution. Using the total electron yield (TEY) mode the surface structure and the magnetic domains can be imaged simultaneously and can be correlated. The measurements are carried out at our scanning x-ray microscope MAXYMUS at Bessy II, Berlin with the new low temperature setup.

Structure, stoichiometry and spectroscopy of oxide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, C. N. R.

In the new oxide superconductors, structure and oxygen stoichiometry play the most crucial role. Thus, all the high-temperature oxide superconductors are orthorhombic perovskites with low-dimensional features. Oxygen stoichiometry in YBa2Cu3O7-δ has an important bearing on the structure as well as superconductivity. This is equally true in the La3-xBa3+xCu 6O14+δ system of which only the 123 oxide (x = 1) with the orthorhombic structure shows high Tc. Orthorhombicity though not essential, is generally found ; it is necessary for the formation of twins. The nature of oxygen and copper in the cuprates has been examined by electron spectroscopy. Copper in these cuprates is only in 1 + and 2 + states. It seems likely that oxygen holes are responsible for superconductivity of the cuprates as well as Ba(Bi, Pb)O3. High Tc superconductivity is also found in oxides of the Bi-(Ca, Sr)-Cu-O and related oxides possessing Cu-O sheets. Dans les nouveaux oxydes supraconducteurs, la structure et la stoechiométrie de l'oxygène jouent un rôle absolument crucial. Ainsi, tous les oxydes supraconducteurs à haute température critique sont des pérovskites orthorhombiques possédant des propriétés de basse dimensionnalité. La stoechiométrie de l'oxygène dans YBa2Cu3O7- δ a une influence importante tant sur la structure que sur la supraconductibilité. Ceci est également valable pour les composés du type La3 -xBa3 + xCu 6O14 + δ parmi lesquels seul l'oxyde 123 (x = 1) à structure orthorhombique présente un grand T. Bien que ce ne soit pas essentiel, cette orthorhombicité est fréquente ; elle est nécessaire à la formation de macles. La nature de l'oxygène et du cuivre a été observée par spectroscopie électronique... Dans ces cuprates, le cuivre est dans les seuls états de valence + 1 et + 2. Vraisemblablement, les trous logés sur l'oxygène sont responsables de la supraconductibilité des cuprates comme de Ba(Bi, Pb)O3. La supraconductibilité existe aussi

Spatial distribution of superconducting and charge-density-wave order parameters in cuprates and its influence on the quasiparticle tunnel current (Review Article)

Science.gov (United States)

Gabovich, Alexander M.; Voitenko, Alexander I.

2016-10-01

The state of the art concerning tunnel measurements of energy gaps in cuprate oxides has been analyzed. A detailed review of the relevant literature is made, and original results calculated for the quasiparticle tunnel current J(V) between a metallic tip and a disordered d-wave superconductor partially gapped by charge density waves (CDWs) are reported, because it is this model of high-temperature superconductors that becomes popular owing to recent experiments in which CDWs were observed directly. The current was calculated suggesting the scatter of both the superconducting and CDW order parameters due to the samples' intrinsic inhomogeneity. It was shown that peculiarities in the current-voltage characteristics inherent to the case of homogeneous superconducting material are severely smeared, and the CDW-related features transform into experimentally observed peak-dip-hump structures. Theoretical results were used to fit data measured for YBa2Cu3O7-δ and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ. The fitting demonstrated a good qualitative agreement between the experiment and model calculations. The analysis of the energy gaps in high-Tc superconductors is important both per se and as a tool to uncover the nature of superconductivity in cuprates not elucidated so far despite of much theoretical effort and experimental progress.

Non-universality of critical exponents in the paraconductivity of short-coherence-length superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauzzi, A.

1993-01-01

The Aslamazov-Larkin paraconductivity term is calculated in the case of sufficiently small superconducting coherence length. It is found that the critical exponent of paraconductivity depends on the short-wavelength cut-off of the fluctuation spectrum in the whole Ginzburg-Landau mean-field region. Hence, it is predicted that the Aslamazov-Larkin universal relation between the critical exponent of paraconductivity and the dimensionality of the superconducting state is no longer valid in short-coherence-length superconductors. This prediction is confirmed by paraconductivity measurements on cuprate superconductors. (orig.)

A universal explanation of tunneling conductance in exotic superconductors

OpenAIRE

Hong, Jongbae; Abergel, D. S. L.

2016-01-01

A longstanding mystery in understanding cuprate superconductors is the inconsistency between the experimental data measured by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In particular, the gap between prominent side peaks observed in STS is much bigger than the superconducting gap observed by ARPES measurements. Here, we reconcile the two experimental techniques by generalising a theory which was previously applied to zero-dimensional mesoscop...

Raman studies of lanthanum cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, W.H.; Peters, C.R.; Logothetis, E.M.

1989-01-01

Raman-scattering studies of the high-T/sub c/ superconductor La/sub 2-//sub x/(Sr, Ba)/sub x/CuO 4 are briefly reviewed. A detailed analysis of the phonon-mode symmetries is given along with a discussion of the effects expected from the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition, which is known to occur in these materials. Survey spectra are given for powders, ceramics, and single crystals, and an oxide of Cu is identified as the primary impurity phase. Extensive spectra are given from oriented single crystals of La 2 CuO 4 and La/sub 1.85/Sr/sub 0.15/CuO 4 , and several mode assignments are made. Spectra for the high-temperature tetragonal phase and the low-temperature orthorhombic phase are given for each material. The soft phonon associated with the phase transition is seen in La 2 CuO 4 as is a broad peak arising from two-magnon scattering. Neither of these features is seen in the Sr-doped sample

The discovery and some properties of high-T superconductors; El descubrimiento y algunas propiedades de los superconductores de altas temperaturas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, Karl A [Zurich Univ. (Switzerland)

1997-12-31

Full text: Starting with the first observation of superconductivity in an oxide, the history of its development is traced. Basically and consecutively, three kinds of oxide superconductors have been found. Compounds with normal transition-metal condition bands, oxides with cations exhibiting charge disproportion, and finally the cuprates with large coulomb on-site repulsion, U. This discussion will lead over to a characterization of the highest-T materials both concerning their physical properties and application perspectives.

Thermal transport in layered structure of YBa2Cu3O7-δ superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Rakhi; Indu, B. D.

2017-12-01

The heat transfer study in YBa2Cu3O7-δ superconductors structures is focused on the influence of the effect of scattering events in cross-plane and in-plane references. Understanding the mechanism of controlling the thermal conductivity of layered superconductors is an area of interest for nano microelectronics and thermo-electronic technological applications. The model of the thermal conduction, and phonon transport perpendicular and parallel to the layers of YBa2Cu3O7-δ are developed. It has been justified via numerical estimation and found substantial diminution in thermal conductivities in both in-plane and cross-plane directions of layered cuprate superconductors.

Prediction of inorganic superconductors with quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkova, L M; Marinin, D V

2013-01-01

Models of superconductors having a quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure based on the convoluted into a tube Ginzburg sandwich, which comprises a layered dielectric–metal–dielectric structure, have been suggested. The critical crystal chemistry parameters of the Ginzburg sandwich determining the possibility of the emergence of superconductivity and the T c value in layered high-T c cuprates, which could have the same functions in quasi-one-dimensional fragments (sandwich-type tubes), have been examined. The crystal structures of known low-temperature superconductors, in which one can mark out similar quasi-one-dimensional fragments, have been analyzed. Five compounds with quasi-one-dimensional structures, which can be considered as potential parents of new superconductor families, possibly with high transition temperatures, have been suggested. The methods of doping and modification of these compounds are provided. (paper)

Bosonic excitations and electron pairing in an electron-doped cuprate superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, M. C.; Yu, H. S.; Xiong, J.; Yang, Y.-F.; Luo, S. N.; Jin, K.; Qi, J.

2018-04-01

By applying ultrafast optical spectroscopy to electron-doped La1.9Ce0.1CuO4 ±δ , we discern a bosonic mode of electronic origin and provide the evolution of its coupling with the charge carriers as a function of temperature. Our results show that it has the strongest coupling strength near Tc and can fully account for the superconducting pairing. This mode can be associated with the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin correlations emerging below a critical temperature T† larger than Tc. Our work may help to establish a quantitative relation between bosonic excitations and superconducting pairing in electron-doped cuprates.

Magnetic behavior of light rare earth ions in (Nd,Eu,Gd)-123 superconductors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirsa, Miloš; Rameš, Michal; Marcenat, C.; Wolf, T.

2013-01-01

Roč. 26, č. 4 (2013), s. 901-905 ISSN 1557-1939 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10069 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : high- T c superconductors * cuprates * thermodynamic properties * LRE-123 * paramagnetic ions Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.930, year: 2013

Mottness in high-temperature copper-oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Philip; Choy, T.-P.; Leigh, Robert G

2009-01-01

The standard theory of metals, Fermi liquid theory, hinges on the key assumption that although the electrons interact, the low-energy excitation spectrum stands in a one-to-one correspondence with that of a non-interacting system. In the normal state of the copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors, drastic deviations from the Fermi liquid picture are obtained, highlighted by a pseudogap, broad spectral features and T-linear resistivity. A successful theory in this context must confront the highly constraining scaling argument which establishes that all 4-Fermi interactions are irrelevant (except for pairing) at a Fermi surface. This argument lays plain that new low-energy degrees of freedom are necessary. This paper focuses on the series of experiments on copper-oxide superconductors which reveal that the number of low-energy addition states per electron per spin exceeds unity, in direct violation of the key Fermi liquid tenet. These experiments point to new degrees of freedom, not made out of the elemental excitations, as the key mechanism by which Fermi liquid theory breaks down in the cuprates. A recent theoretical advance which permits an explicit integration of the high-energy scale in the standard model for the cuprates reveals the source of the new dynamical degrees of freedom at low energies, a charge 2e bosonic field which has nothing to do with pairing but rather represents the mixing with the high-energy scales. We demonstrate explicitly that at half-filling, this new degree of freedom provides a dynamical mechanism for the generation of the charge gap and antiferromagnetism in the insulating phase. At finite doping, many of the anomalies of the normal state of the cuprates including the pseudogap, T-linear resistivity and the mid-infrared band are reproduced. A possible route to superconductivity is explored

Electronic Structure of the Bismuth Family of High Temperature Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunn, Lisa

2002-03-07

High temperature superconductivity remains the central intellectual problem in condensed matter physics fifteen years after its discovery. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) directly probes the electronic structure, and has played an important role in the field of high temperature superconductors. With the recent advances in sample growth and the photoemission technique, we are able to study the electronic structure in great detail, and address regimes that were previously inaccessible. This thesis work contains systematic photoemission studies of the electronic structure of the Bi-family of high temperature superconductors, which include the single-layer system (Bi2201), the bi-layer system (Bi2212), and the tri-layer system (Bi2223). We show that, unlike conventional BCS superconductors, phase coherence information emerges in the single particle excitation spectrum of high temperature superconductors as the superconducting peak in Bi2212. The universality and various properties of this superconducting peak are studied in various systems. We argue that the origin of the superconducting peak may provide the key to understanding the mechanism of High-Tc superconductors. In addition, we identified a new experimental energy scale in the bilayer material, the anisotropic intra-bilayer coupling energy. For a long time, it was predicted that this energy scale would cause bilayer band splitting. We observe this phenomenon, for the first time, in heavily overdoped Bi2212. This new observation requires the revision of the previous picture of the electronic excitation in the Brillouin zone boundary. As the first ARPES study of a trilayer system, various detailed electronic proper- ties of Bi2223 are examined. We show that, comparing with Bi2212, both superconducting gap and relative superconducting peak intensity become larger in Bi2223, however, the strength of the interlayer coupling within each unit cell is possibly weaker. These results suggest that the

Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the many-body effects in the electronic structure of high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inosov, Dmytro S.

2008-01-01

In the present work some steps are done towards understanding the anomalous effects observed in the single-particle excitation spectra of cuprates. First, the electronic properties of BSCCO are considered. The main result of this part of the work is a model of the Green's function that is later used for calculating the two-particle excitation spectrum. Then, the matrix element effects in the photoemission spectra of cuprates are discussed. After a general introduction to the problem, the thesis focuses on the recently discovered anomalous behavior of the ARPES spectra that partially originates from the momentum-dependent photoemission matrix element. The momentum- and excitation energy dependence of the anomalous high-energy dispersion, termed ''waterfalls'', is covered in full detail. Understanding the role of the matrix element effects in this phenomenon proves crucial, as they obstruct the view of the underlying excitation spectrum that is of indisputable interest. For the optimally doped bilayer Bi-based cuprate, the renormalized two-particle correlation function in the superconducting state is calculated from ARPES data within an itinerant model based on the random phase approximation (RPA). (orig.)

Comparative Review on Thin Film Growth of Iron-Based Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshinori Imai

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of the novel iron-based superconductors, both theoretical and experimental studies have been performed intensively. Because iron-based superconductors have a smaller anisotropy than high-Tc cuprates and a high superconducting transition temperature, there have been a lot of researchers working on the film fabrication of iron-based superconductors and their application. Accordingly, many novel features have been reported in the films of iron-based superconductors, for example, the fabrication of the epitaxial film with a higher Tc than bulk samples, the extraction of the metastable phase which cannot be obtained by the conventional solid state reaction, and so on. In this paper, we review the progress of research on thin film fabrications of iron-based superconductors, especially the four categories: LnFeAs(O,F (Ln = Lanthanide, AEFe2As2 (AE = Alkaline-earth metal, FeCh (Ch = Chalcogen, and FeSe monolayer. Furthermore, we focus on two important topics in thin films of iron-based superconductors; one is the substrate material for thin film growth on the iron-based superconductors, and the other is the whole phase diagram in FeSe1-xTex which can be obtained only by using film-fabrication technique.

Thermodynamic Critical Field and Superconducting Fluctuation of Vortices for High Temperature Cuprate Superconductor: La-214

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yung Moo Huh

2001-01-01

Thermodynamics has been studied systematically for the high temperature cuprate superconductor La 2-x Sr x CuO 4-δ , La-214, in the entire superconductive region from strongly underdoped to strongly overdoped regimes. Magnetization studies with H(parallel)c have been made in order to investigate the changes in free energy of the system as the number of carriers is reduced. Above the superconducting transition temperature, the normal-state magnetization exhibits a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic behavior. Below T c , magnetization data are thermodynamically reversible over large portions of the H-T plane, so the free energy is well defined in these regions. As the Sr concentration is varied over the wide range from 0.060 (strongly underdoped) to 0.234 (strongly overdoped), the free energy change goes through a maximum at the optimum doped in a manner similar to the T c0 vs. x curve. The density of states, N(0), remains nearly constant in the overdoped and optimum doped regimes, taking a broad maximum around x = 0.188, and then drops abruptly towards zero in the underdoped regime. The La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (La-214) system displays the fluctuating vortex behavior with the characteristic of either 2D or 3D fluctuations as indicated by clearly identifiable crossing points T* close to T c . The dimensional character of the fluctuations depends on both applied magnetic fields and the density of charge carriers. The dimensional crossover from 2D to 3D occurs in the strongly underdoped regime when the c-axis coherence distance ζ c becomes comparable to the spacing between adjacent CuO 2 layers s at sufficiently high magnetic fields near H c2

Thermodynamic Critical Field and Superconducting Fluctuation of Vortices for High Temperature Cuprate Superconductor: La-214

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finnemore, Douglas K.

2001-01-01

Thermodynamics has been studied systematically for the high temperature cuprate superconductor La 2-x Sr x CuO 4-δ , La-214, in the entire superconductive region from strongly underdoped to strongly overdoped regimes. Magnetization studies with H (parallel) c have been made in order to investigate the changes in free energy of the system as the number of carriers is reduced. Above the superconducting transition temperature, the normal-state magnetization exhibits a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic behavior. Below T c , magnetization data are thermodynamically reversible over large portions of the H-T plane, so the free energy is well defined in these regions. As the Sr concentration is varied over the wide range from 0.060 (strongly underdoped) to 0.234 (strongly overdoped), the free energy change goes through a maximum at the optimum doped in a manner similar to the T c0 vs. x curve. The density of states, N(0), remains nearly constant in the overdoped and optimum doped regimes, taking a broad maximum around x = 0.188, and then drops abruptly towards zero in the underdoped regime. The La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (La-214) system displays the fluctuating vortex behavior with the characteristic of either 2D or 3D fluctuations as indicated by clearly identifiable crossing points T* close to T c . The dimensional character of the fluctuations depends on both applied magnetic fields and the density of charge carriers. The dimensional crossover from 2D to 3D occurs in the strongly underdoped regime when the c-axis coherence distance ξ c becomes comparable to the spacing between adjacent CuO 2 layers s at sufficiently high magnetic field near H c2

Local antiferromagnetic exchange and collaborative Fermi surface as key ingredients of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiangping; Ding, Hong

2012-01-01

Cuprates, ferropnictides and ferrochalcogenides are three classes of unconventional high temperature superconductors, who share similar phase diagrams in which superconductivity develops after a magnetic order is suppressed, suggesting a strong interplay between superconductivity and magnetism, although the exact picture of this interplay remains elusive. Here we show that there is a direct bridge connecting antiferromagnetic exchange interactions determined in the parent compounds of these materials to the superconducting gap functions observed in the corresponding superconducting materials: in all high temperature superconductors, the Fermi surface topology matches the form factor of the pairing symmetry favored by local magnetic exchange interactions. We suggest that this match offers a principle guide to search for new high temperature superconductors. PMID:22536479

Spatial distribution of superconducting and charge-density-wave order parameters in cuprates and its influence on the quasiparticle tunnel current (Review Article)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabovich, Alexander M.; Voitenko, Alexander I.

2016-01-01

The state of the art concerning tunnel measurements of energy gaps in cuprate oxides has been analyzed. A detailed review of the relevant literature is made, and original results calculated for the quasiparticle tunnel current J(V) between a metallic tip and a disordered d-wave superconductor partially gapped by charge density waves (CDWs) are reported, because it is this model of high-temperature superconductors that becomes popular owing to recent experiments in which CDWs were observed directly. The current was calculated suggesting the scatter of both the superconducting and CDW order parameters due to the samples intrinsic inhomogeneity. It was shown that peculiarities in the current-voltage characteristics inherent to the case of homogeneous super-conducting material are severely smeared, and the CDW-related features transform into experimentally observed peak-dip-hump structures. Theoretical results were used to fit data measured for YBa_2Cu_3O_7_-_d_e_l_t_a and Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8_+_d_e_l_t_a. The fitting demonstrated a good qualitative agreement between the experiment and model calculations. The analysis of the energy gaps in high-Tc superconductors is important both per se and as a tool to uncover the nature of superconductivity in cuprates not elucidated so far despite of much theoretical effort and experimental progress.

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12 (O1-x Fx)2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugimoto, A.; Shohara, K.; Ekino, T.; Watanabe, Y.; Harada, Y.; Mikusu, S.; Tokiwa, K.; Watanabe, T.

2009-01-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba 2 Ca 5 Cu 6 O 12 (O 1-x F x ) 2 are carried out. STM topographies show randomly distributed bright spot structures with a typical spot size of ∼0.8 nm. These bright spots are occupied about 28% per one unit cell of c-plane, which is comparable to the regular amount of apical oxygen of 20% obtained from element analysis. Tunneling spectra simultaneously show both the small and the large gap structures. These gap sizes at 4.9 K are about Δ ∼15 meV and ∼90 meV, respectively. The small gap structure disappears at the temperature close to T C , while the large gap persists up to ∼200 K. Therefore, these features correspond to the superconducting gap and pseudogap, respectively. These facts give evidence for some ordered state with large energy scale even in the superconducting state. For the superconducting gap, the ratio of 2Δ/K B T C = 4.9 is obtained with T C = 70 K, which is determined from temperature dependence of the tunneling spectra.

Quantum oscillations and key theoretical issues in high temperature superconductors from the perspective of density waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, Sudip

2011-01-01

High temperature superconductivity in cuprate superconductors remains an unsolved problem in theoretical physics. The same statement can also be made about a number of other superconductors that have been dubbed novel. What makes these superconductors so elusive is an interesting question in itself. This paper focuses on the recent magnetic oscillation experiments and how they fit into the broader picture. Many aspects of these experiments can be explained by Fermi liquid theory; the key issue is the extent to which this is true. If true, the entire paradigm developed over the past three decades must be reexamined. A critical analysis of this issue has necessitated a broader analysis of questions about distinct ground states of matter, which may be useful in understanding other novel superconductors.

Similarity in the superconducting properties of chalcogenides, cuprate oxides and fullerides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsendin, K.D.; Popov, B.P.; Denisov, D.V.

2004-01-01

The idea of Anderson pairs has been put forward for explanation of many extraordinary properties of chalcogenides glassy semiconductors. Recent decades made obvious that these pairs localized on the centers with negative effective correlation energy (negative-U centers) really exist in chalcogenides. If the concentration of negative-U centers is enough to create the pair band states, this can lead to superconductivity because Anderson pairs are Bose particles. In the present paper we show that several puzzling superconductivity properties of chalcogenides, high-temperature cuprate superconductors and fullerides are similar for these three groups of materials and can be naturally explained in the frame of negative-U centers model of superconductivity

The discovery and some properties of high-T superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Karl A.

1996-01-01

Full text: Starting with the first observation of superconductivity in an oxide, the history of its development is traced. Basically and consecutively, three kinds of oxide superconductors have been found. Compounds with normal transition-metal condition bands, oxides with cations exhibiting charge disproportion, and finally the cuprates with large coulomb on-site repulsion, U. This discussion will lead over to a characterization of the highest-T materials both concerning their physical properties and application perspectives

Bec Model of HIGH-Tc Superconductivity in Layered Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Lomnitz, M.; Villarreal, C.; de Llano, M.

2013-11-01

High-Tc superconductivity in layered cuprates is described in a BCS-BEC formalism with linearly-dispersive s- and d-wave Cooper pairs moving in quasi-2D finite-width layers around the CuO2 planes. This yields a closed formula for Tc involving the layer width, the Debye frequency, the pairing energy and the in-plane penetration depth. The new formula has no free parameters and reasonably reproduces empirical values of superconducting Tcs for 11 different layered superconductors over a wide doping regime including YBCO itself as well as other compounds like LSCO, BSCCO and TBCCO. In agreement with the London formalism, the formula also yields a fair description of the Tc dependence of the lower critical magnetic field in highly underdoped YBCO.

Quasi-particles ultrafastly releasing kink bosons to form Fermi arcs in a cuprate superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishida, Y; Saitoh, T; Mochiku, T; Nakane, T; Hirata, K; Shin, S

2016-01-05

In a conventional framework, superconductivity is lost at a critical temperature (Tc) because, at higher temperatures, gluing bosons can no longer bind two electrons into a Cooper pair. In high-Tc cuprates, it is still unknown how superconductivity vanishes at Tc. We provide evidence that the so-called ≲ 70-meV kink bosons that dress the quasi-particle excitations are playing a key role in the loss of superconductivity in a cuprate. We irradiated a 170-fs laser pulse on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) and monitored the responses of the superconducting gap and dressed quasi-particles by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We observe an ultrafast loss of superconducting gap near the d-wave node, or light-induced Fermi arcs, which is accompanied by spectral broadenings and weight redistributions occurring within the kink binding energy. We discuss that the underlying mechanism of the spectral broadening that induce the Fermi arc is the undressing of quasi-particles from the kink bosons. The loss mechanism is beyond the conventional framework, and can accept the unconventional phenomena such as the signatures of Cooper pairs remaining at temperatures above Tc.

Optical conductivity and electronic Raman response of cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanyolos, A.; Dora, B.; Virosztek, A.

2010-01-01

We present the results of detailed analytical calculations for the in-plane optical conductivity and the electronic Raman susceptibility in quasi two-dimensional systems possessing a ground state with two competing order parameters: a d-wave density wave (dDW) and d-wave superconductor (dSC). In the coexisting dDW+dSC phase we determine the frequency dependence of these correlation functions in the presence of randomly distributed non-magnetic impurities in the unitary limit.

Evidence for phononic pairing in extremely overdoped ``pure'' d-wave superconductor Bi2212

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yu; Hishimoto, Makoto; Song, Dongjoon; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Shen, Zhi-Xun

2015-03-01

Recent advancement in High Tc cuprate superconductor research has elucidated strong interaction between superconductivity and competing orders. Therefore, the mechanism behind the 'pure' d-wave superconducting behavior becomes the next stepping stone to further the understanding. We have performed photoemission study on extremely overdoped Bi2212 single crystal synthesized via high pressure method. In this regime, we demonstrate the much reduced superconducting gap and the absence of pseudogap. Clear gap shifted bosonic mode coupling is observed throughout the entire Brillouin zone. Via full Eliashberg treatment, we find the electron-phonon coupling strength capable of producing a transition temperature very close to Tc. This strongly implies bosonic contribution to cuprate superconductivity's pairing glue.

Low-energy physics of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, V.J.; Kivelson, S.A.

1992-01-01

It is argued that the low-energy properties of high temperature superconductors are dominated by the interaction between the mobile holes and a particular class of collective modes, corresponding to local large-amplitude low-energy fluctuations in the hole density. The latter are a consequence of the competition between the effects of long-range Coulomb interactions and the tendency of a low concentration of holes in an antiferromagnet to phase separate. The low-energy behavior of the system is governed by the same fixed point as the two-channel Kondo problem, which accounts for the ''universality'' of the properties of the cuprate superconductors. Predictions of the optical properties and the spin dynamics are compared with experiment. The pairing resonance of the two Kondo problem gives a mechanism of high temperature superconductivity with an unconventional symmetry of the order parameter

Electron spectroscopy on high-temperature superconductors and related compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knupfer, M.

1994-01-01

In the last two classes of materials have been discovered which distinguish themselves due to a transition into the superconducting state at relatively high temperatures. These are the cuprate superconductors and the alkali metal doped fullerenes. In this work the electronic structure of representatives of these materials, undoped and Ca-doped YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 and A 3 C 60 (A=K, Rb), has been investigated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy and photoemission spectroscopy. (orig.) [de

Behaviour of superconductivity energetic characteristics in electron-doped cuprates. A simple model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kristoffel, N.; Rubin, P.

2008-01-01

A simple model to describe the energetic phase diagram of electron-doped cuprate superconductor is developed. Interband pairing operates between the UHB and the defect states created by doping and supplied by both extincting HB-s. Two defect subbands correspond to the (π,0) and (π/2,π/2) momentum regions. Extended doping quenches the bare normal state gaps (pseudogaps). Maximal transition temperature corresponds to overlapping bands ensemble intersected by the chemical potential. Illustrative results for T c , pseudo- and superconducting gaps are calculated on the whole doping scale. Major characteristic features on the phase diagram are reproduced. Anticipated manifestation of gaps doping dynamics is discussed

Growth of high-temperature superconductor crystals from flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demianets, L.N.; Bykov, A.B.; Melnikov, O.K.; Stishov, S.M.

1991-01-01

Crystallization of high-temperature superconductors was studied in La-Sr-Cu-O, Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems. Platelet crystals YBa 2 Cu 3 Osub(6.5+x) were obtained by spontaneous crystallization from homogeneous nonstoichiometric melts enriched in barium and copper oxides. Lasub(2-x)Sr x CuO 4 was prepared by slow cooling of melts enriched in copper oxide. Bi 2 (Sr, Ca)sub(n+1)Cu n O y , (n=1;2) was obtained by melting zone travelling. The crystals show transition to superconducting state at T=93K, ΔT 0.2-0.5 K (Y, Ba cuprate), T=87K, ΔT 2K (Bi, Sr, Ca-cuprate). La, Sr-cuprate single crystals obtained by Czochralski method did not show transition to superconducting state. For flux-grown crystals T c was 5-26 K depending on the composition, growth and heat treatment. The short characterization of some accessory phases (Ba 3 Y 2 Cu 3 PtO 10 , Casub(1.75)Srsub(1.5)Cusub(0.75)PtO 6 , BaCuO 2 , Ba 41 Cu 44 O 84 Cl 2 ) is reported. (author). 15 ref s., 8 figs

Oxygen diffusion in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothman, S.J.; Routbort, J.L.

1992-07-01

The cuprate superconductors are fascinating not only because of their technical promise, but also because of their structures, especially the anisotropy of the crystal lattice. There are some structural similarities among these compounds, but also significant differences. Measurements of the oxygen tracer diffusion coefficients have been carried out as a function of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, crystal orientation, and doping in the La-Sr-Cu-0, Y-Ba-Cu-0, and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 systems. These measurements have revealed a variety of defect mechanisms operating in these compounds; the exact nature of the mechanism depends on the details of the structure

Nonlinear optical effects and third-harmonic generation in superconductors: Cooper pairs versus Higgs mode contribution

Science.gov (United States)

Cea, T.; Castellani, C.; Benfatto, L.

2016-05-01

The recent observation of a transmitted THz pulse oscillating at three times the frequency of the incident light paves the way to a powerful protocol to access resonant excitations in a superconductor. Here we show that this nonlinear optical process is dominated by light-induced excitation of Cooper pairs, while the collective amplitude (Higgs) fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter give in general a negligible contribution. We also predict a nontrivial dependence of the signal on the direction of the light polarization with respect to the lattice symmetry, which can be tested in systems such as, e.g., cuprate superconductors.

Distinct Nature of Static and Dynamic Magnetic Stripes in Cuprate Superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, H.; Holm, S. L.; Lăcătuşu, M. E.

2018-01-01

We present detailed neutron scattering studies of the static and dynamic stripes in an optimally doped high-Temperature superconductor, La2CuO4+y. We observe that the dynamic stripes do not disperse towards the static stripes in the limit of vanishing energy transfer. Therefore, the dynamic stripes...

A tale of two metals: contrasting criticalities in the pnictides and hole-doped cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Hussey, N. E.; Buhot, J.; Licciardello, S.

2018-05-01

The iron-based high temperature superconductors share a number of similarities with their copper-based counterparts, such as reduced dimensionality, proximity to states of competing order, and a critical role for 3d electron orbitals. Their respective temperature-doping phase diagrams also contain certain commonalities that have led to claims that the metallic and superconducting (SC) properties of both families are governed by their proximity to a quantum critical point (QCP) located inside the SC dome. In this review, we critically examine these claims and highlight significant differences in the bulk physical properties of both systems. While there is now a large body of evidence supporting the presence of a (magnetic) QCP in the iron pnictides, the situation in the cuprates is much less apparent, at least for the end point of the pseudogap phase. We argue that the opening of the normal state pseudogap in cuprates, so often tied to a putative QCP, arises from a momentum-dependent breakdown of quasiparticle coherence that sets in at much higher doping levels but which is driven by the proximity to the Mott insulating state at half filling. Finally, we present a new scenario for the cuprates in which this loss of quasiparticle integrity and its evolution with momentum, temperature and doping plays a key role in shaping the resultant phase diagram. This key issues review is dedicated to the memory of Dr John Loram whose pioneering measurements, analysis and ideas inspired much of its content.

Strong-coupling approach to nematicity in the cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Peter Philipp; Jeevanesan, Bhilahari; Schmalian, Joerg; Fernandes, Rafael

The underdoped cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ is known to exhibit an electronic nematic phase in proximity to antiferromagnetism. While nematicity sets in at large temperatures of T ~ 150 K, static spin density wave order only emerges at much lower temperatures. The magnetic response shows a strong in-plane anisotropy, displaying incommensurate Bragg peaks along one of the crystalline directions and a commensurate peak along the other one. Such an anisotropy persists even in the absence of long-range magnetic order at higher temperatures, marking the onset of nematic order. Here we theoretically investigate this situation using a strong-coupling method that takes into account both the localized Cu spins and the holes doped into the oxygen orbitals. We derive an effective spin Hamiltonian and show that charge fluctuations promote an enhancement of the nematic susceptibility near the antiferromagnetic transition temperature.

Low-energy excitations and Fermi surface topology of parent cobaltate superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, M.Z.; Qian, D.; Foo, M.; Cava, R.J.

2007-01-01

The essential framework for cuprate superconductivity is that of a spin-1/2 electron system in the vicinity of a half filled (Mott limit) lattice. Of all oxide superconductors, this framework is most closely matched in the sodium doped cobalt oxides except that it is realized on a triangular lattice. We employ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the quasiparticle dynamics of the parent cobaltate superconductor. Results reveal a single hole-like Fermi surface generated by the crossing of heavy (∼15 m e ∼ 3m LDA ) quasiparticles with a negative effective hopping (t eff F (k → )∼v F ∼0.4±0.1 eV A) observed. ARPES data is consistent with bulk thermodynamic specific heat and quantum oscillation measurements

Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the many-body effects in the electronic structure of high-T{sub c} cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inosov, Dmytro S.

2008-06-18

In the present work some steps are done towards understanding the anomalous effects observed in the single-particle excitation spectra of cuprates. First, the electronic properties of BSCCO are considered. The main result of this part of the work is a model of the Green's function that is later used for calculating the two-particle excitation spectrum. Then, the matrix element effects in the photoemission spectra of cuprates are discussed. After a general introduction to the problem, the thesis focuses on the recently discovered anomalous behavior of the ARPES spectra that partially originates from the momentum-dependent photoemission matrix element. The momentum- and excitation energy dependence of the anomalous high-energy dispersion, termed ''waterfalls'', is covered in full detail. Understanding the role of the matrix element effects in this phenomenon proves crucial, as they obstruct the view of the underlying excitation spectrum that is of indisputable interest. For the optimally doped bilayer Bi-based cuprate, the renormalized two-particle correlation function in the superconducting state is calculated from ARPES data within an itinerant model based on the random phase approximation (RPA). (orig.)

Infrared properties of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlesinger, Z.; Rotter, L.D.; Collins, R.T.; Holtzberg, F.; Feild, C.

1991-01-01

Over the past several years a coherent phenomenology of the high T c cuprate superconductors has begun to emerge. Infrared measurements have contributed several important ingredients to this picture including: (1) the inference of a scattering rate that is linear in frequency for ω>T, and of order ω, (2) a characteristic energy scale in the superconducting state of 500 cm -1 (60 meV), which can be interpreted as a superconducting pair excitation threshold or energy gap, and (3) evidence for very unusual temperature dependence in the vicinity of T c . An attempt to describe these aspects of the data is presented here

Vortex cutting in superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vlasko-Vlasov, Vitalii K.; Koshelev, Alexei E.; Glatz, Andreas; Welp, Ulrich; Kwok, Wai-K.

2015-03-01

Unlike illusive magnetic field lines in vacuum, magnetic vortices in superconductors are real physical strings, which interact with the sample surface, crystal structure defects, and with each other. We address the complex and poorly understood process of vortex cutting via a comprehensive set of magneto-optic experiments which allow us to visualize vortex patterns at magnetization of a nearly twin-free YBCO crystal by crossing magnetic fields of different orientations. We observe a pronounced anisotropy in the flux dynamics under crossing fields and the filamentation of induced supercurrents associated with the staircase vortex structure expected in layered cuprates, flux cutting effects, and angular vortex instabilities predicted for anisotropic superconductors. At some field angles, we find formation of the vortex domains following a type-I phase transition in the vortex state accompanied by an abrupt change in the vortex orientation. To clarify the vortex cutting scenario we performed time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations, which confirmed formation of sharp vortex fronts observed in the experiment and revealed a left-handed helical instability responsible for the rotation of vortices. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

Unified Phase Diagram for Iron-Based Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Yanhong; Liu, Zhaoyu; Xie, Tao; Zhang, Wenliang; Gong, Dongliang; Hu, Ding; Ma, Xiaoyan; Li, Chunhong; Zhao, Lingxiao; Lin, Lifang; Xu, Zhuang; Tan, Guotai; Chen, Genfu; Meng, Zi Yang; Yang, Yi-Feng; Luo, Huiqian; Li, Shiliang

2017-10-13

High-temperature superconductivity is closely adjacent to a long-range antiferromagnet, which is called a parent compound. In cuprates, all parent compounds are alike and carrier doping leads to superconductivity, so a unified phase diagram can be drawn. However, the properties of parent compounds for iron-based superconductors show significant diversity and both carrier and isovalent dopings can cause superconductivity, which casts doubt on the idea that there exists a unified phase diagram for them. Here we show that the ordered moments in a variety of iron pnictides are inversely proportional to the effective Curie constants of their nematic susceptibility. This unexpected scaling behavior suggests that the magnetic ground states of iron pnictides can be achieved by tuning the strength of nematic fluctuations. Therefore, a unified phase diagram can be established where superconductivity emerges from a hypothetical parent compound with a large ordered moment but weak nematic fluctuations, which suggests that iron-based superconductors are strongly correlated electron systems.

Unified Phase Diagram for Iron-Based Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Yanhong; Liu, Zhaoyu; Xie, Tao; Zhang, Wenliang; Gong, Dongliang; Hu, Ding; Ma, Xiaoyan; Li, Chunhong; Zhao, Lingxiao; Lin, Lifang; Xu, Zhuang; Tan, Guotai; Chen, Genfu; Meng, Zi Yang; Yang, Yi-feng; Luo, Huiqian; Li, Shiliang

2017-10-01

High-temperature superconductivity is closely adjacent to a long-range antiferromagnet, which is called a parent compound. In cuprates, all parent compounds are alike and carrier doping leads to superconductivity, so a unified phase diagram can be drawn. However, the properties of parent compounds for iron-based superconductors show significant diversity and both carrier and isovalent dopings can cause superconductivity, which casts doubt on the idea that there exists a unified phase diagram for them. Here we show that the ordered moments in a variety of iron pnictides are inversely proportional to the effective Curie constants of their nematic susceptibility. This unexpected scaling behavior suggests that the magnetic ground states of iron pnictides can be achieved by tuning the strength of nematic fluctuations. Therefore, a unified phase diagram can be established where superconductivity emerges from a hypothetical parent compound with a large ordered moment but weak nematic fluctuations, which suggests that iron-based superconductors are strongly correlated electron systems.

Electronic phase separation and high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kivelson, S.A.

1994-01-01

The authors review the extensive evidence from model calculations that neutral holes in an antiferromagnet separate into hole-rich and hole-poor phases. All known solvable limits of models of holes in a Heisenberg antiferromagnet exhibit this behavior. The authors show that when the phase separation is frustrated by the introduction of long-range Coulomb interactions, the typical consequence is either a modulated (charge density wave) state or a superconducting phase. The authors then review some of the strong experimental evidence supporting an electronically-driven phase separation of the holes in the cuprate superconductors and the related Ni oxides. Finally, the authors argue that frustrated phase separation in these materials can account for many of the anomalous normal state properties of the high temperature superconductors and provide the mechanism of superconductivity. In particular, it is shown that the T-linear resistivity of the normal state is a paraconductivity associated with a novel composite pairing, although the ordered superconducting state is more conventional

Electronic properties of high-Tc superconductors. The normal and the superconducting state of high-Tc materials. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzmany, H.; Mehring, M.; Fink, J.

1993-01-01

The International Winter School on Electronic Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors, held between March 7-14, 1992, in Kirchberg, (Tyrol) Austria, was the sixth in a series of meetings to be held at this venue. Four of the earlier meetings were dedicated to issues in the field of conducting polymers, while the winter school held in 1990 was devoted to the new discipline of high-Tc superconductivity. This year's meeting constituted a forum not only for the large number of scientists engaged in high-Tc research, but also for those involved in the new and exciting field of fullerenes. Many of the issues raised during the earlier winter schools on conducting polymers, and the last one on high-Tc superconductivity, have taken on a new significance in the light of the discovery of superconducting C 60 materials. The Kirchberg meetings are organized in the style of a school where experienced scientists from universities, research laboratories and industry have the opportunity to discuss their most recent results, and where students and young scientists can learn about the present status of research and applications from some of the most eminent workers in their field. In common with the previous winter school on high-Tc superconductors, the present one focused on the electronic properties of the cuprate superconductors. In addition, consideration was given to related compounds which are relevant to the understanding of the electronic structure of the cuprates in the normal state, to other oxide superconductors and to fulleride superconductors. Contributions dealing with their preparation, transport and thermal properties, high-energy spectroscopies, nuclear magnetic resonance, inelastic neutron scattering, and optical spectroscopy are presented in this volume. The theory of the normal and superconducting states also occupies a central position. (orig.)

Theory for electric dipole superconductivity with an application for bilayer excitons.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Qing-Dong; Bao, Zhi-qiang; Sun, Qing-Feng; Xie, X C

2015-07-08

Exciton superfluid is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon in which large quantities of excitons undergo the Bose-Einstein condensation. Recently, exciton superfluid has been widely studied in various bilayer systems. However, experimental measurements only provide indirect evidence for the existence of exciton superfluid. In this article, by viewing the exciton in a bilayer system as an electric dipole, we derive the London-type and Ginzburg-Landau-type equations for the electric dipole superconductors. By using these equations, we discover the Meissner-type effect and the electric dipole current Josephson effect. These effects can provide direct evidence for the formation of the exciton superfluid state in bilayer systems and pave new ways to drive an electric dipole current.

Photoemission perspective on pseudogap, superconducting fluctuations, and charge order in cuprates: a review of recent progress

Science.gov (United States)

Vishik, I. M.

2018-06-01

In the course of seeking the microscopic mechanism of superconductivity in cuprate high temperature superconductors, the pseudogap phase— the very abnormal ‘normal’ state on the hole-doped side— has proven to be as big of a quandary as superconductivity itself. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is a powerful tool for assessing the momentum-dependent phenomenology of the pseudogap, and recent technological developments have permitted a more detailed understanding. This report reviews recent progress in understanding the relationship between superconductivity and the pseudogap, the Fermi arc phenomena, and the relationship between charge order and pseudogap from the perspective of ARPES measurements.

Electronic structure and electron-phonon coupling in layered copper oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickett, W.E.; Cohen, R.E.; Krakauer, H.

1991-01-01

Experimental data on the layered Cu-O superconductors seem more and more to reflect normal Fermi-liquid behavior and substantial correspondence with band structure predictions. Recent self-consistent, microscopic band theoretic calculations of the electronic structure, lattice instabilities, phonon frequencies, and electron-phonon coupling characteristics and strength for La 2 CuO 4 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 are reviewed. A dominant feature of the coupling is a novel Madelung-like contribution which would be screened out in high density of states superconductors but survives in cuprates because of weak screening. Local density functional theory correctly predicts the instability of (La, Ba) 2 CuO 4 to both the low-temperature orthorhombic phase (below room temperature) and the lower-temperature tetragonal phase (below 50 K). (orig.)

Electronic Structure, Irreversibility Line and Magnetoresistance of Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 Superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi He-Mian; Chen Chao-Yu; Sun Xuan; Xie Zhuo-Jin; Feng Ya; Liang Ai-Ji; Peng Ying-Ying; He Shao-Long; Zhao Lin; Liu Guo-Dong; Dong Xiao-Li; Zhang Jun; Zhou Xing-Jiang; Chen Chuang-Tian; Xu Zu-Yan; Gu Gen-Da

2015-01-01

Cu_xBi_2Se_3 is a superconductor that is a potential candidate for topological superconductors. We report our laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurement on the electronic structure of the Cu_xBi_2Se_3 superconductor, and a detailed magneto-resistance measurement in both normal and superconducting states. We find that the topological surface state of the pristine Bi_2Se_3 topological insulator remains robust after the Cu-intercalation, while the Dirac cone location moves downward due to electron doping. Detailed measurements on the magnetic field-dependence of the resistance in the superconducting state establishes an irreversibility line and gives a value of the upper critical field at zero temperature of ∼4000 Oe for the Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 superconductor with a middle point T_c of 1.9K. The relation between the upper critical field H_c_2 and temperature T is different from the usual scaling relation found in cuprates and in other kinds of superconductors. Small positive magneto-resistance is observed in Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 superconductors up to room temperature. These observations provide useful information for further study of this possible candidate for topological superconductors. (paper)

Magic Doping Fractions in High-Temperature Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komiya, Seiki; /CRIEPI, Tokyo; Chen, Han-Dong; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Ando, Yoichi; /CRIEPI, Tokyo

2010-01-15

We report hole-doping dependence of the in-plane resistivity {rho}{sub ab} in a cuprate superconductor La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4}, carefully examined using a series of high-quality single crystals. Our detailed measurements find a tendency towards charge ordering at particular rational hole doping fractions of 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, and 3/16. This observation appears to suggest a specific form of charge order and is most consistent with the recent theoretical prediction of the checkerboard-type ordering of the Cooper pairs at rational doping fractions x = (2m + 1)/2{sup n}, with integers m and n.

Tricrystal tunneling evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuei, C.C.; Kirtley, J.R.

1997-01-01

Strong evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in high-temperature superconductors such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+δ has been obtained by monitoring the presence or absence of the half-integer flux quantum effect in various controlled - orientation tricrystal superconducting systems. New results of a tricrystal tunneling experiment with Gd Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 will also be presented. (orig.)

Theoretical approach to direct resonant inelastic X-ray scattering on magnets and superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marra, Pasquale

2015-10-26

The capability to probe the dispersion of elementary spin, charge, orbital, and lattice excitations has positioned resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at the forefront of photon science. In this work, we will investigate how RIXS can contribute to a deeper understanding of the orbital properties and of the pairing mechanism in unconventional high-temperature superconductors. In particular, we show how direct RIXS spectra of magnetic excitations can reveal long-range orbital correlations in transition metal compounds, by discriminating different kind of orbital order in magnetic and antiferromagnetic systems. Moreover, we show how RIXS spectra of quasiparticle excitations in superconductors can measure the superconducting gap magnitude, and reveal the presence of nodal points and phase differences of the superconducting order parameter on the Fermi surface. This can reveal the properties of the underlying pairing mechanism in unconventional superconductors, in particular cuprates and iron pnictides, discriminating between different superconducting order parameter symmetries, such as s,d (singlet pairing) and p wave (triplet pairing).

Ginzburg-Landau equation and vortex liquid phase of Fermi liquid superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, T-K; Tse, W-T

2007-01-01

In this paper we study the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) equation for Fermi liquid superconductors with strong Landau interactions F 0s and F 1s . We show that Landau interactions renormalize two parameters entering the GL equation, leading to the renormalization of the compressibility and superfluid density. The renormalization of the superfluid density in turn leads to an unconventional (2D) Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition and vortex liquid phase. Application of the GL equation to describe underdoped high-T c cuprates is discussed

"Fluctuoscopy" of Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Varlamov, A. A.

Study of fluctuation phenomena in superconductors (SCs) is the subject of great fundamental and practical importance. Understanding of their physics allowed to clear up the fundamental properties of SC state. Being predicted in 1968, one of the fluctuation effects, namely paraconductivity, was experimentally observed almost simultaneously. Since this time, fluctuations became a noticeable part of research in the field of superconductivity, and a variety of fluctuation effects have been discovered. The new wave of interest to fluctuations (FL) in superconductors was generated by the discovery of cuprate oxide superconductors (high-temperature superconductors, HTS), where, due to extremely short coherence length and low effective dimensionality of the electron system, superconductive fluctuations manifest themselves in a wide range of temperatures. Moreover, anomalous properties of the normal state of HTS were attributed by many theorists to strong FL in these systems. Being studied in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory and, more extensively, in diagrammatic microscopic approach, SC FLs side by side with other quantum corrections (weak localization, etc.) became a new tool for investigation and characterization of such new systems as HTS, disordered electron systems, granular metals, Josephson structures, artificial super-lattices, etc. The characteristic feature of SC FL is their strong dependence on temperature and magnetic fields in the vicinity of phase transition. This allows one to definitely separate the fluctuation effects from other contributions and to use them as the source of information about the microscopic parameters of a material. By their origin, SC FLs are very sensitive to relaxation processes, which break phase coherence. This allows using them for versatile characterization of SC. Today, one can speak about the " fluctuoscopy" of superconductive systems. In review, we present the qualitative picture both of thermodynamic

Chemical bonding in Tl cuprates studied by x-ray photoemission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasquez, R.P.; Siegal, M.P.; Overmyer, D.L.; Ren, Z.F.; Lao, J.Y.; Wang, J.H.

1999-01-01

Epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl 2 Ba 2 CaCu 2 O 8 , Tl 2 Ba 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 , and Tl 0.78 Bi 0.22 Ba 0.4 Sr 1.6 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 9-δ are studied with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab of Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+δ and TlBa 2 CaCu 2 O 7-δ , comprise a comprehensive data set for a comparative study of Tl cuprates with a range of chemical and electronic properties. In the Cu 2p spectra, a larger energy separation between the satellite and main peaks (E s -E m ) and a lower intensity ratio (I s /I m ) are found to correlate with higher values of T c . Analysis of these spectra within a simple configuration interaction model suggests that higher values of T c are related to low values of the O 2p→Cu 3d charge transfer energy. In the O 1s region, a smaller bond length between Ba and Cu-O planar oxygen is found to correlate with a lower binding energy for the signal associated with Cu-O bonding, most likely resulting from the increased polarization screening by Ba 2+ ions. For samples near optimum doping, maximum T c is observed to occur when the Tl 4f 7/2 binding energy is near 117.9 eV, which is near the middle of the range of values observed for Tl cuprates. Higher Tl 4f 7/2 binding energies, corresponding to formal oxidation states nearer Tl 1+ , are also found to correlate with longer bond lengths between Ba and Tl-O planar oxygen, and with higher binding energies of the O 1s signal associated with Tl-O bonding. copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

Kinetics-Driven Superconducting Gap in Underdoped Cuprate Superconductors Within the Strong-Coupling Limit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yucel Yildirim

2011-09-01

Full Text Available A generic theory of the quasiparticle superconducting gap in underdoped cuprates is derived in the strong-coupling limit, and found to describe the experimental “second gap” in absolute scale. In drastic contrast to the standard pairing gap associated with Bogoliubov quasiparticle excitations, the quasiparticle gap is shown to originate from anomalous kinetic (scattering processes, with a size unrelated to the pairing strength. Consequently, the k dependence of the gap deviates significantly from the pure d_{x^{2}-y^{2}} wave of the order parameter. Our study reveals a new paradigm for the nature of the superconducting gap, and is expected to reconcile numerous apparent contradictions among existing experiments and point toward a more coherent understanding of high-temperature superconductivity.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Phonon characteristics of high Tc superconductors from neutron Doppler broadening measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trela, W.J.; Kwei, G.H.; Lynn, J.E.; Meggers, K.

1994-01-01

Statistical information on the phonon frequency spectrum of materials can be measured by neutron transmission techniques if they contain nuclei with low energy resonances, narrow enough to be Doppler-broadened, in their neutron cross sections. The authors have carried out some measurements using this technique for materials of the lanthanum barium cuprate class, La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 . Two samples with slightly different concentrations of oxygen, one being superconductive, the other not, were examined. Pure lanthanum cuprate was also measured. Lanthanum, barium and copper all have relatively low energy narrow resonances. Thus it should be possible to detect differences in the phonons carried by different kinds of atom in the lattice. Neutron cross section measurements have been made with high energy resolution and statistical precision on the 59m flight path of LANSCE, the pulsed spallation neutron source at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Measurements on all three materials were made over a range of temperatures from 15K to 300K, with small steps through the critical temperature region near 27K. No significant changes in the mean phonon energy of the lanthanum atoms were observed near the critical temperature of the super-conducting material. It appears however that the mean phonon energy of lanthanum in the superconductor is considerably higher than that in the non-superconductors. The samples used in this series of experiments were too thin in barium and copper to determine anything significant about their phonon spectra

Phonon characteristics of high {Tc} superconductors from neutron Doppler broadening measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trela, W.J.; Kwei, G.H.; Lynn, J.E. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Meggers, K. [Univ. of Kiel (Germany)

1994-12-01

Statistical information on the phonon frequency spectrum of materials can be measured by neutron transmission techniques if they contain nuclei with low energy resonances, narrow enough to be Doppler-broadened, in their neutron cross sections. The authors have carried out some measurements using this technique for materials of the lanthanum barium cuprate class, La{sub 2{minus}x}Ba{sub x}CuO{sub 4}. Two samples with slightly different concentrations of oxygen, one being superconductive, the other not, were examined. Pure lanthanum cuprate was also measured. Lanthanum, barium and copper all have relatively low energy narrow resonances. Thus it should be possible to detect differences in the phonons carried by different kinds of atom in the lattice. Neutron cross section measurements have been made with high energy resolution and statistical precision on the 59m flight path of LANSCE, the pulsed spallation neutron source at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Measurements on all three materials were made over a range of temperatures from 15K to 300K, with small steps through the critical temperature region near 27K. No significant changes in the mean phonon energy of the lanthanum atoms were observed near the critical temperature of the super-conducting material. It appears however that the mean phonon energy of lanthanum in the superconductor is considerably higher than that in the non-superconductors. The samples used in this series of experiments were too thin in barium and copper to determine anything significant about their phonon spectra.

Fracton pairing mechanism for unconventional superconductors: Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milovanov, A.V.; Juul Rasmussen, J.

2002-01-01

Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds are two classes of unconventional superconductors, whose challenging behavior does not comply with the traditional picture of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductivity in regular crystals. In this paper, we propose a theoretical...... or holes) exchange fracton excitations, quantum oscillations of fractal lattices that mimic the complex microscopic organization of the unconventional superconductors. For the copper oxides, the superconducting transition temperature T-c as predicted by the fracton mechanism is of the order of similar to......150 K. We suggest that the marginal ingredient of the high-temperature superconducting phase is provided by fracton coupled holes that condensate in the conducting copper-oxygen planes owing to the intrinsic field-effect-transistor configuration of the cuprate compounds. For the gate...

Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P; Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M; Lu, D H; Kim, C; Scalettar, R T

2009-01-01

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

Anisotropic superconducting state parameters of Tl-2212 superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaskalam, Amit K.; Singh, R.K.; Varshney, Dinesh

2001-01-01

We have estimated the superconducting state parameters and their anisotropy in thallium based superconductors (Tl-2212), in the frame work of Fermi liquid approach. Determination of the effective mass of the charge carriers from the Fermi velocity and estimated anisotropic superconducting state parameters, particularly, the magnetic penetration depth along and perpendicular to the conducting plane. The coherence length along and perpendicular to the ab plane is evaluated and appears to be higher. The temperature dependence of penetration depth, their anisotropy and Ginsburg Landau parameter for optimised doped Tl based cuprates shows the power law. The technique permits a consistency with the reported data. (author)

Superconductivity. Quasiparticle mass enhancement approaching optimal doping in a high-T(c) superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramshaw, B J; Sebastian, S E; McDonald, R D; Day, James; Tan, B S; Zhu, Z; Betts, J B; Liang, Ruixing; Bonn, D A; Hardy, W N; Harrison, N

2015-04-17

In the quest for superconductors with higher transition temperatures (T(c)), one emerging motif is that electronic interactions favorable for superconductivity can be enhanced by fluctuations of a broken-symmetry phase. Recent experiments have suggested the existence of the requisite broken-symmetry phase in the high-T(c) cuprates, but the impact of such a phase on the ground-state electronic interactions has remained unclear. We used magnetic fields exceeding 90 tesla to access the underlying metallic state of the cuprate YBa2Cu3O(6+δ) over a wide range of doping, and observed magnetic quantum oscillations that reveal a strong enhancement of the quasiparticle effective mass toward optimal doping. This mass enhancement results from increasing electronic interactions approaching optimal doping, and suggests a quantum critical point at a hole doping of p(crit) ≈ 0.18. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Theoretical studies of unconventional superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groensleth, Martin Sigurd

2008-07-01

This thesis presents four research papers. In the first three papers we have derived analytical results for the transport properties in unconventional superconductors and ferromagnetic systems with multiple broken symmetries. In Paper I and parts of Paper II we have studied tunneling transport between two non-unitary ferromagnetic spin-triplet superconductors, and found a novel interplay between ferromagnetism and superconductivity manifested in the Josephson effect as a spin- and charge-current in the absence of an applied voltage across the junction. The critical amplitudes of these currents can be adjusted by the relative magnetization direction on each side of the junction. Furthermore, in Paper II, we have found a way of controlling a spin-current between two ferromagnets with spin-orbit coupling. Paper III considers a junction consisting of a ferromagnet and a non-unitary ferromagnetic superconductor, and we show that the conductance spectra contains detailed information about the superconducting gaps and pairing symmetry of the Cooper-pairs. In the last paper we present a Monte Carlo study of an effective Hamiltonian describing orbital currents in the CuO2 layers of high-temperature superconductive cuprates. The model features two intrinsically anisotropic Ising models, coupled through an anisotropic next-nearest neighbor interaction, and an Ashkin-Teller nearest neighbor fourth order coupling. We have studied the specific heat anomaly, as well as the anomaly in the staggered magnetization associated with the orbital currents and its susceptibility. We have found that in a limited parameter regime, the specific heat anomaly is substantially suppressed, while the susceptibility has a non-analytical peak across the order-disorder transition. The model is therefore a candidate for describing the breakup of hidden order when crossing the pseudo-gap line on the under-doped side in the phase diagram of high-temperature superconductors. (Author) 64 refs., figs

High temperature bismuth cuprate superconductors synthesis and characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansori, M.; Satre, P.; Breandon, C.; Roubin, M.; Sebaoun, A.

1993-01-01

High temperature superconductor phases synthesis by coprecipitation in alkaline solution is reported. (Bi 1.6 Pb 0.4 )Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x and (Bi 1.6 Pb 0.4 )Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+y noted (2212) and (2223) have been prepared and studied. From aqueous nitrate solutions of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca and Cu and oxalic acid aqueous solution as well as ethylene glycol, using an organic base (the triethylamine), the pH was increased up to the path of the precipitation zone (pH = 10.5-11.2). This method assures a good granulometric homogeneity of powders. Thermal analysis and characterization of the different components produced during the synthesis have been studied by DTA (differential thermal analysis)- TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), X-ray diffraction at different temperatures and by Infrared spectroscopy with a Fourier transformation. The measurements of magnetic susceptibility for the 2212 (with and without lead) and 2223 (with lead) phases have permitted us to observe the critical temperatures of 84 K, 87 K and 114 K. (author). 29 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

Landau levels from neutral Bogoliubov particles in two-dimensional nodal superconductors under strain and doping gradients

Science.gov (United States)

Nica, Emilian M.; Franz, Marcel

2018-02-01

Motivated by recent work on strain-induced pseudomagnetic fields in Dirac and Weyl semimetals, we analyze the possibility of analogous fields in two-dimensional nodal superconductors. We consider the prototypical case of a d -wave superconductor, a representative of the cuprate family, and find that the presence of weak, spatially varying strain leads to pseudomagnetic fields and Landau quantization of Bogoliubov quasiparticles in the low-energy sector. A similar effect is induced by the presence of generic, weak doping gradients. In contrast to genuine magnetic fields in superconductors, the strain- and doping-gradient-induced pseudomagnetic fields couple in a way that preserves time-reversal symmetry and is not subject to the screening associated with the Meissner effect. These effects can be probed by tuning weak applied supercurrents which lead to shifts in the energies of the Landau levels and hence to quantum oscillations in thermodynamic and transport quantities.

Nb/NiCu bilayers in single and stacked superconductive tunnel junctions: preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pepe, G.P.; Ruotolo, A.; Parlato, L.; Peluso, G.; Ausanio, G.; Carapella, G.; Latempa, R.

2004-01-01

We present preliminary experimental results concerning both single and stacked tunnel junctions in which one of the electrodes was formed by a superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) bi-layer. In particular, in the stacked configuration a Nb/NiCu bi-layer was used as the intermediate electrode, and it was probed by tunneling on both sides. Tunnel junctions have been characterized in terms of current-voltage characteristics (IVC), and differential conductance. Preliminary steady-state injection-detection measurements performed in the stacked devices at T=4.2 K are also presented and discussed

Superconductivity and ceramic superconductors II; Proceedings of the Symposium, Orlando, FL, Nov. 12-15, 1990. Ceramic transactions. Vol. 18

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, K.M.; Balachandran, U.; Chiang, Y.-M.; Bhalla, A.S.

1991-01-01

The present symposium on superconductivity and ceramic superconductors discusses fundamentals and general principles, powder processing and properties, fabrication and properties, and device reliability and applications. Attention is given to phase formation in the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O system, comparative defect studies in La2CuO4 and La2NiO4, solid solution and defect behavior in high Tc oxides, oxygen ion transport and disorder in cuprates, and Sr-free Bi-Ln-Ca-Cu-O superconductors. Topics addressed include the preparation of superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O powder by single-step calcining in air, low-temperature synthesis of YBa2Cu3O(7-x), synthesis of high-phase purity ceramic oxide superconductors by the xerogel method, and the preparation and characterization of the BYa2Cu4O8 superconductor. Also discussed are optical studies of humidity-based corrosion effects on thin film and bulk ceramic YBa2Cu3O(7-delta), thermomechanical processing of YBa2Cu3O(x)/Ag sheathed wires, and the expansion of high-Tc superconducting ceramics

A study of lattice dynamics in iron-based superconductors by inelastic light scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Um, Youngje

2013-12-13

After the discovery of high temperature (high T{sub c}) superconductivity in copper oxide-based materials (cuprates) in 1986, this phenomenon was a unique property of the cuprates for more than 20 years. The origin of high T{sub c} superconductivity is still under debate. In 2008, high T{sub c} superconductivity was discovered in iron-based compounds. This discovery presents new opportunities for the development of a fundamental understanding of high T{sub c} superconductivity. Density functional calculations indicate a weak electron-phonon coupling strength in iron-based superconductors and these suggest that superconductivity is not mediated by phonons. However, experimental report of a large isotope effect of the iron atoms on the superconductivity T{sub c} suggests that phonons play an important role in iron-based superconductors. Motivated by these findings, this thesis presents a Raman scattering study of the lattice dynamics of the iron-based superconductors Fe{sub 1+y}Te{sub 1-x}Se{sub x}, LiFeAs and NaFe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}As as a function of chemical composition and temperature. In Fe{sub 1+y}Te{sub 1-x}Se{sub x}, an unconventional linewidth broadening of the c-axis polarized Fe phonon of B{sub 1g} symmetry is found with decreasing temperature, which indicates an unusual coupling between the phonon and iron excessinduced magnetic fluctuations in this compound. In LiFeAs, the Raman scattering data provide evidence for a weak electron-phonon coupling, which is consistent with non-phonon mediated Cooper pairing in this compound. In NaFe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}As, upon cooling two features are observed: (i) an unconventional linewidth broadening of several phonons, which is indicative of spin fluctuation-phonon coupling, and (ii) a superconductivity-induced phonon lineshape renormalization, which can not be explained by standard model calculations.

The modulation and reconstruction of a BiO layer of cuprate Bi2212

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Wei; Zeng, Z

2011-01-01

Studies based on ab initio density functional theory show that the modulated structures of BiO surfaces of cuprate Bi2212 superconductors are spontaneously formed and closely related to the reconstructions of BiO surfaces. The reconstructions of BiO layers occur both on the surface and in the bulk, accompanied with the formations of BiO-zigzag chains and Bi 2 O 2 quadrilaterals. The structural modulations of the BiO surface are along the b axis, perpendicular to the BiO-zigzag chains along the a axis. Our calculations provide a unified understanding of the formation of modulating structures in Bi2212. Another interesting result is that electronic structures of BiO surfaces are significantly influenced by the CuO 2 layer beneath because of the structural modulations and reconstructions.

A perspective on the Fe-based superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, John A

2010-01-01

FeSe is employed as reference material to elucidate the observed high T c superconducting behaviour of the related layered iron pnictides. The structural and ensuing semimetallic band structural forms are here rather unusual, with the resulting ground state details extremely sensitive to the precise shape of the Fe-X coordination unit. The superconductivity is presented as coming from a combination of resonant valence bond and excitonic insulator physics, and incorporating boson-fermion degeneracy. Although sourced in a very different fashion, the latter leads to some similarities with the high temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates. The excitonic insulator behaviour sees spin density wave, charge density wave/periodic structural distortion, and superconductive instabilities all vie for ground state status. The conflict leads to a very sensitive and complex set of properties, frequently mirroring HTSC cuprate behaviour. The delicate balance between ground states is made particularly difficult to unravel by the micro-inhomogeneity of structural form which it can engender. It is pointed out that several other notable superconductors, layered in form, semimetallic with indirect overlap and possessing homopolar bonding, would look to fall into the same general category, β-ZrNCl and MgB 2 and the high pressure forms of several elements, like sulfur, phosphorus, lithium and calcium, being cases in point. (topical review)

Metallization and superconductivity in Ca-intercalated bilayer MoS2

Science.gov (United States)

Szczȱśniak, R.; Durajski, A. P.; Jarosik, M. W.

2017-12-01

A two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted significant interest recently due to its outstanding physical, chemical and optoelectronic properties. In this paper, using the first-principles calculations, the dynamical stability, electronic structure and superconducting properties of Ca-intercalated bilayer MoS2 are investigated. The calculated electron-phonon coupling constant implies that the stable form of investigated system is a strong-coupling superconductor (λ = 1.05) with a low value of critical temperature (TC = 13.3 K). Moreover, results obtained within the framework of the isotropic Migdal-Eliashberg formalism proved that Ca-intercalated bilayer MoS2 exhibits behavior that goes beyond the scope of the conventional BCS theory.

Nematic quantum critical point without magnetism in FeSe1-xSx superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosoi, Suguru; Matsuura, Kohei; Ishida, Kousuke; Wang, Hao; Mizukami, Yuta; Watashige, Tatsuya; Kasahara, Shigeru; Matsuda, Yuji; Shibauchi, Takasada

2016-07-19

In most unconventional superconductors, the importance of antiferromagnetic fluctuations is widely acknowledged. In addition, cuprate and iron-pnictide high-temperature superconductors often exhibit unidirectional (nematic) electronic correlations, including stripe and orbital orders, whose fluctuations may also play a key role for electron pairing. In these materials, however, such nematic correlations are intertwined with antiferromagnetic or charge orders, preventing the identification of the essential role of nematic fluctuations. This calls for new materials having only nematicity without competing or coexisting orders. Here we report systematic elastoresistance measurements in FeSe1-xSx superconductors, which, unlike other iron-based families, exhibit an electronic nematic order without accompanying antiferromagnetic order. We find that the nematic transition temperature decreases with sulfur content x; whereas, the nematic fluctuations are strongly enhanced. Near [Formula: see text], the nematic susceptibility diverges toward absolute zero, revealing a nematic quantum critical point. The obtained phase diagram for the nematic and superconducting states highlights FeSe1-xSx as a unique nonmagnetic system suitable for studying the impact of nematicity on superconductivity.

Unconventional superconductivity in cuprates, cobaltates and graphene. What is universal and what is material-dependent in strongly versus weakly correlated materials?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiesel, Maximilian Ludwig

2013-01-01

A general theory for all classes of unconventional superconductors is still one of the unsolved key issues in condensed-matter physics. Actually, it is not yet fully settled if there is a common underlying pairing mechanism. Instead, it might be possible that several distinct sources for unconventional (not phonon-mediated) superconductivity have to be considered, or an electron-phonon interaction is not negligible. The focus of this thesis is on the most probable mechanism for the formation of Cooper pairs in unconventional superconductors, namely a strictly electronic one where spin fluctuations are the mediators. Studying different superconductors in this thesis, the emphasis is put on material-independent features of the pairing mechanism. In addition, the investigation of the phase diagrams enables a view on the vicinity of superconductivity. Thus, it is possible to clarify which competing quantum fluctuations enhance or weaken the propensity for a superconducting state. The broad range of superconducting materials requires the use of more than one numerical technique to study an appropriate microscopic description. This is not a problem but a big advantage because this facilitates the approach-independent description of common underlying physics. For this evaluation, the strongly correlated cuprates are simulated with the variational cluster approach. Especially the question of a pairing glue is taken into consideration. Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish between retarded and non-retarded contributions to the gap function. The cuprates are confronted with the cobaltate Na x CoO 2 and graphene. These weakly correlated materials are investigated with the functional renormalization group (fRG) and reveal a comprehensive phase diagram, including a d+id-wave superconductivity, which breaks time-reversal symmetry. The corresponding gap function is nodeless, but for NaCoO, it features a doping-dependent anisotropy. In addition, some general considerations on

Unconventional superconductivity in cuprates, cobaltates and graphene. What is universal and what is material-dependent in strongly versus weakly correlated materials?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiesel, Maximilian Ludwig

2013-02-08

A general theory for all classes of unconventional superconductors is still one of the unsolved key issues in condensed-matter physics. Actually, it is not yet fully settled if there is a common underlying pairing mechanism. Instead, it might be possible that several distinct sources for unconventional (not phonon-mediated) superconductivity have to be considered, or an electron-phonon interaction is not negligible. The focus of this thesis is on the most probable mechanism for the formation of Cooper pairs in unconventional superconductors, namely a strictly electronic one where spin fluctuations are the mediators. Studying different superconductors in this thesis, the emphasis is put on material-independent features of the pairing mechanism. In addition, the investigation of the phase diagrams enables a view on the vicinity of superconductivity. Thus, it is possible to clarify which competing quantum fluctuations enhance or weaken the propensity for a superconducting state. The broad range of superconducting materials requires the use of more than one numerical technique to study an appropriate microscopic description. This is not a problem but a big advantage because this facilitates the approach-independent description of common underlying physics. For this evaluation, the strongly correlated cuprates are simulated with the variational cluster approach. Especially the question of a pairing glue is taken into consideration. Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish between retarded and non-retarded contributions to the gap function. The cuprates are confronted with the cobaltate Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} and graphene. These weakly correlated materials are investigated with the functional renormalization group (fRG) and reveal a comprehensive phase diagram, including a d+id-wave superconductivity, which breaks time-reversal symmetry. The corresponding gap function is nodeless, but for NaCoO, it features a doping-dependent anisotropy. In addition, some general

Strong anisotropy effect in an iron-based superconductor CaFe0.882Co0.118AsF

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yonghui; Ji, Qiucheng; Hu, Kangkang; Gao, Bo; Li, Wei; Mu, Gang; Xie, Xiaoming

2017-07-01

The anisotropy of iron-based superconductors is much smaller than that of the cuprates and that predicted by theoretical calculations. A credible understanding for this experimental fact is still lacking up to now. Here we experimentally study the magnetic-field-angle dependence of electronic resistivity in the superconducting phase of an iron-based superconductor CaFe{}0.882Co{}0.118AsF, and find the strongest anisotropy effect of the upper critical field among the iron-based superconductors based on the framework of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The evidence of the energy band structure and charge density distribution from electronic structure calculations demonstrates that the observed strong anisotropic effect mainly comes from the strong ionic bonding in between the ions of Ca2+ and F-, which weakens the interlayer coupling between the layers of FeAs and CaF. This finding provides a significant insight into the nature of the experimentally-observed strong anisotropic effect of electronic resistivity, and also paves the way for designing exotic two-dimensional artificial unconventional superconductors in the future.

What is the role of Pb(II) in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raveau, B.; Hervieu, M.; Michel, C.; Groult, D.; Provost, J.

1990-01-01

An overview of the layered lead cuprates is presented here. The structure of these oxides and their non-stoichiometry are studied in connection with their superconducting properties. The phenomena involving a modulation of the structure, characterized by the presence of satellites on E.D. patterns are described and the particular role of the 6s 2 lone pair of Pb(II) is discussed. Divalent lead is, owing to its size intermediate between that of strontium and barium, a potential cation for superconductive cuprates. Moreover, this interest for Pb(II), is supported by its electronic structure which involves an electronic 6s 2 lone pair well known for its ability to form layered structures. In spite of these characteristics, few superconductive layered suprates were isolated at the beginning of the rush to high Tc superconductors. This is probably due to the possibility of existence of redox reactions involving the couple Pb(II)/Pb(IV), which require very particular experimental conditions. The authors report here on the recent development of the crystal chemistry of those materials and on their corresponding superconducting properties

Monte Carlo studies of diamagnetism and charge density wave order in the cuprate pseudogap regime

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward Sierens, Lauren; Achkar, Andrew; Hawthorn, David; Melko, Roger; Sachdev, Subir

2015-03-01

The pseudogap regime of the hole-doped cuprate superconductors is often characterized experimentally in terms of a substantial diamagnetic response and, from another point of view, in terms of strong charge density wave (CDW) order. We introduce a dimensionless ratio, R, that incorporates both diamagnetic susceptibility and the correlation length of CDW order, and therefore reconciles these two fundamental characteristics of the pseudogap. We perform Monte Carlo simulations on a classical model that considers angular fluctuations of a six-dimensional order parameter, and compare our Monte Carlo results for R with existing data from torque magnetometry and x-ray scattering experiments on YBa2Cu3O6+x. We achieve qualitative agreement, and also propose future experiments to further investigate the behaviour of this dimensionless ratio.

Chemical Bonding in Tl Cuprates Studied by X-Ray Photoemission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lao, J.Y.; Overmyer, D.L.; Ren, Z.F.; Siegal, M.P.; Vasquez, R.P.; Wang, J.H.

1999-04-05

Epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8}, Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10}, and TL{sub 0.78}Bi{sub 0.22}Ba{sub 0.4}Sr{sub 1.6}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 9{minus}{delta}} are studied with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab of Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} and TlBa{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}, comprise a comprehensive data set for a comparative study of Tl cuprates with a range of chemical and electronic properties. In the Cu 2p spectra, a larger energy separation between the satellite and main peaks (E{sub s}-E{sub m}) and a lower intensity ratio (I{sub s}/I{sub m}) are found to correlate with higher values of T{sub c}. Analysis of these spectra within a simple configuration interaction model suggests that higher values of T{sub c} are related to low values of the O 2p {r_arrow} Cu 3d charge transfer energy. In the O 1s region, a smaller bond length between Ba and Cu-O planar oxygen is found to correlate with a lower binding energy for the signal associated with Cu-O bonding, most likely resulting from the increased polarization screening by Ba{sup 2+} ions. For samples near optimum doping, maximum T{sub c} is observed to occur when the Tl 4f{sub 7/2} binding energy is near 117.9 eV, which is near the middle of the range of values observed for Tl cuprates. Higher Tl 4f{sub 7/2} binding energies, corresponding to formal oxidation states nearer Tl{sup 1+}, are also found to correlate with longer bond lengths between Ba and Tl-O planar oxygen, and with higher binding energies of the O 1s signal associated with Tl-O bonding.

Chemical bonding in Tl cuprates studied by x-ray photoemission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasquez, R.P. [Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109-8099 (United States); Siegal, M.P.; Overmyer, D.L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Ren, Z.F.; Lao, J.Y.; Wang, J.H. [Materials Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-3000 (United States)

1999-08-01

Epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8}, Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10}, and Tl{sub 0.78}Bi{sub 0.22}Ba{sub 0.4}Sr{sub 1.6}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 9{minus}{delta}} are studied with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab of Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} and TlBa{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}, comprise a comprehensive data set for a comparative study of Tl cuprates with a range of chemical and electronic properties. In the Cu 2p spectra, a larger energy separation between the satellite and main peaks (E{sub s}{minus}E{sub m}) and a lower intensity ratio (I{sub s}/I{sub m}) are found to correlate with higher values of T{sub c}. Analysis of these spectra within a simple configuration interaction model suggests that higher values of T{sub c} are related to low values of the O&hthinsp;2p{r_arrow}Cu&hthinsp;3d charge transfer energy. In the O&hthinsp;1s region, a smaller bond length between Ba and Cu-O planar oxygen is found to correlate with a lower binding energy for the signal associated with Cu-O bonding, most likely resulting from the increased polarization screening by Ba{sup 2+} ions. For samples near optimum doping, maximum T{sub c} is observed to occur when the Tl 4f{sub 7/2} binding energy is near 117.9 eV, which is near the middle of the range of values observed for Tl cuprates. Higher Tl&hthinsp;4f{sub 7/2} binding energies, corresponding to formal oxidation states nearer Tl{sup 1+}, are also found to correlate with longer bond lengths between Ba and Tl-O planar oxygen, and with higher binding energies of the O&hthinsp;1s signal associated with Tl-O bonding. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

Advantageous grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Katase, Takayoshi; Ishimaru, Yoshihiro; Tsukamoto, Akira; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Kamiya, Toshio; Tanabe, Keiichi; Hosono, Hideo

2011-01-01

High critical temperature superconductors have zero power consumption and could be used to produce ideal electric power lines. The principal obstacle in fabricating superconducting wires and tapes is grain boundaries—the misalignment of crystalline orientations at grain boundaries, which is unavoidable for polycrystals, largely deteriorates critical current density. Here we report that high critical temperature iron pnictide superconductors have advantages over cuprates with respect to these grain boundary issues. The transport properties through well-defined bicrystal grain boundary junctions with various misorientation angles (θGB) were systematically investigated for cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 (BaFe2As2:Co) epitaxial films fabricated on bicrystal substrates. The critical current density through bicrystal grain boundary (JcBGB) remained high (>1 MA cm−2) and nearly constant up to a critical angle θc of ∼9°, which is substantially larger than the θc of ∼5° for YBa2Cu3O7–δ. Even at θGB>θc, the decay of JcBGB was much slower than that of YBa2Cu3O7–δ. PMID:21811238

Partially spin-polarized Josephson tunneling between non-centrosymmetric superconductors like CePt3Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, S.S.; Mukherjee, S.P.

2007-01-01

Full text: The recent discovery of the superconductivity in the heavy fermionic compound CePt 3 Si have attracted much of the attention of the physics community. The presence of strong Rashba kind of spin-orbit coupling in them split the otherwise degenerate electronic band into two nondegenerate bands. This peculiarity in the band structure gives rise to complicated kind of order parameter whose exact nature is unknown till date. Traditionally Josephson junctions in superconductors draw interest both scientifically and its applicability in making devices. It has been used in several cases as a probe to the order parameter symmetry of the superconductor. It has also been studied in unconventional superconductors like spin-singlet cuprate and spin-triplet Sr 2 RuO 4 superconductors. However no Josephson junction between nonmagnetic superconductors is known to generate spin-polarized current. The purpose of this work is to theoretically show that the direction dependent tunneling matrix element across the junction between two recently discovered non-centrosymmetric superconductors like CePt 3 Si, leads to tunneling of both spin-singlet and spin-triplet Cooper pairs. As a consequence, nonvanishing spin-Josephson current is viable along with the usual charge-Josephson current. This novel spin-Josephson current depends on the relative angle xi between the axes of non-centrosymmetry {n} L and that {n} R in the left and right side of the junction respectively. This angular dependence may be used to make Josephson spin switch. (authors)

An Angle Resolved Photoemission Study of a Mott Insulator and Its Evolution to a High Temperature Superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ronning, Filip

2002-03-19

One of the most remarkable facts about the high temperature superconductors is their close proximity to an antiferromagnetically ordered Mott insulating phase. This fact suggests that to understand superconductivity in the cuprates we must first understand the insulating regime. Due to material properties the technique of angle resolved photoemission is ideally suited to study the electronic structure in the cuprates. Thus, a natural starting place to unlocking the secrets of high Tc would appears to be with a photoemission investigation of insulating cuprates. This dissertation presents the results of precisely such a study. In particular, we have focused on the compound Ca{sub 2-x}Na{sub x}CuO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}. With increasing Na content this system goes from an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator with a Neel transition of 256K to a superconductor with an optimal transition temperature of 28K. At half filling we have found an asymmetry in the integrated spectral weight, which can be related to the occupation probability, n(k). This has led us to identify a d-wave-like dispersion in the insulator, which in turn implies that the high energy pseudogap as seen by photoemission is a remnant property of the insulator. These results are robust features of the insulator which we found in many different compounds and experimental conditions. By adding Na we were able to study the evolution of the electronic structure across the insulator to metal transition. We found that the chemical potential shifts as holes are doped into the system. This picture is in sharp contrast to the case of La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4} where the chemical potential remains fixed and states are created inside the gap. Furthermore, the low energy excitations (ie the Fermi surface) in metallic Ca{sub 1.9}Na{sub 0.1}CuO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} is most well described as a Fermi arc, although the high binding energy features reveal the presence of shadow bands. Thus, the results in this dissertation provide a

Campbell penetration depth in Fe-based superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prommapan, Plegchart

2011-01-01

A 'true' critical current density, j c , as opposite to commonly measured relaxed persistent (Bean) current, j B , was extracted from the Campbell penetration depth, λ c (T,H) measured in single crystals of LiFeAs, and optimally electron-doped Ba(Fe 0.954 Ni 0.046 ) 2 As 2 (FeNi122). In LiFeAs, the effective pinning potential is nonparabolic, which follows from the magnetic field - dependent Labusch parameter α. At the equilibrium (upon field - cooling), α(H) is non-monotonic, but it is monotonic at a finite gradient of the vortex density. This behavior leads to a faster magnetic relaxation at the lower fields and provides a natural dynamic explanation for the fishtail (second peak) effect. We also find the evidence for strong pinning at the lower fields.The inferred field dependence of the pinning potential is consistent with the evolution from strong pinning, through collective pinning, and eventually to a disordered vortex lattice. The value of j c (2 K) ≅ 1.22 x 10 6 A/cm 2 provide an upper estimate of the current carrying capability of LiFeAs. Overall, vortex behavior of almost isotropic, fully-gapped LiFeAs is very similar to highly anisotropic d-wave cuprate superconductors, the similarity that requires further studies in order to understand unconventional superconductivity in cuprates and pnictides. In addition to LiFeAs, we also report the magnetic penetration depth in BaFe 2 As 2 based superconductors including irradiation of FeNi122. In unirradiated FeNi122, the maximum critical current value is, j c (2K) ≅ 3.3 x 10 6 A/cm 2 . The magnetic-dependent feature was observed near the transition temperature in FeTe 0.53 Se 0.47 and irradiated FeNi122. Because of this feature, further studies are required in order to properly calibrate the Campbell penetration depth. Finally, we detected the crossing between the magnetic penetration depth and London penetration depth in optimally hold-doped Ba 0.6 K 0.4 Fe 2 As 2 (BaK122) and isovalent doped BaFe 2 (As 0

Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-T{sub c} superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M [Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Lu, D H [Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Kim, C [Institute of Physics and Applied Physics, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Scalettar, R T [Physics Department, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)], E-mail: moritzb@slac.stanford.edu

2009-09-15

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

The Superconductors that Magnets Really Want: What Stands in the Way? (Superconductors for Accelerator Use: What Next and How Close is the Ideal Conductor?)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, David

2009-01-01

There are over 5000 superconducting materials but only about 5 have ever been useful for applications in magnets, while HEP, which has been so vital for the development of superconducting magnet technology has made virtually every magnet out of just one, the simple bcc alloy Nb-Ti with Tc of 9 K and upper critical field ∼ 14T (at 2K). Significant demonstrations of the capability of the brittle intermetallic Nb3Sn have shown that fields of more than 15 T can be generated in dipole form. But Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn are staid, conventional superconductors, far from the cutting edge of superconducting science research where cuprates like YBa2Cu3O7-x and Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox remain at the scientific forefront and in 2008 were joined by the recently discovered Fe-As pnictide superconductors. What could it mean to have materials for magnets with 10 times the Tc of Nb-Ti (90-120 K) and 3 or more times the critical field (100-240 T)? One enormous barrier is that higher Tc so far always means more complexity and a more localized superconducting interaction which is sensitive to local loss of superconductivity. The issue that has made the cuprate high temperature superconductors so hard to apply is that grain boundaries which form a 3D network in any practical wire form, easily acquire degraded superconducting properties. But conductors can now be made with extreme texture so that grain boundaries are minimized. Moreover almost practical conductors of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox and YBa2Cu3O7-x are now are in production and in late 2008 we were, at the Magnet Lab, able to make small solenoids operating at high current density in fields of 32 and almost 34 T respectively. Within the HEP community, there is enthusiasm to embrace HTS conductors for new very high field machines that could, like the Muon Collider, use fields of 30-50 T. In my talk I would like to explore the underlying science controlling such potential applications.

Pseudogap and cuprate superconductivity: MaxEnt-μSR studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boekema, C.; Schwartz, R.; Love, A.; Browne, M.C.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A magnetic origin of cuprate superconductivity is plausible. • Cuprate loop currents are observed, close to predictions. • Pseudogap effects are seen above and below T c . -- Abstract: The basic physics of cuprate superconductivity is still much deliberated after 27 years of research. In contrast to phononic or polaronic roots, Varma’s theory promotes a magnetic origin. To probe cuprate magnetism, we examine zero field (ZF) muon-spin-rotation (μSR) data of RBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ (RBCO; R = Gd, Eu) especially near T c . Possible weak effects are analyzed using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt, ME) to transform our μSR time series. Concerning predicted pseudogap loop currents, we have observed μSR signals in zero field for GdBCO above and now also below T c . These are near predicted fields of about 100 Oe. Using MaxEnt, we analyze transverse field (TF) μSR data of optimal doped EuBCO. Our focus is also on a temperature interval above T c to comprehend precursor effects. Our results point toward magnetic roots of cuprate superconductivity

Interplay of superconductivity and magnetism in presence of inter sub-lattice effect in cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Mohapatra, S.P.; Rout, G.C.

2010-01-01

In the present communication, we report a model Hamiltonian to study the interplay between the two long range orders of anti-ferromagnetism (AFM) and superconductivity (SC) in cuprate superconductors in presence of the intersite pairing effect. The BCS type but non-phonon pairing mechanism is considered among the electrons of two equivalent Cu sites. The pairing among the electrons of two nearest neighbour non-equivalent Cu sites is included in the Hamiltonian and its effect on the interplay of SC and AFM is investigated. The Hamiltonian is solved by the Green's function method and the corresponding gap equations are calculated and solved self-consistently. The influence of model parameters like AFM coupling (λ), SC coupling (λ 1 ) and the coupling (λ 2 ) for intersite superconducting interactions on the gaps (SC and AFM) are studied numerically and the results are reported. (author)

EDITORIAL: Focus on Iron-Based Superconductors FOCUS ON IRON-BASED SUPERCONDUCTORS

Science.gov (United States)

Hosono, Hideo; Ren, Zhi-An

2009-02-01

Superconductivity is the most dramatic and clear cut phenomenon in condensed matter physics. Realization of room temperature superconductors, which would lead to the revolution of our society, is an ultimate goal for researchers. The discovery of high Tc cuprate superconductors in 1986 by Bednorz and Müller triggered intensive research worldwide and the maximum critical temperature has been raised above 100 K. Scientific research on this break-through material clarified a new route to high Tc materials, carrier doping to a Mott insulator with anti-ferromagnetic ordering. High superconductivity occurs in the neighborhood of Mott-insulators and Fermi-metals. Such a view, which was completely new, now stands as a guiding principle for exploring new high Tc materials. Many theoretical approaches to the mechanism for cuprate superconductors have been carried out to understand this unexpected material and to predict new high Tc materials. In 2006 a new superconductor based on iron, LaFeOP, was discovered by a group at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. Iron, as a ferromagnet, was believed to be the last element for the realization of superconductivity because of the way ferromagnetism competes against Cooper pair formation. Unexpectedly, however, the critical temperature remained at 4-6 K irrespective of hole/electron-doping. A large increase in the Tc to 26 K was then found in LaFe[O1-xFx]As by the same group (and was published on 23 February 2008, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society). The Tc of this material was further raised to 43 K under a pressure of 2 GPa and scientists in China then achieved a Tc of 56 K at ambient pressure by replacing La with other rare earth ions with smaller radius—a critical temperature that is second only to the high Tc cuprates. This fast progress has revitalized research within superconductivity and in 2008 there were more than seven international symposia specifically on Fe(Ni)-based superconductors. Through the rapid

Nodal quasiparticle dynamics in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn₅ revealed by precision microwave spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Truncik, C J S; Huttema, W A; Turner, P J; Ozcan, S; Murphy, N C; Carrière, P R; Thewalt, E; Morse, K J; Koenig, A J; Sarrao, J L; Broun, D M

2013-01-01

CeCoIn₅ is a heavy fermion superconductor with strong similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, including quasi-two-dimensionality, proximity to antiferromagnetism and probable d-wave pairing arising from a non-Fermi-liquid normal state. Experiments allowing detailed comparisons of their electronic properties are of particular interest, but in most cases are difficult to realize, due to their very different transition temperatures. Here we use low-temperature microwave spectroscopy to study the charge dynamics of the CeCoIn₅ superconducting state. The similarities to cuprates, in particular to ultra-clean YBa₂Cu₃O(y), are striking: the frequency and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle conductivity are instantly recognizable, a consequence of rapid suppression of quasiparticle scattering below T(c); and penetration-depth data, when properly treated, reveal a clean, linear temperature dependence of the quasiparticle contribution to superfluid density. The measurements also expose key differences, including prominent multiband effects and a temperature-dependent renormalization of the quasiparticle mass.

Plasmon-phonon pairing mechanism and superconducting state parameters in layered mercury cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varshney, D.; Tosi, M.P.

1999-06-01

An effective two-dimensional dynamic interaction is developed which incorporated screening of holes by plasmons and by optical phonons to discuss the nature of the pairing mechanism leading to superconductivity in layered mercury cuprates. The system is treated as an ionic solid containing layers of charge carriers and a model dielectric function is set up which fulfils the appropriate sum rules on the electronic and ionic polarizabilities. The values of the coupling strength and of the Coulomb interaction parameter indicate that the superconductor is in the strong coupling regime with effective screening of the charge carriers. The superconducting transition temperature of optically doped HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ is estimated as 94 K from Kresin's strong coupling theory and the energy gap ratio is substantially larger than the BCS value. The value of the isotope exponent is severely reduced below the BCS value. The implications of the model and its analysis are discussed. (author)

Vortex dynamics in ferromagnetic/superconducting bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cieplak, M.Z.; Adamus, Z. [Polish Acad Sci, Inst Phys, PL-02668 Warsaw, (Poland); Konczykowski, M. [CEA, DSM, DRECAM, Lab Solides Irradies, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS-UMR 7642, F-91128 Palaiseau (France); Zhu, L.Y.; Chien, C.L. [Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Phys and Astron, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2008-07-01

The dependence of vortex dynamics on the geometry of magnetic domain pattern is studied in the superconducting/ferromagnetic bilayers, in which niobium is a superconductor, and Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy serves as a ferromagnetic layer. Magnetic domain patterns with different density of domains per surface area and different domain size, w, are obtained for Co/Pt with different thickness of Pt. The dense patterns of domains with the size comparable to the magnetic penetration depth (w {>=} {lambda}) produce large vortex pinning and smooth vortex penetration, while less dense patterns with larger domains (w {>=}{>=} {lambda}) enhance pinning less effectively and result in flux jumps during flux motion. (authors)

Coherent lattice vibrations in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadin, Alan M.

2008-01-01

A recent analysis has shown that the pair wavefunction within the BCS theory may be represented in real-space as a spherical electronic orbital (on the scale of the coherence length ξ 0 ) coupled to a standing-wave lattice vibration with wavevector 2k F and a near-resonant phonon frequency. The present paper extends this picture to a coherent pattern of phonon standing-waves on the macroscopic scale, with electrons forming Bloch waves and an energy gap much like those in the classic band theory of crystals. These parallel planes form a diffractive waveguide permitting electron waves to traveling parallel to the planes, corresponding to lossless supercurrent. A similar picture may be extended to unconventional superconductors such as the cuprates, with an array of standing spin waves rather than phonons. Such coherent lattice vibrations should be universal indicators of the superconducting state, and should be observable below T c using X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques. Further implications of this picture are discussed

Temperature dependence of positron lifetime in the two-mixed-phase Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, D.M.; Tang, C.Q.; Gen, T.; Li, G.Y.

1993-01-01

As compared with the YBaCuO(123) system, the studies of positron annihilation performed for other cuprate superconductors, specifically for the BiSrCaCuO and TlBaCa.CuO systems, are very few. Thus further study of positron annihilation in BiSrCaCuO and TlBaCaCuO systems is necessary. In this note, we report the results of the temperature dependence of positron lifetime parameters in the two-mixed-phase system BiSrCaCuO and discuss the results. (orig.)

Influence of the spatially inhomogeneous gap distribution on the quasiparticle current in c-axis junctions involving d-wave superconductors with charge density waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekino, T; Gabovich, A M; Suan Li, Mai; Szymczak, H; Voitenko, A I

2016-11-09

The quasiparticle tunnel current J(V) between the superconducting ab-planes along the c-axis and the corresponding conductance [Formula: see text] were calculated for symmetric junctions composed of disordered d-wave layered superconductors partially gapped by charge density waves (CDWs). Here, V is the voltage. Both the checkerboard and unidirectional CDWs were considered. It was shown that the spatial spread of the CDW-pairing strength substantially smears the peculiarities of G(V) appropriate to uniform superconductors. The resulting curves G(V) become very similar to those observed for a number of cuprates in intrinsic junctions, e.g. mesas. In particular, the influence of CDWs may explain the peak-dip-hump structures frequently found for high-T c oxides.

Microstructure and Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Parinov, Ivan A

2007-01-01

The main features of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) that define their properties are intrinsic brittleness of oxide cuprates, the layered anisotropic structure and the supershort coherence length. Taking into account these features, this treatise presents research into HTSC microstructure and properties, and also explores the possibilities of optimization of the preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. The "composition-technique-experiment-theory-model," employed here, assumes considerable HTSC defectiveness and structure heterogeneity and helps to draw a comprehensive picture of modern representations of the microstructure, strength and the related structure-sensitive properties of the materials considered. Special attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which currently offer the most promising applications. Including a great number of illustrations and references, this monograph addresses students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the ...

Microstructure and Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Parinov, I A

2012-01-01

The main features of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) that define their properties are intrinsic brittleness of oxide cuprates, the layered anisotropic structure and the supershort coherence length. Taking into account these features, this treatise presents research into HTSC microstructure and properties, and also explores the possibilities of optimization of the preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. The "composition-technique-experiment-theory-model," employed here, assumes considerable HTSC defectiveness and structure heterogeneity and helps to draw a comprehensive picture of modern representations of the microstructure, strength and the related structure-sensitive properties of the materials considered. Special attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which currently offer the most promising applications. Including a great number of illustrations and references, this monograph addresses students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the ...

Incommensurate Phonon Anomaly and the Nature of Charge Density Waves in Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, H.; Ishikawa, D.; Heid, R.; Le Tacon, M.; Fabbris, G.; Meyers, D.; Gu, G. D.; Baron, A. Q. R.; Dean, M. P. M.

2018-01-01

While charge density wave (CDW) instabilities are ubiquitous to superconducting cuprates, the different ordering wave vectors in various cuprate families have hampered a unified description of the CDW formation mechanism. Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of the low-energy phonons in the canonical CDW-ordered cuprate La1.875 Ba0.125 CuO4 . We discover that the phonon softening wave vector associated with CDW correlations becomes temperature dependent in the high-temperature precursor phase and changes from a wave vector of 0.238 reciprocal lattice units (r.l.u.) below the ordering transition temperature to 0.3 r.l.u. at 300 K. This high-temperature behavior shows that "214"-type cuprates can host CDW correlations at a similar wave vector to previously reported CDW correlations in non-214-type cuprates such as YBa2 Cu3 O6 +δ . This indicates that cuprate CDWs may arise from the same underlying instability despite their apparently different low-temperature ordering wave vectors.

High-Tc copper oxide superconductors and related novel materials dedicated to prof K. A. Müller on the occasion of his 90th birthday

CERN Document Server

Keller, Hugo; Bianconi, Antonio

2017-01-01

Authored by many of the world's leading experts on high-Tc superconductivity, this volume presents a panorama of ongoing research in the field, as well as insights into related multifunctional materials. The contributions cover many different and complementary aspects of the physics and materials challenges, with an emphasis on superconducting materials that have emerged since the discovery of the cuprate superconductors, for example pnictides, MgB2, H2S and other hydrides. Special attention is also paid to interface superconductivity. In addition to superconductors, the volume also addresses materials related to polar and multifunctional ground states, another class of materials that owes its discovery to Prof. Müller's ground-breaking research on SrTiO3.

Distinct Nature of Static and Dynamic Magnetic Stripes in Cuprate Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsen, H.; Holm, S. L.; Lǎcǎtuşu, M.-E.; Rømer, A. T.; Bertelsen, M.; Boehm, M.; Toft-Petersen, R.; Grivel, J.-C.; Emery, S. B.; Udby, L.; Wells, B. O.; Lefmann, K.

2018-01-01

We present detailed neutron scattering studies of the static and dynamic stripes in an optimally doped high-temperature superconductor, La2 CuO4 +y . We observe that the dynamic stripes do not disperse towards the static stripes in the limit of vanishing energy transfer. Therefore, the dynamic stripes observed in neutron scattering experiments are not the Goldstone modes associated with the broken symmetry of the simultaneously observed static stripes, and the signals originate from different domains in the sample. These observations support real-space electronic phase separation in the crystal, where the static stripes in one phase are pinned versions of the dynamic stripes in the other, having slightly different periods. Our results explain earlier observations of unusual dispersions in underdoped La2 -xSrx CuO4 (x =0.07 ) and La2 -xBax CuO4 (x =0.095 ).

Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Studies of the Mott Insulator to Superconductor Evolution in Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Kyle Michael

2005-09-02

It is widely believed that many of the exotic physical properties of the high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors arise from the proximity of these materials to the strongly correlated, antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state. Therefore, one of the fundamental questions in the field of high-temperature superconductivity is to understand the insulator-to-superconductor transition and precisely how the electronic structure of Mott insulator evolves as the first holes are doped into the system. This dissertation presents high-resolution, doping dependent angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) studies of the cuprate superconductor Ca{sub 2-x}Na{sub x}CuO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}, spanning from the undoped parent Mott insulator to a high-temperature superconductor with a T{sub c} of 22 K. A phenomenological model is proposed to explain how the spectral lineshape, the quasiparticle band dispersion, and the chemical potential all progress with doping in a logical and self-consistent framework. This model is based on Franck-Condon broadening observed in polaronic systems where strong electron-boson interactions cause the quasiparticle residue, Z, to be vanishingly small. Comparisons of the low-lying states to different electronic states in the valence band strongly suggest that the coupling of the photohole to the lattice (i.e. lattice polaron formation) is the dominant broadening mechanism for the lower Hubbard band states. Combining this polaronic framework with high-resolution ARPES measurements finally provides a resolution to the long-standing controversy over the behavior of the chemical potential in the high-T{sub c} cuprates. This scenario arises from replacing the conventional Fermi liquid quasiparticle interpretation of the features in the Mott insulator by a Franck-Condon model, allowing the reassignment of the position of the quasiparticle pole. As a function of hole doping, the chemical potential shifts smoothly into the valence band while spectral weight is transferred

High pressure study of high temperatures superconductors: Material base, universal Tc-behavior, and charge transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, C.W.; Hor, P.H.; Lin, J.G.; Xiong, Q.; Huang, Z.J.; Meng, R.L.; Xue, Y.Y.; Jean, Y.C.

1991-01-01

The superconducting transition temperature (T c ) has been measured in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.7 , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , Y 2 Ba 4 Cu 7 O 15 , YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 , Tl 2 Ba 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O n+4-δ , La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , and La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 under high pressures. The pressure effect on the positron lifetime (τ) has also been determined in the first four compounds. Based on these and other high pressure data, the authors suggest that (1) all known cuprate high temperature superconductors (HTS's) may be no more than mere modifications of either 214-T, 214-T', 123, or a combination of 214-T' and 123, (2) a nonmonotonic T c -behavior may govern the T c -variation of all hole cuprate HTS's and (3) pressure can induce charge transfer leading to a T c -change. The implications of these suggestions will also be discussed

d+s wave superconductivity: analysis of the electronic Raman data of YBa2Cu3O7-δ and other cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemetschek, R.; Hackl, R.; Opel, M.; Philipp, R.; Beal-Monod, M.T.; Bieri, J.B.; Maki, K.; Erb, A.; Walker, E.

1998-01-01

After briefly recalling the d+s model valid for some anisotropic high T c superconductors, we present a theory of electronic Raman spectra in that model and then compare it with new experimental data obtained for an overdoped Y123 single crystal. The d+s model appears to describe satisfactorily the experimental results, indicating a possible doping dependence of the mixing ratio. We note that the Raman spectrum of the overdoped Bi2212 could also be accounted for by the d+s superconductivity model. The case of Hg1212 (or Hg1223) is reexamined. It appears that the spontaneous breakdown of d-wave symmetry may be rather universal in high T c cuprates. (orig.)

Large and high-quality single-crystal growth of cuprate superconductor Bi-2223 using the traveling-solvent floating-zone (TSFZ) method

Science.gov (United States)

Adachi, Shintaro; Usui, Tomohiro; Kosugi, Kenta; Sasaki, Nae; Sato, Kentaro; Fujita, Masaki; Yamada, Kazuyoshi; Fujii, Takenori; Watanabe, Takao

In high superconducting transition temperature (high-Tc) cuprates, it is empirically known that Tc increases on increasing the number of CuO2 planes in a unit cell n from 1 to 3. Bi-family cuprates are ideal for investigating the microscopic mechanism involved. However, it is difficult to grow tri-layered Bi-2223, probably owing to its narrow crystallization field. Here, we report improved crystal growth of this compound using the TSFZ method under conditions slightly different from those in an earlier report [J. Cryst. Growth 223, 175 (2001)]. A Bi-rich feed-rod composition of Bi2.2Sr1.9Ca2Cu3Oy and a slightly oxygen-reduced atmosphere (mixed gas flow of O2 (10%) and Ar (90%)) were adopted for the crystal growth. In addition, to increase the supersaturation of the melts, we applied a large temperature gradient along the solid-liquid interface by shielding a high-angle light beam using Al foil around the quartz tube. In this way, we succeeded in preparing large (2 × 2 × 0 . 05 mm3) and high-quality (almost 100% pure) Bi-2223 single crystals. Hirosaki University Grant for Exploratory Research by Young Scientists and Newly-appointed Scientists.

Dynamics of the vortex state in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapitulnik, A.

1991-01-01

The large thermal energy available, the strong anisotropy, and short coherence lengths of high temperature superconductors give rise to new phenomena in the mixed state. The author discusses transport and thermodynamic measurements of high-Tc materials and of model systems. In particular, he uses experiments on two dimensional films to compare and isolate two dimensional effects in the cuprates. By using multilayer systems with similar parameters, he identifies decoupling of the superconducting planes in magnetic fields at temperatures much above the irreversibility line. He shows that if the irreversibility line is to be considered a melting transition line, it implies melting of the solid state into a liquid of three dimensional flux lines. He further uses Monte Carlo simulations to study the structure of the vortex state as well as melting

Optical Study of Electron-Doped Cuprate Pr1.3-xLa0.7CexCuO4+δ in Under-Doped Regime: Revisit the Phase Diagram

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnishi, Ryota; Nakajima, Masamichi; Miyasaka, Shigeki; Tajima, Setsuko; Adachi, Tadashi; Ohgi, Taro; Takahashi, Akira; Koike, Yoji

2018-04-01

A recent progress of reduction process for electron-doped cuprates enabled us to get superconducting samples at very low doping levels. In order to clarify the electronic state of strongly reduced Pr1.3-xLa0.7CexCuO4+δ (x = 0.05, 0.10) which exhibit high Tc (˜27 K) superconductivity, we have measured their optical spectra. The reflectivity of these samples was found much higher than the published data for the moderately reduced and non-superconducting samples with the same Ce concentrations. Moreover, the estimated effective electron numbers Neff for x = 0.05 and 0.10 were close to that of the optimally doped and superconducting sample with x = 0.15. Given that the parent compound is a Mott insulator, these results indicate that in the electron-doped cuprates only a small amount of carrier doping changes the system to a high Tc superconductor with a large Fermi surface. At low temperatures, a broad mid-infrared peak appeared even in the superconducting samples.

The electronic structure of normal metal-superconductor bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halterman, Klaus; Elson, J Merle [Sensor and Signal Sciences Division, Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA 93355 (United States)

2003-09-03

We study the electronic properties of ballistic thin normal metal-bulk superconductor heterojunctions by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations in the quasiclassical and microscopic 'exact' regimes. In particular, the significance of the proximity effect is examined through a series of self-consistent calculations of the space-dependent pair potential {delta}(r). It is found that self-consistency cannot be neglected for normal metal layer widths smaller than the superconducting coherence length {xi}{sub 0}, revealing its importance through discernible features in the subgap density of states. Furthermore, the exact self-consistent treatment yields a proximity-induced gap in the normal metal spectrum, which vanishes monotonically when the normal metal length exceeds {xi}{sub 0}. Through a careful analysis of the excitation spectra, we find that quasiparticle trajectories with wavevectors oriented mainly along the interface play a critical role in the destruction of the energy gap.

Magnetic uni- and tri-axial grain-orientation in superconductors with layered structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horii, S.; Yamaki, M.; Ogino, H.; Maeda, T.; Shimoyama, J.

2010-01-01

We report the grain-orientation effects under a modulated rotation magnetic field for Y-based cuprate superconductors and LaFeAsO (La1111). Tri-axial orientation has been successfully achieved only for orthorhombic Y 2 Ba 4 Cu 7 O y and YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 powders without a twin microstructure, while separation of three crystallographic axes could not be observed in twinned YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (Y123) and tetragonal La1111 powders. The morphology of grains, in addition to the symmetry of crystal structures, seriously affects the degrees of tri-axial orientation, which means that the control of twin microstructures is required for the tri-axial magnetic orientation in Y123.

Review on Superconducting Materials

OpenAIRE

Hott, Roland; Kleiner, Reinhold; Wolf, Thomas; Zwicknagl, Gertrud

2013-01-01

Short review of the topical comprehension of the superconductor materials classes Cuprate High-Temperature Superconductors, other oxide superconductors, Iron-based Superconductors, Heavy-Fermion Superconductors, Nitride Superconductors, Organic and other Carbon-based Superconductors and Boride and Borocarbide Superconductors, featuring their present theoretical understanding and their aspects with respect to technical applications.

Quasiparticle conductance-voltage characteristics for break junctions involving d-wave superconductors: charge-density-wave effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekino, T; Gabovich, A M; Suan Li, Mai; Szymczak, H; Voitenko, A I

2017-12-20

Quasiparticle tunnel conductance-voltage characteristics (CVCs), [Formula: see text], were calculated for break junctions (BJs) made up of layered d-wave superconductors partially gapped by charge-density waves (CDWs). The current is assumed to flow in the ab-plane of electrodes. The influence of CDWs is analyzed by comparing the resulting CVCs with CVCs calculated for BJs made up of pure d-wave superconductors with relevant parameters. The main CDW-effects were found to be the appearance of new CVC peculiarities and the loss of CVC symmetry with respect to the V-sign. Tunnel directionality was shown to be one of the key factors in the formation of [Formula: see text] dependences. In particular, the orientation of electrodes with respect to the current channel becomes very important. As a result, [Formula: see text] can acquire a large variety of forms similar to those for tunnel junctions between superconductors with s-wave, d-wave, and mixed symmetry of their order parameters. The diversity of peculiarities is especially striking at finite temperatures. In the case of BJs made up of pure d-wave superconductors, the resulting CVC can include a two-peak gap-driven structure. The results were compared with the experimental BJ data for a number of high-T c oxides. It was shown that the large variety of the observed current-voltage characteristics can be interpreted in the framework of our approach. Thus, quasiparticle tunnel currents in the ab-plane can be used as an additional mean to detect CDWs competing with superconductivity in cuprates or other layered superconductors.

Cu k-edge studies of the charge carries in Th-doped cuprate system R2-xThxCuO4-δ (R = Nd, Sm and Gd)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, G.; Yi, Y.; Jardim, R.F.; Wang, L.V.

1999-01-01

To further study the charge carrier concentration in electron doped cuprate superconductors, a systematic x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurement has been carried out on Th-doped superconductor system R 2-x Th x CuO 4-δ (R = Nd, Sm, and Gd). The XANES results show that, similar to the Ce-doped compounds, while the intensity of the Cu 1+ 4p π feature increase with the increase of the Th doping level x, the intensities of the Cu 2+ 4p π and 4p σ features decreases. This clearly indicates that the electrons doped by the Th atoms are injected into the local Cu 3d-orbitals. The normalized Cu 1+ 4p π intensity data show that the Cu 1+ concentration in the Th-doped compound series with different R-elements is linearly proportional to the Th doping-level x. The data suggest that both Ce and Th donate the same fraction of electrons into the Cu sites

Pair-density waves, charge-density waves, and vortices in high-Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Zhehao; Zhang, Ya-Hui; Senthil, T.; Lee, Patrick A.

2018-05-01

A recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiment reports the observation of a charge-density wave (CDW) with a period of approximately 8a in the halo region surrounding the vortex core, in striking contrast to the approximately 4a period CDWs that are commonly observed in the cuprates. Inspired by this work, we study a model where a bidirectional pair-density wave (PDW) with period 8 is at play. This further divides into two classes: (1) where the PDW is a competing state of the d -wave superconductor and can exist only near the vortex core where the d -wave order is suppressed and (2) where the PDW is the primary order, the so-called "mother state" that persists with strong phase fluctuations to high temperature and high magnetic field and lies behind the pseudogap phenomenology. We study the charge-density wave structures near the vortex core in these models. We emphasize the importance of the phase winding of the d -wave order parameter. The PDW can be pinned by the vortex core due to this winding and become static. Furthermore, the period-8 CDW inherits the properties of this winding, which gives rise to a special feature of the Fourier transform peak, namely, it is split in certain directions. There is also a line of zeros in the inverse Fourier transform of filtered data. We propose that these are key experimental signatures that can distinguish between the PDW-driven scenario from the more mundane option that the period-8 CDW is primary. We discuss the pro's and con's of the options considered above. Finally, we attempt to place the STM experiment in the broader context of pseudogap physics of underdoped cuprates and relate this observation to the unusual properties of x-ray scattering data on CDW carried out to very high magnetic field.

Critical states and thermomagnetic instabilities in three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamegai, T., E-mail: tamegai@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Mine, A.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Miyano, S.; Pyon, S. [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Mawatari, Y.; Nagasawa, S.; Hidaka, M. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Critical state field profiles and thermomagnetic instabilities are studied in three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors. • We find that the critical state field profiles in bi-layer systems are not simple superpositions of critical states in the two layers. • We also studied flux avalanches in shifted strip arrays with layer numbers up to six. • Various forms of avalanches either perpendicular or parallel to the strip are observed when the overlap between layers is large. • We find that introduction of asymmetry to shifted strip arrays affects the shape of flux avalanches sensitively. - Abstract: Critical state field profiles and thermomagnetic instabilities are studied in two kinds of three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors. We find that the critical state field profiles in some simple bi-layer systems are not simple superpositions of critical states in the two layers. Competition between the divergence of the local field at the edges of the film and the shielding by the neighboring layer makes novel critical state field profiles. We also studied flux avalanches in shifted strip arrays (SSAs) with layer numbers up to six. Various forms of avalanches either perpendicular or parallel to the strip are observed when the overlap between strips in neighboring layers is large. We also find that introduction of asymmetry in various forms to SSA affects the shape of flux avalanches sensitively.

Resistive transition in disordered superconductors with varying intergrain coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponta, L; Carbone, A; Gilli, M

2011-01-01

The effect of disorder is investigated in granular superconductive materials with strong- and weak-links. The transition is controlled by the interplay of the tunneling g and intragrain g intr conductances, which depend on the strength of the intergrain coupling. For g intr , the transition first involves the grain boundary, while for g ∼ g intr the transition occurs into the whole grain. The different intergrain couplings are considered by modeling the superconducting material as a disordered network of Josephson junctions. Numerical simulations show that on increasing the disorder, the resistive transition occurs for lower temperatures and the curve broadens. These features are enhanced in disordered superconductors with strong-links. The different behavior is further checked by estimating the average network resistance for weak- and strong-links in the framework of the effective medium approximation theory. These results may shed light on long standing puzzles such as: (i) enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature of many metals in the granular states; (ii) suppression of superconductivity in homogeneously disordered films compared to standard granular systems close to the metal-insulator transition; (iii) enhanced degradation of superconductivity by doping and impurities in strongly linked materials, such as magnesium diboride, compared to weakly linked superconductors, such as cuprates.

Electronic Identification of the Parental Phases and Mesoscopic Phase Separation of K_{x}Fe_{2-y}Se_{2} Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Chen

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The nature of the parent compound of a high-temperature superconductor (HTS often plays a pivotal role in determining its superconductivity. The parent compounds of the cuprate HTSs are antiferromagnetically ordered Mott insulators, while those of the iron-pnictide HTSs are metals with spin-density-wave order. Here we report the electronic identification of two insulating parental phases and one semiconducting parental phase of the newly discovered family of K_{x}Fe_{2-y}Se_{2} superconductors. The two insulating phases exhibit Mott-insulator-like signatures, and one of the insulating phases is even present in the superconducting and semiconducting K_{x}Fe_{2-y}Se_{2} compounds. However, it is mesoscopically phase-separated from the superconducting or semiconducting phase. Moreover, we find that both the superconducting and semiconducting phases are free of the magnetic and vacancy orders present in the insulating phases, and that the electronic structure of the superconducting phase could be developed by doping the semiconducting phase with electrons. The rich electronic properties discovered in these parental phases of the K_{x}Fe_{2-y}Se_{2} superconductors provide the foundation for studying the anomalous behavior in this new class of iron-based superconductors.

Metal–insulator crossover in high Tc cuprates: A gauge field approach

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

plane resistivity of underdoped cuprates and a range of superconducting cuprates in the presence of a strong magnetic field suppressing superconductivity. We propose an explanation for this phenomenon based on a gauge field theory approach ...

Low-energy excitations and Fermi surface topology of parent cobaltate superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasan, M.Z. [Department of Physics, Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)], E-mail: mzhasan@princeton.edu; Qian, D. [Department of Physics, Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Foo, M.; Cava, R.J. [Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2007-09-01

The essential framework for cuprate superconductivity is that of a spin-1/2 electron system in the vicinity of a half filled (Mott limit) lattice. Of all oxide superconductors, this framework is most closely matched in the sodium doped cobalt oxides except that it is realized on a triangular lattice. We employ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the quasiparticle dynamics of the parent cobaltate superconductor. Results reveal a single hole-like Fermi surface generated by the crossing of heavy ({approx}15 m{sub e} {approx} 3m{sub LDA}) quasiparticles with a negative effective hopping (t{sub eff} < 0). The observed ground state as given by the topology of the Fermi surface is found be very close to a collective charge instability with {radical}(3)x{radical}(3) symmetry. The measured electron dynamic parameters reveal the unusual character of the parent cobaltate class likely due to small and almost isotropic Fermi velocity (v{sub F}(k{sup {yields}}){approx}v{sub F}{approx}0.4{+-}0.1 eV A) observed. ARPES data is consistent with bulk thermodynamic specific heat and quantum oscillation measurements.

Epitaxial thin film growth and properties of unconventional oxide superconductors. Cuprates and cobaltates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krockenberger, Y.

2006-01-01

The discovery of high-temperature superconductors has strongly driven the development of suited thin film fabrication methods of complex oxides. One way is the adaptation of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for the growth of oxide materials. Another approach is the use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) which has the advantage of good stoichiometry transfer from target to the substrate. Both techniques are used within this thesis. Epitaxial thin films of new materials are of course needed for future applications. In addition, the controlled synthesis of thin film matter which can be formed far away from thermal equilibrium allows for the investigation of fundamental physical materials properties. (orig.)

Epitaxial thin film growth and properties of unconventional oxide superconductors. Cuprates and cobaltates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krockenberger, Y.

2006-07-01

The discovery of high-temperature superconductors has strongly driven the development of suited thin film fabrication methods of complex oxides. One way is the adaptation of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for the growth of oxide materials. Another approach is the use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) which has the advantage of good stoichiometry transfer from target to the substrate. Both techniques are used within this thesis. Epitaxial thin films of new materials are of course needed for future applications. In addition, the controlled synthesis of thin film matter which can be formed far away from thermal equilibrium allows for the investigation of fundamental physical materials properties. (orig.)

Bosonic Spectral Function and the Electron-Phonon Interaction in HTSC Cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maksimov, E. G.; Tamm, I. E.; Kulic, M.L.; Kulic, M.L.; Dolgov, O. V.

2010-01-01

In this paper we discuss experimental evidence related to the structure and origin of the bosonic spectral function a2F(ο) in high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates at and near optimal doping. Global properties of a2F(ο), such as number and positions of peaks, are extracted by combining optics, neutron scattering, ARPES and tunnelling measurements. These methods give evidence for strong electron-phonon interaction (EPI) with 1<λep <3.5 in cuprates near optimal doping. We clarify how these results are in favor of the modified Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) theory for HTSC cuprates near optimal doping. In Section 2 we discuss theoretical ingredients such as strong EPI, strong correlations which are necessary to explain the mechanism of d-wave pairing in optimally doped cuprates. These comprise the ME theory for EPI in strongly correlated systems which give rise to the forward scattering peak. The latter is supported by the long-range part of EPI due to the weakly screened Madelung interaction in the ionic-metallic structure of layered HTSC cuprates. In this approach EPI is responsible for the strength of pairing while the residual Coulomb interaction and spin fluctuations trigger the d-wave pairing.

Unified one-band Hubbard model for magnetic and electronic spectra of the parent compounds of cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Dalla Piazza, B.; Mourigal, M.; Guarise, M.; Berger, H.; Schmitt, T.; Zhou, K. J.; Grioni, M.; Rønnow, H. M.

2012-03-01

Using low-energy projection of the one-band t-t'-t'' Hubbard model we derive an effective spin Hamiltonian and its spin-wave expansion to order 1/S. We fit the spin-wave dispersion of several parent compounds to the high-temperature superconducting cuprates La2CuO4, Sr2CuO2Cl2, and Bi2Sr2YCu2O8. Our accurate quantitative determination of the one-band Hubbard model parameters allows prediction and comparison to experimental results. Among those we discuss the two-magnon Raman peak line shape, the K-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering 500-meV peak, and the high-energy kink in the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy quasiparticle dispersion, also known as the waterfall feature.

Spin dynamics in high-TC superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourges, Ph.

2003-07-01

This work is dedicated to the detailed investigations of the magnetic resonance peak in the superconducting state of cuprates. The existence of such a peak could be the signature of a mechanism linked to magnetism that could explain high critical temperature superconductivity. Inelastic neutron scattering is an adequate tool for the understanding of cuprate properties because it reveals magnetic fluctuations whose behaviour and variety depend strongly on temperature and on the level of doping. The last part of this work is dedicated to the study of spin dynamics in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x system

Orbitals, correlation, valencies in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khomskii, D.I.

1990-09-01

The survey is given of certain properties of high-Tc superconductors connected with the details of their electronic structure such as the kind of orbitals involved and the degree of correlation. Special attention is paid to the properties of cuprates at high doping level. The problem whether there exists a ''Mott transition'' at high electron or a hole concentration is discussed. We also discuss physical factors (d-p Coulomb interaction, orbital mixing) leading to the partial occupation of copper d x 2 -orbital. In particular we show that in localized picture (x 2 -y 2 ) and z 2 -levels in La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 may cross at x approx. 0.4 which may be responsible for a marked change of many properties at this doping. The possible role of x 2 -electrons in pairing is discussed in connection with some recent experiments. (author). 28 refs, 6 figs, 1 tab

Formation of layered microstructure in the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, S.; Kammlott, G.W.; Tiefel, T.H.; Chen, S.K.

1992-01-01

The layered grain microstructure is essential for overcoming the weak link problem and ensuring high transport critical currents in the cuprate superconductors. In this paper we discuss the processing and the mechanisms for layer information in Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. In melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O, sympathetic nucleation on previously nucleated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ plates during solidification appears to be dominant mechanism for the formation of parallel plate-shaped grains. In the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O ribbons, the interface reaction between the superconductor layer and the silvers substrate seems to be the main mechanism for the c-axis texturing of the layered grains. The drastically different critical current behavior in the c-axis textured Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O ribbons is discussed in terms of possible differences in the nature of the twist and tilt grain boundaries. (orig.)

Recombination and propagation of quasiparticles in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gedik, Nuh

2004-01-01

Rapid developments in time-resolved optical spectroscopy have led to renewed interest in the nonequilibrium state of superconductors and other highly correlated electron materials. In these experiments, the nonequilibrium state is prepared by the absorption of short (less than 100 fs) laser pulses, typically in the near-infrared, that perturb the density and energy distribution of quasiparticles. The evolution of the nonequilibrium state is probed by time resolving the changes in the optical response functions of the medium that take place after photoexcitation. Ultimately, the goal of such experiments is to understand not only the nonequilibrium state, but to shed light on the still poorly understood equilibrium properties of these materials. We report nonequilibrium experiments that have revealed aspects of the cup rates that have been inaccessible by other techniques. Namely, the diffusion and recombination coefficients of quasiparticles have been measured in both YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.5 and Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x using time-resolved optical spectroscopy. Dependence of these measurements on doping, temperature and laser intensity is also obtained. To study the recombination of quasiparticles, we measure the change in reflectivity ΔR which is directly proportional to the nonequilibrium quasiparticle density created by the laser. From the intensity dependence, we estimate β, the inelastic scattering coefficient and γ th thermal equilibrium quasiparticle decay rate. We also present the dependence of recombination measurements on doping in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x . Going from underdoped to overdoped regime, the sign of ΔR changes from positive to negative right at the optimal doping. This is accompanied by a change in dynamics. The decay of ΔR stops being intensity dependent exactly at the optimal doping. We provide possible interpretations of these two observations. To study the propagation of quasiparticles, we interfered two laser pulses to introduce a spatially

The rate of quasiparticle recombination probes the onset of coherence in cuprate superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, J P; Thewalt, E; Alpichshev, Z; Mahmood, F; Koralek, J D; Chan, M K; Veit, M J; Dorow, C J; Barišić, N; Kemper, A F; Bonn, D A; Hardy, W N; Liang, Ruixing; Gedik, N; Greven, M; Lanzara, A; Orenstein, J

2016-04-13

In the underdoped copper-oxides, high-temperature superconductivity condenses from a nonconventional metallic "pseudogap" phase that exhibits a variety of non-Fermi liquid properties. Recently, it has become clear that a charge density wave (CDW) phase exists within the pseudogap regime. This CDW coexists and competes with superconductivity (SC) below the transition temperature Tc, suggesting that these two orders are intimately related. Here we show that the condensation of the superfluid from this unconventional precursor is reflected in deviations from the predictions of BSC theory regarding the recombination rate of quasiparticles. We report a detailed investigation of the quasiparticle (QP) recombination lifetime, τqp, as a function of temperature and magnetic field in underdoped HgBa2CuO(4+δ) (Hg-1201) and YBa2Cu3O(6+x) (YBCO) single crystals by ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity. We find that τqp(T) exhibits a local maximum in a small temperature window near Tc that is prominent in underdoped samples with coexisting charge order and vanishes with application of a small magnetic field. We explain this unusual, non-BCS behavior by positing that Tc marks a transition from phase-fluctuating SC/CDW composite order above to a SC/CDW condensate below. Our results suggest that the superfluid in underdoped cuprates is a condensate of coherently-mixed particle-particle and particle-hole pairs.

The chaotic points and XRD analysis of Hg-based superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aslan, Oe [Anatuerkler Educational Consultancy and Trading Company, Orhan Veli Kanik Cad., 6/1, Kavacik 34810 Beykoz, Istanbul (Turkey); Oezdemir, Z Gueven [Physics Department, Yildiz Technical University, Davutpasa Campus, Esenler 34210, Istanbul (Turkey); Keskin, S S [Department of Environmental Eng., University of Marmara, Ziverbey, 34722, Istanbul (Turkey); Onbasli, Ue, E-mail: ozdenaslan@yahoo.co [Physics Department, University of Marmara, Ridvan Pasa Cad. 3. Sok. 85/12 Goztepe, Istanbul (Turkey)

2009-03-01

In this article, high T{sub c} mercury based cuprate superconductors with different oxygen doping rates have been examined by means of magnetic susceptibility (magnetization) versus temperature data and X-ray diffraction pattern analysis. The under, optimally and over oxygen doping procedures have been defined from the magnetic susceptibility versus temperature data of the superconducting sample by extracting the Meissner critical transition temperature, T{sub c} and the paramagnetic Meissner temperature, T{sub PME}, so called as the critical quantum chaos points. Moreover, the optimally oxygen doped samples have been investigated under both a.c. and d.c. magnetic fields. The related a.c. data for virgin(uncut) and cut samples with optimal doping have been obtained under a.c. magnetic field of 1 Gauss. For the cut sample with the rectangular shape, the chaotic points have been found to occur at 122 and 140 K, respectively. The Meissner critical temperature of 140 K is the new world record for the high temperature oxide superconductors under normal atmospheric pressure. Moreover, the crystallographic lattice parameters of superconducting samples have a crucial importance in calculating Josephson penetration depth determined by the XRD patterns. From the XRD data obtained for under and optimally doped samples, the crystal symmetries have been found in tetragonal structure.

Transition from Sign-Reversed to Sign-Preserved Cooper-Pairing Symmetry in Sulfur-Doped Iron Selenide Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qisi; Park, J T; Feng, Yu; Shen, Yao; Hao, Yiqing; Pan, Bingying; Lynn, J W; Ivanov, A; Chi, Songxue; Matsuda, M; Cao, Huibo; Birgeneau, R J; Efremov, D V; Zhao, Jun

2016-05-13

An essential step toward elucidating the mechanism of superconductivity is to determine the sign or phase of the superconducting order parameter, as it is closely related to the pairing interaction. In conventional superconductors, the electron-phonon interaction induces attraction between electrons near the Fermi energy and results in a sign-preserved s-wave pairing. For high-temperature superconductors, including cuprates and iron-based superconductors, prevalent weak coupling theories suggest that the electron pairing is mediated by spin fluctuations which lead to repulsive interactions, and therefore that a sign-reversed pairing with an s_{±} or d-wave symmetry is favored. Here, by using magnetic neutron scattering, a phase sensitive probe of the superconducting gap, we report the observation of a transition from the sign-reversed to sign-preserved Cooper-pairing symmetry with insignificant changes in T_{c} in the S-doped iron selenide superconductors K_{x}Fe_{2-y}(Se_{1-z}S_{z})_{2}. We show that a rather sharp magnetic resonant mode well below the superconducting gap (2Δ) in the undoped sample (z=0) is replaced by a broad hump structure above 2Δ under 50% S doping. These results cannot be readily explained by simple spin fluctuation-exchange pairing theories and, therefore, multiple pairing channels are required to describe superconductivity in this system. Our findings may also yield a simple explanation for the sometimes contradictory data on the sign of the superconducting order parameter in iron-based materials.

Surface cleaning and adsorbate layer formation: Dual role of alkylamines in the formation of self-assembled monolayers on cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritchie, J.E.; Murray, W.R.; Kershan, K.; Diaz, V.; Tran, L.; McDevitt, J.T.

1999-01-01

The development of monolayer adsorption chemistry for superconductor surfaces is particularly important for a number of practical and fundamental reasons. As high-T c superconductors begin to approach the marketplace in areas of communications, power industries, medical applications, and scientific instrumentation, the development of new soft chemistry approaches for the surface modification of these technologically relevant electronic materials becomes increasingly important. Monolayer adsorption chemistry has been developed extensively for electronic materials such as metals, semiconductors, and insulators. These methodologies have been expanded recently to include a variety of high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs). The authors describe a series of new X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), four-point conductivity, critical current, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), grazing angle infrared spectroscopy, and GE--MS experiments, which lead the suggestion that an entirely different mechanism is involved in the formation of HTSC-localized monolayers. According to the new model, the amine reagents serve two chemically distinct roles. In the initial phase, the degraded superconductor exteriors is etched away with the help of the amine compounds. The etching process proceeds to the point where fresh YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 is exposed, and only at this point do the amines adsorb and remain at the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 surface. As the adsorption process continues, there is an accumulation of an organized monolayer at the surface, which prevents further etching of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 material

Metal–insulator crossover in high c cuprates: A gauge field ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A metal–insulator crossover appears in the experimental data for in-plane resistivity of underdoped cuprates and a range of superconducting cuprates in the presence of a strong magnetic field suppressing superconductivity. We propose an explanation for this phenomenon based on a gauge field theory approach to the t-J ...

What is new in the world of superconductors?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, M.P.

2002-01-01

Full text: Ever since its discovery in 1911 by Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes in Leiden, superconductivity has promised tantalising possibilities of widespread applications. After 1986 its occurrence in cuprates above the liquid nitrogen temperature reaffirmed its capabilities for very many practical uses. More recently a number of novel materials namely intercalated fullerenes (C-60) and n-cenes (anthra-cene, tetra-cene and penta-cenes), a simple bimetallic alloy (MgB2), and ferromagnetic materials under high pressure including Fe, ZrZn2, and UGe2 have surprised us with their peculiar superconducting properties. In this talk I shall give a pedagogic survey of some of our current understanding- how these novel materials superconduct. I shall highlight a host of observable anomalies associated with these superconductors and discuss if their occurrence throws any light on the microscopic understanding of the superconducting phenomenon. I shall illustrate with a number of practical applications accomplished to date

Phase competition and anomalous thermal evolution in high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zuo-Dong; Zhou, Yuan; Yin, Wei-Guo; Lin, Hai-Qing; Gong, Chang-De

2017-07-01

The interplay of competing orders is relevant to high-temperature superconductivity known to emerge upon suppression of a parent antiferromagnetic order typically via charge doping. How such interplay evolves at low temperature—in particular at what doping level the zero-temperature quantum critical point (QCP) is located—is still elusive because it is masked by the superconducting state. The QCP had long been believed to follow a smooth extrapolation of the characteristic temperature T* for the strange normal state well above the superconducting transition temperature. However, recently the T* within the superconducting dome was reported to unexpectedly exhibit back-bending likely in the cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +δ . Here we show that the original and revised phase diagrams can be understood in terms of weak and moderate competitions, respectively, between superconductivity and a pseudogap state such as d -density or spin-density wave, based on both Ginzburg-Landau theory and the realistic t -t'-t''-J -V model for the cuprates. We further found that the calculated temperature and doping-level dependence of the quasiparticle spectral gap and Raman response qualitatively agrees with the experiments. In particular, the T* back-bending can provide a simple explanation of the observed anomalous two-step thermal evolution dominated by the superconducting gap and the pseudogap, respectively. Our results imply that the revised phase diagram is likely to take place in high-temperature superconductors.

Impurity induced resistivity upturns in underdoped cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Nabyendu, E-mail: nabyendudas@gmail.com; Singh, Navinder

2016-01-28

Impurity induced low temperature upturns in both the ab-plane and the c-axis dc-resistivities of cuprates in the pseudogap state have been observed in experiments. We provide an explanation of this phenomenon by incorporating impurity scattering of the charge carriers within a phenomenological model proposed by Yang, Rice and Zhang. The scattering between charge carriers and the impurity atom is considered within the lowest order Born approximation. Resistivity is calculated within Kubo formula using the impurity renormalized spectral functions. Using physical parameters for cuprates, we describe qualitative features of the upturn phenomena and its doping evolution that coincides with the experimental findings. We stress that this effect is largely due to the strong electronic correlations.

Impurity induced resistivity upturns in underdoped cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Nabyendu; Singh, Navinder

2016-01-01

Impurity induced low temperature upturns in both the ab-plane and the c-axis dc-resistivities of cuprates in the pseudogap state have been observed in experiments. We provide an explanation of this phenomenon by incorporating impurity scattering of the charge carriers within a phenomenological model proposed by Yang, Rice and Zhang. The scattering between charge carriers and the impurity atom is considered within the lowest order Born approximation. Resistivity is calculated within Kubo formula using the impurity renormalized spectral functions. Using physical parameters for cuprates, we describe qualitative features of the upturn phenomena and its doping evolution that coincides with the experimental findings. We stress that this effect is largely due to the strong electronic correlations.

IrSr2TbCu2O8, a high-pressure metamagnetic cuprate: Structure, microstructure and properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dos Santos-Garcia, A.J.; Duijn, J. van; Saez-Puche, R.; Heymann, G.; Huppertz, H.; Alario-Franco, M.A.

2008-01-01

The synthesis, structure and microstructure of the IrSr 2 TbCu 2 O 8 cuprate showing metamagnetic properties are described. The sample was prepared at high temperatures and pressures up to 9.2 GPa. The structure is tetragonal, showing a 1212 type structure, that derives from the classical YBaCuO superconductor structure, replacing the tetracoordinated square planar copper [Cu-O 4 ] in the 'chains' by octahedral [Ir-O 6 ] groups that form a perovskite-like layer in the basal plane of the unit cell. A 'simple' cell, ∼a p xa p x3a p , where a p is the basic perovskite unit cell parameter (a p ∼3.8 A), is supported by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and a so-called 'diagonal' one, ∼√2a p x√2a p x3a p , by SAED; a microdomain texture of latter cell and a series of very interesting extended defects have been observed by HREM. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show a magnetic transition, T N ∼6 K, with negative Weiss temperature, that indicates antiferromagnetic interactions among the Tb moments. The magnetic structure has been determined by neutron diffraction. A detailed magnetic study has revealed a metamagnetic behavior, something not previously observed in this type of cuprates. Specific heat and resistivity measurements have also been performed to characterize the transition. - Graphical abstract: Reconstructed image from the SAED of the long c tetragonal axis (3a p ) of a IrSr 2 TbCu 2 O 8 crystal. A unit cell picture is included for comparison. Display Omitted

Proximity-induced superconductivity in all-silicon superconductor /normal-metal junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Chiodi, F.; Duvauchelle, J.-E.; Marcenat, C.; Débarre, D.; Lefloch, F.

2017-07-01

We have realized laser-doped all-silicon superconducting (S)/normal metal (N) bilayers of tunable thickness and dopant concentration. We observed a strong reduction of the bilayers' critical temperature when increasing the normal metal thickness, a signature of the highly transparent S/N interface associated to the epitaxial sharp laser doping profile. We extracted the interface resistance by fitting with the linearized Usadel equations, demonstrating a reduction of 1 order of magnitude from previous superconductor/doped Si interfaces. In this well-controlled crystalline system we exploited the low-resistance S/N interfaces to elaborate all-silicon lateral SNS junctions with long-range proximity effect. Their dc transport properties, such as the critical and retrapping currents, could be well understood in the diffusive regime. Furthermore, this work led to the estimation of important parameters in ultradoped superconducting Si, such as the Fermi velocity, the coherence length, or the electron-phonon coupling constant, fundamental to conceive all-silicon superconducting electronics.

Superconducting thallium cuprates obtained by substitution of copper for thallium in the double-thallium layer cuprate (Tl2212)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gopalakrishnan, J.; Shivakumara, C.; Manivannan, V.

1994-01-01

A new series of superconducting thallium cuprates of nominal composition, (Tl 2-x Cu x )Ba 2 CaCu 2 O 8 (0 c s in the range 110--99K. The phases are metastable, decomposing at higher temperatures (∼1,150K) to a mixture of thallium cuprates, CuO and BaCuO 2 . Significantly, x=1 member decomposes at 1,150K to mixture of Tl2223, CuO and BaCuO 2 . Chemical titrations involving oxidation of bromide ions reveals that the copper substituting for thallium in (Tl 2-x Cu x )Ba 2 CaCu 2 O 8 most likely occurs in the III oxidation state for x≤0.25 and in a mixed state (II,III) state for x>0.25

Ag induced suppression of irradiation response in YBCO/Ag composite thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behera, D.; Mohanty, T.; Mohanta, D.; Patnaik, K.; Mishra, N.C.; Senapati, L.; Kanjilal, D.; Mehta, G.K.; Pinto, R.

1999-01-01

Practical application of cuprate superconductors in radiation environment demands that these systems remain insensitive to the irradiation induced defects. The cuprate superconductors however are many orders of magnitude more sensitive than the conventional low T c superconductors. To suppress the irradiation sensitivity of cuprates we consider a crystal engineering approach where metal ions as Ag is made to occupy inter and intra-granular sites of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 thin films. We show that superconducting and normal state properties of YBCO/Ag composite thin films prepared by laser ablation remain unchanged under 140 MeV Si ion irradiation up to fluence of 8 x 10 14 ions/cm 2 . The inter- and intra-granular occupancy of Ag is shown to induce microstructural modifications and rigidity to the CuO chains respectively which in turn lead to the radiation insensitivity of the composite films. (author)

PREFACE: Celebrating 100 years of superconductivity: special issue on the iron-based superconductors Celebrating 100 years of superconductivity: special issue on the iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Crabtree, George; Greene, Laura; Johnson, Peter

2011-12-01

In honor of this year's 100th anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity, this special issue of Reports on Progress in Physics is a dedicated issue to the 'iron-based superconductors'—a new class of high-temperature superconductors that were discovered in 2008. This is the first time the journal has generated a 'theme issue', and we provide this to the community to provide a 'snapshot' of the present status, both for researchers working in this fast-paced field, and for the general physics community. Reports on Progress in Physics publishes three classes of articles—comprehensive full Review Articles, Key Issues Reviews and, most recently, Reports on Progress articles that recount the current status of a rapidly evolving field, befitting of the articles in this special issue. It has been an exciting year for superconductivity—there have been numerous celebrations for this centenary recounting the fascinating history of this field, from seven Nobel prizes to life-saving discoveries that brought us medically useful magnetic resonance imaging. The discovery of a completely new class of high-temperature superconductors, whose mechanism remains as elusive as the cuprates discovered in 1986, has injected a new vitality into this field, and this year those new to the field were provided with the opportunity of interacting with those who have enjoyed a long history in superconductivity. Furthermore, as high-density current carriers with little or no power loss, high-temperature superconductors offer unique solutions to fundamental grid challenges of the 21st century and hold great promise in addressing our global energy challenges. The complexity and promise of these materials has caused our community to more freely share our ideas and results than ever before, and it is gratifying to see how we have grown into an enthusiastic global network to advance the field. This invited collection is true to this agenda and we are delighted to have received contributions

Strain effects on point defects and chain-oxygen order-disorder transition in 123 cuprate compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Haibin; Welch, David O.; Wong-Ng, Winnie

2004-01-01

The energetics of Schottky defects in 123 cuprate superconductor series RBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (where R=lanthandies) and YA 2 Cu 3 O 7 (A=alkali earths), were found to have unusual relations if one considers only the volumetric strain. Our calculations reveal the effect of nonuniform changes of interatomic distances within the R-123 structures, introduced by doping homovalent elements, on the Schottky defect formation energy. The energy of formation of Frenkel pair defects, which is an elementary disordering event, in 123 compounds can be substantially altered under both stress and chemical doping. Scaling the oxygen-oxygen short-range repulsive parameter using the calculated formation energy of Frenkel pair defects, the transition temperature between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases is computed by quasichemical approximations (QCA's). The theoretical results illustrate the same trend as the experimental measurements in that the larger the ionic radius of R, the lower the orthorhombic/tetragonal phase transition temperature. This study provides strong evidence of the strain effects on order-disorder transition due to oxygens in the CuO chain sites

From a Single-Band Metal to a High-Temperature Superconductor via Two Thermal Phase Transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, R.-H.; Hashimoto, M.; Karapetyan, H.; Koralek, J.D.; Hinton, J.P.; Testaud, J.P.; Nathan, V.; Yoshida, Y.; Yao, H.; Tanaka, K.; Meevasana, W.; Moore, R.G.; Lu, D.H.; Mo, S.-K.; Ishikado, M.; Eisaki, H.; Hussain, Z.; Devereaux, T.P.; Kivelson, S.A.; Orenstein, J.; Kapitulnik, A.

2011-11-08

The nature of the pseudogap phase of cuprate high-temperature superconductors is one of the most important unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. We studied the commencement of the pseudogap state at temperature T* using three different techniques (angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, polar Kerr effect, and time-resolved reflectivity) on the same optimally-doped Bi2201 crystals. We observe the coincident onset at T* of a particle-hole asymmetric antinodal gap, a non-zero Kerr rotation, and a change in the relaxational dynamics, consistent with a phase transition. Upon further cooling, spectroscopic signatures of superconductivity begin to grow close to the superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}), entangled in an energy-momentum dependent fashion with the pre-existing pseudogap features.

The Hall effect: An acid test for the Luttinger liquid theory of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, P.W.

1992-01-01

The temperature dependence of the Hall effect has been one of the most intriguing puzzles of the 'normal' metallic state in cuprate superconductors. It is shown that the Luttinger liquid theory provides a quantitative picture of the data, in particular showing that relaxation time τ perpendicular defined by the Hall angle tan θ H ω c τ perpendicular is the relaxation rate of the spinon elementary excitations and that θ H has a simple and characteristic temperature dependence (A+BT 2 ) -1 . Observed magnitudes of θ H are incompatible with Fermi liquid theory. A discussion is added of the interlayer mechanism for superconductivity and the new form of BCS gap equation which results from it. (author). 12 refs.; 4 figs

Extreme and Local 3rd Harmonic Response of Niobium (Nb) Superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Oripov, Bakhrom; Tai, Tamin; Anlage, Steven

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are being widely used in new generation particle accelerators. These SRF cavities are based on bulk Nb. Based on the needs of the SRF community to identify defects on Nb surfaces, a novel near-field magnetic microwave microscope was successfully built using a magnetic writer from a conventional magnetic recording hard-disk drive1. This magnetic writer can create an RF magnetic field, localized and strong enough to drive Nb into the vortex state. This probe enables us to locate defects through scanning and mapping of the local electrodynamic response in the multi-GHz frequency range. Recent measurements have shown that 3rd harmonic nonlinear response is far more sensitive to variations in input power and temperature then linear response, thus we mainly study the 3rd harmonic response. Moreover, the superconductor is usually the only source for nonlinear response in our setup, thus there is less chance of having noise or background signal. Understanding the mechanism responsible for this non-linear response is important for improving the performance of SRF cavities. Besides Nb we also study various other superconductors such as MgB2 and the cuprate Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) for potential applications in SRF cavities. This work is funded by US Department of Energy through Grant # DE-SC0012036T and CNAM.

Angle and frequency dependence of self-energy from spin fluctuation mediated d-wave pairing for high temperature superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seung Hwan; Choi, Han-Yong

2013-09-11

We investigated the characteristics of spin fluctuation mediated superconductivity employing the Eliashberg formalism. The effective interaction between electrons was modeled in terms of the spin susceptibility measured by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on single crystal La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4 superconductors. The diagonal self-energy and off-diagonal self-energy were calculated by solving the coupled Eliashberg equation self-consistently for the chosen spin susceptibility and tight-binding dispersion of electrons. The full momentum and frequency dependence of the self-energy is presented for optimally doped, overdoped, and underdoped LSCO cuprates in a superconductive state. These results may be compared with the experimentally deduced self-energy from ARPES experiments.

High temperature superconducting compounds II; Proceedings of the Second Symposium, Anaheim, CA, Feb. 20, 21, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whang, S.H.; Dasgupta, A.; Laibowitz, R.

1990-01-01

Various topics relevant to the production and implementation of high-temperature superconducting compounds are highlighted including critical current; texturing; ceramics and novel processing; composites; deformation and consolidation; thin films; microstructures; tapes, filaments, and ribbons; and thermodynamics. The thermally activated flux creep, critical current density and current enhancement in high-temperature superconductors are addressed. Also discussed are the phase stability and microstructure of doped superconductors, mechanical considerations in the processing of high-Tc superconductors, fabrication and application of high current density, high RTc superconducting thin films and devices, the effect of substrate temperature and RF biasing on the composition of sputtered Bi-based superconducting thin films, and optical electron microanalysis of cuprate superconductors. The microstructure dependence of critical current density and fabrication of double-layered ribbons from cuprate are also discussed

Magnetic memory effect in type-II superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prischepa, S L; Kupriyanov, M Yu; Cirillo, C; Attanasio, C

2014-01-01

We study the temperature dependence of the critical current density, J c S/F (T), of a Nb/PdNi (PdNi = Pd 84 Ni 16 ) bilayer before and after the application of a magnetic field oriented either out-of-the-plane or in-the-plane of the substrate. Nb and PdNi layers interact through both electromagnetic and proximity coupling. The values of J c S/F strongly depend on the magnetic history of the samples. Indeed, the J c S/F values measured when the PdNi is in the out-of-plane remanent state are reduced by a factor of two, in the whole investigated temperature range, compared to the case when the PdNi is in the demagnetized state. This behavior can be accounted for by the out-of-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the PdNi layer producing stray fields which, in turn, can induce a spontaneous vortex phase in the Nb layer. The topology of these vortices is strongly modified by the proximity coupling as confirmed by theoretical calculations. The J c S/F values are only weakly affected by the in-plane remanence of the PdNi layer. (paper)

Ceramic superconductors II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, M.F.

1988-01-01

This volume compiles papers on ceramic superconductors. Topics include: structural patterns in High-Tc superconductors, phase equilibria of barium oxide superconductors, localized electrons in tetragonal YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-δ/, lattice and defect structure and properties of rare earth/alkaline earth-copper-oxide superconductors, alternate candidates for High-Tc superconductors, perovskite-structure superconductors; superconductive thin film fabrication, and superconductor/polymer composites

Upper critical field and vortices in S/F bilayers exhibiting the quasi-onedimensional FFLO-like state

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lenk, Daniel; Hemmida, Mamoun; Kehrle, Jan; Zdravkov, Vladimir I.; Ullrich, Aladin; Obermeier, Guenther; Mueller, Claus; Loidl, Alois; Krug von Nidda, Hans-Albrecht; Horn, Siegfried; Tidecks, Reinhard [Institut fuer Physik, Universitaet Augsburg (Germany); Morari, Roman [Institut fuer Physik, Universitaet Augsburg (Germany); D. Ghitsu Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies ASM, Kishinev (Moldova, Republic of); Sidorenko, Anatolie S. [D. Ghitsu Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies ASM, Kishinev (Moldova, Republic of); Tagirov, Lenar [Institut fuer Physik, Universitaet Augsburg (Germany); Solid State Physics Department, Kazan Federal University (Russian Federation)

2015-07-01

We investigate the temperature dependence of the upper critical field, B{sub c2}, in superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) bilayers as a function of the F-layer thickness, d{sub F}, by resistance measurements. We extracted GL coherence lengths and estimated an effective thickness of the superconducting layer by evaluating the perpendicular coherence length at the 3D-2D crossover temperature in the parallel B{sub c2}. We found an unexpected non-monotonous behavior of the effective thickness as a function of d{sub F}. Moreover, we investigated the anisotropy of B{sub c2} by microwave absorption. The results show a deviation from Tinkham's prediction for thin films, which we attribute to the additional anisotropy induced by the quasi-1D FFLO-like state. Thus, we propose a new type of vortex, developing in the S/F bilayer in magnetic fields applied close to parallel.

High-energy kink in the single-particle spectra of cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cojocaru, S.; Citro, R.; Marinaro, M.

2008-01-01

Within a phenomenological model where electrons are coupled to a bosonic mode in a generic form of damped oscillator, we analyze the high-energy kink recently observed in ARPES experiments on cuprates. It is shown that the model allows to describe the main anomalous features found in experiments, such as the broad incoherent spectral weight, the 'waterfall dispersion', its doping and temperature dependence. In contrast to the low-energy kink, presence of significant damping is required to account for the anomalies. The 'bosonic mode' is related to the incoherent excitation peak observed in optical conductivity spectra of cuprates

High-energy kink in the single-particle spectra of cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cojocaru, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy); Institute of Applied Physics, Chisinau 2028 (Moldova, Republic of); Citro, R. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy)], E-mail: citro@sa.infn.it; Marinaro, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy); I.I.A.S.S., Via G. Pellegrino, n. 19 84019 Vietri sul Mare (Italy)

2008-04-01

Within a phenomenological model where electrons are coupled to a bosonic mode in a generic form of damped oscillator, we analyze the high-energy kink recently observed in ARPES experiments on cuprates. It is shown that the model allows to describe the main anomalous features found in experiments, such as the broad incoherent spectral weight, the 'waterfall dispersion', its doping and temperature dependence. In contrast to the low-energy kink, presence of significant damping is required to account for the anomalies. The 'bosonic mode' is related to the incoherent excitation peak observed in optical conductivity spectra of cuprates.

Superconducting Mercury-Based Cuprate Films with a Zero-Resistance Transition Temperature of 124 Kelvin

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuei, C. C.; Gupta, A.; Trafas, G.; Mitzi, D.

1994-03-01

The synthesis of high-quality films of the recently discovered mercury-based cuprate films with high transition temperatures has been plagued by problems such as the air sensitivity of the cuprate precursor and the volatility of Hg and HgO. These processing difficulties have been circumvented by a technique of atomic-scale mixing of the HgO and cuprate precursors, use of a protective cap layer, and annealing in an appropriate Hg and O_2 environment. With this procedure, a zero-resistance transition temperature as high as 124 kelvin in c axis-oriented epitaxial HgBa_2CaCu_2O6+δ films has been achieved.

Superconducting mercury-based cuprate films with a zero-resistance transition temperature of 124 Kelvin.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuei, C C; Gupta, A; Trafas, G; Mitzi, D

1994-03-04

The synthesis of high-quality films of the recently discovered mercury-based cuprate films with high transition temperatures has been plagued by problems such as the air sensitivity of the cuprate precursor and the volatility of Hg and HgO. These processing difficulties have been circumvented by a technique of atomic-scale mixing of the HgO and cuprate precursors, use of a protective cap layer, and annealing in an appropriate Hg and O(2) environment. With this procedure, a zero-resistance transition temperature as high as 124 kelvin in c axis-oriented epitaxial HgBa(2)CaCu(2)O(6+delta) films has been achieved.

Growth and characterization of bulk superconductor material

CERN Document Server

Chen, Dapeng; Maljuk, Andrey; Zhou, Fang

2016-01-01

This book focuses on recently developed crystal growth techniques to grow large and high quality superconducting single crystals. The techniques applied are traveling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) with infrared image furnace, Bridgeman, solution/flux and top seeded solution growth (TSSG) methods. The materials range from cuprates, cobaltates to pnictides including La2CuO4-based (LCO), YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO), Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4+δ (n=1,2,3) (BSCCO) to NaxCoO2. The modified Bridgman “cold finger” method is devoted to the pnictide system with the best quality (transition width DTc~0.5 K) with highest Tc~38.5 K of Ba0.68K0.32Fe2A2. The book presents various iron-based superconductors with different structures, such as 1111, 122, 111, 11 and 42622,10-3-8. Detailed single crystal growth methods (fluxes, Bridgman, floating zone), the associated procedures and their impact to crystal size and quality are presented. The book also describes the influence of doping on the structure and the electric, magnetic, and supe...

Modulation-free bismuth-lead cuprate superconductors: BiPbSr1+xL1-xCuO6 and BiPbSr2Y1-xCaxCu2O8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manivannan, V.; Gopalakrishnan, J.; Rao, C.N.R.

1991-01-01

Modulation-free BiPbSrLCuO 6 (L=La, Pr, Nd) and BiPbSr 2 YCu 2 O 8 , which are isotypic with the n=1 and 2 members of the Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2n+4 family, have been prepared and characterized. These parent compounds are nonsuperconducting, but when doped with holes by substitution chemistry give modulation-free superconducting cuprates of the general formulas BiPbSr 1+xL1-x CuO 6 and BiPbSr 2 Y 1-x Ca x Cu 2 O 8 , exhibiting maximum T c 's of 24 and 85 K, respectively. Significantly, the hole concentration at the maximum T c is 0.12 in the cuprate family with a single Cu-O layer and 0.22 in that with two Cu-O layers

The superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lad, J.K.

1979-01-01

Techniques for fabrication of a few important superconductors like Nb, Ti and Nb 3 Sn are described. Copper or bronze or both can be used as a matrix in the superconductor. Current densities obtained for different ratios of copper to superconductor are studied. The specifications of multi-filament Nb 3 Sn superconductors are given. The relative merits of the two superconductors are discussed. The temperature range obtained is approximately 3 0 K and a magnetic field of 9T(tesla) can be achieved. (A.K.)

Temperature and doping dependence of the high-energy kink in cuprates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemljic, M M; Prelovsek, P; Tohyama, T

2008-01-25

It is shown that spectral functions within the extended t-J model, evaluated using the finite-temperature diagonalization of small clusters, exhibit the high-energy kink in single-particle dispersion consistent with recent angle-resolved photoemission results on hole-doped cuprates. The kink and waterfall-like features persist up to large doping and to temperatures beyond J; hence, the origin can be generally attributed to strong correlations and incoherent hole propagation at large binding energies. In contrast, our analysis predicts that electron-doped cuprates do not exhibit these phenomena in photoemission.

Critical current densities in thick yttrium-barium cuprate (1-2-3) films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryvkina, G.G.; Gorlanov, S.F.; Vedernikov, G.E.; Telegin, A.B.; Ryabin, V.A.; Khodos, M.Ya.

1993-01-01

The study of critical current densities j c of oxide superconductors and their thick films is a very important practical task because the value of j c is one of the main criteria for their utilization in modern cryoelectronics. For most devices based on the Josephson effect, the value of j c ∼ 10 2 - 10 3 A/cm 2 is acceptable, which is easily attainable for polycrystalline thick films obtained by stenciling. The study of the current-transport phenomenon involves a number of difficulties, especially for direct current, because both the sample itself and the lead-in contacts are resistance-heated during the measurements, which, in turn, results in lower values of the j c . Measurements with pulsed currents allow one to lower the power that is applied to the sample; the heat that is released in the sample is reduced, in comparison to measurements with direct current, by a factor of the pulsed-current duty cycle. In addition, measurements with direct current detects only the appearance of resistance; it provides no information on the rest of the transition from the normal to the superconductive state, i.e., on the so-called 'tail' of the transition. In this work, the authors studied critical current densities of thick HTSC yttrium-barium cuprate films of the 1-2-3 composition using pulsed current

Charge density waves as the origin of dip-hump structures in the differential tunneling conductance of cuprates: The case of d-wave superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabovich, Alexander M., E-mail: gabovich@iop.kiev.ua; Voitenko, Alexander I., E-mail: voitenko@iop.kiev.ua

2014-08-15

Highlights: • d-Wave superconductivity and charge-density waves compete for the Fermi surface. • Charge-density waves induce pseudogaps and peak-dip-hump structures in cuprates. • Tunnel spectra are non-symmetric due to the dielectric order-parameter phase fixation. • Scatter of the dielectric order parameter smears the tunnel spectra peculiarities. - Abstract: Quasiparticle differential current–voltage characteristics (CVCs) G(V) of non-symmetric tunnel junctions between d-wave superconductors with charge-density waves (CDWs) and normal metals were calculated. The dependences G(V) were shown to have a V-like form at small voltages V and low temperatures, and to be asymmetric at larger V owing to the presence of CDW peak in either of the V-branches. The spatial scatter of the dielectric (CDW) order parameter smears the CDW peak into a hump and induces a peak-dip-hump structure (PDHS) typical of CVCs observed for such junctions. At temperatures larger than the superconducting critical one, the PDHS evolves into a pseudogap depression. The results agree well with the scanning tunneling microscopy data for Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+δ} and YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ}. The results differ substantially from those obtained earlier for CDW s-wave superconductors.

Ab-initio study of superconducting state in intercalated MoSe2 and WSe2 bilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Szcześniak, R.; Durajski, A. P.; Jarosik, M. W.

2018-05-01

A two-dimensional systems have attracted significant interest due to their outstanding physical, chemical and optoelectronic properties. This paper focuses on the detailed investigations of the electronic, phononic and superconducting properties of transition-metal dichalcogenide bilayers MSe 2 (M = Mo, W) intercalated by calcium atoms. The first-principles calculations show that (MoSe2)2Ca and (WSe2)2Ca systems exhibit metallic behavior and weak phonon-mediated superconductivity with low critical temperature of 0.51 and 0.30 K, respectively. These results confirm other theoretical predictions and suggest that the investigated materials cannot be a good candidates for a nanoscale superconductors.

Study of the magnetic field distribution in high-temperature superconductors using muon-spin-rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, P.R.

1994-01-01

Detailed and systematic μ + SR experiments have been performed in order to (i) investigate the temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth in various cuprate high-T c superconductors and (ii) study the vortex structures and dynamics in the highly anisotropic Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 . The μ + SR method and its application to superconductivity has been discussed. The positive muon is a microscopic probe of the local magnetic field in the bulk of a sample. The μ + SR technique can therefore measure the magnetic field distribution p(B) which is determined by the flux structure in the superconductor. The second moment (ΔB 2 ) of p(B) is closely related to the magnetic penetration depth λ, a fundamental parameter of superconductivity. It has been shown that in high-quality sintered samples a good estimate of the in-plane penetration depth λ ab can be given in terms of the muon-depolarization rate σ. Since the penetration depth is related to the superconducting order parameter, the temperature dependence of the penetration depth is a potential probe of the pairing state. Systematic measurements of the temperature dependence of σ have been performed in sintered samples of high quality in various members of the Y123 family, Pb and Y doped Tl1212 family, and also in Y124 and Bi2212. It is found that the extracted temperature behaviour of λ ab -2 is characteristic of each compound. This can be interpreted as a varying coupling strength in these systems. In well oxygenated Y123, λ ab -2 (T) is well described by the two-fluid model indicating strong coupling. The rest of the cuprates investigated show a λ ab -2 (T) which points to weaker coupling, with λ ab -2 (T) of highly oxygen deficient Y123 being similar to the weak-coupling BCS prediction. In the Y123 family the decreasing coupling strength with decreasing oxygen content is related to the increasing anisotropy. Comparison with theoretical predictions of λ ab -2 (T) revealed that the observed

First-principles study on the creation of holes in high Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambrosch-Draxl, C.; Sherman, E.Ya.; Auer, H.; Thonhauser, T.

2004-01-01

We investigate the charge redistribution in high T c cuprates as a function of pressure, composition, and doping. To this extent we have performed first-principles calculations based on density functional theory for several representatives of the Hg based cuprates. In particular, we focus on the creation of holes in the copper-oxygen planes. Conclusions are drawn about the similarities and differences between the three parameters influencing the superconducting transition temperature. (copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Studies of High-T$_{c}$ Superconductors Doped with Radioactive Isotopes

CERN Multimedia

Alves, E J; Goncalves marques, J; Cardoso, S; Lourenco, A A; Sousa, J B

2002-01-01

%title\\\\ \\\\We propose to study High T$_{c} $ Superconductors~(HTSc) doped with radioactive elements at ISOLDE, in order to investigate some of the problems that persist after use of conventional characterization techniques. Three main topics are proposed: \\begin{enumerate} \\item Characterization of the order/disorder of Hg in the Hg-planes of the HTSc family Hg$_{1}$Ba$_{2}$R$_{(n-1)}$Cu$_{n}$O$_{(2n+2+\\delta)}$ (T$_{c}$ > 130 K) due to defects or impurities such as C and Au. \\item Studies of the doping of Infinite Layers Cuprates (RCuO$_{2}$)$_{n}$, R=Ca, Sr or Ba, using unstable nuclei of the alkaline-earth (IIA) group which decay to the alkaline nuclei (IA) group. The purpose is to introduce charge carriers in these materials by changing the valence of the cations during the nuclear transmutation. The possibility of using ion implantation to introduce directly an alkaline dopant will also be studied. \\item Studies of the Hg/Au doping of high quality YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+x}$ thin films. We intend to chara...

Critical-temperature inhomogeneities and resistivity rounding in copper oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maza, J.; Vidal, F.

1991-01-01

By using effective-medium approaches, we obtain the onset of the electrical-resistivity rounding, above the normal-superconducting transition, associated with inhomogeneities of the mean-field critical temperature T c0 at scales larger than the superconducting correlation length. These results are compared with available data in single-crystal and single-phase (to within 4%) polycrystalline YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ samples. This comparison shows that the measured resistivity rounding cannot be explained by these types of local T c0 inhomogeneities. Complementarily, our calculations allow us to check some proposals on T c0 inhomogeneities associated with local sample strains or oxygen-content variations. The interplay between T c0 inhomogeneities and superconducting order-parameter fluctuations (SCOPF) leads to the conclusion that in the mean-field-like region (MFR) above the superconducting transition, the T c0 inhomogeneity contribution to the measured resistivity rounding in high-quality (single-phase) cuprate oxide superconductors is negligible. In contrast, our analysis confirms that in the MFR these effects may be explained quantitatively on the grounds of the Lawrence-Doniach theory for SCOPF

Manganite/Cuprate Superlattice as Artificial Reentrant Spin Glass

KAUST Repository

Ding, Junfeng; Cossu, Fabrizio; Lebedev, Oleg I.; Zhang, Yuqin; Zhang, Zhidong; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Wu, Tao

2016-01-01

magnetic memory effect discovered in oxide heterostructures composed of ultrathin manganite La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and cuprate La2CuO4 (LCO) layers. These heterostructures are featured with enhanced ferromagnetism before entering the spin glass state: a

Briefing on superconductor developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, D.

1987-01-01

In this paper, the author covers the technology of the new oxide superconductors and how they might relate to the existing superconductors. He discusses old-fashioned superconductors; the material science of superconductors; the new oxide superconductors; and the future of oxide superconductors. 13 figures, 1 table

Gossamer superconductivity, new paradigm?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Won, Hyekyung [Department of Physics, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702 (Korea); Haas, Stephan; Parker, David [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States); Maki, Kazumi [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States); Max-Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Dora, Balazs [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1521 Budapest (Hungary); Virosztek, Attila [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1521 Budapest (Hungary); Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary)

2006-01-01

We review our recent works on d-wave density wave (dDW) and gossamer superconductivity (i.e. d-wave superconductivity in the presence of dDW) in high-T{sub c} cuprates and CeCoIn{sub 5}. a) We show that both the giant Nernst effect and the angle dependent magnetoresistance (ADMR) in the pseudogap phases of the cuprates and CeCoIn{sub 5} are manifestations of dDW. b) The phase diagram of high-T{sub c} cuprates is understood in terms of mean field theory, which includes two order parameters {delta}{sub 1} and {delta}{sub 2}, where one order paremeter is from dDW and the other from d-wave superconductivity. c) In the optimally to the overdoped region we find the spatially periodic dDW, an analogue of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state, becomes more stable. d) In the underdoped region where {delta}{sub 2}/{delta}{sub 1}<<1 the Uemera relation is obtained within the present model. We speculate that the gossamer superconductivity is at the heart of high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors, the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn{sub 5} and the organic superconductors {kappa}-(ET){sub 2}Cu(NCS){sub 2} and (TMTSF){sub 2}PF{sub 6}. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

On the interplay of Jahn-Teller physics and Mott physics in cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamimura, H; Ushio, H

2008-01-01

The extended two-story house model which is now called the Kamimura-Suwa (K-S) model has clarified how the interplay of Mott physics and Jahn-Teller physics plays an important role in determining the superconducting as well as metallic state of underdoped cuprates. In this paper it is first pointed out for underdoped cuprates that Mott physics leads to the existence of local antiferromagnetic order constructed from the localized spins while that the anti-Jahn-Teller effect as a central issue of Jahn-Teller physics leads to the existence of two kinds of orbitals parallel and perpendicular to a CuO 2 plane whose states have nearly the same energy. As a result of the interplay of both physics the K-S model has shown that the exchange interactions between the spins of a localized hole and of a carrier hole play an important role in producing the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in underdoped cuprates. The appearance of d-wave superconductivity even in the phonon-involved mechanism is also shown to be due to the interplay of Jahn-Teller physics and Mott Physics. Brief review of these facts as well as the K-S model is given in this paper. More outstanding result in this paper is that the origin of pseudogap in the deeply underdoped regime has been clarified. In this paper it is shown theoretically for the first time that the so-called T* pseudogap observed in ARPES, STM and tunneling experiments below T c in underdoped cuprates corresponds to the real transition of photo-excited electrons from the occupied states in the originally conduction band below the superconducting gap to a free-electron state above the vacuum level. Thus we conclude that the T* pseudogap in the underdoped cuprates which increases with decreasing the hole concentration is not 'pseudo', but a real gap which exists even below T c

Spin-resolved tunneling studies of the exchange field in EuS/Al bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Y M; Stadler, S; Adams, P W; Catelani, G

2011-06-17

We use spin-resolved electron tunneling to study the exchange field in the Al component of EuS/Al bilayers, in both the superconducting and normal-state phases of the Al. Contrary to expectation, we show that the exchange field H(ex) is a nonlinear function of applied field, even in applied fields that are well beyond the EuS coercive field. Furthermore, the magnitude H(ex) is unaffected by the superconducting phase. In addition, H(ex) decreases significantly with increasing temperature in the temperature range of 0.1-1 K. We discuss these results in the context of recent theories of generalized spin-dependent boundary conditions at a superconductor-ferromagnet interface.

Zeeman and orbital limiting magnetic fields in cuprates: The ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, ... In cuprates, in a view where pairing correlations set in at the pseudogap ... the field Hc2 bounding the superconducting response and the pseudogap closing field.

Higgs Mode in the d -Wave Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x Driven by an Intense Terahertz Pulse

Science.gov (United States)

Katsumi, Kota; Tsuji, Naoto; Hamada, Yuki I.; Matsunaga, Ryusuke; Schneeloch, John; Zhong, Ruidan D.; Gu, Genda D.; Aoki, Hideo; Gallais, Yann; Shimano, Ryo

2018-03-01

We investigate the terahertz (THz)-pulse-driven nonlinear response in the d -wave cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x (Bi2212) using a THz pump near-infrared probe scheme in the time domain. We observe an oscillatory behavior of the optical reflectivity that follows the THz electric field squared and is markedly enhanced below Tc . The corresponding third-order nonlinear effect exhibits both A1 g and B1 g symmetry components, which are decomposed from polarization-resolved measurements. A comparison with a BCS calculation of the nonlinear susceptibility indicates that the A1 g component is associated with the Higgs mode of the d -wave order parameter.

Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Narlikar, A V

2014-01-01

Superconductors is neither about basic aspects of superconductivity nor about its applications, but its mainstay is superconducting materials. Unusual and unconventional features of a large variety of novel superconductors are presented and their technological potential as practical superconductors assessed. The book begins with an introduction to basic aspects of superconductivity. The presentation is readily accessible to readers from a diverse range of scientific and technical disciplines, such as metallurgy, materials science, materials engineering, electronic and device engineering, and chemistry. The derivation of mathematical formulas and equations has been kept to a minimum and, wherever necessary, short appendices with essential mathematics have been added at the end of the text. The book is not meant to serve as an encyclopaedia, describing each and every superconductor that exists, but focuses on important milestones in their exciting development.

Theory of superconductivity and spin excitations in cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Plakida, Nikolay M.

2018-06-01

A microscopic theory of high-temperature superconductivity in strongly correlated systems as cuprates is presented. The two-subband extended Hubbard model is considered where the intersite Coulomb repulsion and electron-phonon interaction are taken into account. The low-energy spin excitations are considered within the t-J model.

Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunctions from perovskite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Štrbík, V.; Beňačka, Š.; Gaži, Š.; Španková, M.; Šmatko, V.; Knoška, J.; Gál, N.; Chromik, Š.; Sojková, M.; Pisarčík, M.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunction. • Nanojunctions prepared by Ga"3"+ focused ion beam patterning. • Indication of triplet Cooper pair component in junction superconducting current. • Qualitative agreement with theoretical model. - Abstract: The lateral superconductor-ferromagnet–superconductor (SFS) nanojunctions based on high critical temperature superconductor YBa_2Cu_3O_x (YBCO) and half-metallic ferromagnet La_0_._6_7Sr_0_._3_3MnO_3 (LSMO) thin films were prepared to investigate a possible presence of long range triplet component (LRTC) of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. We applied Ga"3"+ focused ion beam patterning to create YBCO/LSMO/YBCO lateral type nanojunctions with LSMO length as small as 40 nm. The resistivity vs. temperature, critical current density vs. temperature and resistance vs. magnetic field dependence were studied to recognize the LRTC of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. A non-monotonic temperature dependence of junction critical current density and a decrease of the SFS nanojunction resistance in increased magnetic field were observed. Only weak manifestations of LRTC and some qualitative agreement with theory were found out in SFS nanojunctions realized from the perovskite materials. The presence of equal-spin triplet component of Cooper pairs in half-metallic LSMO ferromagnet is not such apparent as in SFS junctions prepared from low temperature superconductors NbTiN and half-metallic ferromagnet CrO_2.

High pressure study of high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souliou, Sofia-Michaela

2014-09-29

The current thesis studies experimentally the effect of high external pressure on high-T{sub c} superconductors. The structure and lattice dynamics of several members of the high-T{sub c} cuprate and Fe-based superconductors families were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction under well-controlled, hydrostatic high pressure and low temperature conditions. The lattice dynamics of the high-T{sub c} superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x} have been investigated systematically by Raman spectroscopy as a function of doping (x = 0.95, 0.75, 0.60, 0.55, and 0.45) and external pressure. Under ambient pressure conditions, in addition to the Raman modes expected from group theory, we observe new Raman active phonons upon cooling the underdoped samples, at temperatures well above the superconducting transition temperature. The doping dependence and the onset temperatures of the new Raman features suggest that they are associated with the incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) state recently discovered in underdoped cuprates using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Under high pressure conditions (from 2 to 12 GPa), our Raman measurements on highly ordered underdoped YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6.55} samples do not show any of the new Raman phonons seen at ambient pressure. High pressure and low temperature Raman measurements have been performed on the underdoped superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 4}O{sub 8}. A clear renormalization of some of the Raman phonons is seen below T{sub c} as a result of the changes in the phonon self-energy upon the opening of the superconducting gap, with the most prominent one being that of the B{sub 1g}-like buckling phonon mode. The amplitude of this renormalization strongly increases with pressure, resembling the effect of hole doping in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x}. At ∝ 10 GPa, the system undergoes a reversible pressure-induced structural phase transition to a non-centrosymmmetric structure (space group

High pressure study of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souliou, Sofia-Michaela

2014-01-01

The current thesis studies experimentally the effect of high external pressure on high-T c superconductors. The structure and lattice dynamics of several members of the high-T c cuprate and Fe-based superconductors families were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction under well-controlled, hydrostatic high pressure and low temperature conditions. The lattice dynamics of the high-T c superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x have been investigated systematically by Raman spectroscopy as a function of doping (x = 0.95, 0.75, 0.60, 0.55, and 0.45) and external pressure. Under ambient pressure conditions, in addition to the Raman modes expected from group theory, we observe new Raman active phonons upon cooling the underdoped samples, at temperatures well above the superconducting transition temperature. The doping dependence and the onset temperatures of the new Raman features suggest that they are associated with the incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) state recently discovered in underdoped cuprates using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Under high pressure conditions (from 2 to 12 GPa), our Raman measurements on highly ordered underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.55 samples do not show any of the new Raman phonons seen at ambient pressure. High pressure and low temperature Raman measurements have been performed on the underdoped superconductor YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 . A clear renormalization of some of the Raman phonons is seen below T c as a result of the changes in the phonon self-energy upon the opening of the superconducting gap, with the most prominent one being that of the B 1g -like buckling phonon mode. The amplitude of this renormalization strongly increases with pressure, resembling the effect of hole doping in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x . At ∝ 10 GPa, the system undergoes a reversible pressure-induced structural phase transition to a non-centrosymmmetric structure (space group Imm2). The structural transition is clearly reflected in the high pressure

Topological Crystalline Superconductivity in Locally Noncentrosymmetric Multilayer Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Tomohiro; Sigrist, Manfred; Yanase, Youichi

2015-07-10

Topological crystalline superconductivity in locally noncentrosymmetric multilayer superconductors (SCs) is proposed. We study the odd-parity pair-density wave (PDW) state induced by the spin-singlet pairing interaction through the spin-orbit coupling. It is shown that the PDW state is a topological crystalline SC protected by a mirror symmetry, although it is topologically trivial according to the classification based on the standard topological periodic table. The topological property of the mirror subsectors is intuitively explained by adiabatically changing the Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonian. A subsector of the bilayer PDW state reduces to the two-dimensional noncentrosymmetric SC, while a subsector of the trilayer PDW state is topologically equivalent to the spinless p-wave SC. Chiral Majorana edge modes in trilayers can be realized without Cooper pairs in the spin-triplet channel and chemical potential tuning.

The possibility of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manaf, Muhamad Nasruddin; Santoso, Iman; Hermanto, Arief

2015-01-01

We discuss the possibility of superconductivity in Twisted Bilayer Graphene (TBG). In this study we use TBG model with commensurate rotation θ=1.16° in which the van-Hove singularities (VHS) arise at 6 meV from the Fermi level. We use BCS standard formula that include Density of States (DOS) to calculate the critical temperature (T C ). Based on our calculation we predict that superconductivity will not arise in Pristine TBG because pairing potential has infinity value. In this situation, Dirac Fermions do not interact with each other since they do not form the bound states. Superconductvity may arise when the Fermi level is shifted towards the VHS. Based on this calculation, we predict that T C has value between 0.04 K and 0.12 K. The low value of T C is due to highly energetic of in plane phonon vibration which reduce the effective electron-phonon coupling. We conclude that doped TBG is candidate for Dirac Fermion superconductor

The collapse of the columnar spatial topology of pseudogap excitations in the underdoped-overdoped transition of cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roehler, Juergen [Universitaet zu Koeln, 50937 Koeln (Germany)

2016-07-01

The intensity I{sub Q{sub 0}} of the Q=0 nematic pseudogap excitations in Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+x} was found to increase between p ≥ 0.06 and 0.14 and to collapse at p{sub opt}=0.16, reaching zero at p=0.2. Evidentially it maps the growth and the collapse of the bulge in the doping dependence of the basal-plane area (ab) of p-type cuprates. The nematic topology of the pseudogap excitations results from the non-occupancy constraint for nn ZR-holes excluding 1a dimerization, but favoring 3a pair states with inequivalent O{sub x,y} sites. 3a pair states have hard core properties, yield d-type CDW excitations, and inflate the basal-plane area by a columnar topology against covalency-driven contraction. We show that optimal delocalization of ZR-holes at p{sub opt}=1/6 ≅ 0.17, tantamount to maximal connectedness of 3a pair states, will transform the columnar nematic pattern into isotropic tweedy striations, hence collapses I{sub Q{sub 0}}, and the bulge.

Positron-annihilation studies on the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundar, C.S.; Bharathi, A.; Ching, W.Y.; Jean, Y.C.; Hor, P.H.; Meng, R.L.; Huang, Z.J.; Chu, C.W.

1991-01-01

The results of positron-lifetime measurements as a function of temperature, across T c , and as a function of heat treatment are presented. The lifetime in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O does not show any variation with temperature in the range of 10 to 300 K, a result that is in contrast with other cuprate superconductors. The absence of lifetime variation across T c is understood in terms of the calculated positron-density distribution, which indicates that the maximum of the positron density is in the region between the Bi-O layers with no significant density in the superconducting CuO 2 layers. Positron-lifetime measurements as a function of heat treatment indicate a decrease in lifetime as the annealing temperature is lowered from 800 degree C to 100 degree C. The decrease in lifetime, which is correlated with the increase in the weight of the sample, is explained in terms of the intercalation of the excess oxygen in the region between the Bi-O layers, which is the region probed by the positron

Transport, magnetic and structural properties of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}/La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} heterostructures grown on SrTiO3(110) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustafa, Luqman; Logvenov, Gennady; Habermeier, Hanns-Ulrich; Keimer, Bernhard [Max Planck Institute or Solid State Research, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Soltan, Soltan [Max Planck Institute or Solid State Research, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Physics Department, Faculty of science, Helwan University, 11792-Helwan, Cairo (Egypt)

2012-07-01

YBCO/LCMO bi- and multi-layers were grown on STO (110) substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique with the goal to study the interface of an oxide ferromagnet and a cuprate superconductor where the CuO{sub 2} planes are perpendicular to the film plane. The structure was investigated by X-ray diffractometry, transport and magnetic properties were studied by conventional four-point-probe and SQUID techniques respectively. Depending on the preparation conditions the single layer YBCO as well as bilayers can be grown in the (110), (103)/(10-3), as well as mixed orientations. Large anisotropy of electrical conductivity in these films was observed in case of (110)-oriented YBCO layer and less pronounced anisotropy in case of (103)-oriented one. We present a detailed analysis of the anisotropy of the magnetization of such bi- and multi-layers emphasizing its relation to the orientation of the YBCO film.

Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunctions from perovskite materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Štrbík, V., E-mail: vladimir.strbik@savba.sk [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia); Beňačka, Š.; Gaži, Š.; Španková, M.; Šmatko, V. [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia); Knoška, J. [Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg (Germany); Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22607, Hamburg (Germany); Gál, N.; Chromik, Š.; Sojková, M.; Pisarčík, M. [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunction. • Nanojunctions prepared by Ga{sup 3+} focused ion beam patterning. • Indication of triplet Cooper pair component in junction superconducting current. • Qualitative agreement with theoretical model. - Abstract: The lateral superconductor-ferromagnet–superconductor (SFS) nanojunctions based on high critical temperature superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (YBCO) and half-metallic ferromagnet La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} (LSMO) thin films were prepared to investigate a possible presence of long range triplet component (LRTC) of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. We applied Ga{sup 3+} focused ion beam patterning to create YBCO/LSMO/YBCO lateral type nanojunctions with LSMO length as small as 40 nm. The resistivity vs. temperature, critical current density vs. temperature and resistance vs. magnetic field dependence were studied to recognize the LRTC of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. A non-monotonic temperature dependence of junction critical current density and a decrease of the SFS nanojunction resistance in increased magnetic field were observed. Only weak manifestations of LRTC and some qualitative agreement with theory were found out in SFS nanojunctions realized from the perovskite materials. The presence of equal-spin triplet component of Cooper pairs in half-metallic LSMO ferromagnet is not such apparent as in SFS junctions prepared from low temperature superconductors NbTiN and half-metallic ferromagnet CrO{sub 2}.

Hydrophobic silver nanoparticles trapped in lipid bilayers: Size distribution, bilayer phase behavior, and optical properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bothun Geoffrey D

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lipid-based dispersion of nanoparticles provides a biologically inspired route to designing therapeutic agents and a means of reducing nanoparticle toxicity. Little is currently known on how the presence of nanoparticles influences lipid vesicle stability and bilayer phase behavior. In this work, the formation of aqueous lipid/nanoparticle assemblies (LNAs consisting of hydrophobic silver-decanethiol particles (5.7 ± 1.8 nm embedded within 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC bilayers is demonstrated as a function of the DPPC/Ag nanoparticle (AgNP ratio. The effect of nanoparticle loading on the size distribution, bilayer phase behavior, and bilayer fluidity is determined. Concomitantly, the effect of bilayer incorporation on the optical properties of the AgNPs is also examined. Results The dispersions were stable at 50°C where the bilayers existed in a liquid crystalline state, but phase separated at 25°C where the bilayers were in a gel state, consistent with vesicle aggregation below the lipid melting temperature. Formation of bilayer-embedded nanoparticles was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence anisotropy, where increasing nanoparticle concentration suppressed the lipid pretransition temperature, reduced the melting temperature, and disrupted gel phase bilayers. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR wavelength of the embedded nanoparticles was independent of the bilayer phase; however, the SPR absorbance was dependent on vesicle aggregation. Conclusion These results suggest that lipid bilayers can distort to accommodate large hydrophobic nanoparticles, relative to the thickness of the bilayer, and may provide insight into nanoparticle/biomembrane interactions and the design of multifunctional liposomal carriers.

Lipid bilayers and interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kik, R.A.

2007-01-01

In biological systems lipid bilayers are subject to many different interactions with other entities. These can range from proteins that are attached to the hydrophilic region of the bilayer or transmembrane proteins that interact with the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer. Interaction between

First-principles calculation of the transition temperature Tc for HgBa2CuO4+δ high-temperature superconductors via dipolon theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downs, D.; Sharma, R.R.

1995-01-01

First numerical evaluations of T c for oxygenated and argon-reduced single-layered HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ superconductors have been presented. Our calculations are based on the dipolon theory and are found to provide an explanation for the occurrence of superconductivity in single-layered high-T c superconductors. Relevant expressions useful for the evaluation of T c have been given. Since the polarizabilities of the ions are not known exactly for the present systems we have performed calculations making use of Pauling's as well as Tessman, Kahn, and Shockley's polarizabilities in order to estimate the uncertainties in the calculated values of T c associated with uncertainties in the polarizabilities. The effective charges on the ions required for the evaluation of dipoles and dipolon frequencies have been obtained by means of the bond-valence sums. Without fitting with any parameters, our calculations yield T c values equal to 80±21 K for the oxygenated and 50±27 K for the argon-reduced HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ superconductors, in agreement with the corresponding experimental values 95 and 59 K. The uncertainties in the calculated values of T c arise because of the uncertainties in various physical parameters (including polarizabilities) used and due to errors involved in the calculations. The present results are consistent with the observed electronic Raman-scattering intensities which show anomalously broad peaks extended up to several electron volts in cuprate high-T c superconductors. Our calculated dipolon density of states predict four optical absorption peaks at about 77 cm -1 , 195 cm -1 , 1.6 eV, and 2.5 eV

Interaction of ultra soft magnetic materials with the high-T{sub c} superconductor YBCO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stahl, Claudia; Treiber, Sebastian; Schuetz, Gisela [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Walker, Patrick [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Aalen University, Beethovenstrasse 1, 73430 Aalen (Germany); Albrecht, Joachim [Aalen University, Beethovenstrasse 1, 73430 Aalen (Germany)

2013-07-01

We have grown bilayers of optimally doped YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-δ} (YBCO) and ferromagnetic CoFeB on single-crystalline substrates by pulsed laser deposition and sputtering. These heterostructures are typically composed of about 100 nm YBCO and several 10 nm of CoFeB. Regarding the superconductor, the properties of the YBCO film change as a consequence of the vicinity of the ferromagnet. In detail we investigated the critical current density as a function of temperature, applied field and time as well as the transition temperature by SQUID magnetization measurements and quantitative magneto-optical measurements. The amorphous material CoFeB exhibits an in plane anisotropy and a very low coercivity. From magneto-optical images we find that the flux line lattice of the superconductor is mapped into the magnet and still visible as significant magnetic out-of-plane contrast at room temperature. We discuss this phenomenon as a new route to high-resolution mapping of the flux line distribution on a nanometer scale.

Normal state Raman spectra of high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2003-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain Raman spectra of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. Parameter dependence of Raman active phonon frequencies are studied by varying model parameters of the system i.e. the position of f-level (ε f ), the effective electron-phonon coupling strength (g), the staggered magnetic field (h 1 ), and the hybridization parameter (v). The four Raman active peaks (P 1 to P 4 ) represent the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate systems. They show up as phonon excitations due to the coupling of the phonon to the electrons and the anti-ferromagnetic gap. (author)

Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

The chapter 6.3 p. 143 to 153 of this book deals with superconductors 19 items are briefly presented with address of manufacturer or laboratory to contact, mainly in the USA or Japan. In particular magnets, films, high temperature superconductors and various applications are presented [fr

Non-separable pairing interaction kernels applied to superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haley, Stephen B.; Fink, Herman J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Non-separable interaction kernels with weak interactions produces HTS. • A probabilistic approach is used in filling the electronic states in the unit cell. • A set of coupled equations is derived which describes the energy gap. • SC properties of separable with non-separable interactions are compared. • There is agreement with measured properties of the SC and normal states. - Abstract: A pairing Hamiltonian H(Γ) with a non-separable interaction kernel Γ produces HTS for relatively weak interactions. The doping and temperature dependence of Γ(x,T) and the chemical potential μ(x) is determined by a probabilistic filling of the electronic states in the cuprate unit cell. A diverse set of HTS and normal state properties is examined, including the SC phase transition boundary T C (x), SC gap Δ(x,T), entropy S(x,T), specific heat C(x,T), and spin susceptibility χ s (x,T). Detailed x,T agreement with cuprate experiment is obtained for all properties

A spatial interpretation of emerging superconductivity in lightly doped cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Deutscher, Guy; de Gennes, Pierre-Gilles

The formation of domains comprising alternating 'hole rich' and 'hole poor' ladders recently observed by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy by Kohsaka et al., on lightly hole doped cuprates, is interpreted in terms of an attractive mechanism which favors the presence of doped holes on Cu sites located each on one side of an oxygen atom. This mechanism leads to a geometrical pattern of alternating hole-rich and hole-poor ladders with a periodicity equal to 4 times the lattice spacing in the CuO plane, as observed experimentally. Cuprates supraconducteurs peu dopés : une interprétation des structures spatiales. Des arrangements électroniques réguliers ont été détectés récemment par Kohsaka et al. dans des cuprates sous dopés (via une sonde tunnel locale). Certaines paires Cu-O-Cu sont « actives », et forment une échelle. Les autres sites sont peu actifs. Pour expliquer ces structures, nous postulons que, lorsqu'une liaison Cu-O-Cu est occupée par deux trous, la distance (Cu-Cu) rétrécit et l'intégrale de transfert (t) est fortement augmentée. Ceci peut engendrer des paires localisées (réelles ou virtuelles). Aux taux de dopage étudiés, la période de répétition vaudrait 4 mailles élémentaires.

Strain-Induced Enhancement of the Electron Energy Relaxation in Strongly Correlated Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Gadermaier

2014-03-01

Full Text Available We use femtosecond optical spectroscopy to systematically measure the primary energy relaxation rate Γ_{1} of photoexcited carriers in cuprate and pnictide superconductors. We find that Γ_{1} increases monotonically with increased negative strain in the crystallographic a axis. Generally, the Bardeen-Shockley deformation potential theorem and, specifically, pressure-induced Raman shifts reported in the literature suggest that increased negative strain enhances electron-phonon coupling, which implies that the observed direct correspondence between a and Γ_{1} is consistent with the canonical assignment of Γ_{1} to the electron-phonon interaction. The well-known nonmonotonic dependence of the superconducting critical temperature T_{c} on the a-axis strain is also reflected in a systematic dependence T_{c} on Γ_{1}, with a distinct maximum at intermediate values (∼16  ps^{−1} at room temperature. The empirical nonmonotonic systematic variation of T_{c} with the strength of the electron-phonon interaction provides us with unique insight into the role of electron-phonon interaction in relation to the mechanism of high-T_{c} superconductivity as a crossover phenomenon.

Organic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulaevskij, L.N.; Shchegolev, I.F.

1986-01-01

Main achievements in creating new organic conducting materials - synthetic metals and superconductors, are considered. The processes of superconductivity occurrence in organic materials are discussed. It is shown that conjugated bonds between C and H atoms in organic molecules play an important role in this case. At present ''crystal direction'' in organic superconductor synthesis is mainly developed. Later on, organic superconductor crystals are supposed to be introduced into usual polymers, e.g. polyethylene

Chasing the cuprates with dilatonic dyons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amoretti, Andrea [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge,Cambridge, CB3 OWA (United Kingdom); Baggioli, Matteo [Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology,Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Magnoli, Nicodemo [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, and I.N.F.N. - Sezione di Genova,via Dodecaneso 33, I-16146, Genova (Italy); Musso, Daniele [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP),Strada Costiera 11, I-34151 Trieste (Italy)

2016-06-20

Magnetic field and momentum dissipation are key ingredients in describing condensed matter systems. We include them in gauge/gravity and systematically explore the bottom-up panorama of holographic IR effective field theories based on bulk Einstein-Maxwell Lagrangians plus scalars. The class of solutions here examined appears insufficient to capture the phenomenology of charge transport in the cuprates. We analyze in particular the temperature scaling of the resistivity and of the Hall angle. Keeping an open attitude, we illustrate weak and strong points of the approach.

A simple model for normal state in- and out-of-plane resistivities of hole doped cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naqib, S.H., E-mail: shnaqib.physicsru@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh); Azam, M. Afsana [Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh); Department of Physics, DUET, Gazipur, Dhaka (Bangladesh); Uddin, M. Borhan [Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh); Department of CSE, International Islamic University Chittagong, Sitakunda, IIUC Rd, Kumira 4314 Bangladesh (Bangladesh); Cole, J.R. [Cambridge Flow Solutions Ltd., Histon, Cambridge CB24 9AD (United Kingdom)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • In- and out-of-plane charge transport have been investigated for hole doped cuprates. • Effect of quantum critical point (QCP) on non-Fermi liquid behavior has been explored. • The impact of pseudogap (PG) on carrier scattering rate has been studied. • In- and out-of plane resistivities have been modeled by considering the QCP and the PG. • The model explains the non-Fermi liquid charge transport in hole doped cuprates. - Abstract: The highly anisotropic and qualitatively different nature of the normal state in- and out-of-plane charge dynamics in high-T{sub c} cuprates cannot be accommodated within the conventional Boltzmann transport theory. The variation of in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities with temperature and hole content are anomalous and cannot be explained by Fermi-liquid theory. In this study, we have proposed a simple phenomenological model for the dc resistivity of cuprates by incorporating two firmly established generic features of all hole doped cuprate superconductors—(i) the pseudogap in the quasiparticle energy spectrum and (ii) the T-linear resistivity at high temperatures. This T-linear behavior over an extended temperature range can be attributed to a quantum criticality, affecting the electronic phase diagram of cuprates. Experimental in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities (ρ{sub p}(T) and ρ{sub c}(T), respectively) of double-layer Y(Ca)123 have been analyzed using the proposed model. This phenomenological model describes the temperature and the hole content dependent resistivity over a wide range of temperature and hole content, p. The characteristic PG energy scale, ε{sub g}(p), extracted from the analysis of the resistivity data, agrees quite well with those found in variety of other experiments. Various other extracted parameters from the analysis of ρ{sub p}(T) and ρ{sub c}(T) data showed systematic trends with changing hole concentration. We have discussed important features found from the analysis in

Magnetic pinning-effect in Nd0.7Ca0.3MnO3/YBa2Cu3O7 bilayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Daniel; Lin, J.G.; Wu, W.F.

2007-01-01

The vortex lines of superconductor can be driven by electrical currents, which are often coupled with a reliable control of flux quanta movement by defects or magnetic domains. In this work, the magnetic pinning-effect in Nd 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 /YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (NCMO/YBCO) bilayers is investigated. It is found that by increasing the field from 0 to 5 Tesla, the critical current I c of pure YBCO film at 50 K is suppressed by three orders of magnitude. However, in the NCMO/YBCO bilayer I c is less sensitive to the field and maintains at the level of 100 mA at high field. This result indicates that the magnetic pinning effect of NCMO is much more efficient than the conventional routes, which maybe related to the fine domain structure of NCMO film. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Hysteretic Vortex-Matching Effects in High-Tc Superconductors with Nanoscale Periodic Pinning Landscapes Fabricated by He Ion-Beam Projection

Science.gov (United States)

Zechner, G.; Jausner, F.; Haag, L. T.; Lang, W.; Dosmailov, M.; Bodea, M. A.; Pedarnig, J. D.

2017-07-01

Square arrays of submicrometer columnar defects in thin YBa2 Cu3 O7 -δ (YBCO) films with spacings down to 300 nm are fabricated by a He ion-beam projection technique. Pronounced peaks in the critical current and corresponding minima in the resistance demonstrate the commensurate arrangement of flux quanta with the artificial pinning landscape, despite the strong intrinsic pinning in epitaxial YBCO films. While these vortex-matching signatures are exactly at the predicted values in field-cooled experiments, they are displaced in zero-field-cooled, magnetic-field-ramped experiments, conserving the equidistance of the matching peaks and minima. These observations reveal an unconventional critical state in a cuprate superconductor with an artificial, periodic pinning array. The long-term stability of such out-of-equilibrium vortex arrangements paves the way for electronic applications employing fluxons.

High temperature superconductors at optimal doping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. E. Pickett

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   Intensive study of the high temperature superconductors has been ongoing for two decades. A great deal of this effort has been devoted to the underdoped regime, where the new and difficult physics of the doped Mott insulator has met extra complications including bilayer coupling/splitting, shadow bands, and hot spots. While these complications continue to unfold, in this short overview the focus is moved to the region of actual high-Tc, that of optimal doping. The focus here also is not on the superconducting state itself, but primarily on the characteristics of the normal state from which the superconducting instability arises, and even these can be given only a broad-brush description. A reminder is given of two issues,(i why the “optimal Tc” varies,for n-layered systems it increases for n up to 3, then decreases for a given n, Tc increases according to the ‘basis’ atom in the order Bi, Tl, Hg (ii how does pressure, or a particular uniaxial strain, increase Tc when the zero-strain system is already optimally doped?

Dopant structural distortions in high-temperature superconductors: an active or a passive role?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haskel, D.; Stern, E.A.; Dogan, F.; Moodenbaugh, A.R.

2001-01-01

The parent compounds of high-temperature superconductors, such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 and La 2 CuO 4 , are strongly interacting electron systems, rendering them insulators with Mott-Hubbard gaps of a few electron volts. Charge carriers (holes) are introduced by chemical doping, causing an insulator-metal (IM) transition and, at low temperatures, superconductivity. The role of dopants is widely seen as limited to the introduction of holes into the CuO 2 planes (i.e. occupying electronic states derived from Cu 3d x2-y2 and O 2p x,y atomic orbitals). Most theories of high-T c superconductivity deal with pairing interactions between these planar holes. Local distortions around dopants are poorly understood, because of the experimental difficulty in obtaining such information, particularly at low doping. This has resulted in the neglect, in most theories, of the effect of such distortions on the chemical and electronic structure of high-T c superconductors. Angular-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy on oriented samples is an ideal technique to elucidate the dopant distortions. Element specificity, together with a large orientation dependence of the XAFS signal in these layered structures, allows the local structure around dopants to be resolved. Results are presented here on (Sr, Ba) and Ni dopants, which substitute at the La and Cu sites, respectively, of insulating La 2 CuO 4 . The relevance of the measured local distortions for a complete understanding of the normal and superconducting properties of cuprates is discussed. (au)

Fabrication of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Dorris, Stephen E.; Ma, Beihai; Li, Meiya

2003-06-17

A method of forming a biaxially aligned superconductor on a non-biaxially aligned substrate substantially chemically inert to the biaxially aligned superconductor comprising is disclosed. A non-biaxially aligned substrate chemically inert to the superconductor is provided and a biaxially aligned superconductor material is deposited directly on the non-biaxially aligned substrate. A method forming a plume of superconductor material and contacting the plume and the non-biaxially aligned substrate at an angle greater than 0.degree. and less than 90.degree. to deposit a biaxially aligned superconductor on the non-biaxially aligned substrate is also disclosed. Various superconductors and substrates are illustrated.

Synthesis, structural and physico-chemical studies of the monocrystal superconductor oxides Hg Ba2 Can-1 Cun O2n+2+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viallet-Guillen, Virginie

1998-01-01

The thesis presents the synthesis and the structural and physico-chemical properties of the mercury-based monocrystal superconductor oxides. The results reported in the first chapter refer to the first three members of the mercury cuprate series Hg-1201, Hg-1212 and Hg-1223. In the second chapter detailed results concerning the structure of these compounds are given highlighting the features common to all cuprates and pointing out the peculiarities of mercury phases. The third chapter presents the phase diagrams (δ, T, p(O 2 )) of the compounds HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ and HgBa 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 8+δ obtained by thermogravimetry under controlled atmosphere between 150 deg.C and 500 deg.C and thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. In the case of Hg-1201, the critical temperature shows a variation close to a parabolic law, with an optimal Tc of 96 K (δ≅0.10) while in Hg-1223 the Tc increases linearly with the O content up to the optimal Tc of 135 K (δ≅0.19) and decreases only by 2 K in the over-doped regime. Finally, in the fourth chapter different physical properties are reviewed. The obtained monocrystals allowed studying the resistive transitory anisotropy, the torque, the specific heat, the nuclear magnetic resonance and the Raman diffusion

A review of finite size effects in quasi-zero dimensional superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bose, Sangita; Ayyub, Pushan

2014-11-01

Quantum confinement and surface effects (SEs) dramatically modify most solid state phenomena as one approaches the nanometer scale, and superconductivity is no exception. Though we may expect significant modifications from bulk superconducting properties when the system dimensions become smaller than the characteristic length scales for bulk superconductors-such as the coherence length or the penetration depth-it is now established that there is a third length scale which ultimately determines the critical size at which Cooper pairing is destroyed. In quasi-zero-dimensional (0D) superconductors (e.g. nanocrystalline materials, isolated or embedded nanoparticles), one may define a critical particle diameter below which the mean energy level spacing arising from quantum confinement becomes equal to the bulk superconducting energy gap. The so-called Anderson criterion provides a remarkably accurate estimate of the limiting size for the destabilization of superconductivity in nanosystems. This review of size effects in quasi-0D superconductors is organized as follows. A general summary of size effects in nanostructured superconductors (section 1) is followed by a brief overview of their synthesis (section 2) and characterization using a variety of techniques (section 3). Section 4 reviews the size-evolution of important superconducting parameters-the transition temperature, critical fields and critical current-as the Anderson limit is approached from above. We then discuss the effect of thermodynamic fluctuations (section 5), which become significant in confined systems. Improvements in fabrication methods and the increasing feasibility of addressing individual nanoparticles using scanning probe techniques have lately opened up new directions in the study of nanoscale superconductivity. Section 6 reviews both experimental and theoretical aspects of the recently discovered phenomena of 'parity effect' and 'shell effect' that lead to a strong, non-monotonic size

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-07-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F({omega}) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-07-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F({omega}) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on the

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-01-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F(ω) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on the basis

The possibility of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manaf, Muhamad Nasruddin, E-mail: muhamad.nasruddin.manaf@mail.ugm.ac.id; Santoso, Iman, E-mail: iman.santoso@ugm.ac.id; Hermanto, Arief [Jurusan Fisika, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Bulaksumur 55281, Yogyakarta (Indonesia); Yayasan Hikmah Teknosains, Jl. Kaliurang Km 5,3 Gg. Pamungkas No. 16 A, Yogyakarta (Indonesia)

2015-09-30

We discuss the possibility of superconductivity in Twisted Bilayer Graphene (TBG). In this study we use TBG model with commensurate rotation θ=1.16° in which the van-Hove singularities (VHS) arise at 6 meV from the Fermi level. We use BCS standard formula that include Density of States (DOS) to calculate the critical temperature (T{sub C}). Based on our calculation we predict that superconductivity will not arise in Pristine TBG because pairing potential has infinity value. In this situation, Dirac Fermions do not interact with each other since they do not form the bound states. Superconductvity may arise when the Fermi level is shifted towards the VHS. Based on this calculation, we predict that T{sub C} has value between 0.04 K and 0.12 K. The low value of T{sub C} is due to highly energetic of in plane phonon vibration which reduce the effective electron-phonon coupling. We conclude that doped TBG is candidate for Dirac Fermion superconductor.

Continuous lengths of oxide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Kroeger, Donald M.; List, III, Frederick A.

2000-01-01

A layered oxide superconductor prepared by depositing a superconductor precursor powder on a continuous length of a first substrate ribbon. A continuous length of a second substrate ribbon is overlaid on the first substrate ribbon. Sufficient pressure is applied to form a bound layered superconductor precursor powder between the first substrate ribbon and the second substrate ribbon. The layered superconductor precursor is then heat treated to establish the oxide superconducting phase. The layered oxide superconductor has a smooth interface between the substrate and the oxide superconductor.

Fluctuation conductivity in cuprate superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We have measured the in-plane resistivity of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and Tl2Ba2. CaCu2O8+δ ... assumed to be Josephson coupled, the interaction was treated in terms of an effective mass tensor. .... Further details of the sample preparation.

Fluctuation conductivity in cuprate superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

CaCu2O8+ single crystals in the temperature range 70–300 K. The thermodynamic fluctuations in the conductivity of both the samples start around ∼ 125 K. We find the Lawrence and Doniach [1] model to be inadequate to describe the ...

Ultrasonic attenuation in cuprate superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

limits the applicability only to the cleanest samples. (b) We have ignored the incoherent part of the spectral function whose inclusion would require a microscopic theory incorpo- rating strong electronic correlations. Acknowledgements. One of us (DMG) would like to thank T V Ramakrishnan for useful comments. References.

The microscopic structure of charge density waves in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.54 revealed by X-ray diffraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forgan, E.M.; Blackburn, E.; Holmes, A.T.

2015-01-01

Charge density wave (CDW) order appears throughout the underdoped high-temperature cuprate superconductors, but the underlying symmetry breaking and the origin of the CDW remain unclear. We use X-ray diffraction to determine the microscopic structure of the CDWs in an archetypical cuprate YBa2Cu3O6...... oxygen atoms have the largest displacements, perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. Our results allow many electronic properties of the underdoped cuprates to be understood. For instance, the CDWs will lead to local variations in the electronic structure, giving an explicit explanation of density-wave states...

High-Tc cuprate superconductivity in a nutshell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, Hyekyung; Haas, Stephan; Parker, David; Maki, Kazumi

2005-01-01

Since the discovery of high-T c cuprate superconductivity in 1986 many new experimental techniques and theoretical concepts have been developed. In particular it was shown that the BCS theory of d-wave superconductivity describes semi-quantitatively the high-T c superconductivity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Volovik's approach is extremely useful for finding the quasiparticle properties in the vortex state. Here we survey these developments and forecast future directions. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Pseudogap and competing states in underdoped cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Patrick A.

2004-01-01

I shall argue that the high T c problem is the problem of doping into a Mott insulator. Furthermore, the well documented pseudo-gap phenomenon in underdoped cuprates holds the key to understanding this physics. Phase fluctuation alone cannot explain this phenomenon, but there is a clear need to identify a competing state which lives in the vortex core. The staggered flux state is a good candidate for the competing state and experimental tests of these ideas will be discussed

Reassessment of the electronic state, magnetism, and superconductivity in high-T{sub c} cuprates with the Nd{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naito, Michio, E-mail: minaito@cc.tuat.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Naka-cho 2-24-16, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588 (Japan); Krockenberger, Yoshiharu; Ikeda, Ai; Yamamoto, Hideki [NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, 3-1 Morinosato-Wakamiya, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198 (Japan)

2016-04-15

Highlights: • The 30-year history of “electron-doped” cuprates is reviewed, including basic physics and material issues. • Undoped cuprates with the Nd{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} (T’) structure are superconducting with T{sub c} over 30 K. • Electron doping by Ce in T’-RE{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} lowers T{sub c} and the highest T{sub c} is obtained at no doping. - Abstract: The electronic phase diagram of the cuprates remains enigmatic and is still a key ingredient to understand the mechanism of high-T{sub c} superconductivity. It has been believed for a long time that parent compounds of cuprates were universally antiferromagnetic Mott insulators (charge-transfer insulators) and that high-T{sub c} superconductivity would develop upon doping holes or electrons in a Mott–Hubbard insulator (“doped Mott-insulator scenario”). However, our recent discovery of superconductivity in the parent compounds of square-planar cuprates with the Nd{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} (T’) structure and the revised electronic phase diagram in T’ cuprates urged a serious reassessment to the above scenario. In this review, we present the main results derived from our synthesis and experiments on T’ cuprates in the undoped or heavily underdoped regime over 20 years, including material issues and basic physics. The key material issue is how to remove excess oxygen ions at the apical site without introducing oxygen vacancies in the CuO{sub 2} planes. In order to put this into practice, the basic knowledge of complex solid-state chemistry in T’ cuprates is required, which is also included in this review.

The nano-BIon in nanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sepehri, Alireza, E-mail: alireza.sepehri@uk.ac.ir [Nano Research Center of the Ferdowsi University, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faculty of Physics, Shahid Bahonar University, P.O. Box 76175, Kerman (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-04-01

Recently, some authors have considered the superconductivity in nano-cubes and shown that by decreasing the size of these systems, superconductivity order parameter increases. In this research, we show that the same result can be obtained in a nano-BIon which is a configuration of two layers of cuprates connected by an electronic tube. This tube is a channel for transporting energy and matter inside a superconductor and acts as a wormhole in this system. This wormhole-like-tube is formed by decreasing the separation distance between layers of nano-cuprate and enhancing the cooper hopping pairing between layers. We estimate the critical temperature of superconductor and find that it depends on the size of nano-BIon and coupling between atoms in a layer. Also, we observe that external magnetic field generates a new tube which causes losing the energy density of nano-BIon between two layers and decreasing critical temperature of superconductor.

Strong correlations and the search for high-Tc superconductivity in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Pizarro, J. M.; Calderón, M. J.; Liu, J.; Muñoz, M. C.; Bascones, E.

2017-02-01

Undoped iron superconductors accommodate n =6 electrons in five d orbitals. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that the strength of correlations increases with hole doping, as the electronic filling approaches half filling with n =5 electrons. This evidence delineates a scenario in which the parent compound of iron superconductors is the half-filled system, in analogy to cuprate superconductors. In cuprates the superconductivity can be induced upon electron or hole doping. In this work we propose to search for high-Tc superconductivity and strong correlations in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides with n slave-spin and multiorbital random-phase-approximation calculations we analyze the strength of the correlations and the superconducting and magnetic instabilities in these systems with the main focus on LaCrAsO. We find that electron-doped LaCrAsO is a strongly correlated system with competing magnetic interactions, with (π ,π ) antiferromagnetism and nodal d -wave pairing being the most plausible magnetic and superconducting instabilities, respectively.

Chapter 27. Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vavra, O.

2007-01-01

In this chapter author deals with superconductors and superconductivity. Different chemical materials used as high-temperature superconductors are presented. Some applications of superconductivity are presented.

Determining the in-plane Fermi surface topology in high Tc superconductors using angle-dependent magnetic quantum oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, N; McDonald, R D

2009-01-01

We propose a quantum oscillation experiment by which the rotation of an underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x sample about two different axes with respect to the orientation of the magnetic field can be used to infer the shape of the in-plane cross-section of corrugated Fermi surface cylinder(s). Deep corrugations in the Fermi surface are expected to give rise to nodes in the quantum oscillation amplitude that depend on the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic induction B. Because the symmetries of electron and hole cylinders within the Brillouin zone are expected to be very different, the topology can provide essential clues as to the broken symmetry responsible for the observed oscillations. The criterion for the applicability of this method to the cuprate superconductors (as well as other layered metals) is that the difference in quantum oscillation frequency 2ΔF between the maximum (belly) and minimum (neck) extremal cross-sections of the corrugated Fermi surface exceeds |B|. (fast track communication)

Superconductors with excess quasiparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elesin, V.F.; Kopaev, Y.V.

1981-01-01

This review presents a systematic kinetic theory of nonequilibrium phenomena in superconductors with excess quasiparticles created by electromagnetic or tunnel injection. The energy distributions of excess quasiparticles and of nonequilibrium phonons, dependence of the order parameter on the power and frequency (or intensity) of the electromagnetic field, magnetic properties of nonequilibrium superconductors, I-V curves of superconductor-insulator-superconductor junctions, and other properties are described in detail. The stability of superconducting states far from thermodynamic equilibrium is investigated and it is shown that characteristic instabilities leading to the formation of nonuniform states of a new type or phase transitions of the first kind are inherent to superconductors with excess quasiparticles. The results are compared with experimental data

Dielectric properties of glasses prepared by quenching melts of superconducting Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varma, K. B. R.; Subbanna, G. N.; Ramakrishnan, T. V.; Rao, C. N. R.

1989-07-03

Glasses obtained from quenching melts of superconducting bismuth cuprates of the formula Bi/sub 2/(Ca,Sr)/sub /ital n/+1/Cu/sub /ital n//O/sub 2/ital n/+4/ with /ital n/=1 and 3 exhibit novel dielectric properties. They possess relatively high dielectric constants as well as high electrical conductivity. The novel dielectric properties of these cuprate glasses are likely to be of electronic origin. They exhibit a weak microwave absorption due to the presence of microcrystallites.

Unconventional superconductivity near inhomogeneities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poenicke, A.F.

2008-01-01

After the presentation of a quasi-classical theory the specific heat of Sr 2 RuO 4 is considered. Then tunneling spectroscopy on cuprate superconductors is discussed. Thereafter the subharmonic gap structure in d-wave superconductors is considered. Finally the application of the S-matrix in superconductivity is discussed with spin mixing, CrO 2 as example, and an interface model. (HSI)

Hybrid molecule/superconductor assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDevitt, J.T.; Haupt, S.G.; Riley, D.R.; Zhao, J.; Zhou, J.P., Jones, C.

1993-01-01

The fabrication of electronic devices from molecular materials has attracted much attention recently. Schottky diodes, molecular transistors, metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes, MIS field effect transistors and light emitting diodes have all been prepared utilizing such substances. The active elements in these devices have been constructed by depositing the molecular phase onto the surface of a metal, semiconductor or insulating substrate. With the recent discovery of high temperature superconductivity, new opportunities now exist for the study of molecule/superconductor interactions as well as for the construction of novel hybrid molecule/superconductor devices. In this paper, methods for preparing the initial two composite molecule/semiconductor devices will be reported. Consequently, light sensors based on dye-coated superconductor junctions as well as molecular switches fashioned from conductive polymer coated superconductor junctions as well as molecular switches fashioned from conductive polymer coated superconductor microbridges will be discussed. Moreover, molecule/superconductor energy and electron transfer phenomena will be illustrated also for the first time

Alcohol's Effects on Lipid Bilayer Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Ingólfsson, Helgi I.; Andersen, Olaf S.

2011-01-01

Alcohols are known modulators of lipid bilayer properties. Their biological effects have long been attributed to their bilayer-modifying effects, but alcohols can also alter protein function through direct protein interactions. This raises the question: Do alcohol's biological actions result predominantly from direct protein-alcohol interactions or from general changes in the membrane properties? The efficacy of alcohols of various chain lengths tends to exhibit a so-called cutoff effect (i.e., increasing potency with increased chain length, which that eventually levels off). The cutoff varies depending on the assay, and numerous mechanisms have been proposed such as: limited size of the alcohol-protein interaction site, limited alcohol solubility, and a chain-length-dependent lipid bilayer-alcohol interaction. To address these issues, we determined the bilayer-modifying potency of 27 aliphatic alcohols using a gramicidin-based fluorescence assay. All of the alcohols tested (with chain lengths of 1–16 carbons) alter the bilayer properties, as sensed by a bilayer-spanning channel. The bilayer-modifying potency of the short-chain alcohols scales linearly with their bilayer partitioning; the potency tapers off at higher chain lengths, and eventually changes sign for the longest-chain alcohols, demonstrating an alcohol cutoff effect in a system that has no alcohol-binding pocket. PMID:21843475

Unparticles and anomalous dimensions in the cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karch, Andreas [Department of Physics, University of Washington,3910 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195-1560 (United States); Limtragool, Kridsanaphong; Phillips, Philip W. [Department of Physics and Institute for Condensed Matter Theory, University of Illinois,1110 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2016-03-25

Motivated by the overwhelming evidence some type of quantum criticality underlies the power-law for the optical conductivity and T−linear resistivity in the cuprates, we demonstrate here how a scale-invariant or unparticle sector can lead to a unifying description of the observed scaling forms. We adopt the continuous mass formalism or multi band (flavor) formalism of the unparticle sector by letting various microscopic parameters be mass-dependent. In particular, we show that an effective mass that varies with the flavor index as well as a running band edge and lifetime capture the AC and DC transport phenomenology of the cuprates. A key consequence of the running mass is that the effective dynamical exponent can differ from the underlying bare critical exponent, thereby providing a mechanism for realizing the fractional values of the dynamical exponent required in a previous analysis http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.155126. We also predict that regardless of the bare dynamical exponent, z, a non-zero anomalous dimension for the current is required. Physically, the anomalous dimension arises because the charge depends on the flavor, mass or energy. The equivalent phenomenon in a d+1 gravitational construction is the running of the charge along the radial direction. The nature of the superconducting instability in the presence of scale invariant stuff shows that the transition temperature is not necessarily a monotonic function of the pairing interaction.

Role of the lattice dynamics in La2-xBaxCuO4 superconductor based on DFT method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Tavana

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Electron-phonon coupling parameters are calculated for La2-x BaxCuO4 cuprate superconductor in a wide range of dopings, from undoped to overdoped compounds. In this study we aim to study the quality of such calculations based on DFT method so, the results of σ GGA+U electronic structure calculations are also investigated. The obtained value for electron-phonon coupling is in the same order of previous calculations but, the value obtained for the Hubbard U parameter shows that, such methods are poor in the estimation of electronic correlations to decide about the role of phonons in these compounds based on their results. Moreover, existence of several structural phase transitions with temperature and doping, lead to larger error in these calculations. Based on the calculated phonon dispersions, structural phase transitions can be resulted which shows the ability of DFT in the study of structural properties and the weakness of the strongly correlations in this properties.

Strong nonequilibrium coherent states in mesoscopic superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kutchinsky, Jonatan; Wildt, Morten; Taboryski, Rafael Jozef

1999-01-01

A biased superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junction is known to be a strong nonequilibrium system, where Andreev scattering at the interfaces creates a quasiparticle distribution function far from equilibrium, a manifestation of this is the well-known subgap structure in the I...

Tunneling Plasmonics in Bilayer Graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Fei, Z; Iwinski, E G; Ni, G X; Zhang, L M; Bao, W; Rodin, A S; Lee, Y; Wagner, M; Liu, M K; Dai, S; Goldflam, M D; Thiemens, M; Keilmann, F; Lau, C N; Castro-Neto, A H; Fogler, M M; Basov, D N

2015-08-12

We report experimental signatures of plasmonic effects due to electron tunneling between adjacent graphene layers. At subnanometer separation, such layers can form either a strongly coupled bilayer graphene with a Bernal stacking or a weakly coupled double-layer graphene with a random stacking order. Effects due to interlayer tunneling dominate in the former case but are negligible in the latter. We found through infrared nanoimaging that bilayer graphene supports plasmons with a higher degree of confinement compared to single- and double-layer graphene, a direct consequence of interlayer tunneling. Moreover, we were able to shut off plasmons in bilayer graphene through gating within a wide voltage range. Theoretical modeling indicates that such a plasmon-off region is directly linked to a gapped insulating state of bilayer graphene, yet another implication of interlayer tunneling. Our work uncovers essential plasmonic properties in bilayer graphene and suggests a possibility to achieve novel plasmonic functionalities in graphene few-layers.

Development of superconductor bulk for superconductor bearing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Chan Joong; Jun, Byung Hyuk; Park, Soon Dong (and others)

2008-08-15

Current carrying capacity is one of the most important issues in the consideration of superconductor bulk materials for engineering applications. There are numerous applications of Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) bulk superconductors e.g. magnetic levitation train, flywheel energy storage system, levitation transportation, lunar telescope, centrifugal device, magnetic shielding materials, bulk magnets etc. Accordingly, to obtain YBCO materials in the form of large, single crystals without weak-link problem is necessary. A top seeded melt growth (TSMG) process was used to fabricate single crystal YBCO bulk superconductors. The seeded and infiltration growth (IG) technique was also very promising method for the synthesis of large, single-grain YBCO bulk superconductors with good superconducting properties. 5 wt.% Ag doped Y211 green compacts were sintered at 900 .deg. C {approx} 1200 .deg.C and then a single crystal YBCO was fabricated by an infiltration method. A refinement and uniform distribution of the Y211 particles in the Y123 matrix were achieved by sintering the Ag-doped samples. This enhancement of the critical current density was ascribable to a fine dispersion of the Y211 particles, a low porosity and the presence of Ag particles. In addition, we have designed and manufactured large YBCO single domain with levitation force of 10-13 kg/cm{sup 2} using TSMG processing technique.

Quenched Magnon excitations by oxygen sublattice reconstruction in (SrCuO2)n/(SrTiO3)2 superlattices.

Science.gov (United States)

Dantz, M; Pelliciari, J; Samal, D; Bisogni, V; Huang, Y; Olalde-Velasco, P; Strocov, V N; Koster, G; Schmitt, T

2016-09-12

The recently discovered structural reconstruction in the cuprate superlattice (SrCuO2)n/(SrTiO3)2 has been investigated across the critical value of n = 5 using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). We find that at the critical value of n, the cuprate layer remains largely in the bulk-like two-dimensional structure with a minority of Cu plaquettes being reconstructed. The partial reconstruction leads to quenching of the magnons starting at the Γ-point due to the minority plaquettes acting as scattering points. Although comparable in relative abundance, the doped charge impurities in electron-doped cuprate superconductors do not show this quenching of magnetic excitations.

Potassium-doped n-type bilayer graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Takatoshi; Okigawa, Yuki; Hasegawa, Masataka

2018-01-01

Potassium-doped n-type bilayer graphene was obtained. Chemical vapor deposited bilayer and single layer graphene on copper (Cu) foils were used. After etching of Cu foils, graphene was dipped in potassium hydroxide aqueous solutions to dope potassium. Graphene on silicon oxide was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. Both XPS and EDX spectra indicated potassium incorporation into the bilayer graphene via intercalation between the graphene sheets. The downward shift of the 2D peak position of bilayer graphene after the potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment was confirmed in Raman spectra, indicating that the KOH-treated bilayer graphene was doped with electrons. Electrical properties were measured using Hall bar structures. The Dirac points of bilayer graphene were shifted from positive to negative by the KOH treatment, indicating that the KOH-treated bilayer graphene was n-type conduction. For single layer graphene after the KOH treatment, although electron doping was confirmed from Raman spectra, the peak of potassium in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectrum was not detected. The Dirac points of single layer graphene with and without the KOH treatment showed positive.

Unconventional superconductivity near inhomogeneities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poenicke, A F

2008-01-25

After the presentation of a quasi-classical theory the specific heat of Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} is considered. Then tunneling spectroscopy on cuprate superconductors is discussed. Thereafter the subharmonic gap structure in d-wave superconductors is considered. Finally the application of the S-matrix in superconductivity is discussed with spin mixing, CrO{sub 2} as example, and an interface model. (HSI)

Final report. Superconducting materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

John Ruvalds

1999-01-01

Our group has discovered a many body effect that explains the surprising divergence of the spin susceptibility which has been measured by neutron scattering experiments on high temperature superconductors and vanadium oxide metals. Electron interactions on nested - i.e., nearly parallel paths - have been analyzed extensively by our group, and such processes provide a physical explanation for many anomalous features that distinguish cuprate superconductors from ordinary metals

Quasiparticle current in superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tartakovskij, A.V.; Fistul', M.V.

1988-01-01

It is shown that the quasiparticle current in a superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor junction may significantly increase as a result of resonant passage of the quasiparticle along particular trajectories from periodically situated localized centers. A prediction of the theory is that with increasing junction resistance there should be a change from an excessive current to a insufficient current on the current-voltage characteristics (at high voltages). The effect of transparency of the boundaries on resonance tunneling in such junctions is also investigated

New world of Gossamer superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maki, Kazumi; Haas, Stephan; Parker, David; Won, Hyekyung; Dora, Balazs; Virosztek, Attila

2006-01-01

Since the discovery of the high-T c cuprate superconductor La 2-x BaCuO 4 in 1986 by Bednorz and Mueller, controversy regarding the nature or origin of this remarkable superconductivity has continued. However, d-wave superconductivity in the hole-doped cuprates, arising due to the anti-paramagnon exchange, was established around 1994. More recently we have shown that the mean field theory, like the BCS theory of superconductivity and Landau's Fermi liquid theory are adequate to describe the cuprates. The keys for this development are the facts that a) the pseudogap phase is d-wave density wave (dDW) and that the high-T c cuprate superconductivity is gossamer (i.e. it exists in the presence of dDW). (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Manganite/Cuprate Superlattice as Artificial Reentrant Spin Glass

KAUST Repository

Ding, Junfeng

2016-05-04

Emerging physical phenomena at the unit-cell-controlled interfaces of transition-metal oxides have attracted lots of interest because of the rich physics and application opportunities. This work reports a reentrant spin glass behavior with strong magnetic memory effect discovered in oxide heterostructures composed of ultrathin manganite La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and cuprate La2CuO4 (LCO) layers. These heterostructures are featured with enhanced ferromagnetism before entering the spin glass state: a Curie temperature of 246 K is observed in the superlattice with six-unit-cell LSMO layers, while the reference LSMO film with the same thickness shows much weaker magnetism. Furthermore, an insulator-metal transition emerges at the Curie temperature, and below the freezing temperature the superlattices can be considered as a glassy ferromagnetic insulator. These experimental results are closely related to the interfacial spin reconstruction revealed by the first-principles calculations, and the dependence of the reentrant spin glass behavior on the LSMO layer thickness is in line with the general phase diagram of a spin system derived from the infinite-range SK model. The results of this work underscore the manganite/cuprate superlattices as a versatile platform of creating artificial materials with tailored interfacial spin coupling and physical properties. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Muon and other studies of magnetic ordering in cuprate layer-compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portis, A.M.; Celio, M.

1989-01-01

Muon spin rotation studies of magnetic ordering in the planar cuprates are reviewed. Particular attention is given to doped La 2 CuO 4 and oxygen-depleted YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ and to related experimental investigations. Studies of transition element substituted compounds are also reviewed. (orig.)

Magnetic excitations of layered cuprates studied by RIXS at Cu L{sub 3} edge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghiringhelli, G., E-mail: giacomo.ghiringhelli@fisi.polimi.it [CNR/SPIN, CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy); Braicovich, L. [CNR/SPIN, CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2013-06-15

Highlights: ► We have developed very high resolution RIXS instrumentation. ► Cu L{sub 3} RIXS is ideal for studying magnetic excitations in layered cuprates. ► RIXS has been used to map magnon and paramagnon dispersion in HTcS. ► We have developed the first partial polarization analyzer for RIXS in the soft X-rays. -- Abstract: The inelastic scattering of X-rays is becoming a powerful alternative to better established techniques, based on neutrons or low energy photons, for the study of low- and medium-energy excitations in solids. When performed in the soft range the resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) is ideal for strongly correlated electron systems based on 3d transition metals. The remarkable evolution of Cu L{sub 3} RIXS has been boosted by the steady improvement of experimental energy resolution, and by the fortunate fact that cuprates give intense and richly featured spectra. Over the last 8 years several key results were obtained using the AXES (ESRF) and the SAXES (SLS) spectrometers. This initial success is now supporting several new projects for soft X-ray RIXS worldwide. We briefly present here the case of spin excitation dispersion in insulating and superconducting cuprates and the first RIXS spectra with partial polarization analysis of the scattered photons.

Coupling spin qubits via superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leijnse, Martin; Flensberg, Karsten

2013-01-01

We show how superconductors can be used to couple, initialize, and read out spatially separated spin qubits. When two single-electron quantum dots are tunnel coupled to the same superconductor, the singlet component of the two-electron state partially leaks into the superconductor via crossed...... Andreev reflection. This induces a gate-controlled singlet-triplet splitting which, with an appropriate superconductor geometry, remains large for dot separations within the superconducting coherence length. Furthermore, we show that when two double-dot singlet-triplet qubits are tunnel coupled...... to a superconductor with finite charging energy, crossed Andreev reflection enables a strong two-qubit coupling over distances much larger than the coherence length....

Electronic properties of graphene-based bilayer systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rozhkov, A.V., E-mail: arozhkov@gmail.com [CEMS, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electrodynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 125412 Moscow (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700 (Russian Federation); Sboychakov, A.O. [CEMS, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electrodynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 125412 Moscow (Russian Federation); Rakhmanov, A.L. [CEMS, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electrodynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 125412 Moscow (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700 (Russian Federation); All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics, Moscow, 127055 (Russian Federation); Nori, Franco, E-mail: fnori@riken.jp [CEMS, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Physics Department, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States)

2016-08-23

This article reviews the theoretical and experimental work related to the electronic properties of bilayer graphene systems. Three types of bilayer stackings are discussed: the AA, AB, and twisted bilayer graphene. This review covers single-electron properties, effects of static electric and magnetic fields, bilayer-based mesoscopic systems, spin–orbit coupling, dc transport and optical response, as well as spontaneous symmetry violation and other interaction effects. The selection of the material aims to introduce the reader to the most commonly studied topics of theoretical and experimental research in bilayer graphene.

Dispersion of fullerenes in phospholipid bilayers and the subsequent phase changes in the host bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeng, U-S. [National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30077, Taiwan (China)]. E-mail: usjeng@nsrrc.org.tw; Hsu, C.-H. [National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30077, Taiwan (China); Lin, T.-L. [Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Wu, C.-M. [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Chen, H.-L. [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Tai, L.-A. [Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Hwang, K.-C. [Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China)

2005-02-28

We have studied the structure and phase transition characteristics of the fullerenes (C{sub 60})-embedded lipid bilayers. With small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), we have observed a degradation of bilayer ordering and a suppression effect on the phase transitions of the host vesicle bilayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), due to the embedment of fullerenes. The fullerene-embedded lipid system with substrate-oriented bilayers is also investigated using X-ray reflectivity and grazing incident small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). In the depth direction, the multilamellar peaks observed in the X-ray reflectivity profile for the oriented DPPC/C{sub 60} bilayers reveal a larger head-to-head distance D{sub HH} of 50.6 A and a bilayer spacing D of 59.8 A, compared to the D{sub HH}=47.7 A and D=59.5 A for a pure DPPC membrane measured at the same conditions. Furthermore, the lipid head layers and water layers in the extracted electron density profile for the complex system are highly smeared, implying a fluctuating or corrugated structure in this zone. Correspondingly, GISAXS for the oriented DPPC/C{sub 60} membrane reveals stronger diffuse scatterings along the membrane plane than that for the pure DPPC system, indicating a higher in-plane correlation associated with the embedded fullerenes.

The rich variety of cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rice, T.M.

1997-01-01

The discovery of high-T c superconductivity focussed attention on the cuprates. Square planar coordinated Cu 2+ -ions are ideal S=1/2 ions. The exchange interaction between neighboring ions is very different for edge sharing (weak and ferromagnetic) and corner sharing (strong and antiferromagnetic) configurations. Many different magnetic structures are possible, e.g. chains, zig-zag chains, ladders, etc., weakly coupled to each other. The spin-liquid state of the two-leg ladder is especially interesting, not least because of the possible quantum critical point separating the spin liquid and long-range ordered states as the interladder coupling is increased. Hole doping to introduce mobile Cu 3+ -ionic configuration opens new possibilities. The recent discovery of superconductivity under pressure in a doped ladder system is encouraging. (orig.)

Theory of Josephson effect in d-wave superconductor/diffusive ferromagnet/d-wave superconductor junctions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yokoyama, T.; Tanaka, Y.; Golubov, Alexandre Avraamovitch

2007-01-01

We study Josephson effect in d-wave superconductor/diffusive ferromagnet/d-wave superconductor junctions, changing the exchange field and the angles between the normal to the interfaces and the crystal axes of d-wave superconductors. We find a 0–π transition at a certain value of the exchange field.

Marginal Fermi liquid and kink structure of quasiparticles in cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakehashi, Y.; Fulde, P.

2007-01-01

On the basis of the self-consistent projection operator method for nonlocal excitations, we show that a kink structure appears in the quasiparticle excitation spectrum of the two-dimensional Hubbard model at low doping concentrations. It is caused by a mixing between the quasiparticle state and the excitations with short-range antiferromagnetic order. The results explain the kink in high-T c cuprates

Electronic structure of the cuprate superconducting and pseudogap phases from spectroscopic imaging STM

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, A. R.; Fujita, K.; Kim, E.-A.; Lawler, M. J.; Eisaki, H.; Uchida, S.; Lee, D.-H.; Davis, J. C.

2011-06-01

We survey the use of spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) to probe the electronic structure of underdoped cuprates. Two distinct classes of electronic states are observed in both the d-wave superconducting (dSC) and the pseudogap (PG) phases. The first class consists of the dispersive Bogoliubov quasiparticle excitations of a homogeneous d-wave superconductor, existing below a lower energy scale E=Δ0. We find that the Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (QPI) signatures of delocalized Cooper pairing are restricted to a k-space arc, which terminates near the lines connecting k=±(π/a0,0) to k=±(0,π/a0). This arc shrinks continuously with decreasing hole density such that Luttinger's theorem could be satisfied if it represents the front side of a hole-pocket that is bounded behind by the lines between k=±(π/a0,0) and k=±(0,π/a0). In both phases, the only broken symmetries detected for the |E|modulations, locally breaking both rotational and translational symmetries, coexist with this intra-unit-cell electronic symmetry breaking at E=Δ1. Their characteristic wavevector Q is determined by the k-space points where Bogoliubov QPI terminates and therefore changes continuously with doping. The distinct broken electronic symmetry states (intra-unit-cell and finite Q) coexisting at E~Δ1 are found to be indistinguishable in the dSC and PG phases. The next challenge for SI-STM studies is to determine the relationship of the E~Δ1 broken symmetry electronic states with the PG phase, and with the E<Δ0 states associated with Cooper pairing.

NMR studies of spin dynamics in cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takigawa, M.; Mitzi, D.B.

1994-01-01

The authors report recent NMR results in cuprates. The oxygen Knight shift and the Cu nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate in Bi 2.1 Sr 1.94 Ca 0.88 Cu 2.07 O 8+σ single crystals revealed a gapless superconducting state, which can be most naturally explained by a d-wave pairing state and the intrinsic disorder in this material. The Cu nuclear spin-spin relaxation rate in underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.63 shows distinct temperature dependence from the spin-lattice relaxation rate, providing direct evidence for a pseudo spin-gap near the antiferromagnetic wave vector

NMR studies of spin dynamics in cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Takigawa, M.; Mitzi, D. B.

1994-04-01

We report recent NMR results in cuprates. The oxygen Knight shift and the Cu nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate in Bi2.1Sr1.94Ca0.88Cu2.07O8+δ single crystals revealed a gapless superconducting state, which can be most naturally explained by a d-wave pairing state and the intrinsic disorder in this material. The Cu nuclear spin-spin relaxation rate in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.63 shows distinct temperature dependence from the spin-lattice relaxation rate, providing direct evidence for a pseudo spin-gap near the antiferromagnetic wave vector.

Stripe order from the perspective of the Hubbard model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devereaux, Thomas Peter

2018-03-01

A microscopic understanding of the strongly correlated physics of the cuprates must account for the translational and rotational symmetry breaking that is present across all cuprate families, commonly in the form of stripes. Here we investigate emergence of stripes in the Hubbard model, a minimal model believed to be relevant to the cuprate superconductors, using determinant quantum Monte Carlo (DQMC) simulations at finite temperatures and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) ground state calculations. By varying temperature, doping, and model parameters, we characterize the extent of stripes throughout the phase diagram of the Hubbard model. Our results show that including the often neglected next-nearest-neighbor hopping leads to the absence of spin incommensurability upon electron-doping and nearly half-filled stripes upon hole-doping. The similarities of these findings to experimental results on both electron and hole-doped cuprate families support a unified description across a large portion of the cuprate phase diagram.

Melt processed high-temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

1993-01-01

The achievement of large critical currents is critical to the applications of high-temperature superconductors. Recent developments have shown that melt processing is suitable for producing high J c oxide superconductors. Using magnetic forces between such high J c oxide superconductors and magnets, a person could be levitated.This book has grown largely out of research works on melt processing of high-temperature superconductors conducted at ISTEC Superconductivity Research Laboratory. The chapters build on melt processing, microstructural characterization, fundamentals of flux pinning, criti

Nematic fluctuations and resonance in iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gallais, Yann

The spontaneous appearance of nematicity, a state of matter that breaks rotation but not translation symmetry, is ubiquitous in many iron based superconductors (Fe SC), and has relevance for the cuprates as well. Here I will review recent electronic Raman scattering experiments which report the presence of critical nematic fluctuations in the charge channel in the tetragonal phase of several Fe SC systems. In electron doped Co-BaFe2As2 (Co-Ba122), these fluctuations extend over most of the superconducting dome. Their associated nematic susceptibility shows Curie-Weiss behavior, and its doping dependence suggests the presence of a nematic quantum critical point near optimal TC Similar nematic fluctuations are also observed in FeSe despite the absence of magnetic order, raising the question of the link between nematicity and magnetism in Fe SC. In FeSe I will further contrast the evolution of nematic fluctuations under isoelectronic S substitution and hydrostatic pressures up to 8 GPa, with only the former showing evidence for a nematic quantum critical point. In the superconducting state of Co-Ba122, I will show that a resonance emerges in the Raman spectra near the nematic quantum critical point. This nematic resonance is a clear fingerprint of the coupling between nematic fluctuations and Bogoliubov quasiparticles, and can be thought as the nematic counterpart of the spin resonance observed in neutron scattering experiments. Support from Agence Nationale de la Recherche via ANR Grant ''Pnictides'' is acknowledged.

Ivar Giaever, Tunneling, and Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

dropdown arrow Site Map A-Z Index Menu Synopsis Ivar Giaever, Tunneling, and Superconductors Resources with in Superconductors Measured by Electron Tunneling; Physical Review Letters, Vol. 5 Issue 4: 147 - 148 ; August 15, 1960 Electron Tunneling Between Two Superconductors; Physical Review Letters, Vol. 5 Issue 10

Phenomenological Theory for Pseudogap States in High Tc Cuprate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Fuchun

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Pseudogap phase in the underdoped region of high-Tc cuprate is one of the challenging issues in condensed matter physics. In this talk, I will describe a phenomenological theory for this phase, based on analogies to the approach to Mott localization at weak coupling in lower dimensional systems. I will make comparisons of the theory to a series of the experiments, including angle resolved photoemission spectroscope, scanning tunneling microscope.

Assessment of pseudo-bilayer structures in the heterogate germanium electron-hole bilayer tunnel field-effect transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padilla, J. L.; Alper, C.; Ionescu, A. M.; Medina-Bailón, C.; Gámiz, F.

2015-01-01

We investigate the effect of pseudo-bilayer configurations at low operating voltages (≤0.5 V) in the heterogate germanium electron-hole bilayer tunnel field-effect transistor (HG-EHBTFET) compared to the traditional bilayer structures of EHBTFETs arising from semiclassical simulations where the inversion layers for electrons and holes featured very symmetric profiles with similar concentration levels at the ON-state. Pseudo-bilayer layouts are attained by inducing a certain asymmetry between the top and the bottom gates so that even though the hole inversion layer is formed at the bottom of the channel, the top gate voltage remains below the required value to trigger the formation of the inversion layer for electrons. Resulting benefits from this setup are improved electrostatic control on the channel, enhanced gate-to-gate efficiency, and higher I ON levels. Furthermore, pseudo-bilayer configurations alleviate the difficulties derived from confining very high opposite carrier concentrations in very thin structures

Assessment of pseudo-bilayer structures in the heterogate germanium electron-hole bilayer tunnel field-effect transistor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Padilla, J. L., E-mail: jose.padilladelatorre@epfl.ch; Alper, C.; Ionescu, A. M. [Nanoelectronic Devices Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015 (Switzerland); Medina-Bailón, C.; Gámiz, F. [Departamento de Electrónica y Tecnología de los Computadores, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada (Spain)

2015-06-29

We investigate the effect of pseudo-bilayer configurations at low operating voltages (≤0.5 V) in the heterogate germanium electron-hole bilayer tunnel field-effect transistor (HG-EHBTFET) compared to the traditional bilayer structures of EHBTFETs arising from semiclassical simulations where the inversion layers for electrons and holes featured very symmetric profiles with similar concentration levels at the ON-state. Pseudo-bilayer layouts are attained by inducing a certain asymmetry between the top and the bottom gates so that even though the hole inversion layer is formed at the bottom of the channel, the top gate voltage remains below the required value to trigger the formation of the inversion layer for electrons. Resulting benefits from this setup are improved electrostatic control on the channel, enhanced gate-to-gate efficiency, and higher I{sub ON} levels. Furthermore, pseudo-bilayer configurations alleviate the difficulties derived from confining very high opposite carrier concentrations in very thin structures.

Redox mechanisms and superconductivity in layered copper oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raveau, B.; Michel, C.; Hervieu, M.; Provost, J.

1992-01-01

Redox reactions in high T c superconductors cuprates are complex and play an important role in superconductivity: oxygen non-stoichiometry is influencing the critical temperature, and rock salt layers interact with copper layers. 25 refs., 7 figs

Multilayer coating for higher accelerating fields in superconducting radio-frequency cavities: a review of theoretical aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Kubo, Takayuki

2017-02-01

The theory of the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) multilayer structure for application in superconducting accelerating cavities is reviewed. The theoretical field limit, optimum layer thicknesses and material combination, and surface resistance are discussed for the SIS structure and are also reviewed for the superconductor-superconductor bilayer structure.

The evidence of unconventional pairing in heavy fermion superconductors and high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tien, C.; Wur, C.S.; Jiang, I.M.

1989-01-01

Recently there has been a great deal of interest in two classes of superconductors, heavy fermion superconductors and high T c copper oxide superconductors. The behavior and nature of superconductivity in these two classes of materials are very similar. The temperature dependences of spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 ) and spin-spin relaxation time (T 2 ) of 9 Be in UBe 13 are quite similar to those of 63 Cu and 89 Y in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . The Knight shift of UBe 13 is unchanged during the superconducting phase transition. The Knight shift of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ changes from the value in the normal state K n /K s = 1 at T ≥ T c to K n /K s = 0.5 at T = 6 K. Both do not approach zero as expected in BCS theory. The acoustic attenuation is enhanced just below T c instead of rapid drop near T c for these two superconducting system. Neither the enhancement, the temperature variation, nor any other anomalous behaviors appear to be mirrored in EPR data for heavy Fermion superconductors and high T c superconductors. This strongly suggests that the unconventional pairing mechanism which induces superconductivity in heavy fermion materials might also involve in high T c superconductors

Nonlinear optical control of Josephson coupling in cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casandruc, Eliza

2017-03-15

In High-T{sub C} cuprates superconducting Cu-O planes alternate with insulating layers along the crystallographic c-axis, making the materials equivalent to Josephson junctions connected in series. The most intriguing consequence is that the out-of-plane superconducting transport occurs via Cooper pairs tunneling across the insulating layers and can be predicted by the Josephson tunneling equations. Nonlinear interaction between light fields and the superconducting carriers serves as a powerful dynamical probe of cuprates, while offering opportunities for controlling them in an analogous fashion to other stimuli such as pressure and magnetic fields. The main goal of this thesis work is to use intense transient light fields to control the interlayer superconducting transport on ultrafast time scales. This was achieved by tuning the wavelength of such light pulses to completely different ranges, in order to either directly excite Josephson Plasma Waves in the nonlinear regime, or efficiently melt the competing charge and spin order phase, which in certain cuprates quenches the Josephson tunneling at equilibrium. In a first study, I have utilized strong field terahertz transients with frequencies tuned to the Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) to coherently control the c-axis superconducting transport. The Josephson relations have a cubic nonlinearity which is exploited to achieve two related, albeit slightly different, phenomena. Depending on the driving pulse, solitonic breathers were excited with narrow-band multi-cycle pulses in La{sub 1.84}Sr{sub 0.16}CuO{sub 4} while broad-band half-cycle pulses were employed to achieve a parametric amplification of Josephson Plasma Waves in La{sub 1.905}Ba{sub 0.095}CuO{sub 4}. These experiments are supported by extensive modeling, showing exceptional agreement. A comprehensive study illustrates the strong enhancement of the nonlinear effects near the JPR frequency. Then, I turned to investigate the competition between

Common phase diagram for low-dimensional superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michalak, Rudi

2003-01-01

A phenomenological phase diagram which has been derived for high-temperature superconductors from NMR Knight-shift measurements of the pseudogap is compared to the phase diagram that is obtained for organic superconductors and spin-ladder superconductors, both low-dimensional systems. This is contrasted to the phase diagram of some Heavy Fermion superconductors, i.e. superconductors not constrained to a low dimensionality

Fine uniform filament superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Jr., Gilbert N.; Li, Qi; Roberts, Peter R.; Antaya, Peter D.; Seuntjens, Jeffrey M.; Hancock, Steven; DeMoranville, Kenneth L.; Christopherson, Craig J.; Garrant, Jennifer H.; Craven, Christopher A.

2002-01-01

A multifilamentary superconductor composite having a high fill factor is formed from a plurality of stacked monofilament precursor elements, each of which includes a low density superconductor precursor monofilament. The precursor elements all have substantially the same dimensions and characteristics, and are stacked in a rectilinear configuration and consolidated to provide a multifilamentary precursor composite. The composite is thereafter thermomechanically processed to provide a superconductor composite in which each monofilament is less than about 50 microns thick.

New world of Gossamer superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maki, Kazumi; Haas, Stephan; Parker, David [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States); Won, Hyekyung [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik komplexer Systeme, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187, Dresden (Germany); Department of Physics, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702 (Korea); Dora, Balazs; Virosztek, Attila [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1521 Budapest (Hungary)

2006-09-15

Since the discovery of the high-T {sub c} cuprate superconductor La{sub 2-x}BaCuO{sub 4} in 1986 by Bednorz and Mueller, controversy regarding the nature or origin of this remarkable superconductivity has continued. However, d-wave superconductivity in the hole-doped cuprates, arising due to the anti-paramagnon exchange, was established around 1994. More recently we have shown that the mean field theory, like the BCS theory of superconductivity and Landau's Fermi liquid theory are adequate to describe the cuprates. The keys for this development are the facts that a) the pseudogap phase is d-wave density wave (dDW) and that the high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductivity is gossamer (i.e. it exists in the presence of dDW). (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Two-band superconductor magnesium diboride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi, X X

2008-01-01

This review focuses on the most important features of the 40 K superconductor MgB 2 -the weakly interacting multiple bands (the σ and π bands) and the distinct multiple superconducting energy gaps (the σ and π gaps). Even though the pairing mechanism of superconductor MgB 2 is the conventional electron-phonon coupling, the prominent influence of the two bands and two gaps on its properties sets it apart from other superconductors. It leads to markedly different behaviors in upper critical field, vortex structure, magnetoresistance and many other superconducting and normal-state properties in MgB 2 from single-band superconductors. Further, it gives rise to new physics that does not exist in single-band superconductors, such as the internal Josephson effects between the two order parameters. These unique phenomena depend sensitively on scattering inside and between the two bands, and the intraband and interband scattering can be modified by chemical substitution and irradiation. MgB 2 has brought unprecedented attention to two-band superconductivity, which has been found to exist in other old and new superconductors. The legacy of MgB 2 will be long lasting because of this, as well as the lessons it teaches in terms of the search for new phonon-mediated higher T c superconductors

Fermi surface of superconducting LaFePO determined by quantum oscillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mcdonald, Ross D [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Coldea, A I [BRISTOL UNIV; Fletcher, J D [BRISTOL UNIV; Carrington, A [BRISTOL UNIV; Bangura, A F [BRISTOL UNIV; Hussey, N E [BRISTOL UNIV; Analytis, J G [STANFORD UNIV; Chu, J-h [STANFORD UNIV; Erickson, A S [STANFORD UNIV; Fisher, I R [STANFORD UNIV

2008-01-01

The recent discovery of superconductivity in ferrooxypnictides, which have a maximum transition temperature intermediate between the two other known high temperature superconductors MgB{sub 2} and the cuprate family, has generated huge interest and excitement. The most critical issue is the origin of the pairing mechanism. Whereas superconductivity in MgB{sub 2} has been shown to arise from strong electron-phonon coupling, the pairing glue in cuprate superconductors is thought by many to have a magnetic origin. The oxypnictides are highly susceptible to magnetic instabilities, prompting analogies with cuprate superconductivity. Progress on formulating the correct theory of superconductivity in these materials will be greatly aided by a detailed knowledge of the Fermi surface parameters. Here we report for the first time extensive measurements of quantum oscillations in a Fe-based superconductor, LaFePO, that provide a precise calliper of the size and shape of the Fermi surface and the effective masses of the relevant charge carriers. Our results show that the Fermi surface is composed of nearly-nested electron and hole pockets in broad agreement with the band-structure predictions but with significant enhancement of the quasiparticle masses. The correspondence in the electron and hole Fermi surface areas provides firm experimental evidence that LaFePO, whilst unreconstructed, lies extremely close to a spin-density-wave instability, thus favoring models that invoke such a magnetic origin for high-temperature superconductivity in oxypnictides.

Granular Superconductors and Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Noever, David; Koczor, Ron

1999-01-01

As a Bose condensate, superconductors provide novel conditions for revisiting previously proposed couplings between electromagnetism and gravity. Strong variations in Cooper pair density, large conductivity and low magnetic permeability define superconductive and degenerate condensates without the traditional density limits imposed by the Fermi energy (approx. 10(exp -6) g cu cm). Recent experiments have reported anomalous weight loss for a test mass suspended above a rotating Type II, YBCO superconductor, with a relatively high percentage change (0.05-2.1%) independent of the test mass' chemical composition and diamagnetic properties. A variation of 5 parts per 104 was reported above a stationary (non-rotating) superconductor. In experiments using a sensitive gravimeter, bulk YBCO superconductors were stably levitated in a DC magnetic field and exposed without levitation to low-field strength AC magnetic fields. Changes in observed gravity signals were measured to be less than 2 parts in 108 of the normal gravitational acceleration. Given the high sensitivity of the test, future work will examine variants on the basic magnetic behavior of granular superconductors, with particular focus on quantifying their proposed importance to gravity.

High temperature superconductor current leads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeimetz, B.; Liu, H.K.; Dou, S.X.

1996-01-01

Full text: The use of superconductors in high electrical current applications (magnets, transformers, generators etc.) usually requires cooling with liquid Helium, which is very expensive. The superconductor itself produces no heat, and the design of Helium dewars is very advanced. Therefore most of the heat loss, i.e. Helium consumption, comes from the current lead which connects the superconductor with its power source at room temperature. The current lead usually consists of a pair of thick copper wires. The discovery of the High Temperature Superconductors makes it possible to replace a part of the copper with superconducting material. This drastically reduces the heat losses because a) the superconductor generates no resistive heat and b) it is a very poor thermal conductor compared with the copper. In this work silver-sheathed superconducting tapes are used as current lead components. The work comprises both the production of the tapes and the overall design of the leads, in order to a) maximize the current capacity ('critical current') of the superconductor, b) minimize the thermal conductivity of the silver clad, and c) optimize the cooling conditions

Transmission formalism for supercurrent flow in multiprobe superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van Wees, B.J.; Lenssen, K.H.; Harmans, C.J.P.M.

1991-01-01

A theoretical study is given of supercurrent flow in a one-dimensional semiconductor channel coupled to superconductors at both ends. In addition, the channel is coupled to a semiconductor reservoir by means of a junction with variable coupling strength var-epsilon. The supercurrent I(cphi) is calculated from the phase-coherent propagation of electronlike and holelike excitations emitted by the superconductor reservoirs, together with electron and hole excitations from the semiconductor reservoir. The effect of temperature and var-epsilon on I(cphi) is studied. It is shown that a voltage applied between the semiconductor reservoir and the superconductors modifies the I(cphi) relation, even in the limit var-epsilon →0

Molecular packing and area compressibility of lipid bilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, S.H.; King, G.I.

1985-01-01

Knowledge of the molecular packing of lipids and water in lipid bilayers is important for understanding bilayer mechanics and thermodynamics. Information on packing is most often obtained from x-ray or neutron diffraction measurements. Given the d spacing, composition, and partial specific volumes of the lipid and water, it is a simple matter to calculate the area per lipid molecule, bilayer thickness, and bilayer mass density. The partial specific volumes are commonly assumed to be those of bulk water and of lipid in excess water regardless of the degree of bilayer hydration. The authors present evidence here that these assumptions should be seriously questioned. At low hydrations, they find the head groups of egg and dioleoyl lecithin to be much less tightly packed than previously thought and the partial specific volume of water to be considerably smaller than 1 ml/g. Because the molecular packing affects the mechanical properties of bilayers, they use the results to reevaluate published experiments concerning the elastic area compressibility modulus of egg lecithin bilayers and the repulsive hydration force between bilayers

Static Magnetic Cloak without a Superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wei; Ma, Yungui; He, Sailing

2018-05-01

Similar to its electromagnetic counterpart, magnetic cloaking also has very important technological applications. However, the traditional method to build a static magnetic cloak requires the use of superconducting materials as the diamagnetic component, which seriously limits the practical potential because of the cryogenic condition. We show that a diamagnetic active current boundary combined with a high-permeability magnetic inner shell (MIS) can be designed to solve this problem, rendering an ideal magnetic cloaking effect at zero frequency. We first theoretically prove that a current boundary could magnetically behave as a superconductor to external observers. Based on this phenomena, we introduce a high-permeability MIS made of magnetically ultrasoft metallic sheets (permeability μ >103 ) and experimentally prove that the bilayer combination can exactly balance out the disturbance to the external probing field and, meanwhile, have a large invisible inner space. We also show that the active boundary currents can be accordingly configured to overcome the permeability and frequency band limits, leading to a robust cloak over the entire quasistatic frequency region. Our work creates an efficient way to circumvent the traditional limits of metamaterials to build magnetic cloaks for ultralow frequencies. The active-passive hybrid approach could be generally extended to yield other artificial magnetic devices or systems as well.

Two band model for the cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shiu; White, Steven

2009-03-01

We use a numerical canonical transformation approach to derive an effective two-band model for the hole-doped cuprates, which keeps both oxygen and copper orbitals but removes double occupancy from each. A similar model was considered previously by Frenkel, Gooding, Shraiman, and Siggia (PRB 41, number 1, page 350). We compare the numerically derived model with previously obtained analytical results. In addition to the usual hopping terms between oxygens tpp and Cu-Cu exchange terms Jdd, the model also includes a strong copper-oxygen exchange interaction Jpd and a Kondo-like spin-flip oxygen-oxygen hopping term Kpdp. We use the density matrix renormalization group to study the charge, spin, and pairing properties of the derived model on ladder systems.

Direct imaging by atomic force microscopy of surface-localized self-assembled monolayers on a cuprate superconductor and surface X-ray scattering analysis of analogous monolayers on the surface of water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schougaard, Steen B.; Reitzel, Niels; Bjørnholm, Thomas

2007-01-01

A self-assembled monolayer of CF3(CF2)(3)(CH2)(11)NH2 atop the (001) surface of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-x was imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images provide direct 2D-structural evidence for the epitaxial 5.5 angstrom square root 2 x root 2R45 degrees unit...... was studied by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and specular X-ray reflectivity. Structural differences and similarities between the water-supported and superconductor-localized monolayers are discussed....

Evaluating superconductors for microwave applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, B.; Bybokas, J.

1989-01-01

It is becoming increasingly obvious that some of the earliest applications for high Tc superconductors will be in the microwave market. While this is a major opportunity for the superconductor community, it also represents a significant challenge. At DC or low frequencies a superconductor can be easily characterized by simple measurements of resistivity and magnetic susceptibility versus temperature. These parameters are fundamental to superconductor characterization and various methods exist for measuring them. The only valid way to determine the microwave characteristics of a superconductor is to measure it at microwave frequencies. It is for this reason that measuring microwave surface resistance has emerged as one of the most demanding and telling tests for materials intended for high frequency applications. In this article, the theory of microwave surface resistance is discussed. Methods for characterizing surface resistance theoretically and by practical implementation are described

Anisotropy of the Seebeck Coefficient in the Cuprate Superconductor YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y}: Fermi-Surface Reconstruction by Bidirectional Charge Order

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Cyr-Choinière

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The Seebeck coefficient S of the cuprate YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y} is measured in magnetic fields large enough to suppress superconductivity, at hole dopings p=0.11 and p=0.12, for heat currents along the a and b directions of the orthorhombic crystal structure. For both directions, S/T decreases and becomes negative at low temperature, a signature that the Fermi surface undergoes a reconstruction due to broken translational symmetry. Above a clear threshold field, a strong new feature appears in S_{b}, for conduction along the b axis only. We attribute this feature to the onset of 3D-coherent unidirectional charge-density-wave modulations seen by x-ray diffraction, also along the b axis only. Because these modulations have a sharp onset temperature well below the temperature where S/T starts to drop towards negative values, we infer that they are not the cause of Fermi-surface reconstruction. Instead, the reconstruction must be caused by the quasi-2D bidirectional modulations that develop at significantly higher temperature. The unidirectional order only confers an additional anisotropy to the already reconstructed Fermi surface, also manifest as an in-plane anisotropy of the resistivity.

A review of finite size effects in quasi-zero dimensional superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bose, Sangita; Ayyub, Pushan

2014-01-01

Quantum confinement and surface effects (SEs) dramatically modify most solid state phenomena as one approaches the nanometer scale, and superconductivity is no exception. Though we may expect significant modifications from bulk superconducting properties when the system dimensions become smaller than the characteristic length scales for bulk superconductors—such as the coherence length or the penetration depth—it is now established that there is a third length scale which ultimately determines the critical size at which Cooper pairing is destroyed. In quasi-zero-dimensional (0D) superconductors (e.g. nanocrystalline materials, isolated or embedded nanoparticles), one may define a critical particle diameter below which the mean energy level spacing arising from quantum confinement becomes equal to the bulk superconducting energy gap. The so-called Anderson criterion provides a remarkably accurate estimate of the limiting size for the destabilization of superconductivity in nanosystems. This review of size effects in quasi-0D superconductors is organized as follows. A general summary of size effects in nanostructured superconductors (section 1) is followed by a brief overview of their synthesis (section 2) and characterization using a variety of techniques (section 3). Section 4 reviews the size-evolution of important superconducting parameters—the transition temperature, critical fields and critical current—as the Anderson limit is approached from above. We then discuss the effect of thermodynamic fluctuations (section 5), which become significant in confined systems. Improvements in fabrication methods and the increasing feasibility of addressing individual nanoparticles using scanning probe techniques have lately opened up new directions in the study of nanoscale superconductivity. Section 6 reviews both experimental and theoretical aspects of the recently discovered phenomena of ‘parity effect’ and ‘shell effect’ that lead to a strong, non

Friction in levitated superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, E.H.

1988-01-01

A type I superconductor levitated above a magnet of low symmetry has a unique equilibrium position about which it may oscillate freely. In contrast, a type II superconductor has a continuous range of stable equilibrium positions and orientations where it floats rigidly without swinging or orbiting as if it were stuck in sand. A strong internal friction conspicuously indicates the existence and unpinning of flux lines in oxide superconductors levitated above liquid nitrogen. It is shown how these effects follow from the hysteretic magnetization curves and how the energy is dissipated

Superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor planar junctions of aluminium on DELTA-doped gallium arsenide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taboryski, Rafael Jozef; Clausen, Thomas; Kutchinsky, jonatan

1997-01-01

We have fabricated and characterized planar superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor (S-Sm-S) junctions with a high quality (i.e. low barrier) interface between an n++ modulation doped conduction layer in MBE grown GaAs and in situ deposited Al electrodes. The Schottky barrier at the S...

Superconductor stability 90: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews some recent developments in the field of stability of superconductors. The main topics dealt with are hydrodynamic phenomena in cable-in-conduit superconductors, namely, multiple stability, quench pressure, thermal expulsion, and thermal hydraulic quenchback, traveling normal zones in large, composite conductors, such as those intended for SMES, and the stability of vapor-cooled leads made of high-temperature superconductors. 31 refs., 5 figs

Edge states in gated bilayer-monolayer graphene ribbons and bilayer domain walls

Science.gov (United States)

Mirzakhani, M.; Zarenia, M.; Peeters, F. M.

2018-05-01

Using the effective continuum model, the electron energy spectrum of gated bilayer graphene with a step-like region of decoupled graphene layers at the edge of the sample is studied. Different types of coupled-decoupled interfaces are considered, i.e., zigzag (ZZ) and armchair junctions, which result in significant different propagating states. Two non-valley-polarized conducting edge states are observed for ZZ type, which are mainly located around the ZZ-ended graphene layers. Additionally, we investigated both BA-BA and BA-AB domain walls in the gated bilayer graphene within the continuum approximation. Unlike the BA-BA domain wall, which exhibits gapped insulating behaviour, the domain walls surrounded by different stackings of bilayer regions feature valley-polarized edge states. Our findings are consistent with other theoretical calculations, such as from the tight-binding model and first-principles calculations, and agree with experimental observations.

Optimization of superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor Josephson junctions for high critical-current density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golub, A.; Horovitz, B.

1994-01-01

The application of superconducting Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 wires or tapes to electronic devices requires the optimization of the transport properties in Ohmic contacts between the superconductor and the normal metal in the circuit. This paper presents results of tunneling theory in superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor (SNS) junctions, in both pure and dirty limits. We derive expressions for the critical-current density as a function of the normal-metal resistivity in the dirty limit or of the ratio of Fermi velocities and effective masses in the clean limit. In the latter case the critical current increases when the ratio γ of the Fermi velocity in the superconductor to that of the weak link becomes much less than 1 and it also has a local maximum if γ is close to 1. This local maximum is more pronounced if the ratio of effective masses is large. For temperatures well below the critical temperature of the superconductors the model with abrupt pair potential on the SN interfaces is considered and its applicability near the critical temperature is examined

Topological surface states in nodal superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnyder, Andreas P; Brydon, Philip M R

2015-06-24

Topological superconductors have become a subject of intense research due to their potential use for technical applications in device fabrication and quantum information. Besides fully gapped superconductors, unconventional superconductors with point or line nodes in their order parameter can also exhibit nontrivial topological characteristics. This article reviews recent progress in the theoretical understanding of nodal topological superconductors, with a focus on Weyl and noncentrosymmetric superconductors and their protected surface states. Using selected examples, we review the bulk topological properties of these systems, study different types of topological surface states, and examine their unusual properties. Furthermore, we survey some candidate materials for topological superconductivity and discuss different experimental signatures of topological surface states.

Topological surface states in nodal superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnyder, Andreas P; Brydon, Philip M R

2015-01-01

Topological superconductors have become a subject of intense research due to their potential use for technical applications in device fabrication and quantum information. Besides fully gapped superconductors, unconventional superconductors with point or line nodes in their order parameter can also exhibit nontrivial topological characteristics. This article reviews recent progress in the theoretical understanding of nodal topological superconductors, with a focus on Weyl and noncentrosymmetric superconductors and their protected surface states. Using selected examples, we review the bulk topological properties of these systems, study different types of topological surface states, and examine their unusual properties. Furthermore, we survey some candidate materials for topological superconductivity and discuss different experimental signatures of topological surface states. (topical review)

Pinning and creep in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovchinnikov, Yu.N.

1994-01-01

All superconductors can be separated into two large groups: type I and type II. The behaviour of these two groups in a magnetic field is quite different. The superconductors of type I, in a strong magnetic field, enter the intermediate state. Phenomenological picture of this state was given by Landau. The type II superconductors, in strong magnetic fields, form the mixed state (or Shubnikov phase). The microscopic picture of the mixed state was given by Abrikosov on the basis of Ginzburg-Landau equations. In ideal homogeneous superconductors the free energy is not changed if all the vortex structure is shifted on some distance u. The transport current will be proportional, therefore, to the electric field E. All the real superconductors, however, are inhomogeneous. Inhomogeneities interact with vortex lattice and pin it. In this new state the transport current below some critical value does not lead to the motion of the flux lattice and to the energy dissipation. The value of critical current strongly depends on the type of inhomogeneities, on the value of magnetic field and on temperature. In new layered superconductors, the critical current depends also on the orientation of the magnetic field B with respect to the layer planes. Temperature and quantum fluctuations lead to the transition between different metastable states in superconductors with current. As a result, the vortex lattice slowly moves (creep phenomenon). Below we will briefly discuss all these phenomena. (orig.)

Electrodynamics of spin currents in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirsch, J.E.

2008-01-01

In recent work we formulated a new set of electrodynamic equations for superconductors as an alternative to the conventional London equations, compatible with the prediction of the theory of hole superconductivity that superconductors expel negative charge from the interior towards the surface. Charge expulsion results in a macroscopically inhomogeneous charge distribution and an electric field in the interior, and because of this a spin current is expected to exist. Furthermore, we have recently shown that a dynamical explanation of the Meissner effect in superconductors leads to the prediction that a spontaneous spin current exists near the surface of superconductors (spin Meissner effect). In this paper we extend the electrodynamic equations proposed earlier for the charge density and charge current to describe also the space and time dependence of the spin density and spin current. This allows us to determine the magnitude of the expelled negative charge and interior electric field as well as of the spin current in terms of other measurable properties of superconductors. We also provide a 'geometric' interpretation of the difference between type I and type II superconductors, discuss how superconductors manage to conserve angular momentum, discuss the relationship between our model and Slater's seminal work on superconductivity, and discuss the magnitude of the expected novel effects for elemental and other superconductors. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Reactions of radicals with lecithin bilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, D.J.W.; Thomas, J.K.

1978-01-01

The kinetics of reaction of .OH and e/sub aq/ - with lecithin bilayers have been measured. The rate for .OH + lecithin is 5.1 +- 0.9 x 10 8 M -1 sec -1 while the e/sub aq/ - + lecithin rate is very slow. When a solute such as pyrene is solubilized in the bilayer, .OH and e/sub aq/ - may react with the solute; rates of 1.65 +- 0.12 x 10 9 M -1 sec -1 and 7 x 10 7 M -1 sec -1 have been measured for reaction of .OH and e/sub aq/ - , respectively, with pyrene in lecithin. These rates are lower than those observed for similar reactions in homogeneous systems. This is explained in terms of (a) the protective effect of the bilayer, this being especially true for e/sub aq/ - which does not readily leave the aqueous phase, and (b) in terms of the restricted diffusion imposed on the reactive species by the bilayer. The kinetics in these model systems are relevant to reactions of radicals with membranes. Long-term alteration in the model membrane following .OH attack is manifested in terms of damage to the head group, increasing water penetration of the bilayer, and of cross-linking with the membrane, thereby restricting motion in the interior of the bilayer. Increased rigidity and leakiness of membranes is an expected consequence of radiation damage

Kohn anomalies in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flatte, M.E.

1994-01-01

The detailed behavior of phonon dispersion curves near momenta which span the electronic Fermi sea in a superconductor is presented. An anomaly, similar to the metallic Kohn anomaly, exists in a superconductor's dispersion curves when the frequency of the photon spanning the Fermi sea exceeds twice the superconducting energy gap. This anomaly occurs at approximately the same momentum but is stronger than the normal-state Kohn anomaly. It also survives at finite temperature, unlike the metallic anomaly. Determination of Fermi-surface diameters from the location of these anomalies, therefore, may be more successful in the superconducting phase than in the normal state. However, the superconductor's anomaly fades rapidly with increased phonon frequency and becomes unobservable when the phonon frequency greatly exceeds the gap. This constraint makes these anomalies useful only in high-temperature superconductors such as La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4

Processing of Mixed Oxide Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

1990-07-01

rapid changes world wide a major research centre on high Tc superconductors was awarded to Cambridge which involved moving the work and people to a...reports and paper is in the appendices. Separation Ceramic superconductors tend to be mixtures of phases, especially when first discovered. It would...properties of the superconducting state will in principle allow superconducting material to be levitated from the non superconductor and several designs

Inhomogeneous superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinkham, M.

1978-01-01

The coherence length xi and penetration depth lambda set the characteristic length scales in superconductors, typically 100 to 5,000 A. A lattice of flux lines, each carrying a single quantum, can penetrate type II superconductors, i.e., those for which kappa identical with lambda/xi > 1/√2. Inhomogeneities on the scale of the flux lattice spacing are required to pin the lattice to prevent dissipative flux motion. Recent work using voids as pinning centers has demonstrated this principle, but practical materials rely on cold-work, inclusions of second phases, etc., to provide the inhomogeneity. For stability against thermal fluctuations, the superconductor should have the form of many filaments of diameter 10 to 100 μm imbedded in a highly conductive normal metal matrix. Such wire is made by drawing down billets of copper containing rods of the superconductor. An alternative approach is the metallurgical one of Tsuei, which leads to thousands of superconducting filamentary segments in a copper matrix. The superconducting proximity effect causes the whole material to superconduct at low current densities. At high current densities, the range of the proximity effect is reduced so that the effective superconducting volume fraction falls below the percolation threshold, and a finite resistance arises from the copper matrix. But, because of the extremely elongated filaments, this resistance is orders of magnitude lower than that of the normal wire, and low enough to permit the possibility of technical applications

High-T{sub c} cuprate superconductivity in a nutshell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Won, Hyekyung [Department of Physics, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702 (Korea); Haas, Stephan; Parker, David; Maki, Kazumi [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States)

2005-02-01

Since the discovery of high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductivity in 1986 many new experimental techniques and theoretical concepts have been developed. In particular it was shown that the BCS theory of d-wave superconductivity describes semi-quantitatively the high-T{sub c} superconductivity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Volovik's approach is extremely useful for finding the quasiparticle properties in the vortex state. Here we survey these developments and forecast future directions. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Heavy fermions and superconductivity in doped cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tornow, S.; Zevin, V.; Zwicknagl, G.

1996-01-01

We present a Fermi liquid description for the low-energy excitations in rare Earth cuprates Nd 2-x Ce x CuO 4 . The strongly renormalized heavy quasiparticles which appear in the doped samples originate from the coherent decoupling of rare earth spins and correlated conduction electrons. The correlations among the conduction electrons are simulated by assuming a spin density wave ground state. We discuss results for the thermodynamic properties in the insulating, normal metallic and superconducting phases which are in fair agreement with experimental data. In addition, the model predicts interesting behaviour for the superconducting state of samples with low transition temperature T c which may help to assess the validity of the underlying assumptions. (orig.)

Large area bulk superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Dean J.; Field, Michael B.

2002-01-01

A bulk superconductor having a thickness of not less than about 100 microns is carried by a polycrystalline textured substrate having misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.; the bulk superconductor may have a thickness of not less than about 100 microns and a surface area of not less than about 50 cm.sup.2. The textured substrate may have a thickness not less than about 10 microns and misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.. Also disclosed is a process of manufacturing the bulk superconductor and the polycrystalline biaxially textured substrate material.

The high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ: symmetry of the order parameter, and gradiometers for biomagnetic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kouznetsov, Konstantin A.

1999-01-01

The cuprate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ is the material that drives the majority of the technological applications of high transition temperature (Tc) superconductors, particularly in the area of superconducting electronics. Despite the widespread use of high-Tc superconducting materials in a variety of applications, the nature of the superconducting state in these materials remains unknown since their discovery more than a decade ago. Many properties of the high-Tc superconductors are determined by their order parameter, which is a wavefunction describing the superconducting condensate. The symmetry of the order parameter in cuprates has been the subject of intensive investigation, leading to conflicting sets of results. Some experiments supported conventional, s-wave symmetry of the order parameter, while others indicated an unconventional, d-wave symmetry. The first part of this thesis is an experimental study of the symmetry of the order parameter in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . A new class of phase sensitive experiments is described that involve Josephson tunneling along the c-axis of twinned crystals of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . These experiments showed that an s-wave component must reverse sign across the twin boundary, providing direct evidence for a mixed, s+d symmetry of the order parameter in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ , and thereby reconciling two conflicting sets of previous findings and establishing the dominant d-wave pairing symmetry. The second part of the thesis focuses on practical applications of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ in superconducting electronics. The authors introduce a novel Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) gradiometer. The principle of operation of these long baseline high-T c SQUID gradiometers is based on the inductive coupling of the input coil of a planar flux transformer to the pickup up loop of a directly coupled magnetometer. The long baseline of the gradiometer, 48 mm, and the intrinsic. Balance of better than 1 part in 100 make it an ideal candidate

Direct angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Since 1997 we systematically perform direct angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on in-situ grown thin (< 30 nm) cuprate films. Specifically, we probe low-energy electronic structure and properties of high-c superconductors (HTSC) under different degrees of epitaxial (compressive vs. tensile) strain.

Measuring condensate fraction in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, Sudip; Kee, Hae-Young

2000-01-01

An analysis of off-diagonal long-range order in superconductors shows that the spin-spin correlation function is significantly influenced by the order if the order parameter is anisotropic on a microscopic scale. Thus, magnetic neutron scattering can provide a direct measurement of the condensate fraction of a superconductor. It is also argued that recent measurements in high-temperature superconductors come very close to achieving this goal. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

Passivation Of High-Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, Richard P.

1991-01-01

Surfaces of high-temperature superconductors passivated with native iodides, sulfides, or sulfates formed by chemical treatments after superconductors grown. Passivating compounds nearly insoluble in and unreactive with water and protect underlying superconductors from effects of moisture. Layers of cuprous iodide and of barium sulfate grown. Other candidate passivating surface films: iodides and sulfides of bismuth, strontium, and thallium. Other proposed techniques for formation of passivating layers include deposition and gas-phase reaction.

Identification of Raman peaks of high-Tc cuprates in normal state through density of states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2007-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P 1 -P 4 ) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained

Superconducting fluctuation effect in CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, H.; Gao, B.; Ma, Y. H.; Li, X. J.; Mu, G.; Hu, T.

2016-11-01

Out-of-plane angular dependent torque measurements were performed on CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF single crystals. Superconducting fluctuations, featured by magnetic field enhanced and exponential temperature dependent diamagnetism, are observed above the superconducting transition temperature T c, which is similar to that of cuprate superconductors, but less pronounced. In addition, the ratio of T c versus superfluid density follows well the Uemura line of high-T c cuprates, which suggests the exotic nature of the superconductivity in CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF.

Mixed Mechanism of Lubrication by Lipid Bilayer Stacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Boţan, Alexandru; Joly, Laurent; Fillot, Nicolas; Loison, Claire

2015-11-10

Although the key role of lipid bilayer stacks in biological lubrication is generally accepted, the mechanisms underlying their extreme efficiency remain elusive. In this article, we report molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayer stacks undergoing load and shear. When the hydration level is reduced, the velocity accommodation mechanism changes from viscous shear in hydration water to interlayer sliding in the bilayers. This enables stacks of hydrated lipid bilayers to act as efficient boundary lubricants for various hydration conditions, structures, and mechanical loads. We also propose an estimation for the friction coefficient; thanks to the strong hydration forces between lipid bilayers, the high local viscosity is not in contradiction with low friction coefficients.

Peierls instability and optical properties of bilayer polyacene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Longlong, E-mail: zhanglonglong@tyut.edu.cn [The College of Physics and Optoelectronics, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Xie, Shijie [School of Physics, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China)

2017-05-03

Highlights: • The Peierls instability of bilayer polyacene is discussed. • The external electric field effect on bilayer polyacene is discussed. • The pressure effect on bilayer polyacene is discussed. • The optical properties of bilayer polyacene are discussed. - Abstract: We reveal that bilayer polyacene can be the gapped state due to the intralayer Peierls instability. There are six topologically inequivalent Peierls-distorted structures and they are degenerate in energy. The external electric field can tune the Peierls gap and induce the semiconductor-to-metallic phase transitions. The optical conductivity spectra are calculated in an attempt to categorize the Peierls-distorted structures. The strength of the interlayer coupling essentially affects the electronic properties and the optical selection rules.

Dynamics of correlation-frozen antinodal quasiparticles in superconducting cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

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

Infrared spectroscopy of fluid lipid bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, Marshall C; Cambrea, Lee R; Hovis, Jennifer S

2005-09-15

Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful technique for examining lipid bilayers; however, it says little about the fluidity of the bilayer-a key physical aspect. It is shown here that it is possible to both acquire spectroscopic data of supported lipid bilayer samples and make measurements of the membrane fluidity. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR) is used to obtain the spectroscopic information and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is used to determine the fluidity of the samples. In the infrared spectra of lipid bilayers composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, the following major peaks were observed; nu(as)(CH3) 2954 cm(-1), nu(s)(CH3) 2870 cm(-1), nu(as)(CH2) 2924 cm(-1), nu(s)(CH2) 2852 cm(-1), nu(C=O) 1734 cm(-1), delta(CH2) 1463-1473 cm(-1), nu(as)(PO2-) 1226 cm(-1), nu(s)(PO2-) 1084 cm(-1), and nu(as)(N+(CH3)3) 973 cm(-1). The diffusion coefficient of the same lipid bilayer was measured to be 3.5 +/- 0.5 micom(2)/s with visual recovery also noted through use of epifluorescence microscopy. FRAP and visual data confirm the formation of a uniform, mobile supported lipid bilayer. The combination of ATR-FT-IR and FRAP provides complementary data giving a more complete picture of fully hydrated model membrane systems.

Viscoelastic deformation of lipid bilayer vesicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shao-Hua; Sankhagowit, Shalene; Biswas, Roshni; Wu, Shuyang; Povinelli, Michelle L; Malmstadt, Noah

2015-10-07

Lipid bilayers form the boundaries of the cell and its organelles. Many physiological processes, such as cell movement and division, involve bending and folding of the bilayer at high curvatures. Currently, bending of the bilayer is treated as an elastic deformation, such that its stress-strain response is independent of the rate at which bending strain is applied. We present here the first direct measurement of viscoelastic response in a lipid bilayer vesicle. We used a dual-beam optical trap (DBOT) to stretch 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Upon application of a step optical force, the vesicle membrane deforms in two regimes: a fast, instantaneous area increase, followed by a much slower stretching to an eventual plateau deformation. From measurements of dozens of GUVs, the average time constant of the slower stretching response was 0.225 ± 0.033 s (standard deviation, SD). Increasing the fluid viscosity did not affect the observed time constant. We performed a set of experiments to rule out heating by laser absorption as a cause of the transient behavior. Thus, we demonstrate here that the bending deformation of lipid bilayer membranes should be treated as viscoelastic.

Chiral superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kallin, Catherine; Berlinsky, John

2016-05-01

Chiral superconductivity is a striking quantum phenomenon in which an unconventional superconductor spontaneously develops an angular momentum and lowers its free energy by eliminating nodes in the gap. It is a topologically non-trivial state and, as such, exhibits distinctive topological modes at surfaces and defects. In this paper we discuss the current theory and experimental results on chiral superconductors, focusing on two of the best-studied systems, Sr2RuO4, which is thought to be a chiral triplet p-wave superconductor, and UPt3, which has two low-temperature superconducting phases (in zero magnetic field), the lower of which is believed to be chiral triplet f-wave. Other systems that may exhibit chiral superconductivity are also discussed. Key signatures of chiral superconductivity are surface currents and chiral Majorana modes, Majorana states in vortex cores, and the possibility of half-flux quantum vortices in the case of triplet pairing. Experimental evidence for chiral superconductivity from μSR, NMR, strain, polar Kerr effect and Josephson tunneling experiments are discussed.

17O knight shifts of the various types of CuO2 planes in Bi-cuprates high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Noc, L.; Trokiner, A.; Schneck, J.; Pougnet, A.M.; Mellet, R.; Primot, J.; Savary, H.

1992-01-01

A 17 O NMR study has been performed on a 17 O enriched powder sample of (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y , also called n=3 phase (with Tc=110K) which belongs to the Bi-based superconductors family (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2n+4 . The n=3 compound which contains in its unit cell two types of CuO 2 planes (labelled type I and II), is compared to the n=2 compound where only one type of CuO 2 planes (type I) is present. 17 O Knight shift measurements versus temperature, in the normal phase, have allowed us to evidence the distinct behaviours of the two types of planes present in the n=3 compound. The results are consistent with the existence of stronger electron correlations, or smaller charge carrier density in the type II planes. 14 refs., 3 figs

Signatures of Majorana Kramers pairs in superconductor-Luttinger liquid and superconductor-quantum dot-normal lead junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Younghyun; Liu, Dong E.; Gaidamauskas, Erikas

2016-01-01

Time-reversal invariant topological superconductors are characterized by the presence of Majorana Kramers pairs localized at defects. One of the transport signatures of Majorana Kramers pairs is the quantized differential conductance of $4e^2/h$ when such a one-dimensional superconductor is coupled...... to that in a spin-triplet superconductor - normal lead junction. We also study here a quantum dot coupled to a normal lead and a Majorana Kramers pair and investigate the effect of local repulsive interactions leading to an interplay between Kondo and Majorana correlations. Using a combination of renormalization...... sector of the topological superconductor. We investigate the stability of the Majorana phase with respect to Gaussian fluctuations....

Engineering plant membranes using droplet interface bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, N E; Smpokou, E; Friddin, M S; Macey, R; Gould, I R; Turnbull, C; Flemming, A J; Brooks, N J; Ces, O; Barter, L M C

2017-03-01

Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) have become widely recognised as a robust platform for constructing model membranes and are emerging as a key technology for the bottom-up assembly of synthetic cell-like and tissue-like structures. DIBs are formed when lipid-monolayer coated water droplets are brought together inside a well of oil, which is excluded from the interface as the DIB forms. The unique features of the system, compared to traditional approaches (e.g., supported lipid bilayers, black lipid membranes, and liposomes), is the ability to engineer multi-layered bilayer networks by connecting multiple droplets together in 3D, and the capability to impart bilayer asymmetry freely within these droplet architectures by supplying droplets with different lipids. Yet despite these achievements, one potential limitation of the technology is that DIBs formed from biologically relevant components have not been well studied. This could limit the reach of the platform to biological systems where bilayer composition and asymmetry are understood to play a key role. Herein, we address this issue by reporting the assembly of asymmetric DIBs designed to replicate the plasma membrane compositions of three different plant species; Arabidopsis thaliana , tobacco, and oats, by engineering vesicles with different amounts of plant phospholipids, sterols and cerebrosides for the first time. We show that vesicles made from our plant lipid formulations are stable and can be used to assemble asymmetric plant DIBs. We verify this using a bilayer permeation assay, from which we extract values for absolute effective bilayer permeation and bilayer stability. Our results confirm that stable DIBs can be assembled from our plant membrane mimics and could lead to new approaches for assembling model systems to study membrane translocation and to screen new agrochemicals in plants.

Molecular dynamics modelling of EGCG clusters on ceramide bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yeo, Jingjie; Cheng, Yuan; Li, Weifeng; Zhang, Yong-Wei [Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR, 138632 (Singapore)

2015-12-31

A novel method of atomistic modelling and characterization of both pure ceramide and mixed lipid bilayers is being developed, using only the General Amber ForceField. Lipid bilayers modelled as pure ceramides adopt hexagonal packing after equilibration, and the area per lipid and bilayer thickness are consistent with previously reported theoretical results. Mixed lipid bilayers are modelled as a combination of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. This model is shown to be stable after equilibration. Green tea extract, also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is introduced as a spherical cluster on the surface of the mixed lipid bilayer. It is demonstrated that the cluster is able to bind to the bilayers as a cluster without diffusing into the surrounding water.

Modelling of bulk superconductor magnetization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ainslie, M D; Fujishiro, H

2015-01-01

This paper presents a topical review of the current state of the art in modelling the magnetization of bulk superconductors, including both (RE)BCO (where RE = rare earth or Y) and MgB 2 materials. Such modelling is a powerful tool to understand the physical mechanisms of their magnetization, to assist in interpretation of experimental results, and to predict the performance of practical bulk superconductor-based devices, which is particularly important as many superconducting applications head towards the commercialization stage of their development in the coming years. In addition to the analytical and numerical techniques currently used by researchers for modelling such materials, the commonly used practical techniques to magnetize bulk superconductors are summarized with a particular focus on pulsed field magnetization (PFM), which is promising as a compact, mobile and relatively inexpensive magnetizing technique. A number of numerical models developed to analyse the issues related to PFM and optimise the technique are described in detail, including understanding the dynamics of the magnetic flux penetration and the influence of material inhomogeneities, thermal properties, pulse duration, magnitude and shape, and the shape of the magnetization coil(s). The effect of externally applied magnetic fields in different configurations on the attenuation of the trapped field is also discussed. A number of novel and hybrid bulk superconductor structures are described, including improved thermal conductivity structures and ferromagnet–superconductor structures, which have been designed to overcome some of the issues related to bulk superconductors and their magnetization and enhance the intrinsic properties of bulk superconductors acting as trapped field magnets. Finally, the use of hollow bulk cylinders/tubes for shielding is analysed. (topical review)

The strength of frustration and quantum fluctuations in LiVCuO.sub.4./sub..

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nishimoto, S.; Drechsler, S.L.; Kuzian, R.; Richter, J.; Málek, Jiří; Schmitt, M.; van den Brink, J.; Rösner, H.

2012-01-01

Roč. 98, č. 3 (2012), "37007-p1"-"37007-p6" ISSN 0295-5075 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : cuprate superconductors * neutron inelastic scattering * spin waves Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.260, year: 2012

Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Epitaxial thin films of high c cuprates, metallic, ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, dielectric oxides, super conduc tor-metal-superconductor Josephson junctions and oxide superlattices have been made by PLD. In this article, an overview of preparation, characterization and properties of epitaxial oxide films and their applications ...

Interaction of phonons with intraband electronic excitations and crystal field transitions in Raman spectra of (Nd,Eu,Gd)Ba.sub.2./sub.Cu.sub.3./sub.O.sub.y./sub. crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rameš, Michal; Železný, Vladimír; Gregora, Ivan; Wolf, T.; Jirsa, Miloš

2015-01-01

Roč. 197, Jul (2015), 10-17 ISSN 0921-5107 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10069 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : cuprate superconductors * phonons * crystal field * vortex pinning Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.331, year: 2015

Interaction of elaiophylin with model bilayer membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Genova, J.; Dencheva-Zarkova, M.

2017-01-01

Elaiophylin is a new macrodiolide antibiotic, which is produced by the Streptomyces strains [1]. It displays biological activities against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The mode of action of this antibiotic has been attributed to an alteration of the membrane permeability. When this antibiotic is inserted into the bilayer membranes destabilization of the membrane and formation of ion-penetrable channels is observed. The macrodiolide antibiotic forms stable cation selective ion channels in synthetic lipid bilayer membranes. The aim of this work was to study the interactions of Elaiophylin with model bilayer membranes and to get information on the mechanical properties of lipid bilayers in presence of this antibiotic. Patch-clamp technique [2] were used in the study

Pair interaction of bilayer-coated nanoscopic particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi-Yi, Zhang

2009-01-01

The pair interaction between bilayer membrane-coated nanosized particles has been explored by using the self-consistent field (SCF) theory. The bilayer membranes are composed of amphiphilic polymers. For different system parameters, the pair-interaction free energies are obtained. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of a sequence of structural transformations of bilayers on spherical particles, which occur during their approaching processes. For different head fractions of amphiphiles, the asymmetrical morphologies between bilayers on two particles and the inverted micellar intermediates have been found in the membrane fusion pathway. These results can benefit the fabrication of vesicles as encapsulation vectors for drug and gene delivery. (condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties)

Two-dimensional Semiconductor-Superconductor Hybrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Suominen, Henri Juhani

This thesis investigates hybrid two-dimensional semiconductor-superconductor (Sm-S) devices and presents a new material platform exhibiting intimate Sm-S coupling straight out of the box. Starting with the conventional approach, we investigate coupling superconductors to buried quantum well....... To overcome these issues we integrate the superconductor directly into the semiconducting material growth stack, depositing it in-situ in a molecular beam epitaxy system under high vacuum. We present a number of experiments on these hybrid heterostructures, demonstrating near unity interface transparency...

Two types of charge transfer excitations in low dimensional cuprates: an electron energy-loss study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Knupfer, M.; Fink, J.; Drechsler, S.-L.; Hayn, R.; Málek, Jiří; Moskvin, A.S.

137-140, - (2004), s. 469-473 ISSN 0368-2048 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : cuprates * electronic excitations * electron energy-loss spectroscopy Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.069, year: 2004

Five-fold way to new high Tc superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

shook the foundation of phonon-mediated pairing mechanism. In fact, certain in- ...... of superconducting Tc in doped cuprates below optimal doping. ...... ductor transition, the following are the minimal requirements for superconductivity:.

Possible mechanism of adhesion in a mica supported phospholipid bilayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pertsin, Alexander; Grunze, Michael

2014-01-01

Phospholipid bilayers supported on hydrophilic solids like silica and mica play a substantial role in fundamental studies and technological applications of phospholipid membranes. In both cases the molecular mechanism of adhesion between the bilayer and the support is of primary interest. Since the possibilities of experimental methods in this specific area are rather limited, the methods of computer simulation acquire great importance. In this paper we use the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique and an atomistic force field to simulate the behavior of a mica supported phospholipid bilayer in pure water as a function of the distance between the bilayer and the support. The simulation reveals a possible adhesion mechanism, where the adhesion is due to individual lipid molecules that protrude from the bilayer and form widely spaced links with the support. Simultaneously, the bilayer remains separated from the bilayer by a thin water interlayer which maintains the bilayer fluidity

A pseudogap model beyond BCS for the cuprates: The effect of order parameter symmetry, Debye frequency and band structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez-Nunez, J.J.; Schmidt, A.A.; Beck, H.; Valera, M.

2005-08-01

One of the most intriguing aspects of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) is the presence of the pseudogap in the normal and the superconducting phases of the cuprate compounds. Several pseudogap models have been proposed to explain the $abnormal$ properties of the cuprates. One of the recent models relies on the assumption that the self-energy is given by Σ PG (iω n )=- E g 2 (k)G 0 (k,-iω n ) where G 0 (k,iω n is the one- particle free Green function. Going beyond this mean field model for the pseudogap we now take into account fluctuations of the pseudogap as Σ PG (iω n )=- E g 2 (k)G PG (k,-iω n ) where G PG (k,iω n is the one-particle full Green function. We study the combined effect of the band structure and the Debye frequency, ω D , on the superconducting critical temperature, T c , as a function of the number of carriers per site, n. Our conclusions are: 1) increasing the value of V/t increases the value of T c /t; 2) increasing the value of E G /t decreases the value of T c /t. By the way, one needs some critical value of V/t to have finite values of T c /t. This is the reason we have taken high values of V/ to find superconductivity; 3) decreasing the value of ω D /t decreases the value of T c /t. This is reasonable since we have less available states around the Fermi; 4) the inclusion of α', which we call the effect of the band structure, is important because it moves the center of curve of T c /t x n. The center of this curve, with respect to half-filling (n=1), is displaced to the left if α'>0.0; 5) the chemical potential is defined in the region where T c /t ≠ 0. However, in this region, it is almost identical for different values of V/t. This is due to the fact that μ is a global property; 6) our model always produces d-wave superconductivity around the Fermi level, independent whether E G (K-bar)/t is s- or d-wave symmetry. (author)

Heavy fermions and superconductivity in doped cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tornow, S. [Max-Planck-Inst. fur Phys. Komplexer Syst., Stuttgart (Germany). Aussenstelle Stuttgart; Zevin, V. [Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem (Israel). Racah Inst. of Physics; Zwicknagl, G. [Max-Planck-Inst. fur Phys. Komplexer Syst., Stuttgart (Germany). Aussenstelle Stuttgart

1996-10-01

We present a Fermi liquid description for the low-energy excitations in rare Earth cuprates Nd{sub 2-x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4}. The strongly renormalized heavy quasiparticles which appear in the doped samples originate from the coherent decoupling of rare earth spins and correlated conduction electrons. The correlations among the conduction electrons are simulated by assuming a spin density wave ground state. We discuss results for the thermodynamic properties in the insulating, normal metallic and superconducting phases which are in fair agreement with experimental data. In addition, the model predicts interesting behaviour for the superconducting state of samples with low transition temperature T{sub c} which may help to assess the validity of the underlying assumptions. (orig.)

In situ deposition of thallium-containing oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, K.E.

1996-01-01

The number and variety of thallium based materials that can be made by in situ methods have grown consistently since the first report of successful thallium cuprate deposition by Face and Nestlerode in 1992. Processes for the deposition of superconductors, normal metals, and insulators have been developed. Most work to date has been done on the Tl-1212 phases, TlBa 2 CaCu 2 O 7 and (Tl,Pb)Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 7 . Recently however, the in situ thallium technique has been extended to other materials. For example, epitaxial thin films of thallium tantalate, an insulator of the pyrochlore structure and a potential buffer layer for thallium cuprate films, have been grown. Multilayers, important in the fabrication of Josephson junctions, have been demonstrated with the thallium lead cuprates. This paper reviews progress in the area of in situ thallium deposition technology which will make more complex thallium cuprate multilayer structures and devices possible

Viscoelastic deformation of lipid bilayer vesicles†

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shao-Hua; Sankhagowit, Shalene; Biswas, Roshni; Wu, Shuyang; Povinelli, Michelle L.

2015-01-01

Lipid bilayers form the boundaries of the cell and its organelles. Many physiological processes, such as cell movement and division, involve bending and folding of the bilayer at high curvatures. Currently, bending of the bilayer is treated as an elastic deformation, such that its stress-strain response is independent of the rate at which bending strain is applied. We present here the first direct measurement of viscoelastic response in a lipid bilayer vesicle. We used a dual-beam optical trap (DBOT) to stretch 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Upon application of a step optical force, the vesicle membrane deforms in two regimes: a fast, instantaneous area increase, followed by a much slower stretching to an eventual plateau deformation. From measurements of dozens of GUVs, the average time constant of the slower stretching response was 0.225 ± 0.033 s (standard deviation, SD). Increasing the fluid viscosity did not affect the observed time constant. We performed a set of experiments to rule out heating by laser absorption as a cause of the transient behavior. Thus, we demonstrate here that the bending deformation of lipid bilayer membranes should be treated as viscoelastic. PMID:26268612

Microscopic Superconductivity and Room Temperature Electronics of High-Tc Cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fusui; Chen Wanfang

2008-01-01

This paper points out that the Landau criterion for macroscopic superfluidity of He II is only a criterion for microscopic superfluidity of 4 He, extends the Landau criterion to microscopic superconductivity in fermions (electron and hole) system and system with Cooper pairs without long-range phase coherence. This paper gives another three non-superconductive systems that are of microscopic superconductivity. This paper demonstrates that one application of microscopic superconductivity is to establish room temperature electronics of the high-T c cuprates

Non-BCS superconductivity for underdoped cuprates by spin-vortex attraction

OpenAIRE

Marchetti, P. A.; Ye, F.; Su, Z. B.; Yu, L.

2011-01-01

Within a gauge approach to the t-J model, we propose a new, non-BCS mechanism of superconductivity for underdoped cuprates. The gluing force of the superconducting mechanism is an attraction between spin vortices on two different N\\'eel sublattices, centered around the empty sites described in terms of fermionic holons. The spin fluctuations are described by bosonic spinons with a gap generated by the spin vortices. Due to the no-double occupation constraint, there is a gauge attraction betwe...

Strong Three-magnon Scattering in Cuprates by Resonant X-rays

OpenAIRE

Ament, Luuk J. P.; Brink, Jeroen van den

2010-01-01

We show that Resonant Inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) is sensitive to three-magnon excitations in cuprates. Even if it requires three electrons to simultaneously flip their spin, the RIXS tri-magnon scattering amplitude is not small. At the Cu $L$-edge its intensity is generally larger than the bi-magnon one and at low transferred momentum even larger than the single-magnon intensity. At the copper $M$-edge the situation is yet more extreme: in this case three-magnon scattering is dominatin...

Iron pnictide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegel, Marcus Christian

2011-01-01

The scope of this dissertation therefore has not only been the synthesis of various new superconducting and non-superconducting iron pnictides of several structural families but also their in-depth crystallographic and physical characterisation. In Chapters 3 - 6, the family of the ZrCuSiAs-type (1111) compounds is subject of discussion. The solid solution series La(Co x Fe 1-x )PO is analysed regarding magnetic and superconducting properties and the new compounds EuMnPF and REZnPO, as well as the new superconductor parent compound SrFeAsF are presented. Chapters 7 - 9 are dedicated to the new iron arsenide superconductors of the ThCr 2 Si 2 -type (122 family). Therein, also the discovery of the first superconductor in this structural family, Ba 0.6 K 0.4 Fe 2 As 2 , is unveiled. A detailed examination of the complete solid solution series (Ba 1-x K x )Fe 2 As 2 is presented. Moreover, the crystallographic phase transitions of the closely related compounds SrFe 2 As 2 and EuFe 2 As 2 are characterised and the superconductors Sr 1-x K x Fe 2 As 2 and Ca 1-x Na x Fe 2 As 2 are examined for magnetic and phononic excitations. In Chapter 10, the redetermined crystal structure of the superconductor Fe(Se 1-x Te x ) (11-type) is presented from a chemist's point of view. Chapters 11 - 14 look into the superconducting and non-superconducting iron arsenides of more complex structural families (32522-type and 21311-type). Therein, crystallographic and magnetic details of Sr 3 Sc 2 O 5 Fe 2 As 2 are presented and Ba 2 ScO 3 FeAs and Sr 2 CrO 3 FeAs, the first two members of the new 21311-type are portrayed. Sr 2 CrO 3 FeAs is looked at in close detail with various methods, so e.g. the spin structure of the magnetically ordered compound is solved and a possible reason for the absence of superconductivity in this compound is given. Finally, the superconductor Sr 2 VO 3 FeAs is scrutinised and necessary prerequisites for superconductivity in this compound are suggested. (orig.)

Neutron irradiation effects in advanced superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, H.; Kodaka, H.; Miyata, K.; Hayashi, Y.; Atobe, K.

1988-01-01

This paper reports the effects of neutron irradiation on superconducting transitions studied by susceptibility and resistivity measurements for A15 type compounds, Laves-phase compounds and oxide superconductors. For A15 superconductors, the transition temperature (T c ) decreased with increasing neutron fluence and showed large drop started at about 5 x 10 18 n/cm 2 (E > 0.1 MeV). Post-irradiation annealing gave recovery of T c , but the behaviors were different for the materials with different composition and microstructure. The Laves-phase compounds showed less degradation than the A15 superconductors. For oxide superconductors very sensitive transition change was observed, including the radiation-induced superconductivity

Future applications of superconductors for industrial use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, S.P.

1988-01-01

Superconductors have been in existence for many years. Recent developments in superconductivity at higher temperatures are directed towards the potential use of superconductors at ambient temperatures. The diligent efforts of the scientific, engineering, and political agencies in researching and developing superconducting materials have resulted in encouraging accomplishments. Although superconductors could be used in every branch of electrical engineering, the authors focuses on a few areas in this paper. The power distribution and utilization in a typical industry is compared to that of a system using superconductors. Brief discussions of various machines with superconductors at ambient temperatures, based on developments made so far on large superconducting machines, for potential industrial applications are included in this paper

Low-energy charge excitations in an undoped cuprate:Description beyond the standard pdĺ-model?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Drechsler, S.L.; Málek, Jiří; Hayn, R.; Knupfer, M.; Moskvin, A. S.; Fink, J.

2003-01-01

Roč. 17, 18, 19 & 20 (2003), s. 3324-3328 ISSN 0217-9792 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : cuprates * EELS * loss function exact diagonalization Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.473, year: 2003

NSSEFF Designing New Higher Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-13

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2017-0083 NSSEFF - DESIGINING NEW HIGHER TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS Meigan Aronson THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF...2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE NSSEFF - DESIGINING NEW HIGHER TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.  GRANT NUMBER FA9550-10-1-0191 5c...materials, identifying the most promising candidates. 15. SUBJECT TERMS TEMPERATURE, SUPERCONDUCTOR 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF

Study of apical oxygen atoms in a spin-ladder cuprate compound by X-ray absorption spectroscopy near the Cu K edge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatterer, C.J.; Eustache, B.; Collin, L.; Beuran, C.F.; Partiot, C.; Germain, P.; Xu, X.Z.; Lagues, M. [CNRS, Paris (France). Surfaces et Supraconducteurs; Michalowicz, A. [Laboratoire de Physique des Milieux Desordonnes, Universite Paris XII Val-de-Marne, 61 avenue du general de Gaulle, 94010, Creteil Cedex (France)]|[LURE, Universite Paris Sud, 91405, Orsay Cedex (France); Moscovici, J. [Laboratoire de Physique des Milieux Desordonnes, Universite Paris XII Val-de-Marne, 61 avenue du general de Gaulle, 94010, Creteil Cedex (France); Deville Cavellin, C. [CNRS, Paris (France). Surfaces et Supraconducteurs]|[Laboratoire d`Electronique, Universite Paris XII Val-de-Marne, 61 av. du general de Gaulle, 94010, Creteil Cedex (France); Traverse, A. [LURE, Universite Paris Sud, 91405, Orsay Cedex (France)

1997-04-01

The structure of high-T{sub c} superconducting cuprate compounds is based on CuO{sub 2} planes alternating with blocks that behave as charge reservoirs. The apical oxygen atoms which belong to these reservoirs are suspected to play a role in the mechanism of superconductivity. It thus seems necessary to measure the amount of apical oxygen atoms in various compounds, as a function of the superconducting properties. Polarisation dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements were performed near the Cu K-edge on three types of phases. We collected information about the neighbourhood of the copper atom in the cuprate planes and in the direction perpendicular to these planes. Two of these phases have well known structures: Bi2212 in which copper atoms are on a pyramidal site and infinite layer phase, a square planar cuprate without apical oxygen. We used the obtained results as reference data to study a new copper-rich phase related to the spin-ladder series. (orig.)

Superconductors in the power grid materials and applications

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

Superconductors offer high throughput with low electric losses and have the potential to transform the electric power grid. Transmission networks incorporating cables of this type could, for example, deliver more power and enable substantial energy savings. Superconductors in the Power Grid: Materials and Applications provides an overview of superconductors and their applications in power grids. Sections address the design and engineering of cable systems and fault current limiters and other emerging applications for superconductors in the power grid, as well as case studies of industrial applications of superconductors in the power grid. Expert editor from highly respected US government-funded research centre Unique focus on superconductors in the power grid Comprehensive coverage

Proximity effect in superconductor/ferromagnet hetero-structures as a function of interface properties

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmiento, Julio; Patino, Edgar J.

2014-03-01

Superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures are currently a subject of strong research due to novel phenomena resulting from the proximity effect. Among the most investigated ones are the oscillations of the critical temperature as function of the ferromagnet thickness. The oscillatory behavior of Tc is theoretically explained as to be result of the generation of the FFLO (Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov) state of Cooper pairs under the presence of the exchange field of the ferromagnet. With the advancement of experimental techniques for S/F bilayers growth new questions regarding the effect of the interface transparency can to be addressed. For instance the influence of the interface roughness on the proximity effect. For studying this phenomenon Nb/Co and Nb/Cu/Co samples were sputtered on SiO2 substrates with different roughness. Characterization of these samples show a significant variation of Tc with the interface roughness. This results point towards a possible relationship between transparency and roughness of the interface. Proyecto Semilla Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de los Andes.

High temperature superconductor accelerator magnets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nugteren, J.

2016-01-01

For future particle accelerators bending dipoles are considered with magnetic fields exceeding 20T. This can only be achieved using high temperature superconductors (HTS). These exhibit different properties from classical low temperature superconductors and still require significant research and

Cholesterol Protects the Oxidized Lipid Bilayer from Water Injury

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Owen, Michael C; Kulig, Waldemar; Rog, Tomasz

2018-01-01

In an effort to delineate how cholesterol protects membrane structure under oxidative stress conditions, we monitored the changes to the structure of lipid bilayers comprising 30 mol% cholesterol and an increasing concentration of Class B oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC...... in a characteristic reduction in bilayer thickness and increase in area per lipid, thereby increasing the exposure of the membrane hydrophobic region to water. However, cholesterol was observed to help reduce water injury by moving into the bilayer core and forming more hydrogen bonds with the oxPLs. Cholesterol also...... resists altering its tilt angle, helping to maintain membrane integrity. Water that enters the 1-nm-thick core region remains part of the bulk water on either side of the bilayer, with relatively few water molecules able to traverse through the bilayer. In cholesterol-rich membranes, the bilayer does...

Effects of impurities and vortices on the low-energy spin excitations in high-Tc materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Brian Møller; Graser, S.; Schmid, M.

2011-01-01

We review a theoretical scenario for the origin of the spin-glass phase of underdoped cuprate materials. In particular it is shown how disorder in a correlated d-wave superconductor generates a magnetic phase by inducing local droplets of antiferromagnetic order which eventually merge and form...

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of band tails in lightly doped cuprates

OpenAIRE

Alexandrov, A. S.; Reynolds, K.

2007-01-01

We amend ab initio strongly-correlated band structures by taking into account the band-tailing phenomenon in doped charge-transfer Mott-Hubbard insulators. We show that the photoemission from band tails accounts for sharp "quasi-particle" peaks, rapid loss of their intensities in some directions of the Brillouin zone ("Fermi-arcs") and high-energy "waterfall" anomalies as a consequence of matrix-element effects of disorder-localised states in the charge-transfer gap of doped cuprates.

Charge transport in junctions between d-wave superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barash, Y.S.; Galaktionov, A.V.; Zaikin, A.D.

1995-01-01

We develop a microscopic analysis of superconducting and dissipative currents in junctions between superconductors with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter. We study the proximity effect in such superconductors and show that for certain crystal orientations the superconducting order parameter can be essentially suppressed in the vicinity of a nontransparent specularly reflecting boundary. This effect strongly influences the value and the angular dependence of the dc Josephson current j S . At T∼T c it leads to a crossover between j S ∝T c -T and j S ∝(T c -T) 2 respectively for homogeneous and nonhomogeneous distribution of the order parameter in the vicinity of a tunnel junction. We show that at low temperatures the current-phase relation j S (cphi) for superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor junctions and short weak links between d-wave superconductors is essentially nonharmonic and contains a discontinuity at cphi=0. This leads to further interesting features of such systems which can be used for pairing symmetry tests in high-temperature superconductors (HTSC). We also investigated the low-temperature I-V curves of normal-metal--superconductor and superconductor-superconductor tunnel junctions and demonstrated that depending on the junction type and crystal orientation these curves show zero-bias anomalies I∝V 2 , I∝V 2 ln(1/V), and I∝V 3 caused by the gapless behavior of the order parameter in d-wave superconductors. Many of our results agree well with recent experimental findings for HTSC compounds

Making superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, W.K.

1981-01-01

A method is described of producing composite rod or wire of increased strength and fineness wherein the composite is formed by reducing a lamina of two metals which have been rolled to form a cylindrical billet in which one of the metals is in expanded form. The composite produced can be encased in copper and fabricated to produce a superconductor. Alloys contemplated for producing superconductors are Nb 3 Sn, Nb 3 Ga, Nb 3 Ge, Nb 3 Si, Nb-Ti, V 3 Ga, V 3 Si, V 3 Sn, V 3 Al, and V 3 Ge laminated on bronze, Al, Cu, Ta, or combinations thereof. (author)

Thermotropic and Barotropic Phase Behavior of Phosphatidylcholine Bilayers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobutake Tamai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Bilayers formed by phospholipids are frequently used as model biological membranes in various life science studies. A characteristic feature of phospholipid bilayers is to undergo a structural change called a phase transition in response to environmental changes of their surroundings. In this review, we focus our attention on phase transitions of some major phospholipids contained in biological membranes, phosphatidylcholines (PCs, depending on temperature and pressure. Bilayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC, which is the most representative lipid in model membrane studies, will first be explained. Then, the bilayer phase behavior of various kinds of PCs with different molecular structures is revealed from the temperature–pressure phase diagrams, and the difference in phase stability among these PC bilayers is discussed in connection with the molecular structure of the PC molecules. Furthermore, the solvent effect on the phase behavior is also described briefly.

Search for Majorana fermions in topological superconductors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, Wei [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Shi, Xiaoyan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hawkins, Samuel D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Klem, John Frederick [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-10-01

The goal of this project is to search for Majorana fermions (a new quantum particle) in a topological superconductor (a new quantum matter achieved in a topological insulator proximitized by an s-wave superconductor). Majorana fermions (MFs) are electron-like particles that are their own anti-particles. MFs are shown to obey non-Abelian statistics and, thus, can be harnessed to make a fault-resistant topological quantum computer. With the arrival of topological insulators, novel schemes to create MFs have been proposed in hybrid systems by combining a topological insulator with a conventional superconductor. In this LDRD project, we will follow the theoretical proposals to search for MFs in one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductors. 1D topological superconductor will be created inside of a quantum point contact (with the metal pinch-off gates made of conventional s-wave superconductors such as niobium) in a two-dimensional topological insulator (such as inverted type-II InAs/GaSb heterostructure).

Room temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sleight, A.W.

1995-01-01

If the Holy Grail of room temperature superconductivity could be achieved, the impact on could be enormous. However, a useful room temperature superconductor for most applications must possess a T c somewhat above room temperature and must be capable of sustaining superconductivity in the presence of magnetic fields while carrying a significant current load. The authors will return to the subject of just what characteristics one might seek for a compound to be a room temperature superconductor. 30 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Applications of superconductors to electric motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, B.W.

1988-01-01

This paper reviews previous experience in applying superconductors to electric motors and examines the difficulties encountered. While motors and generators have a common basis, several significant differences exist. The application of high temperature superconductors to the major electric motor types is discussed and expected difficulties are presented. The limitations imposed by various motor designs are reflected in a statement of the desired material properties for high temperature superconductor electric motor applications

Phonon-induced anomalous Raman spectra in undoped high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.; Min, B.I.

1997-01-01

In order to describe a shoulder peak structure near 4J in the magnon Raman spectra of undoped high-T c cuprates, we have explored the phonon contribution to the Raman spectra. Incorporating the magnon-phonon Hamiltonian in the spin-wave theory, we have evaluated the two-magnon Raman spectral function originating from the lowest-order magnon-phonon-magnon scattering. It is found that phonons induce a shoulder peak near 4J besides the dominant two-magnon peak near 3J, in agreement with experiments. (orig.)

A universal high energy anomaly in angle resolved photoemission spectra of high temperature superconductors -- possible evidence of spinon and holon branches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graf, J.; Gweon, G.-H.; McElroy, K.; Zhou, S.Y.; Jozwiak, C.; Rotenberg, E.; Bill, A.; Sasagawa, T.; Eisaki, H.; Uchida, S.; Takagi, H.; Lee, D.-H.; Lanzara, A.

2006-01-01

A universal high energy anomaly in the single particle spectral function is reported in three different families of high temperature superconductors by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. As we follow the dispersing peak of the spectral function from the Fermi energy to the valence band complex, we find dispersion anomalies marked by two distinctive high energy scales, E 1 approx 0.38eV and E 2 approx 0.8 eV. E 1 marks the energy above which the dispersion splits into two branches. One is a continuation of the near parabolic dispersion, albeit with reduced spectral weight, and reaches the bottom of the band at the Gamma point at approx 0.5 eV. The other is given by a peak in the momentum space, nearly independent of energy between E 1 and E 2 . Above E 2 , a band-like dispersion re-emerges. We conjecture that these two energies mark the disintegration of the low energy quasiparticles into a spinon and holon branch in the high T c cuprates

Interface-mediation of lipid bilayer organization and dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mize, Hannah E; Blanchard, G J

2016-06-22

We report on the morphology and dynamics of planar supported lipid bilayer structures as a function of pH and ionic strength of the aqueous overlayer. Supported lipid bilayers composed of three components (phosphocholine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol) are known to exhibit phase segregation, with the characteristic domain sizes dependent on the amount and identity of each constituent, and the composition of the aqueous overlayer in contact with the bilayer. We report on fluorescence anisotropy decay imaging measurements of a rhodamine chromophore tethered to the headgroup of a phosphoethanolamine, where anisotropy decay images were acquired as a function of solution overlayer pH and ionic strength. The data reveal a two-component anisotropy decay under all conditions, with the faster time constant being largely independent of pH and ionic strength and the slower component depending on pH and ionic strength in different manners. For liposomes of the same composition, a single exponential anisotropy decay was seen. We interpret this difference in terms of bilayer curvature and support surface-bilayer interactions, and the pH and ionic strength dependencies in terms of ionic screening and protonation in the bilayer headgroup region.

Nonmagnetic impurities in magnetic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mineev, V.P.

1989-01-01

The magnetization and magnetic field arising around the nonmagnetic impurity in magnetic superconductor with triplet pairing are found. The relationship of these results with the data of recent (gm)sR experiments in heavy fermionic superconductor U 1 - x Th x Be 13 is presented

Holographic complexity in gauge/string superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davood Momeni

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Following a methodology similar to [1], we derive a holographic complexity for two dimensional holographic superconductors (gauge/string superconductors with backreactions. Applying a perturbation method proposed by Kanno in Ref. [2], we study behaviors of the complexity for a dual quantum system near critical points. We show that when a system moves from the normal phase (T>Tc to the superconductor phase (T

Superconductors: The long road ahead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foner, S.; Orlando, T.P.

1988-01-01

Before the discovery of high-temperature superconductors, progress in superconductivity was measured by quite small increases in critical temperature, often of less than one degree. Today, there is no reason to believe that the dramatic leaps in critical temperature inaugurated by superconducting ceramics are over. Researchers may find new high-temperature superconducting materials with less severe technical limitations than the ceramics we know today. And if the day ever comes when a superconductor can be reliably manufactured to operate effectively at room temperature, then superconductors will be incorporated in a broad range of everyday household devices - motors, appliances, even children's toys - with a large consumer market. High-temperature superconductors may also cause us to extensively revise our traditional theories about how superconductivity works. Should it run out that superconductivity in ceramics involves new physical mechanisms, then these mechanisms could lead to applications never considered before. The recent discoveries have already reinvigorated superconductivity research. What was once largely the domain of a relatively small group of scientists has become a genuinely multidisciplinary realm. Now physicists, materials scientists, chemists, metallurgists, ceramists, and solid-state electronics engineers are all focusing on superconductivity. The cross-fertilization of these disciplines should contribute to further discoveries of importance to the practical application of superconductors

The superconductor revolutions and the (slow) applications evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foner, S.

1990-01-01

The discovery in the 1960's of type 2 superconductors with high critical current densities in high magnetic fields (and the development of NbTi in particular) led to the first revolution. The discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS) started the second revolution. At this stage ceramists became involved with superconductors. I will assess the status of various superconductor applications, progress of HTS and their possible applications at 4.2K, and near-term needs for superconducting materials operating at 30T in specialized facilities. Reasons for the slow growth of superconductor applications will be reviewed

Probing Lipid Bilayers under Ionic Imbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jiaqi; Alexander-Katz, Alfredo

2016-12-06

Biological membranes are normally under a resting transmembrane potential (TMP), which originates from the ionic imbalance between extracellular fluids and cytosols, and serves as electric power storage for cells. In cell electroporation, the ionic imbalance builds up a high TMP, resulting in the poration of cell membranes. However, the relationship between ionic imbalance and TMP is not clearly understood, and little is known about the effect of ionic imbalance on the structure and dynamics of biological membranes. In this study, we used coarse-grained molecular dynamics to characterize a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer system under ionic imbalances ranging from 0 to ∼0.06 e charges per lipid (e/Lip). We found that the TMP displayed three distinct regimes: 1) a linear regime between 0 and 0.045 e/Lip, where the TMP increased linearly with ionic imbalance; 2) a yielding regime between ∼0.045 and 0.060 e/Lip, where the TMP displayed a plateau; and 3) a poration regime above ∼0.060 e/Lip, where we observed pore formation within the sampling time (80 ns). We found no structural changes in the linear regime, apart from a nonlinear increase in the area per lipid, whereas in the yielding regime the bilayer exhibited substantial thinning, leading to an excess of water and Na + within the bilayer, as well as significant misalignment of the lipid tails. In the poration regime, lipid molecules diffused slightly faster. We also found that the fluid-to-gel phase transition temperature of the bilayer dropped below the normal value with increased ionic imbalances. Our results show that a high ionic imbalance can substantially alter the essential properties of the bilayer, making the bilayer more fluid like, or conversely, depolarization of a cell could in principle lead to membrane stiffening. Copyright © 2016 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Inward Dispersion of the Neutron Scattering Experiments in HTSC Cuprates

OpenAIRE

Dayan, Moshe

2016-01-01

The theory of the high temperature superconducting cuprates, which is based on the condensation of holes into strings in checker-board geometry, was successful to explain the elastically scattered Neutrons by spin waves. Here it is extended to analyze the inward dispersion curve of its inelastic counterpart, up to the resonance energy- . This extension is done by applying the perturbation theory of the linear response to the condensed strings. The approximated susceptibility is derived by mea...

Mechanisms for Superconductivity in Cuprates compared with results from the Generalized MacMillan-Rowell Analysis of High Resolution Laser- ARPES

Science.gov (United States)

Varma, Chandra; Choi, Han-Yong; Zhang, Wentao; Zhou, Xingjiang

2012-02-01

The spectra of fluctuations and their coupling to fermions has been deduced from extensive high resolution laser ARPES in several BISCCO samples and quantitatively analyzed. We ask the question whether some of the theories for superconductivity in Cuprates are consistent or inconsistent with the frequency and the momentum dependence of the deductions. We find that any fluctuation spectra, for example that of Antiferromagnetic Fluctuations, whose frequency dependence depends significantly on momentum dependence are excluded. We consider the quantum-critical spectra of the loop-current order observed in under-doped cuprates and its coupling to fermions and find it consistent with the data.

Bilayer graphene: gap tunability and edge properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Eduardo V; Santos, J M B Lopes dos; Peres, N M R; Guinea, F; Castro Neto, A H

2008-01-01

Bilayer graphene - two coupled single graphene layers stacked as in graphite - provides the only known semiconductor with a gap that can be tuned externally through electric field effect. Here we use a tight binding approach to study how the gap changes with the applied electric field. Within a parallel plate capacitor model and taking into account screening of the external field, we describe real back gated and/or chemically doped bilayer devices. We show that a gap between zero and midinfrared energies can be induced and externally tuned in these devices, making bilayer graphene very appealing from the point of view of applications. However, applications to nanotechnology require careful treatment of the effect of sample boundaries. This being particularly true in graphene, where the presence of edge states at zero energy - the Fermi level of the undoped system - has been extensively reported. Here we show that also bilayer graphene supports surface states localized at zigzag edges. The presence of two layers, however, allows for a new type of edge state which shows an enhanced penetration into the bulk and gives rise to band crossing phenomenon inside the gap of the biased bilayer system.

Effects of carotenoids on lipid bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Quentin R; Mostofian, Barmak; Fuente Gomez, Gabriel; Smith, Jeremy C; Cheng, Xiaolin

2018-01-31

Carotenoids have been found to be important in improving the integrity of biomembranes in eukaryotes. However, the molecular details of how carotenoids modulate the physical properties of biomembranes are unknown. To this end, we have conducted a series of molecular dynamics simulations of different biologically-relevant membranes in the presence of carotenoids. The carotenoid effect on the membrane was found to be specific to the identity of the carotenoid and the composition of the membrane itself. Therefore, different classes of carotenoids produce a different effect on the membrane, and different membrane phases are affected differently by carotenoids. It is apparent from our data that carotenoids do trigger the bilayer to become thinner. The mechanism by which this occurs depends on two competing factors, the ability of the lipid tails of opposing monolayers to either (1) compress or (2) interdigitate as the bilayer condenses. Indeed, carotenoids directly influence the physical properties via these two mechanisms, thus compacting the bilayer. However, the degree to which these competing mechanisms are utilized depends on the bilayer phase and the carotenoid identity.

Computer Simulations of Lipid Bilayers and Proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonne, Jacob

2006-01-01

The importance of computer simulations in lipid bilayer research has become more prominent for the last couple of decades and as computers get even faster, simulations will play an increasingly important part of understanding the processes that take place in and across cell membranes. This thesis...... entitled Computer simulations of lipid bilayers and proteins describes two molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies of pure lipid bilayers as well as a study of a transmembrane protein embedded in a lipid bilayer matrix. Below follows a brief overview of the thesis. Chapter 1. This chapter is a short...... in the succeeding chapters is presented. Details on system setups, simulation parameters and other technicalities can be found in the relevant chapters. Chapter 3, DPPC lipid parameters: The quality of MD simulations is intimately dependent on the empirical potential energy function and its parameters, i...