Possibility of high temperature superconducting phases in PdH

Science.gov (United States)

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

2003-05-01

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

A two-phase full-wave superconducting rectifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ariga, T.; Ishiyama, A.

1989-01-01

A two-phase full-wave superconducting rectifier has been developed as a small cryogenic power supply of superconducting magnets for magnetically levitation trains. Those magnets are operated in the persistent current mode. However, small ohmic loss caused at resistive joints and ac loss induced by the vibration of the train cannot be avoided. Therefore, the low-power cryogenic power supply is required to compensate for the reduction in magnet current. The presented superconducting rectifier consists of two identical full-wave rectifiers connected in series. Main components of each rectifier are a troidal shape superconducting set-up transformer and two thermally controlled switches. The test results using a 47.5 mH load magnet at 0.2 Hz and 0.5 Hz operations are described. To estimate the characteristics of the superconducting rectifier, the authors have developed a simulation code. From the experiments and the simulations, the transfer efficiency is examined. Furthermore, the optimal design of thermally controlled switches based on the finite element analysis is also discussed

Mapping the Superconducting Anti-ferromagnetic C4 Phase in Iron-Pnictides

Science.gov (United States)

Stadel, Ryan; Taddei, Keith; Bugaris, Dan; Lapidus, Saul; Claus, Helmut; Phelan, Daniel; Chung, Duck Young; Kanatzidis, Mercouri; Osborn, Raymond; Rosenkranz, Stephan; Chmaissem, Omar

Following the discovery of the microscopic coexistence of antifermagnetic spin density waves and superconductivity in Ba1-xKxFe2As2 and the low temperature re-entrance to the novel magnetic C4 tetragonal phase in Ba1-xNaxFe2As2, there has been significant interest in developing an understanding of the properties and formation of these phases and analyzing their dependence on temperature and composition in hole-doped 122 alkaline earth metal/iron-pnictides. We describe the mapping of various Ba, Sr, and Ca 122 phase diagrams with systematically controlled levels of hole-doping of alkaline metal onto the alkaline earth metal site, which was investigated via x-ray and neutron diffraction. Our elaborate synthesis, diffraction work, and analysis maps and firmly establishes the C4 phase space in these ternary diagrams as well as the boundary lines that separate the individual phases, and provides natural clues as well as a framework to investigate the stability and formation of the C4 domes that shift location with doping contents in the phase diagrams. Work at Argonne was supported by US DOE, Office of Science, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

Superconductivity and Competing Ordered Phase in RuPn (Pn = As, P)

Science.gov (United States)

Hirai, Daigorou; Takayama, Tomohiro; Hashizume, Daisuke; Yamamoto, Ayako; Takagi, Hidenori

2011-03-01

Unconventional superconductivity likely manifests itself when some competing electronic phases are suppressed down to zero temperature such as cuprates and iron-pnictide superconductors. Therefore, the correlated metallic state neighboring a competing electronic ordering can be a promising playground for unconventional superconductivity. Here we report superconductivity emerging adjacent to electronically ordered phases of RuPn (Pn = As, P). We found that RuAs(P) exhibits phase transitions at 240 (265) K, which is discerned as a drop of magnetic susceptibility or a resistivity upturn. Such anomalies can be suppressed by substituting Rh to the Ru site. Accompanied by the disappearance of the electronic order, superconductivity was found to emerge below 1.8 K and 3.8 K for RuAs and RuP, respectively. The superconductivity in Rh substituted RuPn, which neighbors a competing electronic order, might exhibit an exotic pairing state as seen in the unconventional superconductors known to date.

Pressure-induced electronic phase separation of magnetism and superconductivity in CrAs.

Science.gov (United States)

Khasanov, Rustem; Guguchia, Zurab; Eremin, Ilya; Luetkens, Hubertus; Amato, Alex; Biswas, Pabitra K; Rüegg, Christian; Susner, Michael A; Sefat, Athena S; Zhigadlo, Nikolai D; Morenzoni, Elvezio

2015-09-08

The recent discovery of pressure (p) induced superconductivity in the binary helimagnet CrAs has raised questions on how superconductivity emerges from the magnetic state and on the mechanism of the superconducting pairing. In the present work the suppression of magnetism and the occurrence of superconductivity in CrAs were studied by means of muon spin rotation. The magnetism remains bulk up to p ≃ 3.5 kbar while its volume fraction gradually decreases with increasing pressure until it vanishes at p ≃ 7 kbar. At 3.5 kbar superconductivity abruptly appears with its maximum Tc ≃ 1.2 K which decreases upon increasing the pressure. In the intermediate pressure region (3.5 magnetic volume fractions are spatially phase separated and compete for phase volume. Our results indicate that the less conductive magnetic phase provides additional carriers (doping) to the superconducting parts of the CrAs sample thus leading to an increase of the transition temperature (Tc) and of the superfluid density (ρs). A scaling of ρs with Tc(3.2) as well as the phase separation between magnetism and superconductivity point to a conventional mechanism of the Cooper-pairing in CrAs.

Topological phase diagram of superconducting carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milz, Lars; Marganska-Lyzniak, Magdalena; Grifoni, Milena [Institut I - Theoretische Physik Universitaet Regensburg (Germany)

2016-07-01

The topological superconducting phase diagram of superconducting carbon nanotubes is discussed. Under the assumption of a short-ranged pairing potential, there are two spin-singlet states: an s-wave and an exotic p + ip-wave that are possible because of the special structure of the honeycomb lattice. The consequences for the possible presence of Majorana edge states in carbon nanotubes are addressed. In particular, regions in the magnetic field-chemical potential plane possibly hosting localized Majorana modes are discussed.

Possibility of high temperature superconducting phases in PdH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2003-05-15

Possible new superconducting phases with a high critical transition temperature (T{sub c}) have been found in stable palladium-hydrogen (PdH{sub x}) samples for stoichiometric ratio x=H/Pd{>=}1, in addition to the well-known low critical transition temperature (0{<=}T{sub c}{<=}9) when x is in the range (0.75{<=}x{<=}1.00). Possible new measured superconducting phases with critical temperature in the range 51{<=}T{sub c}{<=}295 K occur. This T{sub c} varies considerably with every milli part of x when x exceeds unit. A superconducting critical current density J{sub c}{>=}6.1x10{sup 4} A cm{sup -2} has been measured at 77 K with H{sub DC}=0 T.

Forced two phase helium cooling of large superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Burns, W.A.; Taylor, J.D.

1979-08-01

A major problem shared by all large superconducting magnets is the cryogenic cooling system. Most large magnets are cooled by some variation of the helium bath. Helium bath cooling becomes more and more troublesome as the size of the magnet grows and as geometric constraints come into play. An alternative approach to cooling large magnet systems is the forced flow, two phase helium system. The advantages of two phase cooling in many magnet systems are shown. The design of a two phase helium system, with its control dewar, is presented. The paper discusses pressure drop of a two phase system, stability of a two phase system and the method of cool down of a two phase system. The results of experimental measurements at LBL are discussed. Included are the results of cool down and operation of superconducting solenoids

Towards phase-coherent caloritronics in superconducting circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Fornieri, Antonio; Giazotto, Francesco

2017-10-01

The emerging field of phase-coherent caloritronics (from the Latin word calor, heat) is based on the possibility of controlling heat currents by using the phase difference of the superconducting order parameter. The goal is to design and implement thermal devices that can control energy transfer with a degree of accuracy approaching that reached for charge transport by contemporary electronic components. This can be done by making use of the macroscopic quantum coherence intrinsic to superconducting condensates, which manifests itself through the Josephson effect and the proximity effect. Here, we review recent experimental results obtained in the realization of heat interferometers and thermal rectifiers, and discuss a few proposals for exotic nonlinear phase-coherent caloritronic devices, such as thermal transistors, solid-state memories, phase-coherent heat splitters, microwave refrigerators, thermal engines and heat valves. Besides being attractive from the fundamental physics point of view, these systems are expected to have a vast impact on many cryogenic microcircuits requiring energy management, and possibly lay the first stone for the foundation of electronic thermal logic.

Chevrel phases superconductive and ultrafine powders synthesis and characterization; Synthese et caracterisation de poudres ultrafines supraconductrices de phases de Chevrel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Even-Boudjada, S

1994-12-01

This work deals with the Chevrel phases superconductive and ultrafine powders synthesis and characterization. The first part of this study presents some new way of synthesis (precipitation, coprecipitation) of Chevrel phases precursors powders (PbS, SnS, MoS{sub 2}) and their characterizations (X-ray fluorescence analysis, ICP mass spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and laser granulometry). These new synthesis methods lead to quasi spherical morphology grains and very weak size grains (0.2 to 0.5 {mu}m) whereas the chemical preparation from the solid state elements gives very different morphology grains (small plates) with a size of 1 to 20 {mu}m. In the second part is shown the interest of the binary Mo{sub 6} S{sub 8} as precursor in the synthesis of ternary superconductive phases (Li, Ni, Cu, Pb). The last part presents the formation reaction of the phase PbMo{sub 6} S{sub 8} and its main chemical and physical properties. Thus some calorimetric measures associated with X-ray diffraction analysis have been realized and have allowed to understand the different reactions occurring during the PbMo{sub 6}S{sub 8} synthesis. (O.L.). 100 refs., figs., tabs.

Superconducting resonator used as a beam phase detector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. I. Sharamentov

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Beam-bunch arrival time has been measured for the first time by operating superconducting cavities, normally part of the linac accelerator array, in a bunch-detecting mode. The very high Q of the superconducting cavities provides high sensitivity and allows for phase-detecting low-current beams. In detecting mode, the resonator is operated at a very low field level comparable to the field induced by the bunched beam. Because of this, the rf field in the cavity is a superposition of a “pure” (or reference rf and the beam-induced signal. A new method of circular phase rotation (CPR, allowing extraction of the beam phase information from the composite rf field was developed. Arrival time phase determination with CPR is better than 1° (at 48 MHz for a beam current of 100 nA. The electronics design is described and experimental data are presented.

Structural phase transitions and superconductivity in lanthanum copper oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, M.K.; Harlow, R.L.; McCarron, E.M.

1996-01-01

Despite the enormous effort expended over the past ten years to determine the mechanism underlying high temperature superconductivity in cuprates there is still no consensus on the physical origin of this fascinating phenomenon. This is a consequence of a number of factors, among which are the intrinsic difficulties in understanding the strong electron correlations in the copper oxides, determining the roles played by antiferromagnetic interactions and low dimensionality, analyzing the complex phonon dispersion relationships, and characterizing the phase diagrams which are functions of the physical parameters of temperature and pressure, as well as the chemical parameters of stoichiometry and hole concentration. In addition to all of these intrinsic difficulties, extrinsic materials issues such as sample quality and homogeneity present additional complications. Within the field of high temperature superconductivity there exists a subfield centered around the material originally reported to exhibit high temperature superconductivity by Bednorz and Mueller, Ba doped La 2 CuO 4 . This is structurally the simplest cuprate superconductor. The authors report on studies of phase differences observed between such base superconductors doped with Ba or Sr. What these studies have revealed is a fascinating interplay of structural, magnetic and superconducting properties which is unique in the field of high temperature superconductivity and is summarized in this paper

Quenching of superconductivity in disordered thin films by phase fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hebard, A.F.; Palaanen, M.A.

1992-01-01

The amplitude Ψ 0 and phase Φ of the superconducting order parameter in thin-film systems are affected differently by disorder and dimensionality. With increasing disorder superconducting long range order is quenched in sufficiently thin films by physical processes driven by phase fluctuations. This occurs at both the zero-field vortex-antivortex unbinding transition and at the zero-temperature magnetic-field-tuned superconducting-insulating transition. At both of these transitions Ψ 0 is finite and constant, vanishing only when temperature, disorder, and/or magnetic field are increased further. Experimental results on amorphous-composite InO x films are presented to illustrate these points and appropriate comparisons are made to other experimental systems. (orig.)

Signatures of topological phase transitions in mesoscopic superconducting rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pientka, Falko; Romito, Alessandro; Duckheim, Mathias; Oppen, Felix von; Oreg, Yuval

2013-01-01

We investigate Josephson currents in mesoscopic rings with a weak link which are in or near a topological superconducting phase. As a paradigmatic example, we consider the Kitaev model of a spinless p-wave superconductor in one dimension, emphasizing how this model emerges from more realistic settings based on semiconductor nanowires. We show that the flux periodicity of the Josephson current provides signatures of the topological phase transition and the emergence of Majorana fermions (MF) situated on both sides of the weak link even when fermion parity is not a good quantum number. In large rings, the MF hybridize only across the weak link. In this case, the Josephson current is h/e periodic in the flux threading the loop when fermion parity is a good quantum number but reverts to the more conventional h/2e periodicity in the presence of fermion-parity changing relaxation processes. In mesoscopic rings, the MF also hybridize through their overlap in the interior of the superconducting ring. We find that in the topological superconducting phase, this gives rise to an h/e-periodic contribution even when fermion parity is not conserved and that this contribution exhibits a peak near the topological phase transition. This signature of the topological phase transition is robust to the effects of disorder. As a byproduct, we find that close to the topological phase transition, disorder drives the system deeper into the topological phase. This is in stark contrast to the known behavior far from the phase transition, where disorder tends to suppress the topological phase. (paper)

Formation region and amplitude of colour superconductivity in an instanton-induced model

CERN Document Server

Liao Jin Feng

2002-01-01

Colour superconductivity is investigated in the frame of a two flavour instanton-induced model. The ratio of diquark to quark-antiquark coupling constants is restricted to be c/(N sub c -1) with 1 <=c <=2.87 and controls the formation region and amplitude of colour superconductivity. While the finite current quark mass changes the chiral transition significantly, it does not considerably change the colour superconductivity

A study of the formation processes of the 2212 phase in the Bi-based superconductor systems. [BiSrCaCuO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wai, Lo; Glowacki, B A [Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Superconductivity, Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

1992-04-15

A study towards the identification of the reactions contributing to and accompanying the formation of the 2212 phase from oxides and carbonates by solid state reaction processes was conducted. The formation processes were investigated by thermal analysis, powder X-ray diffractometry and AC magnetic susceptometry. The 2212 phase was found to form from reactions between the 2201 phases (the non-superconducting pseudo-tetragonal and the superconducting monoclinic phases), Bi{sub 6}Ca{sub 7}O{sub 16}, CuO and SrCO{sub 3}. The 2201 phases were produced by the reactions of Bi-Sr-Cu-O or Bi-Sr-O compounds with SrCO{sub 3} or CuO. The 2201 phases could also be formed through the direct reaction between Bi{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} and SrCO{sub 3}. (orig.).

Superconductivity of divalent Chevrel phases at very high pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Y.S.; Guertin, R.P.; Hinks, D.G.; Jorgensen, J.; Capone II, D.W.

1988-01-01

The electrical resistivity and the superconducting transition temperatures were examined for three representative divalent Chevrel phase systems, SnMo 6 S 8 , EuMo 6 S 8 , and BaMo 6 S 8 , as a function of hydrostatic pressure to 2 GPa and in quasihydrostatic pressures to 10 GPa. In all systems, T/sub c/ is depressed to 0 K for sufficiently large pressures. For the Sn- and Eu-based systems, both highly purified samples and samples with controlled oxygen content were used. In an oxygenated SnMo 6 S 8 sample (less than 3% O 2 substituted for the S atoms) the pressure threshold and maximum T/sub c/ are 40% lower than in the pure sample, but for P>3.5 GPa the T/sub c/-P phase diagrams nearly coincide, with T/sub c/ reaching zero at an extrapolated pressure of about 12 GPa. In pure EuMo 6 S 8 , superconductivity appears only above a threshold pressure of about 1 GPa and is depressed to 0 K above 4.5 GPa. In an oxygenated sample the maximum T/sub c/ and the threshold pressure are depressed, and above about 3.5 GPa the T/sub c/-P phase diagrams coincide, as in the Sn-based system, although T/sub c/ is then rapidly depressed to 0 K at about 4.5 GPa. In a highly purified BaMo 6 S 8 sample superconductivity appears above about 2 GPa and is depressed to 0 K at extrapolated pressures above 12 GPa. A full transition to the zero-resistance superconducting state is observed in BaMo 6 S 8 . The data are discussed in terms of a model linking the rhombohedral-to-triclinic structural transition, the superconducting transition temperature, and the role of pressure in suppressing the structural transition

Pressure-induced structural phase transformation and superconducting properties of titanium mononitride

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qian; Guo, Yanan; Zhang, Miao; Ge, Xinlei

2018-03-01

In this work, we have systematically performed the first-principles structure search on titanium mononitride (TiN) within Crystal Structure AnaLYsis by Particle Swarm Optimization (CALYPSO) methodology at high pressures. Here, we have confirmed a phase transition from cubic rock-salt (fcc) phase to CsCl (bcc) phase of TiN at ∼348 GPa. Further simulations reveal that the bcc phase is dynamically stable, and could be synthesized experimentally in principle. The calculated elastic anisotropy decreases with the phase transformation from fcc to bcc structure under high pressures, and the material changes from ductile to brittle simultaneously. Moreover, we found that both structures are superconductive with the superconducting critical temperature of 2-12 K.

Possible superconductivity in the Bismuth IV solid phase under pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Valladares, Ariel A; Rodríguez, Isaías; Hinojosa-Romero, David; Valladares, Alexander; Valladares, Renela M

2018-04-13

The first successful theory of superconductivity was the one proposed by Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer in 1957. This breakthrough fostered a remarkable growth of the field that propitiated progress and questionings, generating alternative theories to explain specific phenomena. For example, it has been argued that Bismuth, being a semimetal with a low number of carriers, does not comply with the basic hypotheses underlying BCS and therefore a different approach should be considered. Nevertheless, in 2016 based on BCS we put forth a prediction that Bi at ambient pressure becomes a superconductor at 1.3 mK. A year later an experimental group corroborated that in fact Bi is a superconductor with a transition temperature of 0.53 mK, a result that eluded previous work. So, since Bi is superconductive in almost all the different structures and phases, the question is why Bi-IV has been elusive and has not been found yet to superconduct? Here we present a study of the electronic and vibrational properties of Bi-IV and infer its possible superconductivity using a BCS approach. We predict that if the Bi-IV phase structure were cooled down to liquid helium temperatures it would also superconduct at a T c of 4.25 K.

Operation of a forced two phase cooling system on a large superconducting magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Burns, W.A.; Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.H.; Pripstein, M.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Van Slyke, H.

1980-05-01

This paper describes the operation of a forced two phase cooling system on a two meter diameter superconducting solenoid. The magnet is a thin high current density superconducting solenoid which is cooled by forced two phase helium in tubes around the coil. The magnet, which is 2.18 meters in diameter and 3.4 meters long, has a cold mass of 1700 kg. The two phase cooling system contains less than 300 liters of liquid helium, most of which is contained in a control dewar. This paper describes the operating characteristics of the LBL two phase forced cooling system during cooldown and warm up. The paper presents experimental data on operations of the magnet using either a helium pump or the refrigerator compressor to circulate two phase helium through the superconducting coil cooling tubes

Superconductivity in the Sr-Ca-Cu-O system and the phase with infinite-layer structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaked, H.; Shimakawa, Y.; Hunter, B.A.; Hitterman, R.L.; Jorgensen, J.D.; Han, P.D.; Payne, D.A.

1995-01-01

Superconductivity and structure in samples of (Sr,Ca)CuO 2 with the infinite-layer structure, prepared by high-pressure synthesis, have been studied using magnetic susceptibility measurements, small angle x-ray diffraction, and neutron diffraction. It is found that the superconducting (T c ∼100 K) samples in this system are phase impure and contain, in addition to the infinite-layer phase, members of the two homologous series Sr n-1 Cu n+1 O 2n (n=3,5,...; orthorhombic), and Sr n+1 Cu n O 2n+1+δ (n=1,2,...; tetragonal), as minor phases. Samples with larger phase fractions of the Sr n+1 Cu n O 2n+1+δ compounds showed higher superconducting fractions. Phase-pure infinite-layer samples are not superconducting. Based on these results, and results previously published in the literature, it is proposed that the superconductivity in these infinite-layer samples comes from the tetragonal Sr n+1 Cu n O 2n+1+δ compounds, not from the phase with the infinite-layer structure

Two phase cooling for superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.

1986-01-01

Comments on the use of two phase helium in a closed circuit tubular cooling system and some results obtained with the TPC superconducting magnet are given. Theoretical arguments and experimental evidence are given against a previously suggested method to determine helium two phase flow regimes. Two methods to reduce pressure in the magnet cooling tubes during quenches are discussed; 1) lowering the density of helium in the magnet cooling tubes and 2) proper location of pressure relief valves. Some techniques used to protect the refrigerator from too much cold return gas are also mentioned

On the superconducting phase diagram of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de la Cruz, F.

1990-01-01

The tendency of oxide superconductors to show granularity has been pointed out since the beginning of research on superconductivity in this type of materials. Nevertheless, only very recently the full phase diagram and characteristics of the grains have been determined. In this paper, the authors review and discuss the different critical fields and their relation to the transport of superconducting current. The superconducting response of single crystals of High Tc superconductors is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the behavior of the vortex lattice and, in particular, to the recent discovery of the quenching of H c1 in YBaCuO, several degrees below Tc

Influence of the introduction and formation of artificial pinning centers on the transport properties of nanostructured Nb{sub 3}Sn superconducting wires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da Silva, L B S; Rodrigues, C A; Bormio-Nunes, C; Oliveira, N F Jr; Rodrigues, D Jr, E-mail: lucas_sarno@ppgem.eel.usp.b, E-mail: durval@demar.eel.usp.b [Superconductivity Group, Department of Materials Engineering (DEMAR) Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL), Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP Polo Urbo-Industrial, Gleba AI-6 - PO Box 116 - Lorena, SP (Brazil)

2009-05-01

The formation of nanostructures projected to act as pinning centers is presented as a highly promising technique for the transport properties optimization of superconductors. However, due to the necessity of nanometric dimensions of these pinning centers, the heat treatment (HT) profiles must be carefully analyzed. The present work describes a methodology to optimize the HT profiles in respect to diffusion, reaction and formation of the superconducting phases. After the HT, samples were removed for micro structural characterization. Measurements of transport properties were performed to analyze the influence of the introduction of artificial pinning centers (APC) on the superconducting phase and to find the flux pinning mechanism acting in these wires. Fitting the volumetric pinning force vs. applied magnetic field (F{sub p} vs. mu{sub o}H) curves of transport properties, we could determine the type and influence of flux pinning mechanism acting in the global behavior of the samples. It was concluded that the maximum current densities were obtained when normal phases (due to the introduction of the APCs) are the most efficient pinning centers in the global behavior of the samples. The use of HT with profile 220{sup 0}C/100h+575{sup 0}C/50h+650{sup 0}C/100h was found as the best treatment for these nanostructured superconducting wires.

Second order phase transition in thermodynamic geometry and holographic superconductivity in low-energy stringy black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Rizwan, C. L. Ahmed; Vaid, Deepak

2018-05-01

We study holographic superconductivity in low-energy stringy Garfinkle-Horowitz-Strominger (GHS) dilaton black hole background. We finds that superconducting properties are much similar to s-wave superconductors. We show that the second-order phase transition indicated from thermodynamic geometry is not different from superconducting phase transition.

Two phase cooling for superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Watt, R.D.

1986-01-01

Comments on the use of two phase helium in a closed circuit tubular cooling system and some results obtained with the TPC superconducting magnet are given. Theoretical arguments and experimental evidence are given against a previously suggested method to determine helium two phase flow regimes. Two methods to reduce pressure in the magnet cooling tubes during quenches are discussed; (1) lowering the density of helium in the magnet cooling tubes and (2) proper location of pressure relief valves. Some techniques used to protect the refrigerator from too much cold return gas are also mentioned. 10 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs

Phase formations in the KOH-BaO2-KI(I2)-Bi2O3 system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klinkova, L.A.; Barkovskij, N.V.; Nikolajchik, V.I.

2004-01-01

Phase composition of electrochemical synthesis products in the system KOH-BaO 2 -KI(I 2 )-Bi 2 O 3 and its influence on superconducting properties of bismuth-containing oxides are studied by the methods of X-ray phase and elementary analyses, electron diffraction in transmission electron microscope and by measuring temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility. It was been ascertained that in the presence of iodine introduced as KI or I 2 oxoiodides KBi 6 O 9 I and Bi 5 O 7 I are formed in the system above, giving rise to a change in the composition of synthesis products in KOH-BaO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 matrix system towards formation of superconducting oxides K n Ba m Bi m+n O y rich in bismuth, which are characterized by low values of superconducting transition point [ru

Multiqubit quantum phase gate using four-level superconducting quantum interference devices coupled to superconducting resonator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waseem, Muhammad; Irfan, Muhammad [Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad 45650 (Pakistan); Qamar, Shahid, E-mail: shahid_qamar@pieas.edu.pk [Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad 45650 (Pakistan)

2012-07-15

In this paper, we propose a scheme to realize three-qubit quantum phase gate of one qubit simultaneously controlling two target qubits using four-level superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) coupled to a superconducting resonator. The two lowest levels Divides 0 Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket and Divides 1 Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket of each SQUID are used to represent logical states while the higher energy levels Divides 2 Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket and Divides 3 Right-Pointing-Angle-Bracket are utilized for gate realization. Our scheme does not require adiabatic passage, second order detuning, and the adjustment of the level spacing during gate operation which reduce the gate time significantly. The scheme is generalized for an arbitrary n-qubit quantum phase gate. We also apply the scheme to implement three-qubit quantum Fourier transform.

Superconducting-normal phase boundary of quasicrystalline arrays in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nori, F.; Niu, Q.; Fradkin, E.; Chang, S.

1987-01-01

We study the effect of frustration, induced by a mangnetic field, on the superconducting diamagnetic properties of two-dimensional quasicrystalline arrays. In particular, we calculate the superconducting-normal phase boundary, T/sub c/(H), for several geometries with quasicrystalline order. The agreement between our theoretically obtained phase boundaries and the experimentally obtained ones is very good. We also propose a new way of analytically analyzing the overall and the fine structure of T/sub c/(H) in terms of short- and long-range correlations among tiles

Methods of Phase and Power Control in Magnetron Transmitters for Superconducting Accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kazadevich, G. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Johnson, R. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Neubauer, M. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Lebedev, V. [Fermilab; Schappert, W. [Fermilab; Yakovlev, V. [Fermilab

2017-05-01

Various methods of phase and power control in magnetron RF sources of superconducting accelerators intended for ADS-class projects were recently developed and studied with conventional 2.45 GHz, 1 kW, CW magnetrons operating in pulsed and CW regimes. Magnetron transmitters excited by a resonant (injection-locking) phasemodulated signal can provide phase and power control with the rates required for precise stabilization of phase and amplitude of the accelerating field in Superconducting RF (SRF) cavities of the intensity-frontier accelerators. An innovative technique that can significantly increase the magnetron transmitter efficiency at the widerange power control required for superconducting accelerators was developed and verified with the 2.45 GHz magnetrons operating in CW and pulsed regimes. High efficiency magnetron transmitters of this type can significantly reduce the capital and operation costs of the ADSclass accelerator projects.

Inhomogeneities and superconductivity in poly-phase Fe-Se-Te systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwig, S.; Schäfer, N.; Schulze, M.; Landsgesell, S.; Abou-Ras, D.; Blum, Ch. G. F.; Wurmehl, S.; Sokolowski, A.; Büchner, B.; Prokeš, K.

2018-02-01

The impact of synthesis conditions, post-preparation heating procedure, aging and influence of pressure on the superconducting properties of FeSe0.4Te0.6 crystals is reported. Two FeSe0.4Te0.6 single crystals were used in the study, prepared from stoichiometric melt but cooled down with very different cooling rates, and investigated using magnetic bulk and electrical-resistivity methods. The fast-cooled crystal contains large inclusions of Fe3Se2.1Te1.8 and exhibits bulk superconductivity in its as-prepared state, while the other is homogeneous and shows only traces of superconductivity. AC susceptibility measurements under hydrostatic pressure show that the superconducting transition temperature of the inhomogeneous crystal increases from 12.3 K at ambient pressure to Tsc = 17.9 K at 9 kbar. On the other hand, neither pressure nor mechanically-induced stress is sufficient to induce superconductivity in the homogeneous crystal. However, an additional heat treatment at 673 K followed by fast cooling down and/or long-term aging at ambient conditions leads to the appearance of bulk superconductivity also in the latter sample. This sample remains homogeneous on a scale down to few μm but shows an additional magnetic phase transition around 130 K suggesting that it must be inhomogeneous. For comparison also Fe3Se2.1Te1.8 polycrystals have been prepared and their magnetic properties have been studied. It appears that this phase is not superconducting by itself. It is concluded that nano-scale inhomogeneities that appear in the FeSexTe1-x system due to a spinodal decomposition in the solid state are necessary for bulk superconductivity, possibly due to minor changes in the crystal structure and microstructure. Macroscopic inclusions quenched by fast cooling from high temperatures lead obviously to strain and hence variations in the lattice constants, an effect that is further supported by application of pressure/stress.

The formation of Cooper pairs and the nature of superconducting currents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weisskopf, V.F.

1979-12-01

A simple physical explanation is given for the formation of Cooper pairs in a superconducting metal, for the origin of the attractive force causing the binding of the pairs, for the forming of a degenerate Bose gas by the Cooper pairs, for the finite energy gap that prevents the ensemble of electrons to change its quantum state at low temperatures, and for the existence of permanent currents in a superconducting wire. (orig.)

The formation of Cooper pairs and the nature of superconducting currents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weisskopf, V.F.

1981-01-01

A simple physical explanation is given for the formation of Cooper pairs in a superconducting metal, for the origin of the attractive force causing the binding of the pairs, for the forming of a degenerate Bose gas by the Cooper pairs, for the finite energy gap that prevents the ensemble of electrons from changing its quantum state at low temperatures, and for the existence of permanent currents in a superconducting wire. (author)

On the 22-23 K superconducting phase in the Y-Pd-B-C system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tominez, E.; Alleno, E.; Decamps, B.; Schiffmacher, G.; Godart, C.; Berger, P.; Bohn, M.

1998-01-01

Superconducting and non-superconducting (annealed) samples of YPd 5 B 3 C 0.35 have been investigated using electrical resistance and magnetization measurements, X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA). In the superconducting sample, six phases were observed out of which two were clearly decomposed by annealing. Composition and unit cell of these phases were determined. The concentrations of boron and carbon are uncertain, due to the small atomic weight of these elements. Therefore, we report for the first time, nuclear probe micro analysis (NPMA) measurements. Preliminary results of NPMA are consistent with EPMA. At last, we suggest that the superconducting phase has a composition close to YPd 2 B 2 C and an I-centred tetragonal unit cell with a=3.751(1) and c=10.725(3) A. (orig.)

Superconductivity in the unconventional high pressure phase bismuth-III

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Semeniuk, Konstantin; Brown, Philip; Vasiljkovic, Aleksandar; Grosche, Malte [University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2015-07-01

One of the most surprising developments in high pressure research was the realisation that many elements assume very unexpected high pressure structures, described in terms of extremely large or even infinite unit cells. Elemental bismuth, which has been known to undergo a series of pressure induced structural transitions between 25 kbar and 80 kbar, is an interesting example: the intermediate pressure Bi-III phase has a complex 'host-guest' structure consisting of two incommensurate sublattices. Since the unit cell is infinitely large, the description of electronic and lattice excitations is problematic. Apart from its metallic character and the observation of superconductivity at low temperature, little is known about the electronic structure in this phase. We investigate the electrical resistivity within the metallic Bi-III phase under high hydrostatic pressure and in applied magnetic field using a piston cylinder cell. Superconductivity is observed below 7.1 K, and we extract the temperature dependence of the upper critical field, which exceeds 2 T at low temperature. The normal state resistivity exhibits an approximately linear temperature dependence. This could be attributed to strong scattering from low-lying excitations, as caused by an unusually soft phonon spectrum. The results suggest that strong coupling superconductivity arises within the host-guest structure of Bi-III out of an unusual electronic state.

High-$T_c$ superconductivity by phase cloning

CERN Document Server

Ilieva, N; Ilieva, Nevena; Thirring, Walter

2007-01-01

We consider a BCS-type model in the spin formalism and argue that the structure of the interaction provides a mechanism for control over directions of the spin $\\vect S$ other than $S_z$, which is being controlled via the conventional chemical potential. We also find the conditions for the appearance of a high-$T_c$ superconducting phase.

Pressure controlled transition into a self-induced topological superconducting surface state

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Zhiyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2014-01-01

Ab-initio calculations show a pressure induced trivial-nontrivial-trivial topological phase transition in the normal state of 1T-TiSe2. The pressure range in which the nontrivial phase emerges overlaps with that of the superconducting ground state. Thus, topological superconductivity can be induced in protected surface states by the proximity effect of superconducting bulk states. This kind of self-induced topological surface superconductivity is promising for a realization of Majorana fermions due to the absence of lattice and chemical potential mismatches. For appropriate electron doping, the formation of the topological superconducting surface state in 1T-TiSe 2 becomes accessible to experiments as it can be controlled by pressure.

Pressure controlled transition into a self-induced topological superconducting surface state

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Zhiyong

2014-02-07

Ab-initio calculations show a pressure induced trivial-nontrivial-trivial topological phase transition in the normal state of 1T-TiSe2. The pressure range in which the nontrivial phase emerges overlaps with that of the superconducting ground state. Thus, topological superconductivity can be induced in protected surface states by the proximity effect of superconducting bulk states. This kind of self-induced topological surface superconductivity is promising for a realization of Majorana fermions due to the absence of lattice and chemical potential mismatches. For appropriate electron doping, the formation of the topological superconducting surface state in 1T-TiSe 2 becomes accessible to experiments as it can be controlled by pressure.

Correlation mediated superconductivity in a Spin Peierls Phase of the Hubbard Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, M.W.

1987-08-01

The author explores the consequences of a mapping of the Hubbard Hamiltonian with a view to finding possible superconducting phases. The transformation pairs up all the sites and is therefore a much more natural starting point for describing a 'Spin Peierls' transition, generating enhanced singlet correlations for this pairing, than it is for describing the 'Resonating Valence Bond' state. It is shown that in the less than half filling case, an effective non-linear hopping Hamiltonian is quite useful in describing half of the electrons. This effective Hamiltonian can show a form of superconducting instability when nearest neighbour hopping is introduced to stabilise it. This superconducting phase seems to be a very unlikely possibility for the standard Hubbard model. (author)

Comparison of phase boundaries between kagomé and honeycomb superconducting wire networks

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yi; Huse, David A.; Chaikin, Paul M.; Higgins, Mark J.; Bhattacharya, Shobo; Spencer, David

2002-06-01

We measure resistively the mean-field superconducting-normal phase boundaries of both kagomé and honeycomb wire networks immersed in a transverse magnetic field. In addition to their agreement with theory about the overall shapes of phase diagrams, they show striking one-to-one correspondence between the cusps in the honeycomb phase boundary and those in the kagomé curve. This correspondence is due to their geometric arrangements and agrees with Lin and Nori's recent calculation. We also find that for the frustrated honeycomb network at f=1/2, the current patterns in the superconducting phase differ between the low-temperature London regime and the higher-temperature Ginzburg-Landau regime near Tc.

Phase relations and superconductivity in the binary Re-Si system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorda, J.L.; Ishikawa, M.; Muller, J.

1982-01-01

The phase diagram of the Re-Si system was reinvestigated by means of high temperature methods of analysis. Several modifications were found to the existing diagram. An extended rhenium solid solution (up to 10 at.% Si) was established with a rapid quenching technique. Within this terminal solid solution, the superconducting transition temperature increased from 1.7 to 5.2 K. The phase corresponding to the Re 5 Si 3 compound was homogeneous at 33 at.% Si. The peritectically formed equiatomic compound decomposed eutectoidally at 1650 0 C and was superconducting at 1.5 K. The compound ReSi 2 was found to be off stoichiometric, occurring at the composition ReSisub(1.8). (Auth.)

Superconducting magnets for induction linac phase-rotation in a neutrino factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Yu, S.

2001-01-01

The neutrino factory[1-3] consists of a target section where pions are produced and captured in a solenoidal magnetic field. Pions in a range of energies from 100 Mev to 400 MeV decay into muons in an 18-meter long channel of 1.25 T superconducting solenoids. The warm bore diameter of these solenoids is about 600 mm. The phase rotation section slows down the high-energy muon and speeds up the low energy muons to an average momentum of 200 MeV/c. The phase-rotation channel consists of three induction linac channels with a short cooling section and a magnetic flux reversal section between the first and second induction linacs and a drift space between the second and third induction linacs. The length of the phase rotation channel will be about 320 meters. The superconducting coils in the channel are 0.36 m long with a gap of 0.14 m between the coils. The magnetic induction within the channel will be 1.25. For 260 meters of the 320-meter long channel, the solenoids are inside the induction linac. This paper discusses the design parameters for the superconducting solenoids in the neutrino factory phase-rotation channel

Magneto-transport properties of Co3O4 nanoparticles added (Cu0.5Tl0.5)Ba2Ca2Cu3O10-δ superconducting phase

Science.gov (United States)

Mumtaz, M.; Baig, Mirza Hassan; Waqee-ur-Rehman, M.; Nasir Khan, M.

2018-05-01

Solid-state reaction method was used to synthesize Cu0.5Tl0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3O10-δ (CuTl-1223) superconducting phase and sol-gel method was used to prepare cobalt oxide (Co3O4) magnetic nanoparticles. These Co3O4 nanoparticles were added in CuTl-1223 superconducting matrix to get (Co3O4)x/CuTl-1223; x = 0-2.00 wt.% nanoparticles-superconductor composites. The effects of Co3O4 nanoparticles on crystal structure, phase formation, phase purity and infield superconducting transport properties of CuTl-1223 phase were investigated at different operating temperatures and external applied magnetic fields. The crystal structure and phase formation of Co3O4 nanoparticles and CuTl-1223 superconductor were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. XRD peaks of Co3O4 nanoparticles were well indexed according to FCC crystal structure and the average particle size of 70 nm was calculated by using Debye-Scherer's formula. The unaltered crystal structure of host CuTl-1223 superconducting phase (i.e. Tetragonal) with the addition of Co3O4 nanoparticles indicated the dispersion of nanoparticles at inter-granular sites. Temperature dependent magneto-transport superconducting properties of (Co3O4)x/CuTl-1223 composites were investigated by zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetic moment versus temperature (M-T) measurements. The onset transition temperatures {TcOnset (K)} was decreased along with the suppression of diamagnetic amplitude of CuTl-1223 superconducting phase with the addition of magnetic Co3O4 nanoparticles. Temperature dependent magnetic hysteresis (M-H loops) measurements of (Co3O4)x/CuTl-1223 composites were carried out at different operating temperatures from 5 K to 150 K. Critical current density (Jc) was calculated from M-H loops measurements by using Bean's model. Like the suppression of TcOnset (K) values, Jc was also decreased with the inclusion of Co3O4 nanoparticles. It was also observed that variation of Jc with H followed the power law Jc = �

Superconductivity and the existence of Nambu's three-dimensional phase space mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angulo, R.; Gonzalez-Bernardo, C.A.; Rodriguez-Gomez, J.; Kalnay, A.J.; Perez-M, F.; Tello-Llanos, R.A.

1984-01-01

Nambu proposed a generalization of hamiltonian mechanics such that three-dimensional phase space is allowed. Thanks to a recent paper by Holm and Kupershmidt we are able to show the existence of such three-dimensional phase space systems in superconductivity. (orig.)

Phase diagrams of superconducting materials: Metallurgy, fabrication, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flukiger, R.

1981-01-01

Because a large number of investigations on superconducting material have been made on insufficiently characterized samples, and with temperature phase diagrams which contained serious errors, phase diagrams are studied. It is seen that the variation of critical temperature as a function of chemical composition for a given compound can be used as a supplementary tool in determining composition with greater accuracy. The consequent search for higher critical temperature value in specified materials has led to a new concept in determining high temperature phase diagrams. Most of this paper is devoted to the study of bulk binary, pseudobinary, or ternary superconductors at their equilibrium state. As will be shown in several cases, these data serve as standard values and are of great help in understanding the superconducting behavior in materials produced by non-equilibrium methods, i.e., splat-cooling, thin film preparation by either sputtering, co-evaporation, or CVD, and diffusion processes in multifilamentary composite wires. An example for the departure from thermal equilibrium is the retention of metastable composition by a fast quenching rate

The Kohn-Luttinger mechanism and phase diagram of the superconducting state in the Shubin-Vonsovsky model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagan, M. Yu.; Val’kov, V. V.; Mitskan, V. A.; Korovuskin, M. M.

2013-01-01

Using the Shubin-Vonsovsky model in the weak-coupling regime W > U > V (W is the bandwidth, U is the Hubbard onsite repulsion, and V is the Coulomb interaction at neighboring sites) based on the Kohn-Luttinger mechanism, we determined the regions of the existence of the superconducting phases with the d xy , p, s, and d x 2 -y 2 symmetry types of the order parameter. It is shown that the effective interaction in the Cooper channel considerably depends not only on single-site but also on intersite Coulomb correlations. This is demonstrated by the example of the qualitative change and complication of the phase diagram of the superconducting state. The superconducting (SC) phase induction mechanism is determined taking into account polarization contributions in the second-order perturbation theory in the Coulomb interaction. The results obtained for the angular dependence of the superconducting gap in different channels are compared with angule-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results. The influence of long-range hops in the phase diagram and critical superconducting transition temperature in different channels is analyzed. The conditions for the appearance of the Kohn-Luttinger superconductivity with the d x 2 -y 2 symmetry and high critical temperatures T c ∼ 100 K near the half-filling are determined

Berry phase in superconducting charge qubits interacting with a cavity field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Aty, Mahmoud

2009-01-01

We propose a method for analyzing Berry phase for a multi-qubit system of superconducting charge qubits interacting with a microwave field. By suitably choosing the system parameters and precisely controlling the dynamics, novel connection found between the Berry phase and entanglement creations.

Origin of the Nonsinusoidal current-phase relation of a superconducting bridge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugahara, M.

1977-01-01

The current-phase relation of a long superconducting bridge is investigated with the use of the Aslamazov-Larkin model and the Ginzburg-Landau equation. The feedback effect of the supercurrent to the phase difference in the weak link is taken into consideration. The derived nonsinusoidal current-phase relation explains the experiments of Jackel et al. very well

Parasitic phase formation in the La Ba2 Cu3 O7-x superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baltra, T.; Fuenzalida, V.M.; Grahmann, C.R.

1996-01-01

The parasitic phase formation during the thermal processing of the H Tc La Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-x superconductor, particularly the Ba Cu O 2 , is studied. The formation of the stable parasitic phase depends on the temperature of the initial treatments and on the heating rate during the sintering process. The superconducting highest purity material is obtained with treatment at 900 deg C and lowest heating rate. The temperature during the final annealing in oxygen of the sample did also affect the transport properties. Samples with the lowest resistivity in the normal state were produced by annealing in oxygen at 300 deg C. The largest orthorhombic distortion was obtained at 325 deg C. (author)

Imaging phase slip dynamics in micron-size superconducting rings

Science.gov (United States)

Polshyn, Hryhoriy; Naibert, Tyler R.; Budakian, Raffi

2018-05-01

We present a scanning probe technique for measuring the dynamics of individual fluxoid transitions in multiply connected superconducting structures. In these measurements, a small magnetic particle attached to the tip of a silicon cantilever is scanned over a micron-size superconducting ring fabricated from a thin aluminum film. We find that near the superconducting transition temperature of the aluminum, the dissipation and frequency of the cantilever changes significantly at particular locations where the tip-induced magnetic flux penetrating the ring causes the two lowest-energy fluxoid states to become nearly degenerate. In this regime, we show that changes in the cantilever frequency and dissipation are well-described by a stochastic resonance (SR) process, wherein small oscillations of the cantilever in the presence of thermally activated phase slips (TAPS) in the ring give rise to a dynamical force that modifies the mechanical properties of the cantilever. Using the SR model, we calculate the average fluctuation rate of the TAPS as a function of temperature over a 32-dB range in frequency, and we compare it to the Langer-Ambegaokar-McCumber-Halperin theory for TAPS in one-dimensional superconducting structures.

Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped CaFe2As2 close to a first-order phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Fente, Antón; Correa-Orellana, Alexandre; Böhmer, Anna E.; Kreyssig, Andreas; Ran, S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Mompean, Federico J.; García-Hernández, Mar; Munuera, Carmen; Guillamón, Isabel; Suderow, Hermann

2018-01-01

We show that biaxial strain induces alternating tetragonal superconducting and orthorhombic nematic domains in Co-substituted CaFe2As2 . We use atomic force, magnetic force, and scanning tunneling microscopy to identify the domains and characterize their properties, finding in particular that tetragonal superconducting domains are very elongated, more than several tens of micrometers long and about 30 nm wide; have the same Tc as unstrained samples; and hold vortices in a magnetic field. Thus, biaxial strain produces a phase-separated state, where each phase is equivalent to what is found on either side of the first-order phase transition between antiferromagnetic orthorhombic and superconducting tetragonal phases found in unstrained samples when changing Co concentration. Having such alternating superconducting domains separated by normal conducting domains with sizes of the order of the coherence length opens opportunities to build Josephson junction networks or vortex pinning arrays and suggests that first-order quantum phase transitions lead to nanometric-size phase separation under the influence of strain.

Cryogenic particle detectors with superconducting phase transition thermometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferger, P.; Colling, P.; Bucci, C.; Nucciotti, A.; Buehler, M.; Cooper, S.; Feilitzsch, F. v.; Forster, G.; Gabutti, A.; Hoehne, J.; Igalson, J.; Kellner, E.; Loidl, M.; Meier, O.; Nagel, U.; Proebst, F.; Rulofs, A.; Schanda, U.; Seidel, W.; Sisti, M.; Stodolsky, L.; Stolovich, A.; Zerle, L.

1996-01-01

A tungsten superconducting phase transition thermometer on a 32 g sapphire crystal has given an energy resolution of 100 eV (FWHM) for 1.5 keV X-rays, increasing to 440 eV at 14 keV. A possibility to obtain similar resolution in much larger crystals by using Al films as phonon collectors is presented. (orig.)

On the possibility of superconducting phase coherence through time barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barone, A.; Kulik, I.O.

1993-01-01

The possibility of the occurrence of weak coupling between the superconducting order parameters in a single superconductor before and after an ultrashot quenching of superconductivity, is analyzed. The time barrier corresponding to such a quenching of the order parameter has to be shorter than, or comparable with, the characteristic 'coherence time' τ ∼ = Δ. Such an effect is somewhat analogous to a Josephson effect in which phase difference is now considered in the time domain rather than in space. A qualitative derivation of the constitutive relation for such a weak time correlation is obtained which gives, by the duality condition, a dependence of the supercharge on the time phase difference. The role of high-T c superconductors in the detection of this coherent transient response appears to be quite relevant. 21 refs., 4 figs

The Kohn-Luttinger mechanism and phase diagram of the superconducting state in the Shubin-Vonsovsky model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kagan, M. Yu., E-mail: kagan@kapitza.ras.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems (Russian Federation); Val' kov, V. V.; Mitskan, V. A.; Korovuskin, M. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Kirenskii Physics Institute, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation)

2013-10-15

Using the Shubin-Vonsovsky model in the weak-coupling regime W > U > V (W is the bandwidth, U is the Hubbard onsite repulsion, and V is the Coulomb interaction at neighboring sites) based on the Kohn-Luttinger mechanism, we determined the regions of the existence of the superconducting phases with the d{sub xy}, p, s, and d{sub x{sup 2}-y{sup 2}} symmetry types of the order parameter. It is shown that the effective interaction in the Cooper channel considerably depends not only on single-site but also on intersite Coulomb correlations. This is demonstrated by the example of the qualitative change and complication of the phase diagram of the superconducting state. The superconducting (SC) phase induction mechanism is determined taking into account polarization contributions in the second-order perturbation theory in the Coulomb interaction. The results obtained for the angular dependence of the superconducting gap in different channels are compared with angule-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results. The influence of long-range hops in the phase diagram and critical superconducting transition temperature in different channels is analyzed. The conditions for the appearance of the Kohn-Luttinger superconductivity with the d{sub x{sup 2}-y{sup 2}} symmetry and high critical temperatures T{sub c} {approx} 100 K near the half-filling are determined.

Perturbation theory of a superconducting 0 - π impurity quantum phase transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Žonda, M; Pokorný, V; Janiš, V; Novotný, T

2015-03-06

A single-level quantum dot with Coulomb repulsion attached to two superconducting leads is studied via the perturbation expansion in the interaction strength. We use the Nambu formalism and the standard many-body diagrammatic representation of the impurity Green functions to formulate the Matsubara self-consistent perturbation expansion. We show that at zero temperature second order of the expansion in its spin-symmetric version yields a nearly perfect agreement with the numerically exact calculations for the position of the 0 - π phase boundary at which the Andreev bound states reach the Fermi energy as well as for the values of single-particle quantities in the 0-phase. We present results for phase diagrams, level occupation, induced local superconducting gap, Josephson current, and energy of the Andreev bound states with the precision surpassing any (semi)analytical approaches employed thus far.

Quantum phase slips and voltage fluctuations in superconducting nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Semenov, Andrew G. [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Zaikin, Andrei D. [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany)

2017-06-15

We argue that quantum phase slips (QPS) may generate non-equilibrium voltage fluctuations in superconducting nanowires. In the low frequency limit we evaluate all cumulants of the voltage operator which obey Poisson statistics and show a power law dependence on the external bias. We specifically address quantum shot noise which power spectrum S{sub Ω} may depend non-monotonously on temperature. In the long wire limit S{sub Ω} decreases with increasing frequency Ω and vanishes beyond a threshold value of Ω at T → 0. Our predictions can be directly tested in future experiments with superconducting nanowires. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Misfit dislocations and phase transformations in high-T sub c superconducting films

CERN Document Server

Gutkin, M Y

2002-01-01

A theoretical model is suggested that describes the effects of misfit stresses on defect structures, phase content and critical transition temperature T sub c in high-T sub c superconducting films. The focus is placed on the exemplary case of YBaCuO films deposited onto LaSrAlO sub 4 substrates. It is theoretically revealed here that misfit stresses are capable of inducing phase transformations controlled by the generation of misfit dislocations in growing cuprate films. These transformations, in the framework of the suggested model, account for experimental data on the influence of the film thickness on phase content and critical temperature T sub c of superconducting cuprate films, reported in the literature. The potential role of stress-assisted phase transformations in suppression of critical current density across grain boundaries in high-T sub c superconductors is briefly discussed.

Color superconductivity. Phase diagrams and Goldstone bosons in the color-flavor locked phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleinhaus, Verena

2009-04-29

The phase diagram of strongly interacting matter is studied with great experimental and theoretical effort and is one of the most fascinating research areas in modern particle physics. It is believed that color superconducting phases, in which quarks form Cooper pairs, appear at very high densities and low temperatures. Such phases could appear in the cores of neutron stars. In this work color superconducting phases are studied within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. First of all, the phase diagram of neutral matter in beta equilibrium is calculated for two different diquark couplings. To this end, we determine the dynamical quark masses self-consistently together with the order parameters of color superconductivity. The interplay between neutrality and quark masses results in an interesting phase structure, in particular for the smaller diquark coupling. In the following, we additionally include a conserved lepton number to map the situation in the first few seconds of the evolution of a protoneutron star when neutrinos are trapped. This has a huge influence on the phase structure and favors the 2SC phase compared to the CFL phase. In the second part of this work we concentrate on the CFL phase which is characterized by a special symmetry breaking pattern. The properties of the resulting nine pseudoscalar Goldstone bosons (GB) are studied by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation for quark-quark scattering. The GB are the lowest-lying excitations in the CFL phase and therefore play an important role for the thermodynamics of the system. The properties of the GB can also be described by the low-energy effective theory (LEET) for the CFL phase. There the respective low-energy constants are derived for asymptotically high densities where the strong force is weak and can be treated perturbatively. Our aim is the comparison of our results with these predictions, on the one hand to check our model in the weak-coupling limit and on the other hand to derive information about

Color superconductivity: Phase diagrams and Goldstone bosons in the color-flavor locked phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleinhaus, Verena

2009-01-01

The phase diagram of strongly interacting matter is studied with great experimental and theoretical effort and is one of the most fascinating research areas in modern particle physics. It is believed that color superconducting phases, in which quarks form Cooper pairs, appear at very high densities and low temperatures. Such phases could appear in the cores of neutron stars. In this work color superconducting phases are studied within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. First of all, the phase diagram of neutral matter in beta equilibrium is calculated for two different diquark couplings. To this end, we determine the dynamical quark masses self-consistently together with the order parameters of color superconductivity. The interplay between neutrality and quark masses results in an interesting phase structure, in particular for the smaller diquark coupling. In the following, we additionally include a conserved lepton number to map the situation in the first few seconds of the evolution of a protoneutron star when neutrinos are trapped. This has a huge influence on the phase structure and favors the 2SC phase compared to the CFL phase. In the second part of this work we concentrate on the CFL phase which is characterized by a special symmetry breaking pattern. The properties of the resulting nine pseudoscalar Goldstone bosons (GB) are studied by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation for quark-quark scattering. The GB are the lowest-lying excitations in the CFL phase and therefore play an important role for the thermodynamics of the system. The properties of the GB can also be described by the low-energy effective theory (LEET) for the CFL phase. There the respective low-energy constants are derived for asymptotically high densities where the strong force is weak and can be treated perturbatively. Our aim is the comparison of our results with these predictions, on the one hand to check our model in the weak-coupling limit and on the other hand to derive information about

Synthesis and superconductivity of molybdenum cluster compounds (Chevrel phase)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culetto, F.J.

1979-05-01

The discovery of superconductivity in ternary molybdenum sulfides (Chevrel phases) in 1972 has stimulated research on these compounds. Some of the phases show extremely high critical fields Hc 2 and might therefore find technical application as high field superconductors. In order to understand the electron-phonon-interaction in these substances, measurements of the superconducting isotope effect in 92-100 Mo 6 Se 8 , Mo 6 76-82 Se 8 , and 116-124 SnMo 6 S 8 have been performed. The corresponding isotope effect exponents β (βmo=0.27 +- 0.04, βSe=0.27 +- 0.05 and βSn 6 Se 8 . In case of the ternary Chevrel phase SnMo 6 S 8 , phonon modes connected with displacements of the Sn-ions have only minor influence on the transition temperature. This result can be explained by the weak overlap of the molybdenum dsub(x)2sub(-y)2 - orbitals with Sn-sites. Furthermore, we report experiments on the synthesis of new Chevrel phase materials. In order to optimize the valence electron concentration in some ternary molybdenum selenide compounds, chalcogen exchange reactions have been performed. A new Chevrel phase superconductor, Cusub(x)Mo 6 S 6 J 2 with x=0 - 1.2, has been synthesized by copper diffusion into the non occupied channels running between the Mo 6 S 6 J 2 -'molecules' of Mo 6 S 6 J 2 . (orig.)

First-principles calculations of niobium hydride formation in superconducting radio-frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Denise C.; Cooley, Lance D.; Seidman, David N.

2013-09-01

Niobium hydride is suspected to be a major contributor to degradation of the quality factor of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. In this study, we connect the fundamental properties of hydrogen in niobium to SRF cavity performance and processing. We modeled several of the niobium hydride phases relevant to SRF cavities and present their thermodynamic, electronic, and geometric properties determined from calculations based on density functional theory. We find that the absorption of hydrogen from the gas phase into niobium is exothermic and hydrogen becomes somewhat anionic. The absorption of hydrogen by niobium lattice vacancies is strongly preferred over absorption into interstitial sites. A single vacancy can accommodate six hydrogen atoms in the symmetrically equivalent lowest energy sites and additional hydrogen in the nearby interstitial sites affected by the strain field: this indicates that a vacancy can serve as a nucleation center for hydride phase formation. Small hydride precipitates may then occur near lattice vacancies upon cooling. Vacancy clusters and extended defects should also be enriched in hydrogen, potentially resulting in extended hydride phase regions upon cooling. We also assess the phase changes in the niobium-hydrogen system based on charge transfer between niobium and hydrogen, the strain field associated with interstitial hydrogen, and the geometry of the hydride phases. The results of this study stress the importance of not only the hydrogen content in niobium, but also the recovery state of niobium for the performance of SRF cavities.

First-principles calculations of niobium hydride formation in superconducting radio-frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, Denise C; Cooley, Lance D; Seidman, David N

2013-01-01

Niobium hydride is suspected to be a major contributor to degradation of the quality factor of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. In this study, we connect the fundamental properties of hydrogen in niobium to SRF cavity performance and processing. We modeled several of the niobium hydride phases relevant to SRF cavities and present their thermodynamic, electronic, and geometric properties determined from calculations based on density functional theory. We find that the absorption of hydrogen from the gas phase into niobium is exothermic and hydrogen becomes somewhat anionic. The absorption of hydrogen by niobium lattice vacancies is strongly preferred over absorption into interstitial sites. A single vacancy can accommodate six hydrogen atoms in the symmetrically equivalent lowest energy sites and additional hydrogen in the nearby interstitial sites affected by the strain field: this indicates that a vacancy can serve as a nucleation center for hydride phase formation. Small hydride precipitates may then occur near lattice vacancies upon cooling. Vacancy clusters and extended defects should also be enriched in hydrogen, potentially resulting in extended hydride phase regions upon cooling. We also assess the phase changes in the niobium–hydrogen system based on charge transfer between niobium and hydrogen, the strain field associated with interstitial hydrogen, and the geometry of the hydride phases. The results of this study stress the importance of not only the hydrogen content in niobium, but also the recovery state of niobium for the performance of SRF cavities. (paper)

Investigation of alternating-phase focusing for superconducting linacs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagalovsky, L.; Delayen, J.R.

1992-01-01

The paper describes a new model of alternating-phase focusing (APF) dynamics applicable to ion linacs with short independently controlled superconducting cavities. The equations of motion are derived for a cylindrically symmetric electric field represented by a traveling wave with continuous periodic phase modulation. Solutions are obtained and analyzed for both the linear and nonlinear particle motion. Problems of linear stability and overall longitudinal acceptance are solved using standard mathematical techniques for periodic systems; analytical results are obtained. It is shown that the main beam dynamical aspects of APF are adequately described by four parameters; equilibrium synchronous phase, phase modulation amplitude, length of APF period, and incremental energy gain. The model can be applied to study the feasibility of realizing APF in a low-β section of a proton linac. (author). 9 refs., 3 figs

Two phase cooling for superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Watt, R.D.

1985-08-01

A closed circuit tubular cooling system for superconducting magnets offers advantages of limiting boiloff and containing high pressures during quenches. Proper location of automatic valves to lower pressures and protect the refrigerator in the event of quenches is described. Theoretical arguments and exprimental evidence are given against a previously suggested method to determine He two phase flow regimes. If loss of flow occurs due to some types of refrigeration failure and transfer lines have enough heat leak to warm up, quenches are induced when the flow is restored. Examples are taken from experience with the TPC magnet

Topological defect densities in type-I superconducting phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paramos, J.; Bertolami, O.; Girard, T.A.; Valko, P.

2003-01-01

We examine the consequences of a cubic term added to the mean-field potential of Ginzburg-Landau theory to describe first-order superconducting phase transitions. Constraints on its existence are obtained from experiment, which are used to assess its impact on topological defect creation. We find no fundamental changes in either the Kibble-Zurek or Hindmarsh-Rajantie predictions

First-Order 0-π Quantum Phase Transition in the Kondo Regime of a Superconducting Carbon-Nanotube Quantum Dot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romain Maurand

2012-02-01

Full Text Available We study a carbon-nanotube quantum dot embedded in a superconducting-quantum-interference-device loop in order to investigate the competition of strong electron correlations with a proximity effect. Depending on whether local pairing or local magnetism prevails, a superconducting quantum dot will exhibit a positive or a negative supercurrent, referred to as a 0 or π Josephson junction, respectively. In the regime of a strong Coulomb blockade, the 0-to-π transition is typically controlled by a change in the discrete charge state of the dot, from even to odd. In contrast, at a larger tunneling amplitude, the Kondo effect develops for an odd-charge (magnetic dot in the normal state, and quenches magnetism. In this situation, we find that a first-order 0-to-π quantum phase transition can be triggered at a fixed valence when superconductivity is brought in, due to the competition of the superconducting gap and the Kondo temperature. The superconducting-quantum-interference-device geometry together with the tunability of our device allows the exploration of the associated phase diagram predicted by recent theories. We also report on the observation of anharmonic behavior of the current-phase relation in the transition regime, which we associate with the two accessible superconducting states. Our results finally demonstrate that the spin-singlet nature of the Kondo state helps to enhance the stability of the 0 phase far from the mixed-valence regime in odd-charge superconducting quantum dots.

Antiferromagnetism and its relation to the superconducting phases of UPt3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Isaacs, E.D.; Zschack, P.; Broholm, C.L.

1995-01-01

Using magnetic x-ray and neutron diffraction in UPt3, we find that a suppression of the antiferromagnetic scattering intensity in the superconducting phase is due to a reduction in the magnitude of the staggered moment with no change in symmetry. The existence of the suppression as well...... as the magnetic correlation lengths are not affected by the presence or absence of a visible splitting in the superconducting transition. The simplest models wherein antiferromagnetic order provides the symmetry-breaking field for the splitting do not provide a compete explanation of our results....

Phase analysis of superconducting Nb-Sn materials by Moessbauer spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, J.; Tomasich, M.; Cirak, J.; Prejsa, M.; Kruzliak, J.

1978-01-01

Moessbauer spectroscopy is used for the optimalization of superconducting Nb-Sn samples preparation in the form of foils. Pure phases of Nb 3 Sn, Nb 6 Sn 5 , and NbSn 2 are determined. Two series of samples are studied at 750 and 900 0 C tinning temperature respectively, and at 750, 860, 900, and 960 0 C heating temperatures. In the samples the phases Nb 3 Sn, Nb 6 Sn 5 , NbSn 2 , and the solid solution Nb-Sn phase are observed. The results from the phase analysis lead to the assumption that the percentage amount of the phases is preferentially dependent on the tinning temperature. (author)

Synthesis and study of electrical properties of nonsuperconducting and low-Tc phases of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O (TBCCO) superconducting materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, F.; Samadder, A.M; Sultana, H.R.; Abul Hossain, M.; Khan, A.H.

2005-09-01

Samples of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system having nominal compositions of Tl 2 Ba 2 Ca 2n Cu 3+n O y (n=1, 2) have been synthesized. Sintering under different conditions were carried out to study their effect on the formation of superconductivity. In the present study it is found that all the samples prepared at temperature >850 deg. C show the dominance of nonsuperconducting phases. One sample prepared at well below the conventional sintering temperatures (655 deg. C) shows the formation of the low-T c phase of TBCCO system with T c =80K. In two samples simultaneous presence of two values of a∼b∼ namely 5.45A and 3.84A has been identified. (author)

Multiple quantum phase transitions and superconductivity in Ce-based heavy fermions.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Z F; Smidman, M; Jiao, L; Lu, Xin; Yuan, H Q

2016-09-01

Heavy fermions have served as prototype examples of strongly-correlated electron systems. The occurrence of unconventional superconductivity in close proximity to the electronic instabilities associated with various degrees of freedom points to an intricate relationship between superconductivity and other electronic states, which is unique but also shares some common features with high temperature superconductivity. The magnetic order in heavy fermion compounds can be continuously suppressed by tuning external parameters to a quantum critical point, and the role of quantum criticality in determining the properties of heavy fermion systems is an important unresolved issue. Here we review the recent progress of studies on Ce based heavy fermion superconductors, with an emphasis on the superconductivity emerging on the edge of magnetic and charge instabilities as well as the quantum phase transitions which occur by tuning different parameters, such as pressure, magnetic field and doping. We discuss systems where multiple quantum critical points occur and whether they can be classified in a unified manner, in particular in terms of the evolution of the Fermi surface topology.

Phase transition from nuclear matter to color superconducting quark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bentz, W. E-mail: bentz@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp; Horikawa, T.; Ishii, N.; Thomas, A.W

2003-06-02

We construct the nuclear and quark matter equations of state at zero temperature in an effective quark theory (the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model), and discuss the phase transition between them. The nuclear matter equation of state is based on the quark-diquark description of the single nucleon, while the quark matter equation of state includes the effects of scalar diquark condensation (color superconductivity). The effect of diquark condensation on the phase transition is discussed in detail.

Emergence of Quantum Phase-Slip Behaviour in Superconducting NbN Nanowires: DC Electrical Transport and Fabrication Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas G. N. Constantino

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Superconducting nanowires undergoing quantum phase-slips have potential for impact in electronic devices, with a high-accuracy quantum current standard among a possible toolbox of novel components. A key element of developing such technologies is to understand the requirements for, and control the production of, superconducting nanowires that undergo coherent quantum phase-slips. We present three fabrication technologies, based on using electron-beam lithography or neon focussed ion-beam lithography, for defining narrow superconducting nanowires, and have used these to create nanowires in niobium nitride with widths in the range of 20–250 nm. We present characterisation of the nanowires using DC electrical transport at temperatures down to 300 mK. We demonstrate that a range of different behaviours may be obtained in different nanowires, including bulk-like superconducting properties with critical-current features, the observation of phase-slip centres and the observation of zero conductance below a critical voltage, characteristic of coherent quantum phase-slips. We observe critical voltages up to 5 mV, an order of magnitude larger than other reports to date. The different prominence of quantum phase-slip effects in the various nanowires may be understood as arising from the differing importance of quantum fluctuations. Control of the nanowire properties will pave the way for routine fabrication of coherent quantum phase-slip nanowire devices for technology applications.

Mechanism of the formation of silver-sheathed HTSC ceramics and its fine structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blinova, Yu.V.; Sudareva, S.V.; Krinitsina, T.P.; Romanov, E.P.; Akimov, I.I.

2005-01-01

Electron microscopical data are reported which point to the fact that two mechanisms of formation of main superconducting phase 2223 in Bi,Pb-2223/Ag exist: liquid phase mechanism and solid-phase one. Along crystallite boundaries the spherical outlined by Ag interlayers are observed. These are former eutectic liquid droplets of ∼ 2223 composition from which Ag is liberated on solidification. In the initial stage of phase formation inside of a 2212 phase the platelets of phase 2223 are found out with the same orientation as the matrix (a solid-phase mechanism). Certain relationships of structure to superconducting properties are shown [ru

Magnetic imaging of antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases in R bxF e2 -yS e2 crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Hazi, J.; Mousavi, T.; Dudin, P.; van der Laan, G.; Maccherozzi, F.; Krzton-Maziopa, A.; Pomjakushina, E.; Conder, K.; Speller, S. C.

2018-02-01

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) cuprate materials, with the ability to carry large electrical currents with no resistance at easily reachable temperatures, have stimulated enormous scientific and industrial interest since their discovery in the 1980's. However, technological applications of these promising compounds have been limited by their chemical and microstructural complexity and the challenging processing strategies required for the exploitation of their extraordinary properties. The lack of theoretical understanding of the mechanism for superconductivity in these HTS materials has also hindered the search for new superconducting systems with enhanced performance. The unexpected discovery in 2008 of HTS iron-based compounds has provided an entirely new family of materials for studying the crucial interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in unconventional superconductors. Alkali-metal-doped iron selenide (AxF e2 -yS e2 , A =alkali metal ) compounds are of particular interest owing to the coexistence of superconductivity at relatively high temperatures with antiferromagnetism. Intrinsic phase separation on the mesoscopic scale is also known to occur in what were intended to be single crystals of these compounds, making it difficult to interpret bulk property measurements. Here, we use a combination of two advanced microscopy techniques to provide direct evidence of the magnetic properties of the individual phases. First, x-ray linear dichroism studies in a photoelectron emission microscope, and supporting multiplet calculations, indicate that the matrix (majority) phase is antiferromagnetic whereas the minority phase is nonmagnetic at room temperature. Second, cryogenic magnetic force microscopy demonstrates unambiguously that superconductivity occurs only in the minority phase. The correlation of these findings with previous microstructural studies and bulk measurements paves the way for understanding the intriguing electronic and magnetic

Cu-Ti Formation in Nb-Ti/Cu Superconducting Strand Monitored by in situ Techniques

CERN Document Server

Pong, I; Pong, Ian; Gerardin, Alexandre; Scheuerlein, Christian; Bottura, Luca

2010-01-01

In order to investigate the high temperature exposure effect on Nb-Ti/Cu superconducting strands, as might be encountered in joining by soldering and in cabling annealing, X-ray diffraction and resistometry measurements were performed in situ during heat treatment, and complemented by conventional metallography, mechanical tests and superconducting properties measurements. Changes of the Nb-Ti nanostructure at temperatures above 300 degrees C are manifested in the degradation of critical current in an applied external magnetic field, although degradation at self field was insignificant up to 400 degrees C for several minutes. Above 500 degrees C, the formation of various Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds, due to Ti diffusion from Nb-Ti into Cu, is detected by in situ XRD albeit not resolvable by SEM-EDS. There is a ductile to brittle transition near 600 degrees C, and liquid formation is observed below 900 degrees C. The formation of Cu-Ti causes a delayed reduction of the residual resistivity ratio (RRR) and adv...

Effects of a multi-quark interaction on color superconducting phase transition in an extended NJL model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashiwa, Kouji; Matsuzaki, Masayuki; Kouno, Hiroaki; Yahiro, Masanobu

2007-01-01

We study the interplay of the chiral and the color superconducting phase transition in an extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with a multi-quark interaction that produces the nonlinear chiral-diquark coupling. We observe that this nonlinear coupling adds up coherently with the ω 2 interaction to either produce the chiral-color superconductivity coexistence phase or cancel each other depending on its sign. We discuss that a large coexistence region in the phase diagram is consistent with the quark-diquark picture for the nucleon whereas its smallness is the prerequisite for the applicability of the Ginzburg-Landau approach

Phase fluctuations in two coaxial quasi-one-dimensional superconducting cylindrical surfaces serving as a model system for superconducting nanowire bundles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, C.H., E-mail: ch.kh.vong@urfu.ru [Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Russian Federation); Wu, R.P.H., E-mail: pak-hong-raymond.wu@connect.polyu.hk [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong); Lortz, R., E-mail: lortz@ust.hk [Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong)

2017-03-15

The dimensional crossover from a 1D fluctuating state at high temperatures to a 3D phase coherent state in the low temperature regime in two coaxial weakly-coupled cylindrical surfaces formed by two-dimensional arrays of parallel nanowires is studied via an 8-state 3D-XY model. This system serves as a model for quasi-one-dimensional superconductors in the form of bundles of weakly-coupled superconducting nanowires. A periodic variation of the dimensional crossover temperature T{sub DC} is observed when the inner superconducting cylindrical surface is rotated in the angular plane. T{sub DC} reaches a maximum when the relative angle between the cylinders is 2.81°, which corresponds to the maximum separation of nanowires between the two cylindrical surfaces. We demonstrate that the relative strength of phase fluctuations in this system is controllable by the rotational angle between the two surfaces with a strong suppression of the fluctuation strength at 2.81°. The phase fluctuations are suppressed gradually upon cooling, before they abruptly vanish below T{sub DC}. Our model thus allows us to study how phase fluctuations can be suppressed in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors in order to achieve a global phase coherent state throughout the nanowire array with zero electric resistance.

Prediction of superconducting ternary hydride MgGeH6: from divergent high-pressure formation routes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yanbin; Duan, Defang; Shao, Ziji; Li, Da; Wang, Liyuan; Yu, Hongyu; Tian, Fubo; Xie, Hui; Liu, Bingbing; Cui, Tian

2017-10-18

Invigorated by the high temperature superconductivity in some binary hydrogen-dominated compounds, we systematically explored high-pressure phase diagrams and superconductivity of a ternary Mg-Ge-H system using ab initio methods. Stoichiometric MgGeH 6 with high hydrogen content exhibiting Pm3[combining macron] symmetry was predicted from a series of high-pressure synthesis paths. We performed an in-depth study on three distinct formation routes to MgGeH 6 , i.e., Mg + Ge + 3H 2 → MgGeH 6 , MgGe + 3H 2 → MgGeH 6 and MgH 2 + GeH 4 → MgGeH 6 at high pressures. By directly squeezing three elemental solids Mg + Ge + 3H 2 , we obtained ternary MgGeH 6 at 200 GPa. By adding a little bit of the MgGe alloy into hydrogen, we found that MgGeH 6 can form and stabilize at about 200 GPa. More intriguingly, upon compressing MgH 2 and GeH 4 to 250 GPa, we also predicted the same MgGeH 6 . Electron structure calculations reveal that the cubic MgGeH 6 is a good metal and takes on ionic character. Electron-phonon coupling calculation reveals a large λ = 1.16 for MgGeH 6 at 200 GPa. In particular, we found that ternary MgGeH 6 could be a potential high temperature superconductor with a superconducting transition temperature T c of ∼67 K at 200 GPa.

The reaction process of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system and the forming mechanism of the 2212 superconducting phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Guohong; Wang Minquan; Fan Xianping; Tang Xiaoming

1993-01-01

The reaction process and the reaction behavior of each component in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system are presented in this paper. It reveals that the reaction is carried out in three different stages: forming of an insulating interphase at 680 C-790 C, forming of the 2212 superconducting phase at 790 C-860 C and forming of semiconducting phases in the presence of the liquid phase at 860 C-970 C. It is also confirmed that the 2212 superconducting phase (T c =85 K) is formed by the reaction of a trinary interphase together with CuO, SrO and CaO. A new two-step method is presented to prepare the 2212 superconducting phase by a presynthesized interphase. (orig.)

The reaction process of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system and the forming mechanism of the 2212 superconducting phase

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Guohong; Wang, Minquan; Fan, Xianping; Tang, Xiaoming

1993-02-01

The reaction process and the reaction behavior of each component in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system are presented in this paper. It reveals that the reaction is carried out in three different stages: forming of an insulating interphase at 680°C 790°C, forming of the 2212 superconducting phase at 790°C 860°C and forming often semiconducting phases in the presence of the liquid phase at 860°C 970°C. It is also confirmed that the 2212 superconducting phase ( T c=85 K) is formed by the reaction of a trinary interphase together with CuO, SrO and CaO. A new two-step method is presented to prepare the 2212 superconducting phase by a presynthesized interphase.

The reaction process of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system and the forming mechanism of the 2212 superconducting phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong Guohong (Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering); Wang Minquan (Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering); Fan Xianping (Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering); Tang Xiaoming (Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China). Center for Analysis and Measurement)

1993-02-01

The reaction process and the reaction behavior of each component in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system are presented in this paper. It reveals that the reaction is carried out in three different stages: forming of an insulating interphase at 680 C-790 C, forming of the 2212 superconducting phase at 790 C-860 C and forming of semiconducting phases in the presence of the liquid phase at 860 C-970 C. It is also confirmed that the 2212 superconducting phase (T[sub c]=85 K) is formed by the reaction of a trinary interphase together with CuO, SrO and CaO. A new two-step method is presented to prepare the 2212 superconducting phase by a presynthesized interphase. (orig.)

Towards a phase-locked superconducting integrated receiver: prospects and limitations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koshelets, V.P.; Shitov, S.V.; Dmitriev, P.N.

2002-01-01

Presently a Josephson flux flow oscillator (FFO) appears to be the most developed superconducting on-chip local oscillator for integrated submillimeter-wave SIS receivers. The feasibility of phase locking the FFO to an external reference oscillator at all frequencies of interest has to be proven...... compared to theory in order to optimize the FFO design. The influence of FFO parameters on radiation linewidth, particularly the effect of the differential resistances associated both with the bias current and the applied magnetic field, has been studied. Two integrated receiver concepts with phase...

Fulde-Ferrell state in superconducting core/shell nanowires: role of the orbital effect

Science.gov (United States)

Mika, Marek; Wójcik, Paweł

2017-11-01

The orbital effect on the Fulde-Ferrell (FF) phase is investigated in superconducting core/shell nanowires subjected to the axial magnetic field. Confinement in the radial direction results in quantization of the electron motion with energies determined by the radial j and orbital m quantum numbers. In the external magnetic field, the twofold degeneracy with respect to the orbital magnetic quantum number m is lifted which leads to the Fermi wave vector mismatch between the paired electrons, (k, j, m, \\uparrow) ≤ftrightarrow (-k, j, -m, \\downarrow) . This mismatch is transferred to the nonzero total momentum of the Cooper pairs, which results in a formation of the FF phase occurring sequentially with increasing magnetic field. By changing the nanowire radius R and the superconducting shell thickness d, we discuss the role of the orbital effect in the FF phase formation in both the nanowire-like (R/d \\ll 1 ) and nanofilm-like (R/d \\gg 1 ) regime. We have found that the irregular pattern of the FF phase which appears for the case of the nanowire-like regime, for the nanofilm-like geometry evolves towards the regular distribution in which the FF phase stability regions emerge periodically between the BCS states. The transition between these two different phase diagrams is explained as resulting from the orbital effect and the multigap character of superconductivity in the core/shell nanowires.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-04-01

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

Superconducting Cd and Ca doped 123 phase in Cdo.8Ba2(Y0.7Ca0.4) Cu3.5Oy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balchev, N.; Kovachev, V; THOMAS, J.; BIEGER, W.; Konstantinov, K.; Kunev, B.

1999-01-01

A new Cd-containing superconductor with nominal composition of Cd 0.8 Ba 2 (Y 0.7 Ca 0.4 ) Cu 3.5 O y and T c = 80 K was synthesized and investigated. The obtained XRD pattern shows that the dominating phase is an orthorhombic 123. It was shown that the presence of Cd and Ca facilitates the 123 phase formation. The results of the EDX analysis on SEM and TEM have shown that the distribution of the Cd and Ca in the samples is inhomogeneous. The two elements enter the 123 phase in most of the investigated crystals and form a new Cd-Ba-Y-Ca-Cu-O superconducting compound

Superconducting transition temperature and the formation of closed electron shells in the atoms of superconducting compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapnik, I.M.

1985-01-01

The relationship between the regularities in the tansition temperature (T/sub c/) values in analogous compounds (having the same structure and stoichiometry) and the formation of the closed electron shells outside inert gas shells in the atoms of the variable component of the 158 intermetallic superconducting compounds has been discussed. The T/sub c/ data for compounds of the elements from the first long period of the Periodic Table (K to Se) are compared with the T/sub c/ data for the analogous compounds of the elements from the second long period (Rb to Te)

Superconductivity in doped insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1995-01-01

It is shown that many synthetic metals, including high temperature superconductors are ''bad metals'', with such a poor conductivity that the usual meanfield theory of superconductivity breaks down because of anomalously large classical and quantum fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. It is argued that the supression of a first order phase transition (phase separation) by the long-range Coulomb interaction leads to high temperature superconductivity accompanied by static or dynamical charge inhomogeneIty. Evidence in support of this picture for high temperature superconductors is described

Acute enhancement of the upper critical field for superconductivity approaching a quantum critical point in URhGe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levy, F; Huxley, A [CEA, SPSMS, DRFMC, F-38054 Grenoble, (France); Levy, F; Sheikin, I [CNRS, GHMFL, F-38042 Grenoble, (France); Huxley, A [Univ Edinburgh, Scottish Univ Phys Alliance, Sch Phys, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Midlothian, (United Kingdom)

2007-07-01

When a pure material is tuned to the point where a continuous phase-transition line is crossed at zero temperature, known as a quantum critical point (QCP), completely new correlated quantum ordered states can form. These phases include exotic forms of superconductivity. However, as superconductivity is generally suppressed by a magnetic field, the formation of superconductivity ought not to be possible at extremely high field. Here, we report that as we tune the ferromagnet, URhGe, towards a QCP by applying a component of magnetic field in the material's easy magnetic plane, superconductivity survives in progressively higher fields applied simultaneously along the material's magnetic hard axis. Thus, although superconductivity never occurs above a temperature of 0.5 K, we find that it can survive in extremely high magnetic fields, exceeding 28 T. (authors)

Fabrication of Y-Ba-Cu-O (123) cuprate superconducting system and study of their electrical and structural properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, F.; Hossain, M.K.; Sultana, H.R.; Abdul Hossain, M.; Khan, A.H.

2005-08-01

We know that in the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x superconducting system transition temperature T c is highly dependent on the oxygen content in the compound. So, in order to fabricate superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x material under oxygen flow we have fabricated a tube furnace. Superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ compounds were synthesized by the solid state reaction method. Different pressure for the pellet formation, different sintering and annealing conditions in air or in oxygen atmosphere were carried out to study the effect on the formation of superconducting phase. Samples were characterized by dc electrical resistance and X-ray diffraction. Superconducting Y 1-x Ca x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ compounds are now under investigation. (author)

Strongly correlated electron systems and neutron scattering. Magnetism, superconductivity, structural phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katano, Susumu [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1998-03-01

Neutron scattering experiments in our group on strongly correlated electron systems are reviewed Metal-insulator transitions caused by structural phase transitions in (La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}) MnO{sub 3}, a novel magnetic transition in the CeP compound, correlations between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in UPd{sub 2}Al{sub 3} and so forth are discussed. Here, in this note, the phase transition of Mn-oxides was mainly described. (author)

Phase-controlled coherent population trapping in superconducting quantum circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Guang-Ling; Wang Yi-Ping; Chen Ai-Xi

2015-01-01

We investigate the influences of the-applied-field phases and amplitudes on the coherent population trapping behavior in superconducting quantum circuits. Based on the interactions of the microwave fields with a single Δ-type three-level fluxonium qubit, the coherent population trapping could be obtainable and it is very sensitive to the relative phase and amplitudes of the applied fields. When the relative phase is tuned to 0 or π, the maximal atomic coherence is present and coherent population trapping occurs. While for the choice of π/2, the atomic coherence becomes weak. Meanwhile, for the fixed relative phase π/2, the value of coherence would decrease with the increase of Rabi frequency of the external field coupled with two lower levels. The responsible physical mechanism is quantum interference induced by the control fields, which is indicated in the dressed-state representation. The microwave coherent phenomenon is present in our scheme, which will have potential applications in optical communication and nonlinear optics in solid-state devices. (paper)

The microscopic twins and their crystal phase in the high Tc Y-Ba-Cu-O and Dy-Ba-Cu-O superconductive ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zu, Z.J.; Chen, Y.L.

1988-01-01

Most consider that the structure of Y-Ba- Cu-O and Dy-Ba-Cu-O stable superconductive crystals with high Tc is associated with the right-angled phase. The superconductivity is closely connected with the right-angled character of the crystalline texture; the better the right- angled character, the better the superconductivity. From statistical investigations of examples the authors have discovered that most of the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Dy-Ba-Cu-O superconductivity with high Tc ceramic crystals is in the monoclinic phase, which, consists of microscopic, lamellar, single twins. The long-columnar grains consisting of lamellar twin slabs show the optical characteristics of right-angled phase. The microscopic twinning and grain morphologies are summarized in this paper

Perturbation theory of a superconducting 0−π impurity quantum phase transition

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Žonda, M.; Pokorný, Vladislav; Janiš, Václav; Novotný, T.

2015-01-01

Roč. 5, Mar (2015), s. 8821 ISSN 2045-2322 R&D Projects: GA ČR GCP204/11/J042 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : quantum dot * superconductivity * Josephson current * quantum phase transition * perturbation expansion Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 5.228, year: 2015

Superconducting spiral phase in the two-dimensional t-J model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sushkov, Oleg P.; Kotov, Valeri N.

2004-01-01

We analyze the t-t ' -t '' -J model, relevant to the superconducting cuprates. By using chiral perturbation theory we have determined the ground state to be a spiral for small doping δ1 near half filling. In this limit the solution does not contain any uncontrolled approximations. We evaluate the spin-wave Green's functions and address the issue of stability of the spiral state, leading to the phase diagram of the model. At t ' =t '' =0 the spiral state is unstable towards a local enhancement of the spiral pitch, and the nature of the true ground state remains unclear. However, for values of t ' and t '' corresponding to real cuprates the (1,0) spiral state is stabilized by quantum fluctuations ('order from disorder' effect). We show that at δ≅0.119 the spiral is commensurate with the lattice with a period of eight lattice spacings. It is also demonstrated that spin-wave mediated superconductivity develops in the spiral state and a lower limit for the superconducting gap is derived. Even though one cannot classify the gap symmetry according to the lattice representations (s,p,d, ellipsis (horizontal)) since the symmetry of the lattice is spontaneously broken by the spiral, the gap always has lines of nodes along the (1,±1) directions

Trapping control of phase development in zone melting of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, F M; Carrasco, M F; Silva, R F; Vieira, J M

2003-01-01

Highly-texturized polycrystalline fibres of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system have been grown by the laser floating zone technique at seven different pulling rates: (1.1, 2.2, 4.17, 8.3, 16.7, 33.3, 60.5) x 10 -6 m s -1 . The assessment of the cation segregation at the solid/liquid interface allowed us to calculate their equilibrium and effective distribution coefficients. The equilibrium distribution coefficients (k 0,Bi = 0.55, k 0,Sr = 0.97, k 0,Ca = 1.67, k 0,Cu = 1.10) were estimated using the Burton, Primm and Slichter (BPS) theory by taking into account the determined effective values. The effective distribution coefficients tend to unity as long as the pulling rate increases. The composition profiles along the initial transient region of the solidified fibres show a fast approach to the nominal composition as the pulling rate increases. The outstanding effect of the growth speed on superconducting phase type development is explained based on the solute trapping phenomena. The sequence of crystallization for superconducting phases ('2212' → '4413' → '2201') with pulling rate is a spontaneous effect of the system thermodynamics in order to balance the Bi trapping. This phase sequence corresponds to the smallest change of Bi chemical potential from the liquid phase to the solid phase. A diagram of free energy curves of the interdendritic superconducting phases illustrates the partitionless solidification phenomena at the highest growth speed

Interpretation of the T-H phase diagram of HTSC in the frame of superconductive granular layer model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgij, A.I.; Shadura, V.N.

1989-01-01

The model of two-dimensional Coulomb gas on charge substrate is used to describe magnetic properties of high temperature superconductor LaBaCuO. The phase transition from the nonergodic superconducting state to the ergodic one is associated with the melting of Wigner's two-dimensional crystal into the liquid crystal-hexatic, and the phase transition from ergodic superconducting state to the normal one - with the melting of liquid crystal. The T c (H) dependence calculated within these concepts is consistent with that observed in experiment. 22 refs.; 3 figs

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-08-01

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

Phase-separation control of KxFe2-ySe2 superconductor through rapid-quenching process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Yusuke; Tanaka, Masashi; Yamashita, Aichi; Suzuki, Kouji; Hara, Hiroshi; Takeya, Hiroyuki; Takano, Yoshihiko; ElMassalami, Mohammed

2017-01-01

K x Fe 2-y Se 2 exhibits iron-vacancy ordering at T s ∼ 270°C and separates into two phases: a minor superconducting (iron-vacancy-disordered) phase and a major non-superconducting (iron-vacancy-ordered) phase. The microstructural and superconducting properties of this intermixture can be tuned by an appropriate control of the quenching process through T s . A faster quenching rate leads to a finer microstructure and a suppression of formation of the non-superconducting phase by up to 50%. Nevertheless, such a faster cooling rate induces a monotonic reduction in the superconducting transition temperature (from 30.7 to 26.0 K) and, simultaneously, a decrease in the iron content within the superconducting phase such that the compositional ratio changed from K 0.35 Fe 1.83 Se 2 to K 0.58 Fe 1.71 Se 2 . (author)

Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Søren Krüger; Kühle (fratrådt), Anders Van Der Aa; Træholt, Chresten

1999-01-01

The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current......-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce-the inductive...... voltage. The 1 mu V cm(-1) critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6 +/- 0.15 W m(-1). This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far...

Quantum phase slip interference device based on a shaped superconducting nanowire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zorin, Alexander; Hongisto, Terhi [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany)

2012-07-01

As was predicted by Mooij and Nazarov, the superconducting nanowires may exhibit, depending on the impedance of external electromagnetic environment, not only quantum slips of phase, but also the quantum-mechanically dual effect of coherent transfer of single Cooper pairs. We propose and realize a transistor-like superconducting circuit including two serially connected segments of a narrow (10 nm by 18 nm) nanowire joint by a wider segment with a capacitively coupled gate in between. This circuit is made of amorphous NbSi film and embedded in a network of on-chip Cr microresistors ensuring a high external impedance (>>h/e{sup 2}∼25.8 kΩ) and, eventually, a charge bias regime. Virtual quantum phase slips in two narrow segments of the wire lead in this case to quantum interference of voltages on these segments making this circuit dual to the dc SQUID. Our samples demonstrated appreciable Coulomb blockade voltage (analog of critical current of the SQUID) and remarkable periodic modulation of this blockade by an electrostatic gate (analog of flux modulation in the SQUID). The obtained experimental results and the model of this QPS transistor will be presented.

Status of superconducting power transformer development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, R.C.; McConnell, B.W.; Mehta, S.P. [and others

1996-03-01

Development of the superconducting transformer is arguably the most difficult of the ac power applications of superconductivity - this is because of the need for very low ac losses, adequate fault and surge performance, and the rigors of the application environment. This paper briefly summarizes the history of superconducting transformer projects, reviews the key issues for superconducting transformers, and examines the status of HTS transformer development. Both 630-kVA, three-phase and 1-MVA single phase demonstration units are expected to operate in late 1996. Both efforts will further progress toward the development of economical and performance competitive superconducting transformers.

Superconducting cermets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, A.; Funkenbusch, P.D.; Chang, G.C.S.; Burns, S.J.

1988-01-01

Two distant classes of superconducting cermets can be distinguished, depending on whether or not a fully superconducting skeleton is established. Both types of cermets have been successfully fabricated using non-noble metals, with as high as 60wt% of the metal phase. The electrical, magnetic and mechanical behavior of these composites is discussed

Superconducting quantum circuits theory and application

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Xiuhao

Superconducting quantum circuit models are widely used to understand superconducting devices. This thesis consists of four studies wherein the superconducting quantum circuit is used to illustrate challenges related to quantum information encoding and processing, quantum simulation, quantum signal detection and amplification. The existence of scalar Aharanov-Bohm phase has been a controversial topic for decades. Scalar AB phase, defined as time integral of electric potential, gives rises to an extra phase factor in wavefunction. We proposed a superconducting quantum Faraday cage to detect temporal interference effect as a consequence of scalar AB phase. Using the superconducting quantum circuit model, the physical system is solved and resulting AB effect is predicted. Further discussion in this chapter shows that treating the experimental apparatus quantum mechanically, spatial scalar AB effect, proposed by Aharanov-Bohm, can't be observed. Either a decoherent interference apparatus is used to observe spatial scalar AB effect, or a quantum Faraday cage is used to observe temporal scalar AB effect. The second study involves protecting a quantum system from losing coherence, which is crucial to any practical quantum computation scheme. We present a theory to encode any qubit, especially superconducting qubits, into a universal quantum degeneracy point (UQDP) where low frequency noise is suppressed significantly. Numerical simulations for superconducting charge qubit using experimental parameters show that its coherence time is prolong by two orders of magnitude using our universal degeneracy point approach. With this improvement, a set of universal quantum gates can be performed at high fidelity without losing too much quantum coherence. Starting in 2004, the use of circuit QED has enabled the manipulation of superconducting qubits with photons. We applied quantum optical approach to model coupled resonators and obtained a four-wave mixing toolbox to operate photons

Superconductivity in heavily boron-doped silicon carbide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Kriener, Takahiro Muranaka, Junya Kato, Zhi-An Ren, Jun Akimitsu and Yoshiteru Maeno

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The discoveries of superconductivity in heavily boron-doped diamond in 2004 and silicon in 2006 have renewed the interest in the superconducting state of semiconductors. Charge-carrier doping of wide-gap semiconductors leads to a metallic phase from which upon further doping superconductivity can emerge. Recently, we discovered superconductivity in a closely related system: heavily boron-doped silicon carbide. The sample used for that study consisted of cubic and hexagonal SiC phase fractions and hence this led to the question which of them participated in the superconductivity. Here we studied a hexagonal SiC sample, free from cubic SiC phase by means of x-ray diffraction, resistivity, and ac susceptibility.

Valence skipping driven superconductivity and charge Kondo effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Takashi; Hase, Izumi

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Valence skipping in metallic compounds can give rise to an unconventional superconductivity. •Several elements in the periodic table show valence skipping (or valence missing), for example, Bi forms the compounds in valence states +3 and +5. •The doping of valence skipping elements will induce superconductivity and this will lead to a possibility of high temperature superconductivity. •We consider the Wolf model with negative-U impurities, and show a phase diagram including superconducting phase. •There is a high temperature region near the boundary. -- Abstract: Valence skipping in metallic compounds can give rise to an unconventional superconductivity. Several elements in the periodic table show valence skipping (or valence missing), for example, Bi forms the compounds in valence states +3 and +5. The doping of valence skipping elements will induce superconductivity and this will lead to a possibility of high temperature superconductivity. We consider the Wolf model with negative-U impurities, and show a phase diagram including superconducting phase. The superconducting state is changed into a metallic state with a local singlet as the attractive interaction |U| increases. There is a high temperature region near the boundary

Effect of Pb and Cr Substitutions on Phase Formation and Excess Conductivity of Bi-2212 Superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khir, F. L. M.; Mohamed, Z.; Yusuf, A. A.; Yusof, M. I. M.; Yahya, A. K.

2010-01-01

The influence of Pb and Cr substitutions on the superconducting properties of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 (Bi-2212) superconductors is reported. The samples were prepared from Bi 2-x Pb x Sr 2 Ca 2-y Cr y Cu 3 O 10-δ (x = 0-0.3, y = 0-0.3) starting composition by the solid-state-reaction method. XRD analysis showed formation of pure Bi-2212 for (x = 0, y = 0), (x = 0.3, y = 0.2,) and (x = 0.3, y = 0.2,) starting compositions. Excess conductivity analysis based on Asmalazov-Larkin theory on single-phased Bi2212 samples showed 2D to 3D transition in superconducting fluctuation behavior (SFB) for all the samples. Highest 2D-3D transition temperature, T 2D-3D was observed at Pb and Cr substitutions of x = 0.3, and x = 0.2, respectively.

Aperiodic superconducting phase boundary of periodic micronetworks in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nori, F.; Niu, Q.

1988-01-01

We study flux quantization in periodic arrays with two elementary cells having an irrational ratio of areas. In particular, we calculate the superconducting-normal phase boundary T/sub c/(H) and we analyze the origin of its overall and fine structure as a function of the network size. We discuss our theoretical results, exploiting the electronic tight-binding analogy to the Ginzburg-Landau equations, and compare them with the experimental ones

Monitoring of multiphase flows for superconducting accelerators and others applications

Science.gov (United States)

Filippov, Yu. P.; Kakorin, I. D.; Kovrizhnykh, A. M.; Miklayev, V. M.

2017-07-01

This paper is a review on implementation of measuring systems for two-phase helium, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and oil-formation/salty water flows. Two types of such systems are presented. The first type is based on two-phase flow-meters combining void fraction radio-frequency (RF) sensors and narrowing devices. They can be applied for superconducting accelerators cooled with two-phase helium, refueling hydrogen system for space ships and some applications in oil production industry. The second one is based on combination of a gamma-densitometer and a narrowing device. These systems can be used to monitor large two-phase LNG and oil-formation water flows. An electronics system based on a modular industrial computer is described as well. The metrological characteristics for different flow-meters are presented and the obtained results are discussed. It is also shown that the experience gained allows separationless flow-meter for three-phase oil-gas-formation water flows to be produced.

Tuning of External Q And Phase for The Cavities of A Superconducting Linear Accelerator

CERN Document Server

Katalev, V V

2004-01-01

The RF power required for a certain gradient of a superconducting cavity depends on the beam current and coupling between the cavity and waveguide. The coupling with the cavity may be changed by variation of Qext. Different devices can be used to adjust Qext or phase. In this paper three stub and E-H tuners are compared and their usability for the RF power distribution system for the superconducting accelerator of the European Xray laser and the TESLA linear collider is considered. The tuners were analyzed by using the scattering matrix. Advantages and limitations of the devices are presented.

Phase separation and d-wave superconductivity induced by extended electron-exciton interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng Ming [Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States)], E-mail: cheng896@hotmail.com; Su Wupei [Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States)

2008-12-15

Using an auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method, we have studied a two-dimensional tight-binding model in which the conduction electrons can polarize an adjacent layer of molecules through electron-electron repulsion. Calculated average conduction electron density as a function of chemical potential exhibits a clear break characteristic of phase separation. Compared to the noninteracting system, the d-wave pair-field correlation function shows significant enhancement. The simultaneous presence of phase separation and d-wave superconductivity suggests that an effective extended pairing force is induced by the electron-exciton coupling.

Phase separation and d-wave superconductivity induced by extended electron-exciton interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Ming; Su Wupei

2008-01-01

Using an auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method, we have studied a two-dimensional tight-binding model in which the conduction electrons can polarize an adjacent layer of molecules through electron-electron repulsion. Calculated average conduction electron density as a function of chemical potential exhibits a clear break characteristic of phase separation. Compared to the noninteracting system, the d-wave pair-field correlation function shows significant enhancement. The simultaneous presence of phase separation and d-wave superconductivity suggests that an effective extended pairing force is induced by the electron-exciton coupling

Tetracritical point and current circulations in superconducting state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belyavskij, V.I.; Kopaev, Yu.V.; Smirnov, M.Yu.

2005-01-01

Phase diagram reflecting the key peculiar features of the standard diagram of the cuprate superconductors was studied in terms of the Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology near the tetracritical point resulting from the competition of superconducting and dielectric channels of pairing. Two-component parameter of order the relative phase of which is associated with antiferromagnetic dielectric ordering corresponds to the superconducting pairing at repulsion. In case of slight doping the dielectric order coexists with superconductivity below the temperature of superconducting phase transition and manifests itself as a slight pseudoslit above the mentioned temperature. A segment of pseudoslit region adjacent to the superconducting state corresponds to the matured fluctuations of the order parameter in the form of quasi-stationary states of noncoherent superconducting pairs and may be interpreted as a region of a strong pseudoslit. At increase of doping one observes a phase transition from the coexistence region and the orbital antiferromagnetism to the conventional superconducting state covering the region of matured fluctuations of the order parameter in the form of quasi-stationary states of the noncorrelated orbital circulation currents adjacent to the line of phase transition [ru

Submicron superconducting structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golovashkin, A.I.; Lykov, A.N.

1986-01-01

An overview of works concerning superconducting structures of submicron dimensions and a system of such structures is given. It is noted that usage of the above structures in superconducting microelectronics permits, first, to increase the element packing density, to decrease the signal transmission time, capacity, power dissipated in high-frequency applications. Secondly, negligible coherence length in transition metals, their alloys and high-temperature compounds also restrict the dimensions of superconducting weak couplings when the 'classical' Josephson effect is displayed. The most effective methods for production of submicron superconducting structures are the following: lithography, double scribering. Recently the systems of superconducting submicron elements are extensively studied. It is shown that such systems can be phased by magnetic field

Phase stability of superconductive Y1Ba2Cu4O8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegde, M.S.; Kumaraswamy, B.V.; Pandey, S.P.; Narlikar, A.V.

1997-01-01

The stability of the 124 superconductive phase YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 upon exposure to air and saturated humidity at ambient temperature has been studied by thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, and ac susceptometry. Extent of phase conversion was monitored by TG and confirmed by XRD and ac susceptometry. 124 samples upon prolonged exposure to air were found to be no longer phase-pure, with partial conversion to 123 and CuO. On oxygen annealing, reconversion of 123 + GuO to 124 was observed. However, upon prolonged exposure to saturated humid conditions, phase-pure 124 dissociated irreversibly into 211, GuO, and a highly disordered 124-like structure with planar defects along many hkl indices and was found to be nonsuperconducting even up to 60 K

A Superconducting Dual-Channel Photonic Switch.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Yogesh Kumar; Manjappa, Manukumara; Cong, Longqing; Krishnamoorthy, Harish N S; Savinov, Vassili; Pitchappa, Prakash; Singh, Ranjan

2018-06-05

The mechanism of Cooper pair formation and its underlying physics has long occupied the investigation into high temperature (high-T c ) cuprate superconductors. One of the ways to unravel this is to observe the ultrafast response present in the charge carrier dynamics of a photoexcited specimen. This results in an interesting approach to exploit the dissipation-less dynamic features of superconductors to be utilized for designing high-performance active subwavelength photonic devices with extremely low-loss operation. Here, dual-channel, ultrafast, all-optical switching and modulation between the resistive and the superconducting quantum mechanical phase is experimentally demonstrated. The ultrafast phase switching is demonstrated via modulation of sharp Fano resonance of a high-T c yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) superconducting metamaterial device. Upon photoexcitation by femtosecond light pulses, the ultrasensitive cuprate superconductor undergoes dual dissociation-relaxation dynamics, with restoration of superconductivity within a cycle, and thereby establishes the existence of dual switching windows within a timescale of 80 ps. Pathways are explored to engineer the secondary dissociation channel which provides unprecedented control over the switching speed. Most importantly, the results envision new ways to accomplish low-loss, ultrafast, and ultrasensitive dual-channel switching applications that are inaccessible through conventional metallic and dielectric based metamaterials. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The inhomogeneities of (Pb,Bi)2223 superconducting tapes and their detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeuwen, S. van

1999-05-01

This thesis consists of two parts: first, the inhomogeneities that were observed in high temperature superconducting (Pb,Bi)2223 tapes were studied followed by the design of two rigs which were built to detect them. These investigations concentrated on (Pb,Bi)2223 phase high temperature superconducting tapes. Superconductors and their applications were briefly evaluated. It was found that high temperature superconductors have unique properties which cannot be duplicated by their counterparts. However, it was noted that there are significant improvements to be made before they can be commercially viable. An investigation was carried out into the variation of core density within cross sections and along lengths of (Pb,Bi)2223 tapes during fabrication. It was observed that rolling and thermal treatment brought about a non-uniform core density in both these aspects of tile tape. This was followed by an investigation into the effect of core density on the formation of the (Pb,Bi)2223 phase. It was shown that a high core density formed the (Pb,Bi)2223 phase at a slower rate than a lower core density under the thermal treatment. A high core density and a slow heating rate produced smaller 2212 grains at the end of the incubation period. Smaller 2212 grains were thought to be linked to the faster formation of the (Pb,B1)2223 phase. The highest Jc was from a high core density tape which had the smaller 2212 grains at the end of incubation period. Smaller 2212 grains were thought to aid a more homogeneous conversion to the (Pb,Bi)2223 phase. Alloy-sheathed (Pb,Bi)2223 superconducting tapes were produced in order to fabricate a more homogeneous core density. It was found that the alloy sheath (with an addition of 15% wt Ag in the precursor powder) changed the characteristics of the core in several ways: the formation of the (Pb,Bi)2223 phase was homogeneous across the thickness of the core, a smaller 2212 grain size was formed at the end of the incubation period and a higher

Superconducting quantum circuits theory and application

OpenAIRE

Deng, Xiuhao

2015-01-01

Superconducting quantum circuit models are widely used to understand superconducting devices. This thesis consists of four studies wherein the superconducting quantum circuit is used to illustrate challenges related to quantum information encoding and processing, quantum simulation, quantum signal detection and amplification.The existence of scalar Aharanov-Bohm phase has been a controversial topic for decades. Scalar AB phase, defined as time integral of electric potential, gives rises to a...

Superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Tatsuki; Kobayashi, Shingo; Tanaka, Yukio; Sato, Masatoshi

2016-07-01

We theoretically study intrinsic superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals. Dirac semimetals host bulk Dirac points, which are formed by doubly degenerate bands, so the Hamiltonian is described by a 4 ×4 matrix and six types of k -independent pair potentials are allowed by the Fermi-Dirac statistics. We show that the unique spin-orbit coupling leads to characteristic superconducting gap structures and d vectors on the Fermi surface and the electron-electron interaction between intra and interorbitals gives a novel phase diagram of superconductivity. It is found that when the interorbital attraction is dominant, an unconventional superconducting state with point nodes appears. To verify the experimental signature of possible superconducting states, we calculate the temperature dependence of bulk physical properties such as electronic specific heat and spin susceptibility and surface state. In the unconventional superconducting phase, either dispersive or flat Andreev bound states appear between point nodes, which leads to double peaks or a single peak in the surface density of states, respectively. As a result, possible superconducting states can be distinguished by combining bulk and surface measurements.

Phases and structural characteristics of high Tc superconducting oxide in (Bi, Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Zuyano; Li, Zhengrong; Qian, Yitai; Zhou, Quien; Cheng, Tingzhu

1989-01-01

The various phases, which are responsible for variant maximum d-value including 18.5 angstrom, 15.4 angstrom, 12.2 angstrom, 6.2 angstrom, 3.2 angstrom and possible 9.1 angstrom respectively, observed in high Tc superconducting complex oxide of (Bi,Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system are reported in this paper according to the result of X-ray diffraction on platelike crystals or crystallites synthesized under different preparation conditions. The phase of tetragonal system with c=3.21 angstrom, a=3.86 angstrom is possible parent structural unit and it is of great significance to the structure constitution of various phases with large lattice parameter c and structural characteristics of superconducting oxide. In view of the above a model of two-dimension stack-up which causes a stack in variant styles along c-axis and constitute various phases with different lattice parameter c is proposed and discussed

Theory of high-T sub c superconductivity based on the fermion-condensation quantum phase transition

CERN Document Server

Amusia, M Ya; Shaginyan, V R

2001-01-01

A theory of high temperature superconductivity based on the combination of the fermion-condensation quantum phase transition and the conventional theory of superconductivity is presented. This theory describes maximum values of the superconducting gap which can be as big as DELTA sub 1 approx 0.1 epsilon sub F , with epsilon sub F being the Fermi level. It is shown that the critical temperature 2T sub c approx = DELTA sub 1. If there exists the pseudogap above T sub c then 2T* approx = DELTA sub 1 , and T* is the temperature at which the pseudogap vanished. A discontinuity in the specific heat at T sub c is calculated. The transition from conventional superconductors to high-T sub c ones as a function of the doping level is investigated

Effect of Sintering Time and Diameter on Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Superconducting Wire Formation with TiO2 Dopant by Silver (Ag Tube

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cindy Al Kindi

2018-01-01

superconducting wire has a critical temperature at Tc onset = 99 K and Tc zero = 70 K. The time that very important on the formation of superconducting phase is sintering for 9 h and the diameter of the wire having a critical temperature is 6 mm. The sintering time during 30 h can change the phase of BPSCCO become conductor and semiconductor. The diameter of 2,6 mm has not become the correct size on the fabrication of superconducting wire.  Keyword : Cryogenic, Critical Temperature, Superconducting wire, Sintering Time, TiO2 REFERENSI Grivel, J-C, A Jeremie and R Fliikiger, 1995, The Influence Of Ti02 Additions On The Formation And The Superconducting Properties Of The (Bi, Pb2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-Y Phase. IOP Science Jabur, Akram R. 2012. B2223 High Temperature Superconductor Wires In Silver Sheath, Filament Diameter Effect On Critical Temperature And Current Density. Energy Procedia 18 ( 254 – 264 Liu, Hua Kun., Mihail lonescu., Yuan  Chang Guo,2001. Handbook of Advanced Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices, Volume 3: High Tc Superconductors and Organic Cond High Tc Superconductors and Organic Conductors, Academic Press. 71-90 Widodo, Henry, 2010, Nanokristalisasi Superkonduktor Bi2SrCa2Cu3O10+x dan Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+6 dengan Metode Kopresipitasi dan Pencampuran Basah, Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi TELAAH : LIPI Bandung

Fabrication and testing of a superconducting coil: Phase 3 of the Maglev development program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fife, A A; Lee, S; Tillotson, M [CTF Systems Inc., Port Coquitlam, BC (Canada)

1989-03-01

This report documents developmental research on superconducting magnet technology suitable for the levitation and propulsion units of the Canadian Maglev vehicle. The contract work involved the design, fabrication and testing of a racetrack coil fabricated using epoxy-impregnated windings of copper stabilized NbTi wire. The following results were achieved: successful fabrication and testing of a superconducting racetrack magnet with strength {gt} 400,000 A-turns integrated in a support frame; selection and characterization of cryogenic strain gauges; characterization of strain in solenoidal and racetrack superconducting magnets; design, fabrication and testing of high current persistent switches; and operation of superconducting magnets in persistent mode. The racetrack coil reached the design current after the third quench and short sample critical current after the eighth quench. This behavior is essentially identical to that observed with a superconducting solenoid fabricated during a previous phase. The strain measured perpendicular to the straight sides of the racetrack coil was proportional to the square of the energizing current. Persistent switches were fabricated, one type with low resistance (10{sup -2} ohm) and the other with high resistance (1.2 ohm) in their normal states. The low resistance switch could be operated in 1-Tesla fields with stabel characteristics up to about 800A drive current and the high resistance switch to 475A.

Superconducting joint of Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes by diffusion bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Wei; Zou Guisheng; Wu Aiping; Wang Yanjun; Bai Hailin; Ren Jialie

2009-01-01

61-Filaments Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes have been joined by diffusion bonding. The critical currents (I C s) of the joints are obtained by using standard four probe method under no magnetic field in the liquid nitrogen. The microstructures of the joints are evaluated by the electron microscope in electron backscatter diffraction mode and the phase compositions of the superconducting cores of the joint and the original tape are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show diffusion bonding is effective bonding technique for HTS tapes, and the bonding time is reduced greatly from hundreds of hours to a few hours, and the bonding pressure also changes from 140-4000 MPa to 3 MPa. Furthermore, the diffusion bonding joints sustain superconducting properties, and the critical current ratios (CCR O ) of the joints are in the range of 35%-80%. Microstructures of the typical joint display a good bonding and some defects existed in traditional method are avoided. XRD results show that the phase compositions of the superconducting cores have no obvious changes before and after diffusion bonding, which offers physical and material bases for high superconducting property of the joints.

Changing electronic density in sites of crystalline lattice under superconducting of phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turaev, N.Yu.; Turaev, E.Yu.; Khuzhakulov, E.S.; Seregin, P.P.

2006-01-01

Results of electron density change calculations for sites of the one-dimensional Kronig-Penny lattice at the superconducting phase transition have been presented. The transition from normal state to super conducting one is accompanied by the rise of the electron density at the unit cell centre. It is agreement with Moessbauer spectroscopy data. (author)

Phase equilibria and homogeneity range of the high temperature superconducting compound (Bi,Pb)2+xSr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaesche, S.

1995-01-01

For the superconducting cuprates (Bi,Pb) 2+x Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+y phase equilibria, the homogeneity region, and the phase formation has been studied in the temperture range 800 to 890 C. Sintered samples were prepared by a solid state reaction starting from Bi 2 O 3 , PbO, CuO and carbonates CaCO 3 and SrCO 3 in a three-stage calcination process. For the phase identification polarization microscopy, X-ray diffraction and susceptibility measurements have been applied. Multi-phase regions were determined in the cross section of the quasi-ternary system (Bi,Pb) 2 O 3 -SrO-CaO-CuO with constant Bi/(Bi+Pb) ratio 0.84 taking into account the 2223-phase. The homogeneity region was determined as function of Sr, Ca, Bi and Pb concentration. Its maximum size was found at 850 C

Color-symmetric superconductivity in a phenomenological QCD model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bohr, Henrik; Providencia, C.; Providencia, J. da

2009-01-01

In this paper, we construct a theory of the NJL type where superconductivity is present, and yet the superconducting state remains, in the average, color symmetric. This shows that the present approach to color superconductivity is consistent with color singletness. Indeed, quarks are free...... in the deconfined phase, but the deconfined phase itself is believed to be a color singlet. The usual description of the color superconducting state violates color singletness. On the other hand, the color superconducting state here proposed is color symmetric in the sense that an arbitrary color rotation leads...

Proposed experimental test of the theory of hole superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirsch, J.E., E-mail: jhirsch@ucsd.edu

2016-06-15

Highlights: • The conventional theory of superconductivity predicts no charge flow when the normal-superconductor phase boundary moves. • The theory of hole superconductivity predicts flow and counterflow of charge. • An experiment to measure a voltage is proposed. • No voltage will be measured if the conventional theory is correct. • A voltage will be measured if the theory of hole superconductivity is correct. - Abstract: The theory of hole superconductivity predicts that in the reversible transition between normal and superconducting phases in the presence of a magnetic field there is charge flow in direction perpendicular to the normal-superconductor phase boundary. In contrast, the conventional BCS-London theory of superconductivity predicts no such charge flow. Here we discuss an experiment to test these predictions.

Hydrostatic Pressure Study on 3-K Phase Superconductivity in Sr2RuO4-Ru Eutectic Crystals by AC Magnetic Susceptibility Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaguchi, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Hiromichi; Sakaue, Akira

2012-01-01

We have investigated the effect of hydrostatic pressure on 3-K phase superconductivity in Sr 2 RuO 4 -Ru eutectic crystals by means of AC magnetic susceptibility measurements. We have found that the application of hydrostatic pressure suppresses the superconducting transition temperature T c of the 3-K phase with a pressure coefficient of dT c /dP ≈ −0.2 K/GPa, similar to the case of the 1.5-K phase. We have also observed that the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the 3-K phase seems to be elastic whilst that of uniaxial pressure is plastic.

A superconducting radio-frequency cavity for manipulating the phase space of pion beams at LAMPF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Donnell, J.M.; Davis, J.; DeHaven, R.A.; Gray, E.; Johnson, R.; Lomax, R.E.; McCloud, B.J.; McGill, J.A.; Morris, C.L.; Novak, J.; Rusnak, B.; Tubb, G. (Los Alamos National Lab., Los Alamos, NM (United States)); Applegate, J.M.; Averett, T.D.; Beck, J.; Ritchie, B.G. (Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)); Haebel, E. (CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)); Kiehlmann, D.; Klein, U.; Peniger, M.; Schaefer, P.; Vogel, H. (Siemens AG, Accelerator and Magnet Technology, Bergisch Gladbach (Germany)); Ward, H.; Moore, C.F. (Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States))

1992-07-15

The SCRUNCHER is a superconducting radio-frequency cavity for manipulating the longitudinal phase space of the secondary pion beam from the low energy pion channel at LAMPF. Test results of the cavity performance and initial results from in-beam tests are presented. (orig.).

A superconducting radio-frequency cavity for manipulating the phase space of pion beams at LAMPF

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, J. M.; Davis, J.; DeHaven, R. A.; Gray, E.; Johnson, R.; Lomax, R. E.; McCloud, B. J.; McGill, J. A.; Morris, C. L.; Novak, J.; Rusnak, B.; Tubb, G.; Applegate, J. M.; Averett, T. D.; Beck, J.; Ritchie, B. G.; Haebel, E.; Kiehlmann, D.; Klein, U.; Peiniger, M.; Schäfer, P.; Vogel, H.; Ward, H.; Fred Moore, C.

1992-07-01

The SCRUNCHER is a superconducting radio-frequency cavity for manipulating the longitudinal phase space of the secondary pion beam from the low energy pion channel at LAMPF. Test results of the cavity performance and initial results from in-beam tests are presented.

Reentrant behavior in the superconducting phase-dependent resistance of a disordered two-dimensional electron gas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

den Hartog, S.G.; Wees, B.J.van; Klapwijk, T.M; Nazarov, Y.V.; Borghs, G.

1997-01-01

We have investigated the bias-voltage dependence of the phase-dependent differential resistance of a disordered T-shaped two-dimensional electron gas coupled to two superconducting terminals. The resistance oscillations first increase upon lowering the energy. For bias voltages below the Thouless

Kinetics of formation of the A-15 phase in the Nb--Al--Ge system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannatey-Asibu, E. Jr.

1977-05-01

A study has been made of the time and temperature dependence of the growth of the A-15 phase and its grains in the Nb-Al-Ge system. In addition, changes in the microstructure and composition of the A-15 phase have been studied using an EDAX analysis. The data obtained have been plotted and compared with theory. The results have been used to explain the variations in the superconducting properties of this system as observed in earlier work. Consequently, areas for further study towards optimizing the superconducting parameters of this system have been proposed

Zurek–Kibble Symmetry Breaking Process in Superconducting Rings; Spontaneous Fluxon Formation in Annular Josephson Tunnel Junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarøe, Morten; Monaco, Roberto; Dmitriev, P

2007-01-01

We report on new investigations of spontaneous symmetry breaking in non-adiabatic phase transitions. This Zurek-Kibble (ZK) process is mimicked in solid state systems by trapping of magnetic flux quanta, fluxons, in a long annular Josephson tunnel junction quenched through the normal-superconducting...

Can magnetism and superconductivity coexist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, M.

1982-01-01

Recent syntheses of rare earth (RE) ternary superconductors such as (RE)Mo 6 X 8 (X=S or Se) and (RE)Rh 4 B 4 have provided the first opportunity to explore the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity in detail owing to their particular crystal structure. The regular sublattice of the rare-earth ions in these new ternary compounds undergoes a ferro- or antiferromagnetic phase transition in the superconducting state. If the transition is antiferromagnetic, the superconductivity is preserved so that true coexistence results. If it is ferromagnetic, on the other hand, the superconductivity eventually gives way to uniform ferromagnetism at low temperatures. However, recent theories predict several possible states of coexistence even in ferromagnetic superconductors. This article reviews aspects of these new phase transitions in ternary superconductors. (author)

Superconducting linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bollinger, L.M.; Shepard, K.W.; Wangler, T.P.

1978-01-01

This project has two goals: to design, build, and test a small superconducting linac to serve as an energy booster for heavy ions from an FN tandem electrostatic accelerator, and to investigate various aspects of superconducting rf technology. The main design features of the booster are described, a status report on various components (resonators, rf control system, linac control system, cryostats, buncher) is given, and plans for the near future are outlined. Investigations of superconducting-linac technology concern studies on materials and fabrication techniques, resonator diagnostic techniques, rf-phase control, beam dynamics computer programs, asymmetry in accelerating field, and surface-treatment techniques. The overall layout of the to-be-proposed ATLAS, the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System, is shown; the ATLAS would use superconducting technology to produce beams of 5 to 25 MeV/A. 6 figures

Phase-locking of a terahertz solid-state source using a superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao, W; Zhang, W; Zhou, K M; Li, S L; Zhang, K; Duan, W Y; Yao, Q J; Shi, S C

2013-01-01

We report on a scheme whereby the local-oscillator (LO) of a THz heterodyne receiver can be phase-locked by the mixer of the heterodyne receiver. This scheme is demonstrated for the phase-locking of an 847.6 GHz Gunn oscillator and multiplier chain combined source with a superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer. We show that with this technique the phase-locked beat signal can reach a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 70 dB in a resolution bandwidth (RBW) of 1 Hz. This phase-locking scheme should find good use in THz heterodyne spectrometers. (paper)

The investigation of the phase-locking stability in linear arrays of Josephson junctions and arrays closed into a superconducting loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darula, M.; Seidel, P.; Misanik, B.; Busse, F.; Heinz, E.; Benacka, S.

1994-01-01

The phase-locking stability is investigated theoretically in two structures: linear arrays of Josephson junctions shunted by resistive load and arrays closed into superconducting loop. In both cases the quasi-identical junctions are supposed to be in arrays. The stability as a function of spread in Josephson junction parameters as well as a function of other circuit parameters is investigated. Using Floquet theory it is shown that spread in critical currents of Josephson junction limit the stability of phase-locking state. From the simulations it follows that the phase-locking in arrays closed into superconducting loop is more stable against the spread in junction parameters than in the case of linear array of Josephson junctions. (orig.)

A calorimetric particle detector using an iridium superconducting phase transition thermometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, M.; Dummer, D.; Cooper, S.; Igalson, J.; Proebst, F.; Seidel, W.

1994-01-01

We report on a calorimetric particles detector consisting of an 18.3 g silicon crystal and an iridium superconducting phase transition thermometer. The cryogenic calorimeter and the associated apparatus are described in detail. The pulses from irradiation with an α-particle source have a large unexpected overshoot in addition to the component expected from a naive thermal model. The pulse height spectrum displays an energy resolution of 1 percent FWHM at 6 MeV and good linearity. The noise, electrothermal feedback, and position dependence are discussed. (orig.)

Preliminary study on AC superconducting machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, M.; Ishigohka, T.; Shimohka, T.; Mizukami, N.; Yamaguchi, M.

1988-01-01

This paper describes the issues involved in developing AC superconducting machines. In the first phase, as a preliminary experiment, a 4kVa AC superconducting coil which employs 100A class 50/60Hz superconductors is made and tested. And, in the second phase, as an extension of the 4kVa coil, a model superconducting transformer is made and examined. The transformer has a novel quench protection system with an auxiliary coil only in the low voltage side. The behavior of the overcurrent protection system is confirmed

Second Law Violation By Magneto-Caloric Effect Adiabatic Phase Transition of Type I Superconductive Particles

OpenAIRE

Keefe, Peter

2004-01-01

Abstract: The nature of the thermodynamic behavior of Type I superconductor particles, having a cross section less than the Ginzburg-Landau temperature dependent coherence length is discussed for magnetic field induced adiabatic phase transitions from the superconductive state to the normal state. Argument is advanced supporting the view that when the adiabatic magneto-caloric process is applied to particles, the phase transition is characterized by a decrease in entropy in violation of tradi...

Superconducting phases of phosphorus hydride under pressure. Stabilization by mobile molecular hydrogen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bi, Tiange; Miller, Daniel P.; Shamp, Andrew; Zurek, Eva [Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States)

2017-08-14

At 80 GPa, phases with the PH{sub 2} stoichiometry, which are composed of simple cubic like phosphorus layers capped with hydrogen atoms and layers of H{sub 2} molecules, are predicted to be important species contributing to the recently observed superconductivity in compressed phosphine. The electron-phonon coupling in these phases results from the motions of the phosphorus atoms and the hydrogen atoms bound to them. The role of the mobile H{sub 2} layers is to decrease the Coulomb repulsion between the negatively charged hydrogen atoms capping the phosphorus layers. An insulating PH{sub 5} phase, the structure and bonding of which is reminiscent of diborane, is also predicted to be metastable at this pressure. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Construction and test of a superconducting phase-transition thermometer for bolometric cryodetectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, H.J.

1990-10-01

In the framework of a project for the study of bolometric cryodetectors for the detection of heavy ions a superconducting phase-transition thermometer for the detection of heavy ions was constructed and tested with α particles. The thermometer consists of a 10 nm thick aluminium film, which was evaporated on a sapphire absorber with a typical magnitude of 2.5x2.5 x 0.33 mm 3 . By the method of photolithography the aluminium film was structured in form of a meander. By this at the working point of the thermometer resistances of up to 60 kΩ resulted, so that the signal acquisition was possible with usual readout electronics. Several of these thermometers were constructed, characterized in their properties, and tested. For the study of the detector properties of the thermometers in characterization measurements the width of the phase transitions dT ≅ 2 mK, the temperature dependence of the resistance to dR/dT ≅ 10MΩ/K, the thermal conductivity of the thermal coupling to the cooling bath, and the heat capacity of the bolometers to C ≅ 2 nJ/K were determined.The best energy resolution, which was reached with one of the superconducting phase-transition thermometers, amounts to 50 keV for 5.5 MeV α particles, which corresponds to a relative resolution of 0,9%. By this in the order of magnitude the quality of semiconductor detectors was reached. The best temperature resolution amounts to about 1 μK. (orig./HSI) [de

Transport in reversibly laser-modified YBa2Cu3O/sub 7-//sub x/ superconducting thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krchnavek, R.R.; Chan, S.; Rogers, C.T.; De Rosa, F.; Kelly, M.K.; Miceli, P.F.; Allen, S.J.

1989-01-01

A focused argon ion laser beam in a controlled ambient is used to modify the transport properties of superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O/sub 7-//sub x/ thin films. The laser-modified region shows a sharp transition temperature (T/sub c/≅76 K) that is reduced from the unmodified regions of the film (T/sub c/≅87 K). In situ monitoring of the room-temperature electrical resistance is used to control the laser processing and prevent formation of the semiconducting phase. The original properties of the superconducting film can be recovered by plasma oxidation indicating that the laser-induced phase is oxygen deficient

Superconductivity in bad metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1995-01-01

It is argued that many synthetic metals, including high temperature superconductors are ''bad metals'' with such a poor conductivity that the usual mean-field theory of superconductivity breaks down because of anomalously large classical and quantum fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. Some consequences for high temperature superconductors are described

Performance of the phase I superconducting x-ray lithography source (SXLS) at BNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, J.B.; Biscardi, R.; Halama, H.; Heese, R.; Kramer, S.; Nawrocky, R.; Krishnaswamy, J.

1992-01-01

The Phase I SXLS electron storage ring has a circumference of 8.5 meters, it uses conventional dipole magnets, B ≤ 1.1 T and ρ=60 cm, and it is capable of operating in the range of 50-250 MeV. It is the forerunner of the Phase II SXLS ring which will operate at 700 MeV and will make use of superconducting dipoles, B 0 =3.87 Tesla, as a source of λ c =10 angstrom x-rays for proximity printing lithography. The Phase I storage ring has been successfully commissioned; stored currents in excess of one ampere have been achieved. A report on the performance of the machine is presented. (author) 4 refs.; 4 figs.; 2 tabs

Photoacoustic wave propagating from normal into superconductive phases in Pb single crystals

OpenAIRE

Iwanaga, Masanobu

2005-01-01

Photoacoustic (PA) wave has been examined in a superconductor of the first kind, Pb single crystal. The PA wave is induced by optical excitation of electronic state and propagates from normal into superconductive phases below T$_{\\rm C}$. It is clearly shown by wavelet analysis that the measured PA wave includes two different components. The high-frequency component is MHz-ultrasonic and the relative low-frequency one is induced by thermal wave. The latter is observed in a similar manner irre...

Superconducting and other phases in organic high polymers of polyacenic carbon skeletons. II. The mean field method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, M.; Kawabe, H.; Nishikawa, K.; Aono, S.

1986-01-01

Ordered phases such as CDW, SDW, and the singlet superconductivity(SSC) are predicted by means of a mean field theory. The electronic Hamiltonian is linearized by introducing order parameters which are expected to arise, and these order parameters are determined self-consistently. The behaviors of gap, transition temperature, and condensation energy are greatly different from those of BCS theory. The coexistence of the various phases is discussed. Aside from a very special case the single phase is most stable

Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krueger Olsen, S.; Kuehle, A.; Traeholt, C.; C Rasmussen, C.; Toennesen, O.; Daeumling, M.; Rasmussen, C.N.; Willen, D.W.A.

1999-01-01

The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current and the voltage over the cable close to 90 degrees. This has the effect that the loss cannot be derived directly using most commercial lock-in amplifiers due to their limited absolute accuracy. However, by using two lock-in amplifiers and an appropriate correction scheme the high relative accuracy of such lock-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce the inductive voltage. The 1 μV cm -1 critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6±0.15 W m -1 . This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far at these high currents. (author)

Method for producing superconductive wires of multifilaments which are encased in copper or a copper alloy and contain niobium and aluminium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flukiger, R.

1983-01-01

A method is disclosed for producing a superconductive wire of multifilaments having components comprising niobium and aluminum encased in copper or a copper alloy, wherein the multifilament configuration and the formation of a superconductive A15 phase are positively developed from the components disposed in a copper or copper alloy tube having an interior metallic coating serving as a diffusion barrier, by cold forming and subsequent heat treatment

Three-flavor color superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malekzadeh, H.

2007-12-15

I investigate some of the inert phases in three-flavor, spin-zero color-superconducting quark matter: the CFL phase (the analogue of the B phase in superfluid {sup 3}He), the A and A{sup *} phases, and the 2SC and sSC phases. I compute the pressure of these phases with and without the neutrality condition. Without the neutrality condition, after the CFL phase the sSC phase is the dominant phase. However, including the neutrality condition, the CFL phase is again the energetically favored phase except for a small region of intermediate densities where the 2SC/A{sup *} phase is favored. It is shown that the 2SC phase is identical to the A{sup *} phase up to a color rotation. In addition, I calculate the self-energies and the spectral densities of longitudinal and transverse gluons at zero temperature in color-superconducting quark matter in the CFL phase. I find a collective excitation, a plasmon, at energies smaller than two times the gap parameter and momenta smaller than about eight times the gap. The dispersion relation of this mode exhibits a minimum at some nonzero value of momentum, indicating a van Hove singularity. (orig.)

Three-flavor color superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malekzadeh, H.

2007-12-01

I investigate some of the inert phases in three-flavor, spin-zero color-superconducting quark matter: the CFL phase (the analogue of the B phase in superfluid 3 He), the A and A * phases, and the 2SC and sSC phases. I compute the pressure of these phases with and without the neutrality condition. Without the neutrality condition, after the CFL phase the sSC phase is the dominant phase. However, including the neutrality condition, the CFL phase is again the energetically favored phase except for a small region of intermediate densities where the 2SC/A * phase is favored. It is shown that the 2SC phase is identical to the A * phase up to a color rotation. In addition, I calculate the self-energies and the spectral densities of longitudinal and transverse gluons at zero temperature in color-superconducting quark matter in the CFL phase. I find a collective excitation, a plasmon, at energies smaller than two times the gap parameter and momenta smaller than about eight times the gap. The dispersion relation of this mode exhibits a minimum at some nonzero value of momentum, indicating a van Hove singularity. (orig.)

Emergent Higgsless Superconductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Diamantini M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a new Higgsless model of superconductivity, inspired from anyon superconductivity but P- and T-invariant and generalizable to any dimension. While the original anyon superconductivity mechanism was based on incompressible quantum Hall fluids as average field states, our mechanism involves topological insulators as average field states. In D space dimensions it involves a (D-1-form fictitious pseudovector gauge field which originates from the condensation of topological defects in compact lowenergy effective BF theories. There is no massive Higgs scalar as there is no local order parameter. When electromagnetism is switched on, the photon acquires mass by the topological BF mechanism. Although the charge of the gapless mode (2 and the topological order (4 are the same as those of the standard Higgs model, the two models of superconductivity are clearly different since the origins of the gap, reflected in the high-energy sectors are totally different. In 2D thi! s type of superconductivity is explicitly realized as global superconductivity in Josephson junction arrays. In 3D this model predicts a possible phase transition from topological insulators to Higgsless superconductors.

Effect of strain on the martensitic phase transition in superconducting Nb3Sn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoard, R.W.; Scanlan, R.M.; Smith, G.S.; Farrell, C.L.

1980-01-01

The connection between the cubic-to-tetragonal martensitic phase transformation and the phenomenon of superconductivity in A15 compounds is being investigated. The degradation of the critical parameters, such as T/sub c/, H/sub c2/, and J/sub c/, with mechanical straining is of particular interest. Low-temperature x-ray diffraction experiments are performed on Nb 3 Sn ribbons (with the bronze layers etched off) mounted on copper and indium sample stages. The cryostat used is unique in that it has a vacuum mechanical insert which allows the superconductor to be placed under both compressive and tensile strains while at low temperatures. Preliminary results indicate that the martensitic phase transition temperature, T/sub m/, increases with compressive strains. Other effects of strain on tetragonal phase production are also discussed

Superconducting magnets for a muon collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.

1996-01-01

The existence of a muon collider will be dependent on the use of superconducting magnets. Superconducting magnets for the μ - μ + collider will be found in the following locations: the π - π + capture system, the muon phase rotation system, the muon cooling system, the recirculating acceleration system, the collider ring, and the collider detector system. This report describes superconducting magnets for each of these sections except the detector. In addition to superconducting magnets, superconducting RF cavities will be found in the recirculating accelerator sections and the collider ring. The use of superconducting magnets is dictated by the need for high magnetic fields in order to reduce the length of various machine components. The performance of all of the superconducting magnets will be affected the energy deposited from muon decay products. (orig.)

Secondary phase formation in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} thin films and YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}}/SrTiO{sub 3} superlattices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, C.N.L.

1996-06-01

Studies of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} (YBCO) thin films and YBCO/STO superlattices has been performed. The dc magnetron sputtered YBCO single layer investigation concerned the dependence of the secondary phase formation and superconducting transport properties on sputtering target and ambient gas composition. YBCO/STO superlattices, grown by dc and rf magnetron sputtering, respectively, were analyzed with respect to microstructure and formation of secondary phases. The main characterization techniques used in this study have been x-ray diffraction to identify phases and to obtain orientational relationships, scanning electron microscopy to study surface morphology, transmission electron microscopy for microstructural characterization, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy for chemical characterization. With the aim to reduce or avoid the formation of copper-rich surface particles and still maintain satisfactory superconducting transport properties, YBCO films were deposited using copper-poor or yttrium-rich sputtering targets in an Ar:O{sub 2} or Ar:O{sub 2}:N{sub 2}O sputtering gas mixture. It was found that the use of yttrium-rich targets and N{sub 2}O in the sputtering gas is a reliable way to achieve smooth films without surface particles and with satisfactory superconducting properties, while the use of copper-poor targets and N{sub 2}O deteriorates those properties. Based on the previous results, YBCO/STO superlattices were grown using yttrium-rich YBCO targets and stoichiometric STO targets, respectively, in a Ar:O{sub 2}:N{sub 2}O sputtering gas mixture. The superlattices were found to have sharp interfaces and no indications of interface reactions were detected. 61 refs, 18 figs, 3 tabs

Cybernetic prediction of selenide Chevreul's phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiseleva, N.N.; Savitskij, E.M.

1981-01-01

The method of training a computer is used to forecast the possibility for the formation of selenide Chevreul's phases of the Asub(x)Bsub(6)Sesub(8) composition (where A is any chemical element, B-Mo, Cr, W, Re). The peculiarities of applying cybernetic forecasting systems in inorganic chemistry are considered. The critical temperature of transfer into the superconducting state of some phases forecasted is estimated [ru

Reluctance motor employing superconducting magnetic flux switches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spyker, R.L.; Ruckstadter, E.J.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that superconducting flux switches controlling the magnetic flux in the poles of a motor will enable the implementation of a reluctance motor using one central single phase winding. A superconducting flux switch consists of a ring of superconducting material surrounding a ferromagnetic pole of the motor. When in the superconducting state the switch will block all magnetic flux attempting to flow in the ferromagnetic core. When switched to the normal state the superconducting switch will allow the magnetic flux to flow freely in that pole. By using one high turns-count coil as a flux generator, and selectively channeling flux among the various poles using the superconducting flux switch, 3-phase operation can be emulated with a single-hase central AC source. The motor will also operate when the flux generating coil is driven by a DC current, provided the magnetic flux switches see a continuously varying magnetic flux. Rotor rotation provides this varying flux due to the change in stator pole inductance it produces

Condition for the occurrence of phase slip centers in superconducting nanowires under applied current or voltage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michotte, S.; Mátéfi-Tempfli, Stefan; Piraux, L.

2004-01-01

Experimental results on the phase slip process in superconducting lead nanowires are presented under two different experimental conditions: constant applied current or constant voltage. Based on these experiments we established a simple model which gives us the condition of the appearance of phase...... slip centers in a quasi-one-dimensional wire. The competition between two relaxations times (relaxation time of the absolute value of the order parameter τ and relaxation time of the phase of the order parameter in the phase slip center τ) governs the phase slip process. Phase slips, as periodic...... oscillations in time of the order parameter, are only possible if the gradient of the phase grows faster than the value of the order parameter in the phase slip center, or equivalently if τ≤ τ....

Superconducting magnets for HERA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolff, S.

1987-01-01

The Hadron-Electron-Ring Accelerator (HERA) presently under construction at DESY, Hamburg, consists of an electron storage ring of 30 GeV and a proton storage ring of 820 GeV. Superconducting magnets are used for the proton ring. There are 416 superconducting bending magnets of 4.698 T central field and 8.824 m magnetic length, 224 superconducting quadrupoles of 91.2 T/m central gradient and many superconducting correction dipoles, quadrupoles and sextupoles. The main dipoles and quadrupoles consist of two-layer coils of 75 mm inner diameter clammed with aluminium (for the dipoles) or stainless steel laminations (for the quadrupoles). The collared coils are surrounded by a laminated cold iron yoke and supported inside a low loss cryostat. The protection system uses cold diodes to bypass the current around a quenching magnet. The magnets are cooled with one phase helium supplied by a 3 block central refrigeration system of 20 kW refrigeration power at 4.3 K. Two helium is returned through the magnets in good thermal contact with the one phase helium in the dipoles for temperature control. This paper describes the magnet system and gives the results obtained for prototype magnets

Superconducting Ferromagnetic Nanodiamond.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Gufei; Samuely, Tomas; Xu, Zheng; Jochum, Johanna K; Volodin, Alexander; Zhou, Shengqiang; May, Paul W; Onufriienko, Oleksandr; Kačmarčík, Jozef; Steele, Julian A; Li, Jun; Vanacken, Johan; Vacík, Jiri; Szabó, Pavol; Yuan, Haifeng; Roeffaers, Maarten B J; Cerbu, Dorin; Samuely, Peter; Hofkens, Johan; Moshchalkov, Victor V

2017-06-27

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism are two mutually antagonistic states in condensed matter. Research on the interplay between these two competing orderings sheds light not only on the cause of various quantum phenomena in strongly correlated systems but also on the general mechanism of superconductivity. Here we report on the observation of the electronic entanglement between superconducting and ferromagnetic states in hydrogenated boron-doped nanodiamond films, which have a superconducting transition temperature T c ∼ 3 K and a Curie temperature T Curie > 400 K. In spite of the high T Curie , our nanodiamond films demonstrate a decrease in the temperature dependence of magnetization below 100 K, in correspondence to an increase in the temperature dependence of resistivity. These anomalous magnetic and electrical transport properties reveal the presence of an intriguing precursor phase, in which spin fluctuations intervene as a result of the interplay between the two antagonistic states. Furthermore, the observations of high-temperature ferromagnetism, giant positive magnetoresistance, and anomalous Hall effect bring attention to the potential applications of our superconducting ferromagnetic nanodiamond films in magnetoelectronics, spintronics, and magnetic field sensing.

Diamagnetism in quasicrystalline superconducting networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Niu; Nori, F.

1990-01-01

In this paper, we review recent results on superconducting structures with quasicrystalline geometry. Specifically, we consider the superconducting-normal phase boundaries of a variety of wire networks and Josephson junction arrays. We have computed the mean field phase diagrams for a number of geometries and compared them to the corresponding experimental data. We have introduced an analytical approach to the analysis of the structures present in the phase boundaries. Furthermore, we have shown in great detail how the gross structure is determined by the statistical distributions of the cell areas, and how the fine structures are determined by correlations among neighboring cells in the lattices. (author). 12 refs, 2 figs

Insights to Superconducting Radio-Frequency Cavity Processing from First Principles Calculations and Spectroscopic Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Denise Christine

Insights to the fundamental processes that occur during the manufacturing of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are provided via analyses of density functional theory calculations and Raman, infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. I show that during electropolishing fluorine is bound and released by the reaction of the acid components in the solution: HF + H2SO4 HFSO3 + H2O. This result implies that new recipes can possibly be developed on the principle of controlled release of fluorine by a chemical reaction. I also show that NMR or Raman spectroscopy can be used to monitor the free fluorine when polishing with the standard electropolishing recipe. Density functional theory was applied to calculate the properties of common processing impurities---hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon---in the niobium. These impurities lower the superconducting transition temperature of niobium, and hydride precipitates are at best weakly superconducting. I modeled several of the niobium hydride phases relevant to SRF cavities, and explain the phase changes in the niobium hydrogen system based on the charge transfer between niobium and hydrogen and the strain field inside of the niobium. I also present evidence for a niobium lattice vacancy serving as a nucleation center for hydride phase formation. In considering the other chemical impurities in niobium, I show that the absorption of oxygen into a niobium lattice vacancy is preferred over the absorption of hydrogen, which indicates that oxygen can block these phase nucleation centers. I also show that dissolved oxygen atoms can trap dissolved hydrogen atoms to prevent niobium hydride phase formation. Nitrogen and carbon were studied in less depth, but behaved similarly to oxygen. Based on these results and a literature survey, I propose a mechanism for the success of the low-temperature anneal applied to niobium SRF cavities. Finally, I present the beginning of a model to describe magnetic

Insights to Superconducting Radio-Frequency Cavity Processing from First Principles Calculations and Spectroscopic Techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ford, Denise Christine [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

2013-03-01

Insights to the fundamental processes that occur during the manufacturing of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are provided via analyses of density functional theory calculations and Raman, infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. I show that during electropolishing fluorine is bound and released by the reaction of the acid components in the solution: HF + H₂SO₄ <-> HFSO₃ + H₂O. This result implies that new recipes can possibly be developed on the principle of controlled release of fluorine by a chemical reaction. I also show that NMR or Raman spectroscopy can be used to monitor the free fluorine when polishing with the standard electropolishing recipe. Density functional theory was applied to calculate the properties of common processing impurities – hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon – in the niobium. These impurities lower the superconducting transition temperature of niobium, and hydride precipitates are at best weakly superconducting. I modeled several of the niobium hydride phases relevant to SRF cavities, and explain the phase changes in the niobium hydrogen system based on the charge transfer between niobium and hydrogen and the strain field inside of the niobium. I also present evidence for a niobium lattice vacancy serving as a nucleation center for hydride phase formation. In considering the other chemical impurities in niobium, I show that the absorption of oxygen into a niobium lattice vacancy is preferred over the absorption of hydrogen, which indicates that oxygen can block these phase nucleation centers. I also show that dissolved oxygen atoms can trap dissolved hydrogen atoms to prevent niobium hydride phase formation. Nitrogen and carbon were studied in less depth, but behaved similarly to oxygen. Based on these results and a literature survey, I propose a mechanism for the success of the low-temperature anneal applied to niobium SRF cavities. Finally, I

The Gas-Phase Formation of Methyl Formate in Hot Molecular Cores

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, Anne; Møllendal, Harald; Sekiguchi, Osamu; Uggerud, Einar; Roberts, Helen; Herbst, Eric; Viggiano, A. A.; Fridgen, Travis D.

2004-08-01

Methyl formate, HCOOCH3, is a well-known interstellar molecule prominent in the spectra of hot molecular cores. The current view of its formation is that it occurs in the gas phase from precursor methanol, which is synthesized on the surfaces of grain mantles during a previous colder era and evaporates while temperatures increase during the process of high-mass star formation. The specific reaction sequence thought to form methyl formate, the ion-molecule reaction between protonated methanol and formaldehyde followed by dissociative recombination of the protonated ion [HCO(H)OCH3]+, has not been studied in detail in the laboratory. We present here the results of both a quantum chemical study of the ion-molecule reaction between [CH3OH2]+ and H2CO as well as new experimental work on the system. In addition, we report theoretical and experimental studies for a variety of other possible gas-phase reactions leading to ion precursors of methyl formate. The studied chemical processes leading to methyl formate are included in a chemical model of hot cores. Our results show that none of these gas-phase processes produces enough methyl formate to explain its observed abundance.

Coherence properties in superconducting flux qubits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spilla, Samuele

2015-02-16

The research work discussed in this thesis deals with the study of superconducting Josephson qubits. Superconducting qubits are solid-state artificial atoms which are based on lithographically defined Josephson tunnel junctions properties. When sufficiently cooled, these superconducting devices exhibit quantized states of charge, flux or junction phase depending on their design parameters. This allows to observe coherent evolutions of their states. The results presented can be divided into two parts. In a first part we investigate operations of superconducting qubits based on the quantum coherence in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID). We explain experimental data which has been observed in a SQUID subjected to fast, large-amplitude modifications of its effective potential shape. The motivations for this work come from the fact that in the past few years there have been attempts to interpret the supposed quantum behavior of physical systems, such as Josephson devices, within a classical framework. Moreover, we analyze the possibility of generating GHZ states, namely maximally entangled states, in a quantum system made out of three Josephson qubits. In particular, we investigate the possible limitations of the GHZ state generation due to coupling to bosonic baths. In the second part of the thesis we address a particular cause of decoherence of flux qubits which has been disregarded until now: thermal gradients, which can arise due to accidental non equilibrium quasiparticle distributions. The reason for these detrimental effects is that heat currents flowing through Josephson tunnel junctions in response to a temperature gradient are periodic functions of the phase difference between the electrodes. The phase dependence of the heat current comes from Andreev reflection, namely an interplay between the quasiparticles which carry heat and the superconducting condensate which is sensitive to the superconducting phase difference. Generally speaking

Microstructural development of superconducting phases in Pb-BSCCO system derived from sol-gel technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qureshi, A.H.; Hussain, N.; Durrani, S.K.; Waqas, H.; Arshad, M.

2010-01-01

Sol-gel processing technique has been utilized to produce the gel of Pb-BSCCO system (Bi/sub 2/-xPbxSr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/+-y, where x 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8, are the mole fraction of Pb substituted against Bi). The gel samples were subsequently heated to 800 deg. C for 2 h to obtain the powders which were then pressed and sintered at 845 deg. C for 60 h. The morphologies in the Pb-BSCCO gel, powder and sintered products were observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope. The plate-like growths of the superconducting phases are evident from the SEM micrographs. The optical micrographs of sintered samples showed that the samples containing 0.2 and 0.8 mole fraction of Pb mainly consisted of dark grey and white regions, while sample having 0.4 mole fraction of Pb comprised of dark grey, light grey, and white regions. The different regions were analyzed by using energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) analyzer attached with SEM. The results revealed that the dark grey regions in all the samples represented the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8/ +- y (2212) phase whereas, light grey regions in sample (x = 0.4) constituted the Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10/ +- y (2223) phase. The white regions in all samples depicted the presence of CuO. The best result in term of larger fraction of superconducting phase (2223) has been observed in sample containing 0.4 mole fraction of Pb. (author)

Structural chemistry of superconducting pnictides and pnictide oxides with layered structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johrendt, Dirk [Ludwig-Maximilians-Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Dept. Chemie und Biochemie; Hosono, Hideo [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama (Japan). Frontier Research Center; Hoffmann, Rolf-Dieter; Poettgen, Rainer [Muenster Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Anorganische und Analytische Chemie

2011-07-01

The basic structural chemistry of superconducting pnictides and pnictide oxides is reviewed. Crystal chemical details of selected compounds and group subgroup schemes are discussed with respect to phase transitions upon charge-density formation, the ordering of vacancies, or the ordered displacements of oxygen atoms. Furthermore, the influences of doping and solid solutions on the valence electron concentration are discussed in order to highlight the structural and electronic flexibility of these materials. (orig.)

Superconducting classes in heavy fermions systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volovik, G.E.; Gor'kov, L.P.

1985-01-01

A mathematical method for constructing of the superconductivity classes for nontrivial superconductors is described. All superconducting phases which can arise directly on transition from the normal state for cubic, hexagonal and tetragonal symmetries are enumerated. It is shown that in the triplet case the types of zeros in the energy gap always correspond to points on the Fermi surface, whereas for signlet pairing the whole zero lines are possible. For the phases with zeros on the lines or points, the low-temperature specific heat varies as T 2 on T 3 respectivelty. The superconducting phases which arise from the multydimensional representations may possess a magnetic moment which induces currents on the surface of a monodomain sample even in the absence of an external magnetic field. The specific case of a domain wall is considered and it is shown that large magnetic currents of magnetization are present in the wall

Synthesis of superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates using a novel method: Electrolyzed and oxidized water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, C.-J.; Wu, T.-H.; Hsu, L.-L.; Wang, J.-S.; Chen, S.-Y.

2007-01-01

By deintercalation of Na + followed by inserting bilayers of water molecules into the host lattice, the layered cobalt oxide of γ-Na 0.7 CoO 2 undergoes a topotactic transformation to a layered cobalt oxyhydrate of Na 0.35 (H 2 O) 1.3 CoO 2-δ with the c-axis expanded from c ∼ 10.9 A to c ∼ 19.6 A. In this paper, we demonstrate that the superconducting phase of c ∼ 19.6 A can be directly obtained by simply immersing γ-Na 0.7 CoO 2 powders in electrolyzed/oxidized (EO) water, which is readily available from a commercial electrolyzed water generator. We found that high oxidation-reduction potential of EO water drives the oxidation of the cobalt ions accompanying by the formation of the superconductive c ∼ 19.6 A phase. Our results demonstrate how EO water can be used to oxidize the cobalt ions and hence form superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates in a clean and simple way and may provide an economic and environment-friendly route to oxidize the transition metal of complex metal oxides

Synthesis of superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates using a novel method: Electrolyzed and oxidized water

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chia-Jyi; Wu, Tsung-Hsien; Hsu, Lin-Li; Wang, Jung-Sheng; Chen, Shu-Yo

2007-09-01

By deintercalation of Na+ followed by inserting bilayers of water molecules into the host lattice, the layered cobalt oxide of γ-Na0.7CoO2 undergoes a topotactic transformation to a layered cobalt oxyhydrate of Na0.35(H2O)1.3CoO2-δ with the c-axis expanded from c ≈ 10.9 Å to c ≈ 19.6 Å. In this paper, we demonstrate that the superconducting phase of c ≈ 19.6 Å can be directly obtained by simply immersing γ-Na0.7CoO2 powders in electrolyzed/oxidized (EO) water, which is readily available from a commercial electrolyzed water generator. We found that high oxidation-reduction potential of EO water drives the oxidation of the cobalt ions accompanying by the formation of the superconductive c ≈ 19.6 Å phase. Our results demonstrate how EO water can be used to oxidize the cobalt ions and hence form superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates in a clean and simple way and may provide an economic and environment-friendly route to oxidize the transition metal of complex metal oxides.

Synthesis of superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates using a novel method: Electrolyzed and oxidized water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, C.-J. [Department of Physics, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: liucj@cc.ncue.edu.tw; Wu, T.-H.; Hsu, L.-L.; Wang, J.-S.; Chen, S.-Y. [Department of Physics, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan (China)

2007-09-01

By deintercalation of Na{sup +} followed by inserting bilayers of water molecules into the host lattice, the layered cobalt oxide of {gamma}-Na{sub 0.7}CoO{sub 2} undergoes a topotactic transformation to a layered cobalt oxyhydrate of Na{sub 0.35}(H{sub 2}O){sub 1.3}CoO{sub 2-{delta}} with the c-axis expanded from c {approx} 10.9 A to c {approx} 19.6 A. In this paper, we demonstrate that the superconducting phase of c {approx} 19.6 A can be directly obtained by simply immersing {gamma}-Na{sub 0.7}CoO{sub 2} powders in electrolyzed/oxidized (EO) water, which is readily available from a commercial electrolyzed water generator. We found that high oxidation-reduction potential of EO water drives the oxidation of the cobalt ions accompanying by the formation of the superconductive c {approx} 19.6 A phase. Our results demonstrate how EO water can be used to oxidize the cobalt ions and hence form superconducting cobalt oxyhydrates in a clean and simple way and may provide an economic and environment-friendly route to oxidize the transition metal of complex metal oxides.

Superconductivity without inversion symmetry in CePt3Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigeri, P.A.; Agterberg, D.F.; Koga, A.; Sigrist, M.

2005-01-01

Based on symmetry arguments by Anderson, the following conditions are necessary for the formation of Cooper pairs: spin-singlet pairing relies on time-reversal symmetry, while spin-triplet pairing requires parity in addition. The rather general formulation of this rule has led to the common belief that the lack of an inversion center in a material would prevent spin-triplet pairing indiscriminately. In this presentation, we discuss symmetry aspects of superconductivity in a class of systems without inversion symmetry which is connected with spin-orbit coupling. We can show that, not only spin singlet pairing, but also certain spin triplet states remain unaffected by the loss of inversion symmetry. Moreover, the absence of an inversion center reduces the effect of paramagnetic limiting for spin-singlet pairing states in an external magnetic field. Based on this symmetry analysis, we examine the recently discovered heavy Fermion superconductor CePt 3 Si, where a missing inversion plane leads to the well-known Rashba-type of spin-orbit coupling. In particular, the problem of the pairing symmetry will be addressed as well as several properties of the superconducting phase which appears close to a quantum phase transition between a paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic phase. The same kind of analysis will also be done for another example UIr

Phase formation in contact of dissimilar metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savvin, V S; Kazachkova, Yu A; Povzner, A A [Ural State Technical University-UPI, Mira st., 19, A-203, Yekaterinburg 620002 (Russian Federation)], E-mail: savvin-vs@yandex.ru

2008-02-15

Formation and growth of intermediate phases in contact of the crystalline samples forming a two-component eutectic system is considered. It is shown that during the competition to a growing liquid phase the intermediate solid phases cannot grow by diffusion. The alternative is formation of metastable areas of a liquid phase. Measurements of liquid layers extent in Pb-Bi and In-Bi systems have allowed to define the composition of liquid on interface where formation of metastable liquid is possible. The results show that the concentration interval of a liquid layer corresponds to a stable constitution diagram. In order to explain the experimental results the hypothesis according to which the intermediate solid phases are formed as a result of precipitation from metastable melt is considered. The experimental confirmation of formation and crystallization of a metastable liquid is the fact that intergrowth of the samples forming system with an intermetallic phase at temperatures below the temperature of fusion of the most low-melting eutectic is observed. The possibility of the processes concerned with the occurrence of metastable areas of a liquid is showed by means of computer imitation.

Superconductivity in the background of disordered flux state of spins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Shiping; Guo Rui; Han Fei

1992-01-01

The phase diagram of the copper oxide materials with the antiferromagnetic and the superconducting properties as a function of doping δ is obtained in the framework of the t-J model by using the Schwinger boson-slave fermion theory. The results show that the spiral order of spins competes and coexists with superconductivity for small doping δ. For large doping δ, superconductivity appears, which may be caused by the occurrence of a disordered flux state of spins. The phase diagram suggests a strong relationship between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity. (orig.)

Controllable manipulation of superconductivity using magnetic vortices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villegas, J E; Schuller, Ivan K

2011-01-01

The magneto-transport of a superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrid structure, consisting of a superconducting thin film in contact with an array of magnetic nanodots in the so-called 'magnetic vortex state', exhibits interesting properties. For certain magnetic states, the stray magnetic field from the vortex array is intense enough to drive the superconducting film into the normal state. In this fashion, the normal-to-superconducting phase transition can be controlled by the magnetic history. The strong coupling between superconducting and magnetic subsystems allows characteristically ferromagnetic properties, such as hysteresis and remanence, to be dramatically transferred into the transport properties of the superconductor.

Unconventional superconductivity in heavy-fermion compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, B.D. [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Center for Advanced Nanoscience, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Thompson, J.D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Maple, M.B., E-mail: mbmaple@ucsd.edu [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Center for Advanced Nanoscience, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • Quasiparticles in heavy-fermion compounds are much heavier than free electrons. • Superconductivity involves pairing of these massive quasiparticles. • Quasiparticle pairing mediated by magnetic or quadrupolar fluctuations. • We review the properties of superconductivity in heavy-fermion compounds. - Abstract: Over the past 35 years, research on unconventional superconductivity in heavy-fermion systems has evolved from the surprising observations of unprecedented superconducting properties in compounds that convention dictated should not superconduct at all to performing explorations of rich phase spaces in which the delicate interplay between competing ground states appears to support emergent superconducting states. In this article, we review the current understanding of superconductivity in heavy-fermion compounds and identify a set of characteristics that is common to their unconventional superconducting states. These core properties are compared with those of other classes of unconventional superconductors such as the cuprates and iron-based superconductors. We conclude by speculating on the prospects for future research in this field and how new advances might contribute towards resolving the long-standing mystery of how unconventional superconductivity works.

The happy marriage between electron-phonon superconductivity and Mott physics in Cs3C60: A first-principle phase diagram

Science.gov (United States)

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

The phase diagram of doped fullerides like Cs3C60 as a function of the spacing between fullerene molecules is characterized by a first-order transition between a Mott insulator and an s-wave superconductor with a dome-shaped behavior of the critical temperature. By means of an ab-initio modeling of the bandstructure, the electron-phonon interaction and the interaction parameter and a Dynamical Mean-Field Theory solution, we reproduce the phase diagram and demonstrate that phonon superconductivity benefits from strong correlations confirming earlier model predictions. The role of correlations is manifest also in infrared measurements carried out by L. Baldassarre. The superconducting phase shares many similarities with ''exotic'' superconductors with electronic pairing, suggesting that the anomalies in the ''normal'' state, rather than the pairing glue, can be the real common element unifying a wide family of strongly correlated superconductors including cuprates and iron superconductors

Last LEP superconducting module travels to surface

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2001-01-01

The last superconducting module is raised from the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider tunnel, through the main shaft, to the surface. Superconducting modules were only used in the LEP-2 phase of the accelerator, from 1996 to 2000.

Continuous-variable geometric phase and its manipulation for quantum computation in a superconducting circuit.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Chao; Zheng, Shi-Biao; Zhang, Pengfei; Xu, Kai; Zhang, Libo; Guo, Qiujiang; Liu, Wuxin; Xu, Da; Deng, Hui; Huang, Keqiang; Zheng, Dongning; Zhu, Xiaobo; Wang, H

2017-10-20

Geometric phase, associated with holonomy transformation in quantum state space, is an important quantum-mechanical effect. Besides fundamental interest, this effect has practical applications, among which geometric quantum computation is a paradigm, where quantum logic operations are realized through geometric phase manipulation that has some intrinsic noise-resilient advantages and may enable simplified implementation of multi-qubit gates compared to the dynamical approach. Here we report observation of a continuous-variable geometric phase and demonstrate a quantum gate protocol based on this phase in a superconducting circuit, where five qubits are controllably coupled to a resonator. Our geometric approach allows for one-step implementation of n-qubit controlled-phase gates, which represents a remarkable advantage compared to gate decomposition methods, where the number of required steps dramatically increases with n. Following this approach, we realize these gates with n up to 4, verifying the high efficiency of this geometric manipulation for quantum computation.

Phase formation of physically associating polymer blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Fumihiko

1993-01-01

Polymers exhibit a variety of condensed phases when some of their segments are capable of forming weak bonds which can be created and destroyed by thermal motion. Transition from one phase to another caused by such 'segment association' is reversible by the change of the temperature and the concentration, so that it is called 'reversible phase transition'. What types of reversible phase formation are possible for a given associative interaction? What is the most fundamental laws which govern the competition between molecular association and phase separation? This paper surveys, as typical examples of reversible phases, macroscopic phase separation, microphase formation, solvation, gelation, etc. from the unified point of view, and explores the possibility of new condensed phases caused by their mutual interference. (author)

On possibility of superconductivity in SnSb: A first principle study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dabhi, Shweta D. [Department of Physics, M. K. Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar 364001 (India); Shrivastava, Deepika [Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal 462026 (India); Jha, Prafulla K., E-mail: prafullaj@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The M. S. University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002 (India); Sanyal, Sankar P. [Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal 462026 (India)

2016-09-15

Highlights: • Superconducting property of SnSb is predicted by ab-initio calculations. • Electronic properties of SnSb in RS phase shows metallic behaviour similar to SnAs. • Phonon dispersion confirms the dynamical stability of SnSb in RS phase. • Superconducting transition temperature is 3.1 K, slightly lower than that of SnAs. • Calculated thermodynamic properties are also reported. - Abstract: The electronic, phonon structure and superconducting properties of tin antimonide (SnSb) in rock-salt (RS) structure are calculated using first-principles density functional theory. The electronic band structure and density of states show metallic behavior. The phonon frequencies are positive throughout the Brillouin zone in rock-salt structure indicating its stability in that phase. Superconductivity of SnSb in RS phase is discussed in detail by calculating phonon linewidths, Eliashberg spectral function, electron-phonon coupling constant and superconducting transition temperature. SnSb is found to have a slightly lower T{sub C} (3.1 K), as compared to SnAs.

The study of superconducting order parameter dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, A.M.

1988-01-01

Flux quantization experiments have demonstrated the importance of long range phase coherence in the description of the superconducting state, an idea originally proposed as an integral part of the phenomenological theory of the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect. The most striking experimental demonstration of the phase coherence of the superconducting state is that the maximum dc Josephson current in a thin-film tunneling junction exhibits a Fraunhofer-like dependence on magnetic field

NQR study in superconducting La2CuO4+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, K.; Sugata, T.; Kohori, Y.; Oda, Y.; Kohara, T.

1992-01-01

Cu NQR signals were observed around 33.1 and 36.0 MHz together with the antiferromagnetic Cu NMR signals in the superconducting La 2 CuO 4+ δ obtained by annealing in high pressure oxygen gas. The NQR intensity increases with increasing oxygen contents. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time, T 1 , of Cu NQR indicates that the paramagnetic phase is in the superconducting state at low temperatures. These results show that the NQR and NMR signals were coming from the Cu sites in the superconducting phase and the antiferromagnetic phase, respectively. No appreciable differences were observed in the Cu NQR spectrum and the relaxation time between the superconducting La 2 CuO 4 + δ samples annealed under the oxygen pressure of 400 ≅ 1200 bar. (orig.)

Topological superconductivity in the extended Kitaev-Heisenberg model

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Johann; Scherer, Daniel D.; Black-Schaffer, Annica M.

2018-01-01

We study superconducting pairing in the doped Kitaev-Heisenberg model by taking into account the recently proposed symmetric off-diagonal exchange Γ . By performing a mean-field analysis, we classify all possible superconducting phases in terms of symmetry, explicitly taking into account effects of spin-orbit coupling. Solving the resulting gap equations self-consistently, we map out a phase diagram that involves several topologically nontrivial states. For Γ breaking chiral phase with Chern number ±1 and a time-reversal symmetric nematic phase that breaks the rotational symmetry of the lattice. On the other hand, for Γ ≥0 we find a time-reversal symmetric phase that preserves all the lattice symmetries, thus yielding clearly distinguishable experimental signatures for all superconducting phases. Both of the time-reversal symmetric phases display a transition to a Z2 nontrivial phase at high doping levels. Finally, we also include a symmetry-allowed spin-orbit coupling kinetic energy and show that it destroys a tentative symmetry-protected topological order at lower doping levels. However, it can be used to tune the time-reversal symmetric phases into a Z2 nontrivial phase even at lower doping.

Preparing last LEP superconducting module for removal

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2000-01-01

The last superconducting module travels along the LEP tunnel towards one of the shafts where it will be lifted to the surface. Superconducting modules were only used in the LEP-2 phase of the accelerator, from 1996 to 2000.

Methodology and search for superconductivity in the La-Si-C system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De la Venta, J; Basaran, Ali C; Schuller, Ivan K; Grant, T; Machado, A J S; Fisk, Z; Suchomel, M R; Weber, R T

2011-01-01

In this paper we describe a methodology for the search for new superconducting materials. This consists of a parallel synthesis of a highly inhomogeneous alloy which covers large areas of the metallurgical phase diagram combined with a fast, microwave-based method which allows non-superconducting portions of the sample to be discarded. Once an inhomogeneous sample containing a minority phase superconductor is identified, we revert to well-known thorough identification methods which include standard physical and structural methods. We show how a systematic structural study helps in avoiding misidentification of new superconducting materials when there are indications from other methods of new discoveries. These ideas are applied to the La-Si-C system which exhibits promising normal state properties which are sometimes correlated with superconductivity. Although this system shows indications for the presence of a new superconducting compound, the careful analysis described here shows that the superconductivity in this system can be attributed to intermediate binary and single phases of the system.

Effect of disorder on the superconducting properties of materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brouers, F.; Derenne, M.

1982-01-01

The effect of the variation of the density states at the Fermi level on the critical superconductivity temperature TC of transition metal compounds is studied. This paper suggests using the technique of calculating the 5-fold degenerate d-band density of states from a continued fraction extension of a tight-binding Green function to study the relative importance of one dimensionality chain coupling, three dimensional interactions and the effect of disorder on the electronic and superconducting properties of complex phase and in particular A15 phases. The first results obtained for A15 phases density of states indicate that an extension of the suggested method can be of great interest to analyze the effect of disorder on superconductivity properties of complex phases

Superconducting magnetic bearings for machine tools. Phase 1, SBIR program. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anastas, G.; Bennett, A.; Downer, J.; Hockney, R.

1988-01-01

The research was directed toward investigating the role of superconducting materials in a magnetic bearing system. Superconducting magnetic bearings are shown to offer the potential for vastly improved performance. These bearings are expected to be especially applicable to rotors which have extremely tight position tolerances. The development of superconducting magnetic bearing technology is also expected to allow a number of novel approaches in the development of machinery and systems. Researchers studied an alternative bearing design which employs a superconducting coil and eliminates all conventional magnetic structures. The study has resulted in a design definition and detailed analysis for a superconducting bearing system which is sized to roughly duplicate the air bearing system of an existing air-bearing spindle

Simulating a topological transition in a superconducting phase qubit by fast adiabatic trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tenghui; Zhang, Zhenxing; Xiang, Liang; Gong, Zhihao; Wu, Jianlan; Yin, Yi

2018-04-01

The significance of topological phases has been widely recognized in the community of condensed matter physics. The well controllable quantum systems provide an artificial platform to probe and engineer various topological phases. The adiabatic trajectory of a quantum state describes the change of the bulk Bloch eigenstates with the momentum, and this adiabatic simulation method is however practically limited due to quantum dissipation. Here we apply the "shortcut to adiabaticity" (STA) protocol to realize fast adiabatic evolutions in the system of a superconducting phase qubit. The resulting fast adiabatic trajectories illustrate the change of the bulk Bloch eigenstates in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. A sharp transition is experimentally determined for the topological invariant of a winding number. Our experiment helps identify the topological Chern number of a two-dimensional toy model, suggesting the applicability of the fast adiabatic simulation method for topological systems.

A digital closed loop control system for automatic phase locking of superconducting cavities of IUAC Linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutt, R.N.; Rai, A.; Pandey, A.; Sahu, B.K.; Patra, P.; Karmakar, J.; Chaudhari, G.K.; Mathur, Y.; Ghosh, S.; Kanjilal, D.

2013-01-01

A closed loop digital control system has been designed and tested to automate the tuning process of superconducting resonators of LINAC at Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi. The mechanism controls the proportional valves of the He gas based pneumatic tuner in response to the phase and frequency errors of the cavity RF field. The main RF phase lock loop (PLL) is automatically closed once the resonant frequency is within locking range of the resonator PLL. The digital control scheme was successfully tested on few resonators of LINAC cryostat 1. A high stability of phase lock was observed. The details of the digital automation system are presented in the paper. (author)

The three phases of galaxy formation

Science.gov (United States)

Clauwens, Bart; Schaye, Joop; Franx, Marijn; Bower, Richard G.

2018-05-01

We investigate the origin of the Hubble sequence by analysing the evolution of the kinematic morphologies of central galaxies in the EAGLE cosmological simulation. By separating each galaxy into disc and spheroidal stellar components and tracing their evolution along the merger tree, we find that the morphology of galaxies follows a common evolutionary trend. We distinguish three phases of galaxy formation. These phases are determined primarily by mass, rather than redshift. For M* ≲ 109.5M⊙ galaxies grow in a disorganised way, resulting in a morphology that is dominated by random stellar motions. This phase is dominated by in-situ star formation, partly triggered by mergers. In the mass range 109.5M⊙ ≲ M* ≲ 1010.5M⊙ galaxies evolve towards a disc-dominated morphology, driven by in-situ star formation. The central spheroid (i.e. the bulge) at z = 0 consists mostly of stars that formed in-situ, yet the formation of the bulge is to a large degree associated with mergers. Finally, at M* ≳ 1010.5M⊙ growth through in-situ star formation slows down considerably and galaxies transform towards a more spheroidal morphology. This transformation is driven more by the buildup of spheroids than by the destruction of discs. Spheroid formation in these galaxies happens mostly by accretion at large radii of stars formed ex-situ (i.e. the halo rather than the bulge).

Superconductivity in Layered Organic Metals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jochen Wosnitza

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In this short review, I will give an overview on the current understanding of the superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional organic metals. Thereby, I will focus on charge-transfer salts based on bis(ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF or ET for short. In these materials, strong electronic correlations are clearly evident, resulting in unique phase diagrams. The layered crystallographic structure leads to highly anisotropic electronic as well as superconducting properties. The corresponding very high orbital critical field for in-plane magnetic-field alignment allows for the occurrence of the Fulde–Ferrell– Larkin–Ovchinnikov state as evidenced by thermodynamic measurements. The experimental picture on the nature of the superconducting state is still controversial with evidence both for unconventional as well as for BCS-like superconductivity.

On anyon superconductivity--

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.-H.; Wilczek, F.; Witten, E.; Halperin, B.I.

1989-01-01

We investigate the statistical mechanics of a gas of fractional statistics particles in 2 + 1 dimensions. In the case of statistics very close to Fermi statistics (statistical parameter θ = π(1 - 1/n), for large n), the effect of the statistics is a weak attraction. Building upon earlier RPA calculation for the case n = 2, the authors argue that for large n perturbation theory is reliable and exhibits superfluidity (or superconductivity after coupling to electromagnetism). They describe the order parameter for this superconductng phase in terms of spontaneous breaking of commutativity of translations as opposed to the usual pairing order parameters. The vortices of the superconducting anyon gas are charged, and superconducting order parameters of the usual type vanish. They investigate the characteristic P and T violating phenomenology

The Future of Superconducting Technology for Particle Accelerators

CERN Document Server

Yamamoto, Akira

2015-01-01

Introduction: - Colliders constructed and operated - Future High Energy Colliders under Study - Superconducting Phases and Applications - Possible Choices among SC Materials Superconducting Magnets and the Future - Advances in SC Magnets for Accelerators - Nb$_{3}$Sn for realizing Higher Field - NbTi to Nb$_{3}$Sn for realizing High Field (> 10 T) - HL-LHC as a critical milestone for the Future of Acc. Magnet Technology - Nb$_{3}$Sn Superconducting Magnets (> 11 T)and MgB2 SC Links for HL-LHC - HL-LHC, 11T Dipole Magnet - Nb$_{3}$Sn Quadrupole (MQXF) at IR - Future Circular Collider Study - Conductor development (1998-2008) - Nb$_{3}$Sn conductor program - 16 T Dipole Options and R&D sharing - Design Study and Develoment for SppC in China - High-Field Superconductor and Magnets - HTS Block Coil R&D for 20 T - Canted Cosine Theta (CCT) Coil suitable with Brittle HTS Conductor - A topic at KEK: S-KEKB IRQs just integrated w/ BELLE-II ! Superconducting RF and the Future - Superconducting Phase...

The Future of Superconducting Technology for Particle Accelerators

CERN Document Server

Yamamoto, Akira

2015-01-01

Introduction: - Colliders constructed and operated - Future High Energy Colliders under Study - Superconducting Phases and Applications - Possible Choices among SC Materials Superconducting Magnets and the Future - Advances in SC Magnets for Accelerators - Nb3Sn for realizing Higher Field - NbTi to Nb3Sn for realizing High Field (> 10 T) - HL-LHC as a critical milestone for the Future of Acc. Magnet Technology - Nb3Sn Superconducting Magnets (> 11 T)and MgB2 SC Links for HL-LHC - HL-LHC, 11T Dipole Magnet - Nb3Sn Quadrupole (MQXF) at IR - Future Circular Collider Study - Conductor development (1998-2008) - Nb3Sn conductor program - 16 T Dipole Options and R&D sharing - Design Study and Develoment for SppC in China - High-Field Superconductor and Magnets - HTS Block Coil R&D for 20 T - Canted Cosine Theta (CCT) Coil suitable with Brittle HTS Conductor - A topic at KEK: S-KEKB IRQs just integrated w/ BELLE-II ! Superconducting RF and the Future - Superconducting Phases and Applications - Poss...

Nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity in FeSe.

Science.gov (United States)

Böhmer, Anna E; Kreisel, Andreas

2018-01-17

Iron-based superconductors are well known for their complex interplay between structure, magnetism and superconductivity. FeSe offers a particularly fascinating example. This material has been intensely discussed because of its extended nematic phase, whose relationship with magnetism is not obvious. Superconductivity in FeSe is highly tunable, with the superconducting transition temperature, T c , ranging from 8 K in bulk single crystals at ambient pressure to almost 40 K under pressure or in intercalated systems, and to even higher temperatures in thin films. In this topical review, we present an overview of nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity, and discuss the interplay of these phases in FeSe. We focus on bulk FeSe and the effects of physical pressure and chemical substitutions as tuning parameters. The experimental results are discussed in the context of the well-studied iron-pnictide superconductors and interpretations from theoretical approaches are presented.

Earlier and recent aspects of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednorz, J.G.; Muller, K.A.

1990-01-01

Contemporary knowledge of superconductivity is set against its historical background in this book. First, the highlights of superconductivity research in the twentieth century are reviewed. Further contributions then describe the basic phenomena resulting from the macroscopic quantum state of superconductivity (such as zero resistivity, the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, and flux quantization) and review possible mechanisms, including the classical BCS theory and the more recent alternative theories. The main categories of superconductors - elements, intermetallic phases, chalcogenides, oxides and organic compounds - are described. Common features and differences in their structure and electronic properties are pointed out. This overview of superconductivity is completed by a discussion of properties related to the coherence length

Superconducting accelerator magnet design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolff, S.

1994-01-01

Superconducting dipoles, quadrupoles and correction magnets are necessary to achieve the high magnetic fields required for big accelerators presently in construction or in the design phase. Different designs of superconducting accelerator magnets are described and the designs chosen at the big accelerator laboratories are presented. The most frequently used cosθ coil configuration is discussed in detail. Approaches for calculating the magnetic field quality including coil end fields are presented. Design details of the cables, coils, mechanical structures, yokes, helium vessels and cryostats including thermal radiation shields and support structures used in superconducting magnets are given. Necessary material properties are mentioned. Finally, the main results of magnetic field measurements and quench statistics are presented. (orig.)

Superconducting nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metlushko, V.

1998-01-01

Within the last year it has been realized that the remarkable properties of superconducting thin films containing a periodic array of defects (such as sub-micron sized holes) offer a new route for developing a novel superconducting materials based on precise control of microstructure by modern photolithography. A superconductor is a material which, when cooled below a certain temperature, loses all resistance to electricity. This means that superconducting materials can carry large electrical currents without any energy loss--but there are limits to how much current can flow before superconductivity is destroyed. The current at which superconductivity breaks down is called the critical current. The value of the critical current is determined by the balance of Lorentz forces and pinning forces acting on the flux lines in the superconductor. Lorentz forces proportional to the current flow tend to drive the flux lines into motion, which dissipates energy and destroys zero resistance. Pinning forces created by isolated defects in the microstructure oppose flux line motion and increase the critical current. Many kinds of artificial pinning centers have been proposed and developed to increase critical current performance, ranging from dispersal of small non-superconducting second phases to creation of defects by proton, neutron or heavy ion irradiation. In all of these methods, the pinning centers are randomly distributed over the superconducting material, causing them to operate well below their maximum efficiency. We are overcome this drawback by creating pinning centers in aperiodic lattice (see Fig 1) so that each pin site interacts strongly with only one or a few flux lines

Geometric phases and quantum correlations of superconducting two-qubit system with dissipative effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Liyuan; Yu, Yanxia; Cai, Xiaoya; Pan, Hui; Wang, Zisheng

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We find that the Pancharatnam phases include the information of quantum correlations. • We show that the sudden died and alive phenomena of quantum entanglement is original in the transition of Pancharatnam phase. • We find that the faster the Pancharatnam phases change, the slower the quantum correlations decay. • We find that a subspace of quantum entanglement can exist in the Y-state. • Our results provide a useful approach experimentally to implement the time-dependent geometric quantum computation. - Abstract: We investigate time-dependent Pancharatnam phases and the relations between such geometric phases and quantum correlations, i.e., quantum discord and concurrence, of superconducting two-qubit coupling system in dissipative environment with the mixture effects of four different eigenstates of density matrix. We find that the time-dependent Pancharatnam phases not only keep the motion memory of such a two-qubit system, but also include the information of quantum correlations. We show that the sudden died and alive phenomena of quantum entanglement are intrinsic in the transition of Pancharatnam phase in the X-state and the complex oscillations of Pancharatnam phase in the Y-state. The faster the Pancharatnam phases change, the slower the quantum correlations decay. In particular, we find that a subspace of quantum entanglement can exist in the Y-state by choosing suitable coupling parameters between two-qubit system and its environment, or initial conditions.

Formation of ω-phase in Zr-4 at.% Cr alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobromyslov, A.V.; Kazantseva, N.V.

1996-01-01

The ω-phase has been discovered in zirconium-base alloys with the transition metals of Period 4 of the Periodic Table only in Zr-V, Zr-Cr, and Zr-Cu alloys. The first mention about the ω-phase formation in Zr-Cr alloys was given for Zr-4.5 at.%. However, there were no experimental data that confirmed this fact. W.M. Rumball and F.G. Elder presented the X-ray results on the ω-phase formation in Zr-3.9 at.%Cr, but at the present time there are no electron microscope studies of the structure of the ω-phase in this system. Investigations of the features of the ω-phase formation, morphology of the ω-phase and the mechanism of its formation in the different zirconium-base alloys are necessary to establish the common features of the formation of structures with the metastable phases. The task of the present work is to study the conditions and features of the ω-phase formation in the Zr-Cr alloys and the effect of the eutectoid decomposition on the formation of ω-phase. This article is part of the detailed investigations of the feature and condition of the ω-phase formation in zirconium-base alloys with the transition metals of the groups I and V to VIII of the Periodic Table

Obstacles to superconductivity in CsCl phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthias, B.T.; Corenzwit, E.; Vandenberg, J.M.; Barz, H.; Maple, M.B.; Shelton, R.N.

1976-01-01

Reasons are put forward for why the CsCl structure is not a structure which is favorable for high-temperature superconductivity. The transition temperatures of several binary and ternary intermetallic compounds are given to illustrate the arguments. (B.R.H.)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2012-12-01

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

Crystalline phases and electronic structures in superconducting Bi endash Sr endash Ca endash Cu oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giardina, M.D.; Feduzi, R.; Inzaghi, D.; Manara, A.; Giori, C.; Sora, I.N.; Dallacasa, V.

1997-01-01

Two classes of samples, designated A and B, of layered Bi endash Sr endash Ca endash Cu oxides having the same nominal composition 4:3:3:4, but different thermal histories, were investigated by using field modulated microwave absorption (ESR), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and x-ray absorption near the edge structure (XANES). Previous electrical resistivity measurements showed that the B samples only presented two superconducting phases with midpoints of the transition temperatures at ∼80K and ∼105K. The microwave absorption technique indicated instead the presence of islands which became superconducting at the above-mentioned temperatures also in the A samples. The crystalline and electronic structures of the two types of samples are illustrated and discussed. A plausible theoretical interpretation of the experimental results, based on a quantum percolation model with Coulomb interaction, is also given. copyright 1997 Materials Research Society

Electride and superconductivity behaviors in Mn5Si3-type intermetallics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yaoqing; Wang, Bosen; Xiao, Zewen; Lu, Yangfan; Kamiya, Toshio; Uwatoko, Yoshiya; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Hosono, Hideo

2017-08-01

Electrides are unique in the sense that they contain localized anionic electrons in the interstitial regions. Yet they exist with a diversity of chemical compositions, especially under extreme conditions, implying generalized underlying principles for their existence. What is rarely observed is the combination of electride state and superconductivity within the same material, but such behavior would open up a new category of superconductors. Here, we report a hexagonal Nb5Ir3 phase of Mn5Si3-type structure that falls into this category and extends the electride concept into intermetallics. The confined electrons in the one-dimensional cavities are reflected by the characteristic channel bands in the electronic structure. Filling these free spaces with foreign oxygen atoms serves to engineer the band topology and increase the superconducting transition temperature to 10.5 K in Nb5Ir3O. Specific heat analysis indicates the appearance of low-lying phonons and two-gap s-wave superconductivity. Strong electron-phonon coupling is revealed to be the pairing glue with an anomalously large ratio between the superconducting gap Δ0 and Tc, 2Δ0/kBTc = 6.12. The general rule governing the formation of electrides concerns the structural stability against the cation filling/extraction in the channel site.

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.)

Second Law Violation By Magneto-Caloric Effect Adiabatic Phase Transition of Type I Superconductive Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Keefe

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The nature of the thermodynamic behavior of Type I superconductor particles, having a cross section less than the Ginzburg-Landau temperature dependent coherence length is discussed for magnetic field induced adiabatic phase transitions from the superconductive state to the normal state. Argument is advanced supporting the view that when the adiabatic magneto-caloric process is applied to particles, the phase transition is characterized by a decrease in entropy in violation of traditional formulations of the Second Law, evidenced by attainment of a final process temperature below that which would result from an adiabatic magneto-caloric process applied to bulk dimensioned specimens.

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.)

Low-velocity superconducting accelerating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delayen, J.R.

1990-01-01

The present paper reviews the status of RF superconductivity as applied to low-velocity accelerating properties. Heavy-ion accelerators must accelerate efficiently particles which travel at a velocity much smaller than that of light particles, whose velocity changes along accelerator, and also different particles which have different velocity profiles. Heavy-ion superconducting accelerators operate at frequencies which are lower than high-energy superconducting accelerators. The present paper first discusses the basic features of heavy-ion superconducting structures and linacs. Design choices are then addressed focusing on structure geometry, materials, frequency, phase control, and focusing. The report also gives an outline of the status of superconducting booster projects currently under way at the Argonne National Laboratory, SUNY Stony Brook, Weizmann Institute, University of Washington, Florida State, Saclay, Kansas State, Daresbury, Japanese Atomic Energy Research Institute, Legnaro, Bombay, Sao Paulo, ANU (Canberra), and Munich. Recent developments and future prospects are also described. (N.K.) 68 refs

Superconductivity in LiFeAs probed with quasiparticle interference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Zhixiang; Nag, Pranab Kumar; Baumann, Danny; Kappenberger, Rhea [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Wurmehl, Sabine [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden (Germany); Buechner, Bernd [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden (Germany); Center for Transport and Devices, TU Dresden (Germany); Hess, Christian [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Center for Transport and Devices, TU Dresden (Germany)

2016-07-01

In spite of many theoretical and experimental efforts on studying the superconductivity of iron-based high temperature superconductors, the puzzle about LiFeAs's superconducting mechanism and pairing symmetry are still not clear. Here we want to present our low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy results on probing the superconductivity of LiFeAs. By taking conductance spectroscopic maps for both the superconducting state and normal state, we identify the scatterings due to the electron and hole bands close to the Fermi level. We observe a strong indication that the superconducting behavior in the hole bands are important for the formation of superconductivity in LiFeAs. Our results may also shine light on understanding the superconductivity in other iron pnictide superconductors.

Superconducting linac booster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srinivasan, B.; Betigeri, M.G.; Pandey, M.K.; Pillay, R.G.; Kurup, M.B.

1997-01-01

The report on superconducting LINAC booster, which is a joint project of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), brings out the work accomplished so far towards the development of the technology of superconducting LINAC to boost the energy of ions from the 14UD Pelletron. The LINAC is modular in construction with each module comprising of a helium cryostat housing four lead-plated quarter wave resonators. The resonators are superconducting for temperatures below 7.19K. An energy boost of 2 MeV/q per module is expected to be achieved. The first module and the post-tandem superbuncher have been fabricated and tested on the LINAC beam line. This report gives a summary of the technological achievements and also brings out the difficulties encountered during the R and D phase. (author)

Color superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilczek, F.

1997-01-01

The asymptotic freedom of QCD suggests that at high density - where one forms a Fermi surface at very high momenta - weak coupling methods apply. These methods suggest that chiral symmetry is restored and that an instability toward color triplet condensation (color superconductivity) sets in. Here I attempt, using variational methods, to estimate these effects more precisely. Highlights include demonstration of a negative pressure in the uniform density chiral broken phase for any non-zero condensation, which we take as evidence for the philosophy of the MIT bag model; and demonstration that the color gap is substantial - several tens of MeV - even at modest densities. Since the superconductivity is in a pseudoscalar channel, parity is spontaneously broken

Color superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilczek, F. [Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (United States)

1997-09-22

The asymptotic freedom of QCD suggests that at high density - where one forms a Fermi surface at very high momenta - weak coupling methods apply. These methods suggest that chiral symmetry is restored and that an instability toward color triplet condensation (color superconductivity) sets in. Here I attempt, using variational methods, to estimate these effects more precisely. Highlights include demonstration of a negative pressure in the uniform density chiral broken phase for any non-zero condensation, which we take as evidence for the philosophy of the MIT bag model; and demonstration that the color gap is substantial - several tens of MeV - even at modest densities. Since the superconductivity is in a pseudoscalar channel, parity is spontaneously broken.

Superconducting and other phases in organic high polymers of polyacenic carbon skeletons. I. The method of sum of divergent perturbation series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, M.; Kawabe, H.; Nishikawa, K.; Aono, S.

1986-01-01

The instabilities of a normal molecular orbital state of polyacenic materials are studied within RPA with a g model for an electronic interaction. The condensed states predicted are singlet superconducting (SSC), charge density wave (CDW), and spin density wave (SDW) ones, and their phase diagram is shown. In contrast to usual one-dimensional (1D) conductors, there reveals a wide range of superconducting state, which is not overcome by CDW transition. Weakness of Peierls distortion of the present model is also contrasted with the case of polyacetylene

Measurement of unique magnetic and superconducting phases in oxygen-doped high-temperature superconductors La2-xSrxCuO4+y

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Udby, Linda; Larsen, Jacob; Christensen, Niels Bech

2013-01-01

We present a combined magnetic neutron scattering and muon spin rotation study of the nature of the magnetic and superconducting phases in electronically phase separated La2-xSrxCuO4+y, x=0.04, 0.065, 0.09. For all samples, we find long-range modulated magnetic order below TN≃Tc=39 K. In sharp co...

A superconducting phase-locked local oscillator for a submillimetre integrated receiver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshelets, V P; Shitov, S V; Filippenko, L V; Dmitriev, P N; Ermakov, A B; Sobolev, A S; Torgashin, M Yu; Pankratov, A L; Kurin, V V; Yagoubov, P; Hoogeveen, R

2004-01-01

Comprehensive measurements of the flux flow oscillator (FFO) radiation linewidth are performed using an integrated harmonic SIS mixer; the FFO linewidth and spectral line profile are compared to a theory. An essential dependence of the FFO linewidth on frequency is found; a possible explanation is proposed. The results of the numerical solution of the perturbed sine-Gordon equation qualitatively confirm this assumption. To optimize the FFO design, the influence of the FFO parameters on the radiation linewidth is studied. A novel FFO design at a moderate current density has resulted in a free-running FFO linewidth of about 10 MHz in the flux flow regime up to 712 GHz, limited only by the gap frequency of Nb. This relatively narrow free-running linewidth (along with implementation of a wide-band phase locking loop system) allows continuous phase locking of the FFO in the wide frequency range of 500-710 GHz. These results are the basis for the development of a 550-650 GHz integrated receiver for the terahertz limb sounder (TELIS) intended for atmosphere study and scheduled to fly on a balloon in 2005. We report here also on the design of the second generation of the phase-locked superconducting integrated receiver chip for TELIS

Diagram of a LEP superconducting cavity

CERN Multimedia

1991-01-01

This diagram gives a schematic representation of the superconducting radio-frequency cavities at LEP. Liquid helium is used to cool the cavity to 4.5 degrees above absolute zero so that very high electric fields can be produced, increasing the operating energy of the accelerator. Superconducting cavities were used only in the LEP-2 phase of the accelerator, from 1996 to 2000.

Superconducting frustration bit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Y.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A frustration bit element is proposed for a conventional superconducting circuit. • It is composed of π-junctions. • It mimics the multiband superconductor. - Abstract: A basic design is proposed for a classical bit element of a superconducting circuit that mimics a frustrated multiband superconductor and is composed of an array of π-Josephson junctions (π-junction). The phase shift of π provides the lowest energy for one π-junction, but neither a π nor a zero phase shift gives the lowest energy for an assembly of π-junctions. There are two chiral states that can be used to store one bit information. The energy scale for reading and writing to memory is of the same order as the junction energy, and is thus in the same order of the driving energy of the circuit. In addition, random access is also possible

{sup 119}Sn-NMR investigations on superconducting Ca{sub 3}Ir{sub 4}Sn{sub 13}: Evidence for multigap superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarkar, R., E-mail: rajibsarkarsinp@gmail.com [Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden, D-01069 Dresden (Germany); Brückner, F.; Günther, M. [Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden, D-01069 Dresden (Germany); Wang, Kefeng; Petrovic, C. [Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Biswas, P.K.; Luetkens, H.; Morenzoni, E.; Amato, A. [Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Klauss, H-H. [Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden, D-01069 Dresden (Germany)

2015-12-15

We report bulk superconductivity (SC) in Ca{sub 3}Ir{sub 4}Sn{sub 13} by means of {sup 119}Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. Two classical signatures of BCS superconductivity in spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T{sub 1}), namely the Hebel–Slichter coherence peak just below the T{sub c}, and the exponential decay in the superconducting phase, are evident. The noticeable decrease of {sup 119}Sn Knight shift below T{sub c} indicates spin-singlet superconductivity. The temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate {sup 119}(1/T{sub 1}) is convincingly described by the multigap isotropic superconducting gap. NMR experiments do not witness any sign of enhanced spin fluctuations.

Development of Pb-rich (Bi, Pb) sub 3 Sr sub 2 Ca sub 2 Cu sub 1 O sub x phase during reformation of lead doped 2223 superconducting phase from melt quenched glass. [BiPbSrCaCuO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oezkan, N; Glowacki, B A [IRC in Superconductivity, Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

1992-05-01

The reformation process of the lead doped superconducting 2223 phase from the melt quenched glass was investigated. It was shown that during the crystallisation of the glass a new lead rich phase, Bi{sub 0.5}Pb{sub 3}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 1}O{sub x}, was formed and severe copper segregation was observed. The volume fraction of the high Tc 2223 phase increased with annealing time for an annealing temperature of 840degC. A glass sample annealed at 840degC for 150 h showed two superconducting transitions Tc = 107 K and Tc = 70 K. (orig.).

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.)

Superconducting composite for magnetic bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigney, T.K. II.

1995-01-01

A composite includes granules of Type II superconducting material and granules of rare-earth permanent magnets that are distributed in a binder. The composite is a two-phase structure that combines the properties of the superconductor and magnets with the flexibility and toughness of a polymeric material. A bearing made from this composite has the load capacity and stiffness of a permanent magnet bearing with added stability from a Type II superconducting material. 7 figs

First demonstration and performance of an injection locked continuous wave magnetron to phase control a superconducting cavity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. Dexter

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The applications of magnetrons to high power proton and cw electron linacs are discussed. An experiment is described where a 2.45 GHz magnetron has been used to drive a single cell superconducting cavity. With the magnetron injection locked, a modest phase control accuracy of 0.95° rms has been demonstrated. Factors limiting performance have been identified.

Giant Overlap between the Magnetic and Superconducting Phases of CeAu_{2}Si_{2} under Pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Ren

2014-09-01

Full Text Available High pressure provides a powerful means for exploring unconventional superconductivity which appears mostly on the border of magnetism. Here, we report the discovery of pressure-induced heavy-fermion superconductivity up to 2.5 K in the antiferromanget CeAu_{2}Si_{2} (T_{N}≈10  K. Remarkably, the magnetic and superconducting phases are found to overlap across an unprecedentedly wide pressure interval from 11.8 to 22.3 GPa. Moreover, both the bulk T_{c} and T_{M} are strongly enhanced when increasing the pressure from 16.7 to 20.2 GPa. T_{c} reaches a maximum at a pressure slightly below p_{c}≈22.5  GPa, at which magnetic order disappears. Furthermore, the scaling behavior of the resistivity provides evidence for a continuous delocalization of the Ce 4f electrons associated with a critical end point lying just above p_{c}. We show that the maximum T_{c} of CeAu_{2}Si_{2} actually occurs at almost the same unit-cell volume as that of CeCu_{2}Si_{2} and CeCu_{2}Ge_{2}, and when the Kondo and crystal-field splitting energies become comparable. Dynamical mean-filed theory calculations suggest that the peculiar behavior in pressurized CeAu_{2}Si_{2} might be related to its Ce-4f orbital occupancy. Our results not only provide a unique example of the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism, but also underline the role of orbital physics in understanding Ce-based heavy-fermion systems.

Unconventional superconductivity of the heavy fermion compound UNi2Al3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakharov, Andrey

2008-01-01

The heavy fermion compound UNi 2 Al 3 exhibits the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order at low temperatures, stimulating speculations about possible exotic Cooper-pairing interaction in this superconductor. However, the preparation of good quality bulk single crystals of UNi 2 Al 3 has proven to be a non-trivial task due to metallurgical problems, which result in the formation of an UAl 2 impurity phase and hence a strongly reduced sample purity. The present work concentrates on the preparation, characterization and electronic properties investigation of UNi 2 Al 3 single crystalline thin film samples. The preparation of thin films was accomplished in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. (100)-oriented epitaxial thin films of UNi 2 Al 3 were grown on single crystalline YAlO 3 substrates cut in (010)- or (112)-direction. The high crystallographic quality of the samples was proved by several characterisation methods, such as X-ray analysis, RHEED and TEM. To study the magnetic structure of epitaxial thin films resonant magnetic X-ray scattering was employed. The magnetic order of thin the film samples, the formation of magnetic domains with different moment directions, and the magnetic correlation length were discussed. The electronic properties of the UNi 2 Al 3 thin films in the normal and superconducting states were investigated by means of transport measurements. A pronounced anisotropy of the temperature dependent resistivity ρ(T) was observed. Moreover, it was found that the temperature of the resistive superconducting transition depends on the current direction, providing evidence for multiband superconductivity in UNi 2 Al 3 . The initial slope of the upper critical field H' c2 (T) of the thin film samples suggests an unconventional spin-singlet superconducting state, as opposed to bulk single crystal data. To probe the superconducting gap of UNi 2 Al 3 directly by means of tunnelling spectroscopy many planar junctions of different design

Quasiclassical studies of phase-coherent transport in superconducting nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seviour, R.F.

1999-07-01

In chapter two we introduce the quasiclassical technique and analysis the subgap conductance in S/N structures with barriers (zero bias and finite bias anomalies). We also analyse an Andreev interferometer. Also we present the results of studies on the Josephson effect in 4 terminal S/N/S contacts and on the possible sign reversal of the Josephson critical current (Published in Superlattices and Microstructures, Vol. 25, No. 5/6, p. 647 (1999)). In chapters three and four using the quasiclassical technique in conjunction with a numerical scattering approach (see Appendix) we consider a normal-superconducting-normal structure. In these chapters we consider the effects of the interface resistance between the Normal reservoirs and the normal film and the interface resistance between the superconductor and the normal film. This work has been published in J.Phys.Conds.Mat. 10 (1998), L615 and PHYS REV B 1 Nov 98. In Chapter 5 using the techniques discussed above we shown that for normal-superconducting-normal structure a new peek may arise in the temperature dependence of the conductance when the temperature is approximately equal to the transition temperature of the superconducting (Published PHYS. Rev.13, 1999, v.59, No.9, p. 6031). In chapter 6 we analyse the first ever experimental results showing the new peak in the conductance as discussed in chapter 5 (Submitted to PRL). Chapter 7 uses the numerical technique discussed in the appendix. to examine the phenomena of conductance suppression in 4 probe normal superconducting structures (Published Superlattices and Microstructures, Vol. 25, No.5, p. 640 (1999)). (author)

A superconducting large-angle magnetic suspension. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downer, J.R.; Anastas, G.V. Jr.; Bushko, D.A.; Flynn, F.J.; Goldie, J.H.; Gondhalekar, V.; Hawkey, T.J.; Hockney, R.L.; Torti, R.P.

1992-12-01

SatCon Technology Corporation has completed a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 program to develop a Superconducting Large-Angle Magnetic Suspension (LAMS) for the NASA Langley Research Center. The Superconducting LAMS was a hardware demonstration of the control technology required to develop an advanced momentum exchange effector. The Phase 2 research was directed toward the demonstration for the key technology required for the advanced concept CMG, the controller. The Phase 2 hardware consists of a superconducting solenoid ('source coils') suspended within an array of nonsuperconducting coils ('control coils'), a five-degree-of-freedom positioning sensing system, switching power amplifiers, and a digital control system. The results demonstrated the feasibility of suspending the source coil. Gimballing (pointing the axis of the source coil) was demonstrated over a limited range. With further development of the rotation sensing system, enhanced angular freedom should be possible

Impurity effects in superconducting UPt3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronson, M.C.; Vorenkamp, T.; Koziol, Z.; de Visser, A.; Bakker, K.; Franse, J.J.M.; Smith, J.L.

1991-01-01

Superconducting UPt 3 is characterized by a novel and complex magnetic field-temperature phase diagram, with two superconducting transitions at T c1 and T c2 in zero field. We have studied the effects of Pd and Y impurities on the zero field superconducting properties of UPt 3 . Resistance measurements show that both dopants increase the residual resistivity and decrease the spin fluctuation temperature in the normal state. T c1 is depressed by both dopants, but more effectively by Pd. |T c1 - T c2 | is essentially unaffected by Y doping, but increases dramatically with Pd doping

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.

Technology of RF superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

This work has several parts, two of which are collaborative development projects with the majority of the work being performed at Argonne. The first is the development of a superconducting RFQ structure in collaboration with AccSys Technology Inc. of Pleasanton, California, funded as a Phase II SBIR grant. Another is a collaborative project with the Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi, India (who are funding the work) to develop new superconducting ion accelerating structures. Other initiatives are developing various aspects of the technology required to utilize ATLAS as a secondary beam linac for radioactive beams

From superconductivity near a quantum phase transition to superconducting graphite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Saxena

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   The collapse of antiferromagnetic order as a function of some quantum tuning parameter such as carrier density or hydrostatic pressure is often accompanied by a region of superconductivity. The corresponding phenomenon in the potentially simpler case of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism, however, remains more illusive. In this paper we consider the reasons why this may be so and summaries evidence suggesting that the obstacles to observing the phenomenon are apparently overcome in a few metallic ferromagnets. A new twist to the problem presented by the recent discoveries in ferroelectric symmetric systems and new graphite intercalate superconductors will also be discussed.

Low AC-Loss Superconducting Cable Technology for Electric Aircraft Propulsion, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The availability of low AC loss magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconducting wires enables much lighter weight superconducting stator coils than with any other metal or...

Entropy generation and momentum transfer in the superconductor-normal and normal-superconductor phase transformations and the consistency of the conventional theory of superconductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, J. E.

2018-05-01

Since the discovery of the Meissner effect, the superconductor to normal (S-N) phase transition in the presence of a magnetic field is understood to be a first-order phase transformation that is reversible under ideal conditions and obeys the laws of thermodynamics. The reverse (N-S) transition is the Meissner effect. This implies in particular that the kinetic energy of the supercurrent is not dissipated as Joule heat in the process where the superconductor becomes normal and the supercurrent stops. In this paper, we analyze the entropy generation and the momentum transfer between the supercurrent and the body in the S-N transition and the N-S transition as described by the conventional theory of superconductivity. We find that it is not possible to explain the transition in a way that is consistent with the laws of thermodynamics unless the momentum transfer between the supercurrent and the body occurs with zero entropy generation, for which the conventional theory of superconductivity provides no mechanism. Instead, we point out that the alternative theory of hole superconductivity does not encounter such difficulties.

An improved phase-control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogaty, J.M.; Clifft, B.E.; Shepard, K.W.; Zinkann, G.P.

1989-01-01

Microphonic fluctuations in the rf eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the rf phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the tuning range and the rf energy content of the resonant cavity. The accelerating field level of many of the SC cavities forming the ATLAS linac has been limited by the rf power capacity of the presently used PIN-diode based fast-tuner. A new system has been developed, utilizing PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen, with the diodes controlled by a high-voltage VMOS FET driver. The system has operated at reactive power levels above 20 KVA, a factor of four increase over an earlier design. 7 refs., 2 figs

An improved phase-control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogaty, J.M.; Clifft, B.E.; Shepard, K.W.; Zinkann, G.P.

1989-01-01

Microphonic fluctuations in the rf eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the rf phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the tuning range and the rf energy content of the resonant cavity. The accelerating field level of many of the SC cavities forming the ATLAS linac has been limited by the rf power capacity of the presently used PIN-diode based fast-tuner. A new system has been developed, utilizing PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen, with the diodes controlled by a high-voltage VMOS FET driver. The system has operated at reactive power levels above 20 KVA, a factor of four increase over an earlier design. 7 refs., 2 figs.

Field-induced magnetic instability within a superconducting condensate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzone, Daniel Gabriel; Raymond, Stephane; Gavilano, Jorge Luis

2017-01-01

The application of magnetic fields, chemical substitution, or hydrostatic pressure to strongly correlated electron materials can stabilize electronic phases with different organizational principles. We present evidence for a fieldinduced quantum phase transition, in superconducting Nd0.05Ce0.95Co...... that the magnetic instability is not magnetically driven, and we propose that it is driven by a modification of superconducting condensate at H*.......In5, that separates two antiferromagnetic phases with identical magnetic symmetry. At zero field, we find a spin-density wave that is suppressed at the critical field mu H-0* = 8 T. For H > H*, a spin-density phase emerges and shares many properties with the Q phase in CeCoIn5. These results suggest...

High-pressure phases of S, Se, and P hydrides and their superconducting properties. Predictions from ab-initio theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gross, E.K.U. [Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale) (Germany)

2016-07-01

The quest for novel high-temperature superconductors in the family of hydrogen-rich compounds has recently been crowned with the experimental discovery of a record critical temperature of 190 K in a hydrogen-sulfur compound at 200 GPa. In the present contribution, we investigate the phase diagram of the H-S system, comparing the stability of H{sub n}S (n = 1,2,3,4) by means of the minima hopping method for structure prediction. Our extensive crystal structure search confirms the H{sub 3}S stoichiometry as the most stable configuration at high pressure. Superconducting properties are calculated using the fully ab-initio parameter-free approach of density functional theory for superconductors. We find a T{sub c} of 180 K at 200 GPa, in excellent agreement with experiment. We also show that Se-H has a phase diagram similar to its sulfur counterpart. We predict H{sub 3}Se to be superconducting at temperatures higher than 120 K at 100 GPa. We furthermore investigate the phase diagram of PH{sub n} (n = 1,2,3,4,5,6). The results of our crystal-structure search do not support the existence of thermodynamically stable PH{sub n} compounds, which exhibit a tendency for elemental decomposition at high pressure. Although the lowest energy phases of PH{sub n=1,2,3} display T{sub c} values comparable to experiment, it remains uncertain if the measured values of T{sub c} can be fully attributed to a phase-pure compound of PH{sub n}.

High-Tc superconductivity in the d-p electron system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, V.A.; Zaitsev, R.A.

1991-01-01

The relaxation time with spin flip τ s and the parameters ξ, δ, χ of superconducting phase have been calculated on the basis of the kinematical mechanism of superconductivity in strongly correlated oxide models. An inter-relation between the superconducting gap Δ o and the specific heat jump Δ c allowing the experimental verification was obtained and the Ginsburg-Landau equation derived. (author). 8 refs., 2 figs

Topological Superconductivity on the Surface of Fe-Based Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Gang; Lian, Biao; Tang, Peizhe; Qi, Xiao-Liang; Zhang, Shou-Cheng

2016-07-22

As one of the simplest systems for realizing Majorana fermions, the topological superconductor plays an important role in both condensed matter physics and quantum computations. Based on ab initio calculations and the analysis of an effective 8-band model with superconducting pairing, we demonstrate that the three-dimensional extended s-wave Fe-based superconductors such as Fe_{1+y}Se_{0.5}Te_{0.5} have a metallic topologically nontrivial band structure, and exhibit a normal-topological-normal superconductivity phase transition on the (001) surface by tuning the bulk carrier doping level. In the topological superconductivity (TSC) phase, a Majorana zero mode is trapped at the end of a magnetic vortex line. We further show that the surface TSC phase only exists up to a certain bulk pairing gap, and there is a normal-topological phase transition driven by the temperature, which has not been discussed before. These results pave an effective way to realize the TSC and Majorana fermions in a large class of superconductors.

Modeling of metastable phase formation diagrams for sputtered thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Keke; Music, Denis; To Baben, Moritz; Lange, Dennis; Bolvardi, Hamid; Schneider, Jochen M

2016-01-01

A method to model the metastable phase formation in the Cu-W system based on the critical surface diffusion distance has been developed. The driver for the formation of a second phase is the critical diffusion distance which is dependent on the solubility of W in Cu and on the solubility of Cu in W. Based on comparative theoretical and experimental data, we can describe the relationship between the solubilities and the critical diffusion distances in order to model the metastable phase formation. Metastable phase formation diagrams for Cu-W and Cu-V thin films are predicted and validated by combinatorial magnetron sputtering experiments. The correlative experimental and theoretical research strategy adopted here enables us to efficiently describe the relationship between the solubilities and the critical diffusion distances in order to model the metastable phase formation during magnetron sputtering.

Crystalline color superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alford, Mark; Bowers, Jeffrey A.; Rajagopal, Krishna

2001-01-01

In any context in which color superconductivity arises in nature, it is likely to involve pairing between species of quarks with differing chemical potentials. For suitable values of the differences between chemical potentials, Cooper pairs with nonzero total momentum are favored, as was first realized by Larkin, Ovchinnikov, Fulde, and Ferrell (LOFF). Condensates of this sort spontaneously break translational and rotational invariance, leading to gaps which vary periodically in a crystalline pattern. Unlike the original LOFF state, these crystalline quark matter condensates include both spin-zero and spin-one Cooper pairs. We explore the range of parameters for which crystalline color superconductivity arises in the QCD phase diagram. If in some shell within the quark matter core of a neutron star (or within a strange quark star) the quark number densities are such that crystalline color superconductivity arises, rotational vortices may be pinned in this shell, making it a locus for glitch phenomena

Thermal history dependence of superconducting properties in La2CuO4+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirayama, T.; Nakagawa, M.; Sumiyama, A.; Oda, Y.

1998-01-01

We studied the thermal history dependence of the superconducting properties below/above room temperature (RT) in the ceramic La 2 CuO 4-δ with excess oxygen. The phase separation (O-rich phase: superconducting and O-poor phase: antiferromagnetic) was concluded to occur above 373 K, in contrast with the usual report of the phase separation around 320 K. As for the superconducting phases, the well-known T c onset of 32 or 36 K, dependent on thermal history around 200 K, in the samples annealed in high-pressure oxygen gas, was not changed by thermal history between RT and 373 K. The samples electrochemically oxidized at RT included the phase with the high T c of 45 K, which was not changed by thermal history below RT, and the phase with the low T c of 32 or 36 K. The 45 K phase was changed into the low-T c phase by annealing at 373 K. The samples electrochemically oxidized at 333 K, which was accompanied with the diffusion of excess oxygen, showed gradual change of superconducting behavior: the single low-T c (32 or 36 K) phase (oxidation time = 24 h), coexistence of the low-T c phase and the high-T c (45 K) phase (36 h), and the single high T c phase (48 and 72 h). Thus, the single superconducting phase with the high T c of 45 K has been obtained, which showed a metallic behavior in normal resistivity and apparent changes of lattice constant in comparison with that of stoichiometric La 2 CuO 4 . (orig.)

Collective modes in superconducting rhombohedral graphite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kauppila, Ville [O.V. Lounasmaa Laboratory, Aalto University (Finland); Hyart, Timo; Heikkilae, Tero [University of Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

2015-07-01

Recently it was realized that coupling particles with a Dirac dispersion (such as electrons in graphene) can lead to a topologically protected state with flat band dispersion. Such a state could support superconductivity with unusually high critical temperatures. Perhaps the most promising way to realize such coupling in real materials is in the surface of rhombohedrally stacked graphite. We consider collective excitations (i.e. the Higgs modes) in surface superconducting rhombohedral graphite. We find two amplitude and two phase modes corresponding to the two surfaces of the graphite where the superconductivity lives. We calculate the dispersion of these modes. We also derive the Ginzburg-Landau theory for this material. We show that in superconducting rhombohedral graphite, the collective modes, unlike in conventional BCS superconductors, give a large contribution to thermodynamic properties of the material.

Experimental and Computational Studies of the Superconducting Phase Transition of Quasi 1D Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Chi Ho

In this PhD project, the feasibility of establishing a state with vanishing resistance in quasi-1D superconductors are studied. In the first stage, extrinsic quasi-1D superconductors based on composite materials made by metallic nanowire arrays embedded in mesoporous silica substrates, such as Pb-SBA-15 and NbN-SBA-15 (fabricated by a Chemical Vapor Deposition technique) are investigated. Two impressive outcomes in Pb-SBA-15 are found, including an enormous enhancement of the upper critical field from 0.08T to 14T and an increase of the superconducting transition temperature onset s from 7.2 to 11K. The second stage is to apply Monte Carlo simulations to model the quasi-1D superconductor, considering its penetration depth, coherence length, defects, electron mean free path, tunneling barrier and insulating width between the nanowires. The Monte Carlo results provide a clear picture to approach to stage 3, which represents a study of the intrinsic quasi-1D superconductor Sc3CoC4, which contains parallel arrays of 1D superconducting CoC4 ribbons with weak transverse Josephson or Proximity interaction, embedded in a Sc matrix. According to our previous work, a BKT transition in the lateral plane is believed to be the physics behind the vanishing resistance of quasi-1D superconductors, because it activates a dimensional crossover from a 1D fluctuating superconductivity at high temperature to a 3D bulk phase coherent state in the entire material at low temperatures. Moreover, we decided to study thin 1D Sn nanowires without substrate, which display very similar superconducting properties to Pb-SBA-15 with a strong critical field and Tc enhancement. Finally, a preliminary research on a novel quasi-2D superconductor formed by parallel 2D mercury sheets that are separated by organic molecules is presented. The latter material may represent a model system to study the effect of a layered structure, which is believed to be an effective ingredient to design high temperature

Phase identification and superconducting transitions in Sr-doped Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varela, A.; Vallet-Regi, M.; Gonazalez-Calbet, J.M.

1997-01-01

Sr-doped Pr 1.85 Ce 0.15 CuO 4+δ samples have been prepared with accurate control of the oxygen content. The stability of both T ' and T * phases is strongly dependent on Sr and oxygen content. An electron diffraction study indicates that, in some cases, anionic vacancies are ordered leading to a pseudo-tetragonal superlattice with unit cell parameters 2√2a t xc t . Structural transitions and superconducting phases created by hole doping in such a system are also reported. copyright 1997 Materials Research Society

Structure and superconducting properties of Nb3Ge prepared in a UHV system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habermeier, H.U.; Stuttgart Univ.

1981-01-01

Nb 3 Ge films are prepared by coevaporation of Nb and Ge under well defined and controlled conditions. The formation of the A15 Nb 3 Ge phase is studied by varying the processing parameters - composition, deposition temperature, and impurity gas background - systematically. Single phase samples with Tsub(c) onsets as high as 21.5 K and lattice parameters of 0.5148 nm only be obtained in an environment with no added impurities and a Ge concentration of 23.8 at%. Oxygen as impurity gas enhances Tsub(c) slightly in samples of the optimal composition, whereas hydrogen as impurity gas does not affect the formation and the Tsub(c) of the A15 phase at all. The structure, (lattice parameters, grain sizes, and phases present) and the superconducting properties (Tsub(c), Hsub(c2)(0)) of the samples show a systematic correlation of the preparation parameters and the physical properties. The experimental results are explained qualitatively within the frame of the linear chain model of A15 superconductors combined with the introduction of anti-site defects. (author)

Color superconductivity in dense quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alford, Mark G.; Schmitt, Andreas; Rajagopal, Krishna; Schaefer, Thomas

2008-01-01

Matter at high density and low temperature is expected to be a color superconductor, which is a degenerate Fermi gas of quarks with a condensate of Cooper pairs near the Fermi surface that induces color Meissner effects. At the highest densities, where the QCD coupling is weak, rigorous calculations are possible, and the ground state is a particularly symmetric state, the color-flavor locked (CFL) phase. The CFL phase is a superfluid, an electromagnetic insulator, and breaks chiral symmetry. The effective theory of the low-energy excitations in the CFL phase is known and can be used, even at more moderate densities, to describe its physical properties. At lower densities the CFL phase may be disfavored by stresses that seek to separate the Fermi surfaces of the different flavors, and comparison with the competing alternative phases, which may break translation and/or rotation invariance, is done using phenomenological models. We review the calculations that underlie these results and then discuss transport properties of several color-superconducting phases and their consequences for signatures of color superconductivity in neutron stars.

Modern aspects of Josephson dynamics and superconductivity electronics

CERN Document Server

Askerzade, Iman; Cantürk, Mehmet

2017-01-01

In this book new experimental investigations of properties of Josephson junctions and systems are explored with the help of recent developments in superconductivity. The theory of the Josephson effect is presented taking into account the influence of multiband and anisotropy effects in new superconducting compounds. Anharmonicity effects in current-phase relation on Josephson junctions dynamics are discussed. Recent studies in analogue and digital superconductivity electronics are presented. Topics of special interest include resistive single flux quantum logic in digital electronics. Application of Josephson junctions in quantum computing as superconducting quantum bits are analyzed. Particular attention is given to understanding chaotic behaviour of Josephson junctions and systems. The book is written for graduate students and researchers in the field of applied superconductivity.

Superconducting kinetic inductance detectors for astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vardulakis, G; Withington, S; Goldie, D J; Glowacka, D M

2008-01-01

The kinetic inductance detector (KID) is an exciting new device that promises high-sensitivity, large-format, submillimetre to x-ray imaging arrays for astrophysics. KIDs comprise a superconducting thin-film microwave resonator capacitively coupled to a probe transmission line. By exciting the electrical resonance with a microwave probe signal, the transmission phase of the resonator can be monitored, allowing the deposition of energy or power to be detected. We describe the fabrication and low-temperature testing, down to 26 mK, of a number of devices, and confirm the basic principles of operation. The KIDs were fabricated on r-plane sapphire using superconducting niobium and aluminium as the resonator material, and tantalum as the x-ray absorber. KID quality factors of up to Q = (741 ± 15) × 10 3 were measured for niobium at 1 K, and quasiparticle effective recombination times of τ* R = 30 µs after x-ray absorption. Al/Ta quasiparticle traps were combined with resonators to make complete detectors. These devices were operated at 26 mK with quality factors of up Q = (187.7 ± 3.5) × 10 3 and a phase-shift responsivity of ∂θ/∂N qp = (5.06 ± 0.23) × 10 −6 degrees per quasiparticle. Devices were characterized both at thermal equilibrium and as x-ray detectors. A range of different x-ray pulse types was observed. Low phase-noise readout measurements on Al/Ta KIDs gave a minimum NEP = 1.27 × 10 −16 W Hz −1/2 at a readout frequency of 550 Hz and NEP = 4.60 × 10 −17 W Hz −1/2 at 95 Hz, for effective recombination times τ* R = 100 µs and τ* R = 350 µs respectively. This work demonstrates that high-sensitivity detectors are possible, encouraging further development and research into KIDs

Parasitic phase formation in the La Ba{sub 2} Cu{sub 3} O{sub 7-x} superconductor; Fases parasitas en el superconductor La Ba{sub 2} Cu{sub 3} O{sub 7-x}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baltra, T [Ministerio de Educacion, Santiago (Chile); Fuenzalida, V M; Grahmann, C R [Chile Univ., Santiago (Chile). Dept. de Fisica

1997-12-31

The parasitic phase formation during the thermal processing of the H Tc La Ba{sub 2} Cu{sub 3} O{sub 7-x} superconductor, particularly the Ba Cu O{sub 2}, is studied. The formation of the stable parasitic phase depends on the temperature of the initial treatments and on the heating rate during the sintering process. The superconducting highest purity material is obtained with treatment at 900 deg C and lowest heating rate. The temperature during the final annealing in oxygen of the sample did also affect the transport properties. Samples with the lowest resistivity in the normal state were produced by annealing in oxygen at 300 deg C. The largest orthorhombic distortion was obtained at 325 deg C. (author). 2 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

The new proposal to the mechanism of superconductivity Part 1: principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Shiming

2001-01-01

The concept of hulun electron and collective potential are proposed based on plenty of experimental facts. The superconductivity is due to the collective behavior of the hulun electron's ordered phases. At 0 K, all hulun electrons must be existed in ordered phases. All the solids containing hulun electrons will become superconductors as the temperature approaches to 0 K. The solids not containing hulun electrons will never become superconductors. For the solids containing only one hulun electron phase, phase change occurs only one time as the temperature rises up from 0 K, this is the first kind superconductors. The superconducting temperature TC is the temperature at which the phase change occurs. For solids containing two or more hulun electron phases, as temperature rises up from 0 K, the hulun electron phases's change will begin from the lowest stablized phase, then the higher. As long as there is just one hulun electron phase retaining in ordered state, the solids is still a superconductor. The superconducting transition temperature T C is the temperature at which the most stable hulun electron phase occurs phase change. This is the second kind superconductors

Experimental evidence for vortex-glass superconductivity in Y-Ba-Cu-O

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, R.H.; Foglietti, V.; Gallagher, W.J.; Koren, G.; Gupta, A.; Fisher, M.P.A.

1989-01-01

We demonstrate experimentally the existence of a continuous phase transition between a normal and a true superconducting phase (with zero linear resistivity) in epitaxial films of Y-Ba-Cu-O in strong magnetic fields fields, H much-gt H c1 . The nonlinear I-V curves show scaling behavior near the transition and the relevant critical exponents are extracted. These exponents are consistent with values expected for freezing into a superconducting vortex-glass phase

Two Magnon Raman Scattering as Indicator for Superconducting to Antiferromagnetic Phase Transition Upon Hydrogenation of YBCO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biton, Y.; Shuker, R.

1999-01-01

Raman spectra of Hydrogenated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x + H y , where y = 0.45 and 0.19 is the number of Hydrogen atoms per units cell. The spectra exhibit important changes in the electronic scattering. Upon progressive doping with Hydrogen two magnon scattering features emerge. This coincides with the transition of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7x +H y from superconducting to antiferromagnetic phase. Exchange energy values were obtained from two magnon Raman scattering of the y = 0.45 material. It has been found that for y= 0.19 the sample has not lost its superconductivity, and indeed two-magnon scattering has not been observed. However, the situation changed substantially when the doping of the Hydrogen atoms was 0.45. The two-magnon scattering has been observed at different temperatures down to 20K. The two-magnon energy density exhibits two peak values around 2100cm -1 and 3000cm -1

Upgraded phase control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Added, N.

1992-01-01

Microphonic-induced fluctuations in the RF eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the RF phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the frequency range and the RF energy content of the Rf cavity. The fast tuner for the SC resonators in the ATLAS heavy-ion linac is a voltage-controlled reactance based on an array of PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen. This paper discusses recent upgrades to the ATLAS fast tuner which can now provide as much as 30 KVA of reactive tuning capability with a real RF power loss of less than 300 watts. The design was guided by numerical modeling of all elements of the device. Also discussed is the RF coupler which can couple 30 KW from 77 K tuner to a 42 K resonant cavity with less than 2 W of RF loss into 4.2 K

Upgraded phase control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Added, N. (Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica Nuclear); Clifft, B.E.; Shepard, K.W. (Argonne National Lab., IL (United States))

1992-01-01

Microphonic-induced fluctuations in the RF eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the RF phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the frequency range and the RF energy content of the Rf cavity. The fast tuner for the SC resonators in the ATLAS heavy-ion linac is a voltage-controlled reactance based on an array of PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen. This paper discusses recent upgrades to the ATLAS fast tuner which can now provide as much as 30 KVA of reactive tuning capability with a real RF power loss of less than 300 watts. The design was guided by numerical modeling of all elements of the device. Also discussed is the RF coupler which can couple 30 KW from 77 K tuner to a 42 K resonant cavity with less than 2 W of RF loss into 4.2 K.

Upgraded phase control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Added, N. [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica Nuclear; Clifft, B.E.; Shepard, K.W. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

1992-09-01

Microphonic-induced fluctuations in the RF eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the RF phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the frequency range and the RF energy content of the Rf cavity. The fast tuner for the SC resonators in the ATLAS heavy-ion linac is a voltage-controlled reactance based on an array of PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen. This paper discusses recent upgrades to the ATLAS fast tuner which can now provide as much as 30 KVA of reactive tuning capability with a real RF power loss of less than 300 watts. The design was guided by numerical modeling of all elements of the device. Also discussed is the RF coupler which can couple 30 KW from 77 K tuner to a 42 K resonant cavity with less than 2 W of RF loss into 4.2 K.

Superconducting selenides intercalated with organic molecules: synthesis, crystal structure, electric and magnetic properties, superconducting properties, and phase separation in iron based-chalcogenides and hybrid organic-inorganic superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Krzton-Maziopa, Anna; Pesko, Edyta; Puzniak, Roman

2018-06-01

Layered iron-based superconducting chalcogenides intercalated with molecular species are the subject of intensive studies, especially in the field of solid state chemistry and condensed matter physics, because of their intriguing chemistry and tunable electric and magnetic properties. Considerable progress in the research, revealing superconducting inorganic–organic hybrid materials with transition temperatures to superconducting state, T c, up to 46 K, has been brought in recent years. These novel materials are synthesized by low-temperature intercalation of molecular species, such as solvates of alkali metals and nitrogen-containing donor compounds, into layered FeSe-type structure. Both the chemical nature as well as orientation of organic molecules between the layers of inorganic host, play an important role in structural modifications and may be used for fine tuning of superconducting properties. Furthermore, a variety of donor species compatible with alkali metals, as well as the possibility of doping also in the host structure (either on Fe or Se sites), makes this system quite flexible and gives a vast array of new materials with tunable electric and magnetic properties. In this review, the main aspects of intercalation chemistry are discussed with a particular attention paid to the influence of the unique nature of intercalating species on the crystal structure and physical properties of the hybrid inorganic–organic materials. To get a full picture of these materials, a comprehensive description of the most effective chemical and electrochemical methods, utilized for synthesis of intercalated species, with critical evaluation of their strong and weak points, related to feasibility of synthesis, phase purity, crystal size and morphology of final products, is included as well.

Effect of β-phase decomposition on the superconducting properties of Ti-27 at percent Nb solid solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hariharan, Y.; Valsakumar, M.C.; Radhakrishnan, T.S.

1980-01-01

The effect of β-phase decomposition on the superconducting transition temperature (Tsub(c)) of a Ti-27 at % Nb solid solution has been studied by the resistive technique. The samples were β-quenched from 900deg C and cold rolled to 30%. Annealing at 400deg C for various times upto 15 hours causes Ti-rich phases to precipitate out of the matrix. This decomposition of the β-phase is seen to lead to a progressive enhancement in Tsub(c) from 7.7 K in the β-quenched state to 8.8 K in the sample annealed for 15 hours; further, the width Δ Tsub(c) of the superconducting transition (=90 mK in the β-quenched state) reaches a maximum value (360 mK) for a 10-hour anneal. The conjecture that the enhancement in Tsub(c) occurs as a result of precipitation and the consequent enrichment of the Nb content of the matrix is examined. It is estimated that to account for the large observed enhancement of Tsub(c), the Nb enrichment would have to be of the order of 5-6%; whereas a TEM study has revealed the enrichment to be of the order of 0.2% only. Analysis of the X-ray diffractograms is also not in favour of this hypothesis. Hence alternative mechanisms to account for the Tsub(c) enhancement are currently under investigation. Also discussed is the calculation of Tsub(c) using McMillan's formula for strongly coupled superconductors. (author)

Metal-insulator transition and superconductivity induced by Rh doping in the binary pnictides RuPn (Pn=P, As, Sb)

Science.gov (United States)

Hirai, Daigorou; Takayama, Tomohiro; Hashizume, Daisuke; Takagi, Hidenori

2012-04-01

Binary ruthenium pnictides, RuP and RuAs, with an orthorhombic MnP structure, were found to show a metal to a nonmagnetic insulator transition at TMI = 270 and 200 K, respectively. In the metallic region above TMI, a structural phase transition, accompanied with a weak anomaly in the resistivity and the magnetic susceptibility, indicative of a pseudogap formation, was identified at Ts = 330 and 280 K, respectively. These two transitions were suppressed by substituting Ru with Rh. We found superconductivity with a maximum Tc = 3.7 and 1.8 K in a narrow composition range around the critical point for the pseudogap phase, Rh content xc = 0.45 and 0.25 for Ru1-xRhxP and Ru1-xRhxAs, respectively, which may provide us with a nonmagnetic route to superconductivity at a quantum critical point.

Chiral and color-superconducting phase transitions with vector interaction in a simple model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitazawa, Masakiyo; Koide, Tomoi; Kunihiro, Teiji; Nemoto, Yukio

2002-01-01

We investigate effects of the vector interaction on chiral and color superconducting (CSC) phase transitions at finite density and temperature in a simple Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. It is shown that the repulsive density-density interaction coming from the vector term, which is present in the effective chiral models but has been omitted, enhances the competition between the chiral symmetry breaking (χSB) and CSC phase transition, and thereby makes the thermodynamic potential have a shallow minimum over a wide range of values of the correlated chiral and CSC order parameters. We find that when the vector coupling is increased, the first order transition between the χSB and CSC phases becomes weaker, and the coexisting phase in which both the chiral and color-gauge symmetry are dynamically broken comes to exist over a wider range of the density and temperature. We also show that there can exist two endpoints, which are tricritical points in the chiral limit, along the critical line of the first order transition in some range of values of the vector coupling. Although our analysis is based on a simple model, the nontrivial interplay between the χSB and CSC phases induced by the vector interaction is expected to be a universal phenomenon and might give a clue to understanding results obtained with two-color QCD on the lattice. (author)

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmieri, V.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on superconductivity the absence of electrical resistance has always fascinated the mind of researchers with a promise of applications unachievable by conventional technologies. Since its discovery superconductivity has been posing many questions and challenges to solid state physics, quantum mechanics, chemistry and material science. Simulations arrived to superconductivity from particle physics, astrophysic, electronics, electrical engineering and so on. In seventy-five years the original promises of superconductivity were going to become reality: a microscopical theory gave to superconductivity the cloth of the science and the level of technological advances was getting higher and higher. High field superconducting magnets became commercially available, superconducting electronic devices were invented, high field accelerating gradients were obtained in superconductive cavities and superconducting particle detectors were under study. Other improvements came in a quiet progression when a tornado brought a revolution in the field: new materials had been discovered and superconductivity, from being a phenomenon relegated to the liquid Helium temperatures, became achievable over the liquid Nitrogen temperature. All the physics and the technological implications under superconductivity have to be considered ab initio

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

Superconducting Dy1-x(Gd,Yb)xBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films made by Chemical Solution Deposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Opata, Yuri Aparecido; Wulff, Anders Christian; Hansen, Jørn Otto Bindslev

2016-01-01

Dy1-x(Gd or Yb)xBa2Cu3O7-δ samples were prepared using chemical solution deposition (CSD), based on trifluoroacetate metal-organic decomposition (MOD) methods. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated the formation of the RE123 superconducting phase with a strong in-plane and out-of-plane texture. c...

Quantum Theory of Conducting Matter Superconductivity and Quantum Hall Effect

CERN Document Server

Fujita, Shigeji; Godoy, Salvador

2009-01-01

Explains major superconducting properties including zero resistance, Meissner effect, sharp phase change, flux quantization, excitation energy gap, and Josephson effects using quantum statistical mechanical calculations. This book covers the 2D superconductivity and the quantum Hall effects

Superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems: successes and open questions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shastry, B. Sriram

2000-01-01

Correlated electronic systems and superconductivity is a field which has unique track record of producing exciting new phases of matter. The article gives an overview of trends in solving the problems of superconductivity and correlated electronic systems

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.

Half-metallic superconducting triplet spin multivalves

Science.gov (United States)

Alidoust, Mohammad; Halterman, Klaus

2018-02-01

We study spin switching effects in finite-size superconducting multivalve structures. We examine F1F2SF3 and F1F2SF3F4 hybrids where a singlet superconductor (S) layer is sandwiched among ferromagnet (F) layers with differing thicknesses and magnetization orientations. Our results reveal a considerable number of experimentally viable spin-valve configurations that lead to on-off switching of the superconducting state. For S widths on the order of the superconducting coherence length ξ0, noncollinear magnetization orientations in adjacent F layers with multiple spin axes leads to a rich variety of triplet spin-valve effects. Motivated by recent experiments, we focus on samples where the magnetizations in the F1 and F4 layers exist in a fully spin-polarized half-metallic phase, and calculate the superconducting transition temperature, spatially and energy resolved density of states, and the spin-singlet and spin-triplet superconducting correlations. Our findings demonstrate that superconductivity in these devices can be completely switched on or off over a wide range of magnetization misalignment angles due to the generation of equal-spin and opposite-spin triplet pairings.

On the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in hydrogen sulfide at 200 GPa: Transition into superconducting anti-adiabatic state in coupling to H-vibrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavol Baňacký

Full Text Available It has been shown that the adiabatic electronic structure of the superconducting phase of sulfur hydride at 200 GPa is unstable toward the vibration motion of H-atoms. A theoretical study indicates that in coupling to H-vibrations, the system undergoes a transition from adiabatic into a stabilized anti-adiabatic multi-gap superconducting state at a temperature that can reach 203 K. Keywords: Superconductivity of sulfur hydride, Electron–phonon coupling in superconductors, Anti-adiabatic theory of superconductivity

Josephson junction arrays and superconducting wire networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lobb, C.J.

1992-01-01

Techniques used to fabricate integrated circuits make it possible to construct superconducting networks containing as many as 10 6 wires or Josephson junctions. Such networks undergo phase transitions from resistive high-temperature states to ordered low-resistance low-temperature states. The nature of the phase transition depends strongly on controllable parameters such as the strength of the superconductivity in each wire or junction and the external magnetic field. This paper will review the physics of these phase transitions, starting with the simplest zero-magnetic field case. This leads to a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition when the junctions or wires are weak, and a simple mean-field fransition when the junctions or wires are strong. Rich behavior, resulting from frustration, occurs in the presence of a magnetic field. (orig.)

Magnetic dipole self-organization of charge carriers in high-temperature superconductors and kinetics of phase transformation

CERN Document Server

Voronov, A V; Shuvalov, V V

2001-01-01

The phenomenological model, describing the magnetic dipole self-organization of charge carriers (formation of so-called stripe-structures and energy gap in the states spectrum), is designed for interpreting the data on the nonstationary nonlinear spectroscopy of the high-temperature superconductors. It is shown that after fast heating of the superconducting sample the kinetics of the subsequent phase transition depends on the initial temperature T. The destruction of the stripe-structures at low overheating T* < T < T sub m approx = (1.4-1.5)T*, whereby T sub c and T* approx = T sub c are the temperatures of transition into the superconducting state and formation of the stripe-structures occurs slowly (the times above 10 sup - sup 9 s) in spite of practically instantaneous disappearance of the superconductivity

Magnesium Diboride Superconducting Coils for Electric Propulsion Systems for Large Aircraft, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The recent development of magnesium diboride superconducting wires makes possible the potential to have much lighter weight superconducting coils for heavy aircraft...

Kohn-Luttinger superconductivity in monolayer and bilayer semimetals with the Dirac spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagan, M. Yu.; Mitskan, V. A.; Korovushkin, M. M.

2014-01-01

The effect of Coulomb interaction in an ensemble of Dirac fermions on the formation of superconducting pairing in monolayer and bilayer doped graphene is studied using the Kohn-Luttinger mechanism disregarding the Van der Waals potential of the substrate and impurities. The electronic structure of graphene is described using the Shubin-Vonsovsky model taking into account the intratomic, interatomic, and interlayer (in the case of bilayer graphene) Coulomb interactions between electrons. The Cooper instability is determined by solving the Bethe-Saltpeter integral equation. The renormalized scattering amplitude is obtained with allowance for the Kohn-Luttinger polarization contributions up to the second order of perturbation theory in the Coulomb interaction. It plays the role of effective interaction in the Bethe-Salpeter integral equation. It is shown that the allowance for the Kohn-Luttinger renormalizations as well as intersite Coulomb interaction noticeably affects the competition between the superconducting phases with the f-wave and d + id-wave symmetries of the order parameter. It is demonstrated that the superconducting transition temperature for an idealized graphene bilayer with significant interlayer Coulomb interaction between electrons is noticeably higher than in the monolayer case

The Rashba spin-orbit coupling for superconductivity in oxide interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beyl, Stefan; Orth, Peter P.; Schmalian, Joerg [Institut fuer Theorie der Kondensierten Materie, Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2014-07-01

We investigate the role of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling on the superconducting order parameter and the phase stiffness at the interface of LaAlO{sub 3} and SrTiO{sub 3}. In particular, we analyze the gate controlled crossover between BCS superconductivity and Bose-Einstein condensation of Cooper pairs, amplified by the Rashba coupling and the possibility of a phase fluctuation induced quantum critical point.

Characterization of superconducting coil for fault current limitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polasek, Alexander; Dias, Rodrigo; Niedu, Daniel Brito; Ogasawara, Tsuneharu; Oliveira Filho, Orsino Borges de; Serra, Eduardo Torres; Gomes Junior, George; Amorim, Helio Salim

2010-01-01

The increasing power demand has been raising fault currents up to dangerous levels. Superconducting fault current limiters are a promising solution for this problem. In the present work, we studied a superconducting Bi-2212 coil that is used for fault current limitation. Samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM/EDS and measurement of critical temperature (Tc). The Rietveld method was employed for phase quantification. Relatively high Bi-2212 fractions were found. However, Tc varies from a sample to another one. Variations of local Tc are attributed to variations of oxygen content in Bi- 2212 phase. (author)

Conventional superconductivity at 203 K at high pressures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drozdov, Alexander; Eremets, Mikhail; Troyan, Ivan [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Chemie, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz (Germany); Ksenofontov, Vadim; Shylin, Sergii [Institut fuer Anorganische Chemie und Analytische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universitet Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, 55099 Mainz (Germany)

2016-07-01

A search for high, room temperature conventional superconductivity is promising as the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory in the Eliashberg formulation puts no apparent limits on T{sub c}. Materials with light elements are especially favorable as they provide high frequencies in the phonon spectrum. However only a moderately high T{sub c} = 39 K has been found in this search in MgB{sub 2}. We systematically studied metallic hydrogen and covalent hydrogen dominant compounds and found the record T{sub c} of 203 K at pressure 140 GPa in sulfur hydride. We proved occurrence of superconductivity by the sharp drop of the resistivity to zero; the decrease of T{sub c} with magnetic field; the pronounce isotope shift of T{sub c} in D{sub 2}S which evidences of a major role of phonons in the superconductivity; and the magnetic susceptibility measurements. The X-ray diffraction data confirmed that the superconductive phase has the predicted bcc structure. This phase can be considered as an atomic hydrogen superconductor stabilized by sulfur.

Pairing and superconductivity from weak to strong coupling in the attractive Hubbard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toschi, A; Barone, P; Capone, M; Castellani, C

2005-01-01

The finite-temperature phase diagram of the attractive Hubbard model is studied by means of the dynamical mean-field theory. We first consider the normal phase of the model by explicitly frustrating the superconducting ordering. In this case, we obtain a first-order pairing transition between a metallic phase and a paired phase formed by strongly coupled incoherent pairs. The transition line ends in a finite temperature critical point, but a crossover between two qualitatively different solutions still occurs at higher temperature. Comparing the superconducting- and the normal-phase solutions, we find that the superconducting instability always occurs before the pairing transition in the normal phase, i.e. T c > T pairing . Nevertheless, the high-temperature phase diagram at T > T c is still characterized by a crossover from a metallic phase to a preformed pair phase. We characterize this crossover by computing different observables that can be used to identify the pseudogap region, like the spin susceptibility, the specific heat and the single-particle spectral function

Effect of alteration phase formation on the glass dissolution rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, W.L.

1997-01-01

The dissolution rates of many glasses have been observed to increase upon the formation of certain alteration phases. While simulations have predicted the accelerating effect of formation of certain phases, the phases predicted to form in computer simulations are usually different than those observed to form in experiments. This is because kinetically favored phases form first in experiments, while simulations predict the thermodynamically favored phases. Static dissolution tests with crushed glass have been used to measure the glass dissolution rate after alteration phases form. Because glass dissolution rates are calculated on a per area basis, an important effect in tests conducted with crushed glass is the decrease in the surface area of glass that is available for reaction as the glass dissolves. This loss of surface area must be taken into account when calculating the dissolution rate. The phases that form and their effect on the dissolution rate are probably related to the glass composition. The impact of phase formation on the glass dissolution rate also varies according to the solubility products of the alteration phases and how the orthocilicic acid activity is affected. Insight into the relationship between the glass dissolution rate, solution chemistry and alteration phase formation is provided by the results of accelerated dissolution tests

Effect of alteration phase formation on the glass dissolution rate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebert, W L [Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Technology Div. (United States)

1997-07-01

The dissolution rates of many glasses have been observed to increase upon the formation of certain alteration phases. While simulations have predicted the accelerating effect of formation of certain phases, the phases predicted to form in computer simulations are usually different than those observed to form in experiments. This is because kinetically favored phases form first in experiments, while simulations predict the thermodynamically favored phases. Static dissolution tests with crushed glass have been used to measure the glass dissolution rate after alteration phases form. Because glass dissolution rates are calculated on a per area basis, an important effect in tests conducted with crushed glass is the decrease in the surface area of glass that is available for reaction as the glass dissolves. This loss of surface area must be taken into account when calculating the dissolution rate. The phases that form and their effect on the dissolution rate are probably related to the glass composition. The impact of phase formation on the glass dissolution rate also varies according to the solubility products of the alteration phases and how the orthocilicic acid activity is affected. Insight into the relationship between the glass dissolution rate, solution chemistry and alteration phase formation is provided by the results of accelerated dissolution tests.

Kinetics of sigma phase formation in a Duplex Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Magnabosco

2009-09-01

Full Text Available This work determines the kinetics of sigma phase formation in UNS S31803 Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS, describing the phase transformations that occur in isothermal aging between 700 and 900 ºC for time periods up to 1032 hours, allowing the determination of the Time-Temperature-Precipitation (TTP diagram for sigma phase and proposing a model to predict the kinetics of sigma phase formation using a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA type expression. The higher kinetics of sigma phase formation occurs at 850 ºC. However, isothermal aging between 700 and 900 ºC for time periods up to 1032 hours are not sufficient to the establishment of thermodynamic equilibrium. Activation energy for both nucleation and growth of sigma phase is determined (185 kJ.mol-1 and its value is equivalent to the activation energy for Cr diffusion in ferrite, indicating that diffusion of Cr is probably the major thermally activated process involved in sigma phase formation. The determined JMA type expression presents good fit with experimental data between 700 and 850 ºC.

Foreword: Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Takano

2008-01-01

-TC superconductors (Tamegai et al, and the mechanism of superconductivity is discussed. Last but not least, a novel highest-density phase of boron is produced and characterized (Zarechnaya et al.We hope that this focus issue will help readers to understand the frontiers of superconductivity in semiconductors and assist in the application of new devices using a combination of superconductivity and semiconductivity.

Fault-current limiter using a superconducting coil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boenig, H.J.; Paice, D.A.

1982-01-01

A novel circuit, consisting of solid-state diodes and a biased superconducting coil, for limiting the fault currents in three-phase ac systems is presented. A modification of the basic circuit results in a solid-state ac breaker with current-limiting features. The operating characteristics of the fault-current limiter and the ac breaker are analyzed. An optimization procedure for sizing the superconducting coil is derived

Acoustic wave spread in superconducting-normal-superconducting sandwich

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urushadze, G.I.

2004-01-01

The acoustic wave spread, perpendicular to the boundaries between superconducting and normal metals in superconducting-normal-superconducting (SNS) sandwich has been considered. The alternate current flow sound induced by the Green function method has been found and the coefficient of the acoustic wave transmission through the junction γ=(S 1 -S 2 )/S 1 , (where S 1 and S 2 are average energy flows formed on the first and second boundaries) as a function of the phase difference between superconductors has been investigated. It is shown that while the SNS sandwich is almost transparent for acoustic waves (γ 0 /τ), n=0,1,2, ... (where τ 0 /τ is the ratio of the broadening of the quasiparticle energy levels in impurity normal metal as a result of scattering of the carriers by impurities 1/τ to the spacing between energy levels 1/τ 0 ), γ=2, (S 2 =-S 1 ), which corresponds to the full reflection of the acoustic wave from SNS sandwich. This result is valid for the limit of a pure normal metal but in the main impurity case there are two amplification and reflection regions for acoustic waves. The result obtained shows promise for the SNS sandwich as an ideal mirror for acoustic wave reflection

Concurrence of superconductivity and structure transition in Weyl semimetal TaP under pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yufeng; Zhou, Yonghui; Guo, Zhaopeng; Han, Fei; Chen, Xuliang; Lu, Pengchao; Wang, Xuefei; An, Chao; Zhou, Ying; Xing, Jie; Du, Guan; Zhu, Xiyu; Yang, Huan; Sun, Jian; Yang, Zhaorong; Yang, Wenge; Mao, Ho-Kwang; Zhang, Yuheng; Wen, Hai-Hu

2017-12-01

Weyl semimetal defines a material with three-dimensional Dirac cones, which appear in pair due to the breaking of spatial inversion or time reversal symmetry. Superconductivity is the state of quantum condensation of paired electrons. Turning a Weyl semimetal into superconducting state is very important in having some unprecedented discoveries. In this work, by doing resistive measurements on a recently recognized Weyl semimetal TaP under pressures up to about 100 GPa, we show the concurrence of superconductivity and a structure transition at about 70 GPa. It is found that the superconductivity becomes more pronounced when decreasing pressure and retains when the pressure is completely released. High-pressure x-ray diffraction measurements also confirm the structure phase transition from I41md to P-6m2 at about 70 GPa. More importantly, ab-initial calculations reveal that the P-6m2 phase is a new Weyl semimetal phase and has only one set of Weyl points at the same energy level. Our discovery of superconductivity in TaP by high pressure will stimulate investigations on superconductivity and Majorana fermions in Weyl semimetals.

Superconducting fluctuations in systems with Rashba-spin-orbit coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beyl, Stefan [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Orth, Peter P.; Scheurer, Mathias; Schmalian, Joerg [Institut fuer Theorie der Kondensierten Materie, Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (Germany)

2015-07-01

We investigate the BEC-BCS crossover in a two-dimensional system with Rashba-spin-orbit coupling. To include the effects of phase and amplitude fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter we perform a loop expansion of the effective field theory. We analyze in particular the probability of a low density superconducting quantum phase transition. The theory is relevant to LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} interfaces and two-dimensional cold atom systems with synthetic gauge fields.

High temperature interface superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozar, A.; Bozovic, I.

2016-01-01

Highlight: • This review article covers the topic of high temperature interface superconductivity. • New materials and techniques used for achieving interface superconductivity are discussed. • We emphasize the role played by the differences in structure and electronic properties at the interface with respect to the bulk of the constituents. - Abstract: High-T_c superconductivity at interfaces has a history of more than a couple of decades. In this review we focus our attention on copper-oxide based heterostructures and multi-layers. We first discuss the technique, atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) engineering, that enabled High-T_c Interface Superconductivity (HT-IS), and the challenges associated with the realization of high quality interfaces. Then we turn our attention to the experiments which shed light on the structure and properties of interfacial layers, allowing comparison to those of single-phase films and bulk crystals. Both ‘passive’ hetero-structures as well as surface-induced effects by external gating are discussed. We conclude by comparing HT-IS in cuprates and in other classes of materials, especially Fe-based superconductors, and by examining the grand challenges currently laying ahead for the field.

Possible mechanism to enhance spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity in two-dimensional organic conductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nonoyama, Yoshito; Maekawa, Yukiko; Kobayashi, Akito; Suzumura, Yoshikazu [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan); Yamada, Jun-ichi [Department of Material Science, Graduate School of Material Science, University of Hyogo, Hyogo 678-1297 (Japan)], E-mail: nonoyama@slab.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp

2008-10-15

Mechanisms of superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional organic conductors have been investigated using an extended Hubbard model by using the transfer energies between BDA-TTP molecules for {beta}-(BDA-TTP){sub 2}I{sub 3} based on the X-ray experiment data and the extended Hueckel calculation. We obtain several mean-field solutions with charge orderings which may represent short-range orderings or low-energy fluctuations in the low-dimensional electronic system. In the pressure-temperature phase diagram, a charge ordered metal state almost degenerates with a normal metal state between an insulating phase with charge ordering and the normal metal phase. Using the random phase approximation (RPA) and the linearized gap equation, the transition temperature of the superconducting state is estimated for the charge-ordered metal state and the normal metal state. It is found that transition temperature of the superconductivity induced by spin fluctuations in the charge-ordered metal state is much higher than that of the normal metal state and that the superconductivity in the charge-ordered metal state is the gapless d-wave. This suggests that the short range charge ordering may also contribute to an enhancement of spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity. The difference in the superconducting states between {beta}-(BDA-TTP){sub 2}I{sub 3} and {beta}-(BDA-TTP){sub 2}SbF{sub 6} are briefly discussed.

Possible mechanism to enhance spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity in two-dimensional organic conductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nonoyama, Yoshito; Maekawa, Yukiko; Kobayashi, Akito; Suzumura, Yoshikazu; Yamada, Jun-ichi

2008-01-01

Mechanisms of superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional organic conductors have been investigated using an extended Hubbard model by using the transfer energies between BDA-TTP molecules for β-(BDA-TTP) 2 I 3 based on the X-ray experiment data and the extended Hueckel calculation. We obtain several mean-field solutions with charge orderings which may represent short-range orderings or low-energy fluctuations in the low-dimensional electronic system. In the pressure-temperature phase diagram, a charge ordered metal state almost degenerates with a normal metal state between an insulating phase with charge ordering and the normal metal phase. Using the random phase approximation (RPA) and the linearized gap equation, the transition temperature of the superconducting state is estimated for the charge-ordered metal state and the normal metal state. It is found that transition temperature of the superconductivity induced by spin fluctuations in the charge-ordered metal state is much higher than that of the normal metal state and that the superconductivity in the charge-ordered metal state is the gapless d-wave. This suggests that the short range charge ordering may also contribute to an enhancement of spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity. The difference in the superconducting states between β-(BDA-TTP) 2 I 3 and β-(BDA-TTP) 2 SbF 6 are briefly discussed.

Quantum memristor in a superconducting circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Salmilehto, Juha; Sanz, Mikel; di Ventra, Massimiliano; Solano, Enrique

Memristors, resistive elements that retain information of their past, have garnered interest due to their paradigm-changing potential in information processing and electronics. The emergent hysteretic behaviour allows for novel architectural applications and has recently been classically demonstrated in a simplified superconducting setup using the phase-dependent conductance in the tunnel-junction-microscopic model. In this contribution, we present a truly quantum model for a memristor constructed using established elements and techniques in superconducting nanoelectronics, and explore the parameters for feasible operation as well as refine the methods for quantifying the memory retention. In particular, the memristive behaviour is shown to arise from quasiparticle-induced tunneling in the full dissipative model and can be observed in the phase-driven tunneling current. The relevant hysteretic behaviour should be observable using current state-of-the-art measurements for detecting quasiparticle excitations. Our theoretical findings constitute the first quantum memristor in a superconducting circuit and act as the starting point for designing further circuit elements that have non-Markovian characteristics The authors acknowledge support from the CCQED EU project and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Coexistence of superconductivity and density waves in quasi-two-dimensional metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismer, Jan-Peter

2011-06-03

This dissertation deals with the high-temperature superconductivity in the hole- and electron-doped copper superconductors. In the first part, superconducting phases are investigated on a background of different types of density waves. Singlet superconductivity is studied with s- and d-wave symmetry on a background of spin, charge or D-density waves with respect to stability as well as phase structure and impulse dependence of the gap function. In the second part, the dynamic spin susceptibility for different phases is calculated and compared with experimental data extracted from results of inelastic neutron scattering experiments. The observed phases are d-wave superconductivity, D-density wave, and coexistence of the two. For d-wave superconductivity, the influence of a magnetic field parallel to the copper oxide layer and the temperature development of the susceptibility when for T >> T{sub c} a spin density wave phase is present are investigated. [German] Diese Dissertation beschaeftigt sich mit der Hochtemperatursupraleitung in den loch- und elektron-dotierten Kuprat-Supraleitern. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit werden supraleitende Phasen auf einem Hintergrund verschiedener Typen von Dichtewellen untersucht. Es wird Singlett-Supraleitung mit s- und d-Wellen-Symmetrie auf einem Hintergrund von Spin-, Ladungs- oder D-Dichtewelle hinsichtlich Stabilitaet sowie Phasenstruktur und Impulsabhaengigkeit der Gapfunktion untersucht. Im zweiten Teil wird die dynamische Spinsuszeptibilitaet fuer verschiedene Phasen berechnet und mit experimentellen Daten verglichen, die aus Ergebnissen von Inelastischen Neutronenstreuungsexperimenten extrahiert wurden. Die betrachteten Phasen sind d-Wellen-Supraleitung, D-Dichtewelle und Koexistenz der beiden. Fuer d-Wellen-Supraleitung werden der Einfluss eines Magnetfelds parallel zur Kupferoxidschicht und die Temperaturentwicklung der Suszeptibilitaet, wenn fuer T >> T{sub c} eine Spin-Dichtewelle-Phase vorliegt, untersucht.

Unconventional superconductivity of the heavy fermion compound UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakharov, Andrey

2008-07-01

The heavy fermion compound UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3} exhibits the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order at low temperatures, stimulating speculations about possible exotic Cooper-pairing interaction in this superconductor. However, the preparation of good quality bulk single crystals of UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3} has proven to be a non-trivial task due to metallurgical problems, which result in the formation of an UAl{sub 2} impurity phase and hence a strongly reduced sample purity. The present work concentrates on the preparation, characterization and electronic properties investigation of UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3} single crystalline thin film samples. The preparation of thin films was accomplished in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. (100)-oriented epitaxial thin films of UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3} were grown on single crystalline YAlO{sub 3} substrates cut in (010)- or (112)-direction. The high crystallographic quality of the samples was proved by several characterisation methods, such as X-ray analysis, RHEED and TEM. To study the magnetic structure of epitaxial thin films resonant magnetic X-ray scattering was employed. The magnetic order of thin the film samples, the formation of magnetic domains with different moment directions, and the magnetic correlation length were discussed. The electronic properties of the UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3} thin films in the normal and superconducting states were investigated by means of transport measurements. A pronounced anisotropy of the temperature dependent resistivity {rho}(T) was observed. Moreover, it was found that the temperature of the resistive superconducting transition depends on the current direction, providing evidence for multiband superconductivity in UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3}. The initial slope of the upper critical field H'{sub c2}(T) of the thin film samples suggests an unconventional spin-singlet superconducting state, as opposed to bulk single crystal data. To probe the superconducting gap of UNi{sub 2}Al{sub 3

Direct observation of the growth of voids in multifilamentary superconducting materials via hot stage scanning electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.L.F.; Holthuis, J.T.; Pickus, M.R.; Lindberg, R.W.

1978-11-01

The need for large high field magnetic devices has focused attention on multifilamentary superconductors based on A15 compounds such as Nb 3 Sn. The commercial bronze process for fabricating multifilamentary superconducting Nb 3 Sn wires was developed. A major problem is strain sensitivity when long reaction times are employed. An improved hot stage for the scanning electron microscope was constructed to study the formation of the A15 phase by solid state diffusion. The nucleation and growth of voids near the interface of the A15 phase (Nb 3 Sn) and matrix were observed, monitored, and recorded on video tape. Successive layers of material heated in the hot stage were subsequently removed and the new surfaces were re-examined, using SEM-EDX and optical microscopy, to confirm the fact that the observed porosity was indeed a bulk rather than a surface phenomenon. These voids are considered to be a primary cause for degrading the mechanical, thermal and superconducting properties

Bulk viscosity of spin-one color superconducting strange quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xinyang; Shovkovy, Igor A.

2010-01-01

The bulk viscosity in spin-one color superconducting strange quark matter is calculated by taking into account the interplay between the nonleptonic and semileptonic week processes. In agreement with previous studies, it is found that the inclusion of the semileptonic processes may result in non-negligible corrections to the bulk viscosity in a narrow window of temperatures. The effect is generally more pronounced for pulsars with longer periods. Compared to the normal phase, however, this effect due to the semileptonic processes is less pronounced in spin-one color superconductors. Assuming that the critical temperature of the phase transition is much larger than 40 keV, the main effect of spin-one color superconductivity in a wide range of temperatures is an overall increase of the bulk viscosity with respect to the normal phase. The corresponding enhancement factor reaches up to about 9 in the polar and A phases, about 25 in the planar phase, and about 29 in the color-spin-locked (CSL) phase. This factor is determined by the suppression of the nonleptonic rate in color superconducting matter and, therefore, may be even larger if all quark quasiparticles happen to be gapped.

Exploring the Fragile Antiferromagnetic Superconducting Phase in CeCoIn5

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blackburn, E.; Das, P.; Eskildsen, M.R.

2010-01-01

CeCoIn5 is a heavy fermion type-II superconductor showing clear signs of Pauli-limited superconductivity. A variety of measurements give evidence for a transition at high magnetic fields inside the superconducting state, when the field is applied either parallel to or perpendicular to the c axis...... to the c axis are not related to this magnetic order. We discuss the implications of this finding. © 2010 The American Physical Society...

Superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Thomas, D B

1974-01-01

A short general review is presented of the progress made in applied superconductivity as a result of work performed in connection with the high-energy physics program in Europe. The phenomenon of superconductivity and properties of superconductors of Types I and II are outlined. The main body of the paper deals with the development of niobium-titanium superconducting magnets and of radio-frequency superconducting cavities and accelerating structures. Examples of applications in and for high-energy physics experiments are given, including the large superconducting magnet for the Big European Bubble Chamber, prototype synchrotron magnets for the Super Proton Synchrotron, superconducting d.c. beam line magnets, and superconducting RF cavities for use in various laboratories. (0 refs).

Melt formed superconducting joint between superconducting tapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benz, M.G.; Knudsen, B.A.; Rumaner, L.E.; Zaabala, R.J.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a superconducting joint between contiguous superconducting tapes having an inner laminate comprised of a parent-metal layer selected from the group niobium, tantalum, technetium, and vanadium, a superconductive intermetallic compound layer on the parent-metal layer, a reactive-metal layer that is capable of combining with the parent-metal and forming the superconductive intermetallic compound, the joint comprising: a continuous precipitate of the superconductive intermetallic compound fused to the tapes forming a continuous superconducting path between the tapes

Josephson current and Andreev level dynamics in nanoscale superconducting weak links

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunetti, Aldo

2014-11-15

In this thesis we focus on the interplay between proximity induced superconducting correlations and Coulomb interactions in a Josephson junction: i.e., in a system where two superconductors modeled as two s-wave superconductors at a phase difference φ are contacted by means of a weak link, in our case a quantum dot located in the contact. In the first part we study the Josephson current-phase relation for a multi-level quantum dot tunnel-contacted by two conventional s-waves superconductors. We determine in detail the conditions for observing a finite anomalous Josephson current, i.e. a supercurrent flowing at zero phase difference in a two-level dot with spin-orbit interactions, a weak magnetic (Zeeman) field, and in the presence of Coulomb interactions. This leads to an onset behavior I{sub a}∝sgn(B), interpreted as the sign of an incipient spontaneous breakdown of time-reversal symmetry. Moreover, we will provide conditions for realizing spatially separated - but topologically unprotected - Majorana bound states, whose signature in the system will be detectable via the current-phase relation. In the second part of the thesis, we address the Andreev bound state population dynamics in superconducting weak links (a superconducting 'atomic contact'), in which a poisoning mechanism due to the trapping of single quasiparticles can occur. Our motivation is that quantum coherent superconducting circuits are the most promising candidates for future large-scale quantum information processing devices. Moreover, quasiparticle poisoning has recently been observed in devices which contain a short superconducting weak link with few transport channels. We discuss a novel charge imbalance effect in the continuum quasiparticle population, which is due to phase fluctuations of the environment weakly coupled to the superconducting contact. This coupling enters the system as a transition rate connecting continuum quasiparticles and the Andreev bound state system. The

Gel phase formation in dilute triblock copolyelectrolyte complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Samanvaya; Andreev, Marat; Levi, Adam E.; Goldfeld, David J.; Mao, Jun; Heller, William T.; Prabhu, Vivek M.; de Pablo, Juan J.; Tirrell, Matthew V.

2017-02-01

Assembly of oppositely charged triblock copolyelectrolytes into phase-separated gels at low polymer concentrations (simulations. Here we show that in contrast to uncharged, amphiphilic block copolymers that form discrete micelles at low concentrations and enter a phase of strongly interacting micelles in a gradual manner with increasing concentration, the formation of a dilute phase of individual micelles is prevented in polyelectrolyte complexation-driven assembly of triblock copolyelectrolytes. Gel phases form and phase separate almost instantaneously on solvation of the copolymers. Furthermore, molecular models of self-assembly demonstrate the presence of oligo-chain aggregates in early stages of copolyelectrolyte assembly, at experimentally unobservable polymer concentrations. Our discoveries contribute to the fundamental understanding of the structure and pathways of complexation-driven assemblies, and raise intriguing prospects for gel formation at extraordinarily low concentrations, with applications in tissue engineering, agriculture, water purification and theranostics.

Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O by laser ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Bedekar, M. M.; Safari, A.; Wilber, W.

1992-11-01

Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O have been deposited by KrF excimer laser ablation. The best in situ films showed a Tc onset of 110 K and a Tc(0) of 76 K. A study of the laser plume revealed the presence of two distinct regimes. The forward directed component increased with fluence and the film composition was stoichiometric in this region. This is in agreement with the results on the 123 system by Venkatesan et al. [1]. The film properties were found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature and temperatures close to melting gave rise to 2212 and 2223 phases. At lower temperatures, 2201 and amorphous phases were obtained. The film morphology and superconducting properties were a function of the target to substrate distance and the oxygen pressure during deposition and cooling. An increase in the target to substrate distance led to a deterioration of the properties due to the energy consideration for the formation of 2212 and 2223 phases. The best films were obtained using cooling pressures of 700 Torr. The microwave surface resistance of the films measured at 35 GHz dropped below that of copper at 30 K. Film growth was studied using X-ray diffraction and STM/AFM. This work is a discussion of the role of the different variables on the film properties.

Ultrasonic attenuation in the superconducting and intermediate states of pure and doped type I superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhuri, K.D.; Singh, R.

1982-01-01

The attenuation of longitudinal ultrasonic waves has been measured in single crystals of indium (99.999%), indium doped with 0.003 at % of tin, and indium doped with 0.002 at % of bismuth in the intermediate and superconducting states over the frequency range 10--30 MHz. For the bismuth-doped indium specimen, measurements were taken for three different physical states, i.e., for three different dislocation densities, and for the indium and the tin-doped indium specimens, measurements were for one-physical state. For a particular measurement, the same physical state was maintained both in the intermediate and superconducting states. A temperature-dependent oscillatory behavior of the ultrasonic attenuation was observed in the intermediate state in all the three specimens, but in the superconducting state the oscillatory behavior was observed only in the bismuth-doped specimen. Two phases have been identified in the superconducting layers of the intermediate state and there is only one phase in the superconducting state of the bismuth-doped sample. The origin of the two phases in the intermediate state and that of the single phase in the superconducting state of the bismuth-doped sample are discussed. A qualitative explanation is presented for the occurrence of oscillatory attenuation in the intermediate state irrespective of the nature of the dopant and the selective occurrence of oscillatory attenuation in the superconducting state due to the nature of the dopant

Electronic structures and superconductivity in LuTE2Si2 phases (TE = d-electron transition metal)

Science.gov (United States)

Samsel-Czekała, M.; Chajewski, G.; Wiśniewski, P.; Romanova, T.; Hackemer, A.; Gorzelniak, R.; Pikul, A. P.; Kaczorowski, D.

2018-05-01

In the course of our search for unconventional superconductors amidst the 1:2:2 phases, we have re-investigated the LuTE2Si2 compounds with TE = Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Pd and Pt. In this paper, we present the results of our fully relativistic ab initio calculations of the band structures, performed using the full-potential local-orbital code. The theoretical data are supplemented by the results of low-temperature electrical transport and specific heat measurements performed down to 0.35 K. All the materials studied but LuPt2Si2 crystallize with the body-centered tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure (space group I4/mmm). Their Fermi surfaces exhibit a three-dimensional multi-band character. In turn, the Pt-bearing compound adopts the primitive tetragonal CaBe2Ge2-type structure (space group P4/nmm), and its Fermi surface consists of predominantly quasi-two-dimensional sheets. Bulk superconductivity was found only in LuPd2Si2 and LuPt2Si2 (independent of the structure type and dimensionality of the Fermi surface). The key superconducting characteristics indicate a fully-gapped BCS type character. Though the electronic structure of LuFe2Si2 closely resembles that of the unconventional superconductor YFe2Ge2, this Lu-based silicide exhibits neither superconductivity nor spin fluctuations at least down to 0.35 K.

Quasiparticles in the superconducting state of high-Tc metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amusia, M.Ya.; Shaginyan, V.R.

2003-01-01

The behavior of quasiparticles in the superconducting state of high-T c metals within the framework of the theory of superconducting state based on the fermion condensation quantum phase transition is considered. It is shown that the behavior coincides with the behavior of Bogoliubov quasiparticles, whereas the maximum value of the superconducting gap and other exotic properties are determined by the presence of the fermion condensate. If at low temperatures the normal state is recovered by the application of a magnetic field suppressing the superconductivity, the induced state can be viewed as Landau-Fermi liquid. These observations are in good agreement with recent experimental facts [ru

An investigation of texturing by magnetic and mechanical techniques in high critical temperature superconducting ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deschanels, X.

1992-11-01

The principal goal of this work is to quantify the influence of texture of ceramic superconductors ReBaCuO (Re=Dy, Y) on their critical current density (Jc). The magnetic alignment of particles at ambient temperature is the first technique who has allowed us to produce superconducting (Meissner effect) and textured ceramics. However, these materials are very brittle because of their porosity and this makes it impossible to measure their Jc. Press-forging (or creep sintering) is the second technique who has allowed us to prepare highly textured ceramics materials which are also dense. We have studied the influence of various conditions of thermomechanical treatment (sintering time and temperature, applied load, rate of deformation, density of the material at the beginning) on the texture quality. We have shown that at 900 deg, the eutectic liquid formed by BaCuO 2 , CuO and YBa 2 Cu 3 0 7-Y various mechanisms that help explain the formation of observed texture. After the oxidation stage which requires heat treatment under controlled atmospheres, we obtain superconducting ceramics (Tc=85 K). Moreover, this study also shows that the texture can improve the Jc by 400%, to 750 A/cm 2 at 77 K in the best specimens. This low value is explained by the presence of non-superconducting secondary phases and amorphous phases at the grain boundaries. (Author). 120 refs., figs., tabs

Tunneling probe of fluctuating superconductivity in disordered thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Dentelski, David; Frydman, Aviad; Shimshoni, Efrat; Dalla Torre, Emanuele G.

2018-03-01

Disordered thin films close to the superconductor-insulator phase transition (SIT) hold the key to understanding quantum phase transition in strongly correlated materials. The SIT is governed by superconducting quantum fluctuations, which can be revealed, for example, by tunneling measurements. These experiments detect a spectral gap, accompanied by suppressed coherence peaks, on both sides of the transition. Here we describe the insulating side in terms of a fluctuating superconducting field with finite-range correlations. We perform a controlled diagrammatic resummation and derive analytic expressions for the tunneling differential conductance. We find that short-range superconducting fluctuations suppress the coherence peaks even in the presence of long-range correlations. Our approach offers a quantitative description of existing measurements on disordered thin films and accounts for tunneling spectra with suppressed coherence peaks.

Impurity Induced Phase Competition and Supersolidity

Science.gov (United States)

Karmakar, Madhuparna; Ganesh, R.

2017-12-01

Several material families show competition between superconductivity and other orders. When such competition is driven by doping, it invariably involves spatial inhomogeneities which can seed competing orders. We study impurity-induced charge order in the attractive Hubbard model, a prototypical model for competition between superconductivity and charge density wave order. We show that a single impurity induces a charge-ordered texture over a length scale set by the energy cost of the competing phase. Our results are consistent with a strong-coupling field theory proposed earlier in which superconducting and charge order parameters form components of an SO(3) vector field. To discuss the effects of multiple impurities, we focus on two cases: correlated and random distributions. In the correlated case, the CDW puddles around each impurity overlap coherently leading to a "supersolid" phase with coexisting pairing and charge order. In contrast, a random distribution of impurities does not lead to coherent CDW formation. We argue that the energy lowering from coherent ordering can have a feedback effect, driving correlations between impurities. This can be understood as arising from an RKKY-like interaction, mediated by impurity textures. We discuss implications for charge order in the cuprates and doped CDW materials such as NbSe2.

Charge imbalance waves and nonequilibrium dynamics near a superconducting phase-slip center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadin, A.M.; Smith, L.N.; Skocpol, W.J.

1980-01-01

Using a generalized two-fluid picture to describe a quasi-one-dimensional superconductor near T/sub c/, we provide a heuristic derivation for a set of equations governing the temporal and spatial evolution of the charge imbalance (or branch imbalance) in the quasiparticles. We show that these equations are isomorphic to those that describe a simple electrical transmission line, so that charge imbalance waves may propagate in the superconductor in analogy with electrical signals that propagate down the transmission line. We propose as a model for a phase-slip center in a superconducting filament a localized Josephson oscillator coupled to the transmission line. Applying standard transmission-line theory to solve the problem, we show that the Josephson oscillations in the center generate charge imbalance waves that the propagate out to a frequency-dependent distance of the order of the quasiparticle diffusion length GAMMA/sub Q/*= (Dtau/sub Q/*)/sup 1/2/ before they damp out. The time-averaged behavior of the model reduces to the earlier model of Skocpol, Beasley, and Tinkham. A novel consequence of the model is a prediction of intrinsic hysteresis in the dc current--voltage relation. The model also provides a convenient framework for dealing with ac effects in phase-slip centers, including resonance and synchronization in systems of closely spaced phase-slip centers and microbridges

Novel structures and superconductivities of calcium–lithium alloys at high pressures: A first-principles study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Ying, E-mail: xuying3270@cust.edu.cn; Chen, Changbo; Wang, Sihan; Sun, Xiuping

2016-06-05

Exposing a material to high pressures can fundamentally influence its crystal and electronic structure, leading to the formation of new materials with unique physical and chemical properties. Here, we have conducted a systematic search for Ca–Li alloys by using a global minima search based on particle-swarm optimization algorithm in combination with density functional theory calculations. We predict that Calcium and Lithium with a high Ca composition CaLi, Ca{sub 2}Li and Ca{sub 3}Li exist, and a strikingly decomposition-combination-decomposition oscillating behavior with pressure is revealed. All predicted Ca–Li compounds are metallic and good electron–phonon superconductors with transition temperatures (T{sub c}) of around 8–19 K. The superconductivity mainly originates from the low-energy Ca vibrations and the pressure dependence of T{sub c} is dominated by the phonon softening/hardening. - Highlights: • Three high Ca compositions of CaLi, Ca{sub 2}Li, and Ca{sub 3}Li alloys have been predicted. • High superconducting temperatures were predicted for Ca–Li alloys at high pressures. • The origin of the superconductivity is revealed. • The superconducting temperature increases with increasing pressures for Fd-3m CaLi. • The Fd-3m phase of CaLi is a potential high-temperature superconductor.

Novel structures and superconductivities of calcium–lithium alloys at high pressures: A first-principles study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Ying; Chen, Changbo; Wang, Sihan; Sun, Xiuping

2016-01-01

Exposing a material to high pressures can fundamentally influence its crystal and electronic structure, leading to the formation of new materials with unique physical and chemical properties. Here, we have conducted a systematic search for Ca–Li alloys by using a global minima search based on particle-swarm optimization algorithm in combination with density functional theory calculations. We predict that Calcium and Lithium with a high Ca composition CaLi, Ca_2Li and Ca_3Li exist, and a strikingly decomposition-combination-decomposition oscillating behavior with pressure is revealed. All predicted Ca–Li compounds are metallic and good electron–phonon superconductors with transition temperatures (T_c) of around 8–19 K. The superconductivity mainly originates from the low-energy Ca vibrations and the pressure dependence of T_c is dominated by the phonon softening/hardening. - Highlights: • Three high Ca compositions of CaLi, Ca_2Li, and Ca_3Li alloys have been predicted. • High superconducting temperatures were predicted for Ca–Li alloys at high pressures. • The origin of the superconductivity is revealed. • The superconducting temperature increases with increasing pressures for Fd-3m CaLi. • The Fd-3m phase of CaLi is a potential high-temperature superconductor.

Upgraded phase control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Added, N [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil); Clifft, B E; Shepard, K W [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

1992-11-01

Microphonic-induced fluctuations in the RF eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the RF phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the frequency range and the RF energy content of the RF cavity. The fast tuner for the SC resonators in the ATLAS heavy-ion linac is a voltage-controlled reactance based on an array of PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen. This paper discusses recent upgrades to the ATLAS fast tuner which can now provide as much as 30 KVA of reactive tuning capability with a real RF power loss of less than 300 watts. The design was guided by numerical modeling of all elements of the device. Also discussed is the RF coupler which can couple 30 KW from 77 K tuner to a 4.2 K resonant cavity with less than 2 W of RF loss into 4.2 K. (Author) 6 refs., 2 figs.

Upgraded phase control system for superconducting low-velocity accelerating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Added, N.; Clifft, B.E.; Shepard, K.W.

1992-01-01

Microphonic-induced fluctuations in the RF eigenfrequency of superconducting (SC) slow-wave structures must be compensated by a fast-tuning system in order to control the RF phase. The tuning system must handle a reactive power proportional to the product of the frequency range and the RF energy content of the RF cavity. The fast tuner for the SC resonators in the ATLAS heavy-ion linac is a voltage-controlled reactance based on an array of PIN diodes operating immersed in liquid nitrogen. This paper discusses recent upgrades to the ATLAS fast tuner which can now provide as much as 30 KVA of reactive tuning capability with a real RF power loss of less than 300 watts. The design was guided by numerical modeling of all elements of the device. Also discussed is the RF coupler which can couple 30 KW from 77 K tuner to a 4.2 K resonant cavity with less than 2 W of RF loss into 4.2 K. (Author) 6 refs., 2 figs

Y-junction of superconducting Josephson chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giuliano, Domenico; Sodano, Pasquale

2009-01-01

We show that, for pertinent values of the fabrication and control parameters, an attractive finite coupling fixed point emerges in the phase diagram of a Y-junction of superconducting Josephson chains. The new fixed point arises only when the dimensionless flux f piercing the central loop of the network equals π and, thus, does not break time-reversal invariance; for f≠π, only the strongly coupled fixed point survives as a stable attractive fixed point. Phase slips (instantons) have a crucial role in establishing this transition: we show indeed that, at f=π, a new set of instantons-the W-instantons-comes into play to destabilize the strongly coupled fixed point. Finally, we provide a detailed account of the Josephson current-phase relationship along the arms of the network, near each one of the allowed fixed points. Our results evidence remarkable similarities between the phase diagram accessible to a Y-junction of superconducting Josephson chains and the one found in the analysis of quantum Brownian motion on frustrated planar lattices

Possible universal cause of high-Tc superconductivity in different metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amusia, M.Ya.; Shaginyan, V.R.

2002-01-01

Using the theory of the high temperature superconductivity based on the idea of the fermion condensation quantum phase transition (FCQPT) it is shown that neither the d-wave pairing symmetry, nor the pseudogap phenomenon, nor the presence of the Cu-O 2 planes are of decisive importance for the existence of the high-T c superconductivity. The analysis of recent experimental data on this type of superconductivity in different materials is carried out. It is shown that these facts can be understood within the theory of superconductivity based on the FCQPT. The main features of a room-temperature superconductor are discussed [ru

Superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Poole, Charles P; Farach, Horacio A

1995-01-01

Superconductivity covers the nature of the phenomenon of superconductivity. The book discusses the fundamental principles of superconductivity; the essential features of the superconducting state-the phenomena of zero resistance and perfect diamagnetism; and the properties of the various classes of superconductors, including the organics, the buckministerfullerenes, and the precursors to the cuprates. The text also describes superconductivity from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and provides expressions for the free energy; the Ginzburg-Landau and BCS theories; and the structures of the high

Phase transitions in trajectories of a superconducting single-electron transistor coupled to a resonator.

Science.gov (United States)

Genway, Sam; Garrahan, Juan P; Lesanovsky, Igor; Armour, Andrew D

2012-05-01

Recent progress in the study of dynamical phase transitions has been made with a large-deviation approach to study trajectories of stochastic jumps using a thermodynamic formalism. We study this method applied to an open quantum system consisting of a superconducting single-electron transistor, near the Josephson quasiparticle resonance, coupled to a resonator. We find that the dynamical behavior shown in rare trajectories can be rich even when the mean dynamical activity is small, and thus the formalism gives insights into the form of fluctuations. The structure of the dynamical phase diagram found from the quantum-jump trajectories of the resonator is studied, and we see that sharp transitions in the dynamical activity may be related to the appearance and disappearance of bistabilities in the state of the resonator as system parameters are changed. We also demonstrate that for a fast resonator, the trajectories of quasiparticles are similar to the resonator trajectories.

Detection of Resistive Transitions in LHC Superconducting Components

CERN Document Server

Denz, R

2001-01-01

The LHC has entered the construction phase. It will incorporate a large number of superconducting components like magnets, current leads and busbars. All these components require protection means in case of a transition from the superconducting to the resistive state, the so-called quench. Key elements in the protection system are electronic quench detectors, which have to be able to identify a quench in any state of the powering cycle of the accelerator. According to the different properties and characteristics of the superconducting elements and circuits, a set of quench detectors adapted to their specific tasks has been developed.

Superconductivity, Antiferromagnetism, and Kinetic Correlation in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Yanagisawa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate the ground state of two-dimensional Hubbard model on the basis of the variational Monte Carlo method. We use wave functions that include kinetic correlation and doublon-holon correlation beyond the Gutzwiller ansatz. It is still not clear whether the Hubbard model accounts for high-temperature superconductivity. The antiferromagnetic correlation plays a key role in the study of pairing mechanism because the superconductive phase exists usually close to the antiferromagnetic phase. We investigate the stability of the antiferromagnetic state when holes are doped as a function of the Coulomb repulsion U. We show that the antiferromagnetic correlation is suppressed as U is increased exceeding the bandwidth. High-temperature superconductivity is possible in this region with enhanced antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation and pairing interaction.

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.

Results from a model system of superconducting solenoids and phase shifting bridge for pulsed power studies for proposed tokamak EF coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuja, R.E.; Kustom, R.L.; Smith, R.P.

1977-01-01

A matched pair of superconducting solenoids and a phase-shifting bridge circuit has been constructed to study energy storage and transfer for application to tokamak EF coils. The intrinsically stable solenoids, each with 4 H self-inductance, incorporate sufficient cooling to allow charging at several hundred volts, corresponding to B = 1 T/sec. The three-phase inductor-convertor capacitive bridge network operating at up to 150 V rms transfers energy reversibly and at controllable rates from the storage coil to the load coil

Geometrical resonance effects in thin superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nedellec, P.

1977-01-01

Electron tunneling density of states measurements on thick and clear superconducting films (S 1 ) backed by films in the normal or superconducting state (S 2 ) show geometrical resonance effects associated with the spatial variation of Δ(x), the pair potential, near the interface S 1 -S 2 . The present understanding of this so-called 'Tomasch effect' is described. The dispersion relation and the nature of excitations in the superconducting state are introduced. It is shown that the introduction of Green functions give a general description of the superconducting state. The notion of Andreev scattering at the S 1 -S 2 interface is presented and connect the geometrical resonance effects to interference process between excitations. The different physical parameters involved are defined and used in the discussion of some experimental results: the variation of the period in energy with the superconducting thickness is connected to the renormalized group velocity of excitations traveling perpendicular to the film. The role of the barrier potential at the interface on the Tomasch effect is described. The main results discussed are: the decrease of the amplitude of the Tomasch structures with energy is due to the loss of the mixed electron-hole character of the superconducting excitations far away from the Fermi level; the variation of the pair potential at the interface is directly related to the amplitude of the oscillations; the tunneling selectivity is an important parameter as the amplitude as well as the phase of the oscillations are modified depending on the value of the selectivity; the phase of the Tomasch oscillations is different for an abrupt change of Δ at the interface and for a smooth variation. An ambiguity arises due to the interplay between these parameters. Finally, some experiments, which illustrate clearly the predicted effects are described [fr

Superconductivity on the border of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism in UGe2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saxena, SS; Ahilan, K; Grosche, FM; Haselwimmer, RKW; Steiner, MJ; Pugh, E; Walker, IR; Julian, [No Value; Monthoux, P; Lonzarich, GG; Huxley, A; Sheikin, [No Value; Braithwaite, D; Flouquet, J

2000-01-01

The absence of simple examples of superconductivity adjoining itinerant-electron ferromagnetism in the phase diagram has for many years cast doubt on the validity of conventional models of magnetically mediated superconductivity. On closer examination, however, very few systems have been studied in

The use of superconductivity in the USA transportation programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borcherts, R.H.

1974-01-01

US government-sponsored programmes on magnetic suspension, from the Department of Transportation and the National Science Foundation, began in 1971. However, previous work by the Ford Motor Company and the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) had demonstrated the feasibility of magnetic lift-to-drag ratio of 50 to 60 at 134m/s. Current research projects include: SRI's test sled vehicle; a tracked magnetic levitation research vehicle; Magnetic Corporation of America's design study for a superconducting magnet; the linear synchronous motor; and two rotary superconducting machines, the superconducting paddlewheel and the superconducting helix. The next phase of the programme will be a high-speed rocket-propelled test sled to operate on a 1km section of guideway. (author)

Two-step superconducting transition in Cu-V-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.G.; Krishna, M.M.; Narlikar, A.V.

1980-01-01

Copper ternary alloys containing small amounts of vanadium and silicon exhibit a two-step superconducting resistive transition. The first transition occurs around 17 K, the transition temperature of β-W V 3 Si, followed by a plateau and a second transition around 10 K. The resistivity, however, does not drop to zero down to 2.5 K. Reduction of the wire diameter causes the two transitions to shift to lower temperatures. Complete superconductivity in these specimens is absent for two reasons. Firstly, the superconducting volume fraction present in these alloy-wires is below the threshold given by either the effective-medium theory or the site percolation theory. Secondly, the superconducting phase V 3 Si does not precipitate in copper matrix in a fine structure and the proximity effect does not operate strongly. Annealing causes the superconducting particles to coalesce and grow in size and suppresses the proximity effect and superconductivity further in these alloy wires. (author)

Beam tests and operation of superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akai, Kazunori

1990-01-01

Beam tests and operation of superconducting cavities conducted since the third workshop on RF superconductivity (Argonne, Sep. 1987) are reported in this paper. The paper is concerned particularly with electron machines. Storage and acceleration of the beam are discussed, focusing on the CERN test in SPS, the DESY test in PETRA, the superconducting injector at Darmstadt, and the KEK beam tests in T-AR. Then, long-term performance of the cavity in the ring is discussed focusing on Eacc (max) and O-value, environmental conditions, and operational experience in T-MR. RF controllability is addressed, centering on the Robinson stability, cavity tuning loop, quench detection and interlocks, recovery procedure, field calibration, and phase adjustment. Higher order modes are also discussed. Superconducting cavities have been operated successfully in accelerators. It has been confirmed that the superconducting cavities can be used stably for experimental use. For more than 5000 hours the cavities have indicated no essential degradation of the cavity performance. The study of long-term performance should be continued in longer range of period. (N.K.)

Dimensionality Driven Enhancement of Ferromagnetic Superconductivity in URhGe

Science.gov (United States)

Braithwaite, Daniel; Aoki, Dai; Brison, Jean-Pascal; Flouquet, Jacques; Knebel, Georg; Nakamura, Ai; Pourret, Alexandre

2018-01-01

In most unconventional superconductors, like the high-Tc cuprates, iron pnictides, or heavy-fermion systems, superconductivity emerges in the proximity of an electronic instability. Identifying unambiguously the pairing mechanism remains nevertheless an enormous challenge. Among these systems, the orthorhombic uranium ferromagnetic superconductors have a unique position, notably because magnetic fields couple directly to ferromagnetic order, leading to the fascinating discovery of the reemergence of superconductivity in URhGe at a high field. Here we show that uniaxial stress is a remarkable tool allowing the fine-tuning of the pairing strength. With a relatively small stress, the superconducting phase diagram is spectacularly modified, with a merging of the low- and high-field superconducting states and a significant enhancement of the superconductivity. The superconducting critical temperature increases both at zero field and under a field, reaching 1 K, more than twice higher than at ambient pressure. This enhancement of superconductivity is shown to be directly related to a change of the magnetic dimensionality detected from an increase of the transverse magnetic susceptibility: In addition to the Ising-type longitudinal ferromagnetic fluctuations, transverse magnetic fluctuations also play an important role in the superconducting pairing.

Modeling and comparison of superconducting linear actuators for highly dynamic motion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruyn B.J.H. de

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a numerical modeling method for AC losses in highly dynamic linear actuators with high temperature superconducting (HTS tapes. The AC losses and generated force of two actuators, with different placement of the cryostats, are compared. In these actuators, the main loss component in the superconducting tapes are hysteresis losses, which result from both the non-sinusoidal phase currents and movement of the permanent magnets. The modeling method, based on the H-formulation of the magnetic fields, takes into account permanent magnetization and movement of permanent magnets. Calculated losses as function of the peak phase current of both superconducting actuators are compared to those of an equivalent non-cryogenic actuator.

LEP superconducting cavities go into storage

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2001-01-01

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities from the LEP-2 phase (1996-2000) are put into storage in the tunnel that once housed the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR), the world’s first proton collider, located at CERN.

Superconducting Tunnel Junction Arrays for UV Photon Detection, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An innovative method is described for the fabrication of superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector arrays offering true "three dimensional" imaging throughout...

TRILEX and G W +EDMFT approach to d -wave superconductivity in the Hubbard model

Science.gov (United States)

Vučičević, J.; Ayral, T.; Parcollet, O.

2017-09-01

We generalize the recently introduced TRILEX approach (TRiply irreducible local EXpansion) to superconducting phases. The method treats simultaneously Mott and spin-fluctuation physics using an Eliashberg theory supplemented by local vertex corrections determined by a self-consistent quantum impurity model. We show that, in the two-dimensional Hubbard model, at strong coupling, TRILEX yields a d -wave superconducting dome as a function of doping. Contrary to the standard cluster dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) approaches, TRILEX can capture d -wave pairing using only a single-site effective impurity model. We also systematically explore the dependence of the superconducting temperature on the bare dispersion at weak coupling, which shows a clear link between strong antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations and the onset of superconductivity. We identify a combination of hopping amplitudes particularly favorable to superconductivity at intermediate doping. Finally, we study within G W +EDMFT the low-temperature d -wave superconducting phase at strong coupling in a region of parameter space with reduced AF fluctuations.

Synthesis, structure and superconductivity in Ba1-xKxBiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinks, D.G.

1989-01-01

Ba 1-x K x BiO 3 (with x = 0.4) has the highest T c (30 K) of any copperless compound. The superconducting transition temperature of this material is expected to be at the limit of conventional electron-phonon coupling. Since this material is much simpler than the copper containing high-T c superconductors (it is cubic in its superconducting state and only sp electrons are involved in the transport properties), it should be much easier to unravel the nature of the superconducting pairing mechanism in this system. Understanding this system may help explain superconductivity in the more complex copper-oxide materials. In this paper, the authors report on the development of a synthesis method which allows the preparation of stoichiometric, single-phase materials with x between 0.0 and 0.5. The structural phase diagram was determined using powder neutron diffraction as a function of both composition and temperature. Superconductivity only occurs in the cubic perovskite phase which is stable for x larger than 0.3. At a x = 0.3 composition the material undergoes a semiconductor to metal transition with a maximum value for T c . As the K content is further increased, T c is reduced

Pair Fermi contour and high-temperature superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Belyavsky, V I

2002-01-01

The holes superconducting coupling with the pair high summarized pulse and the relative motion low pulses is considered with an account of the quasi-two-dimensional electron structure of the HTSC-cuprates with the clearly-pronounced nesting of the Fermi contour. The superconducting energy gap and the condensation energy are determined and their dependences on the doping level are qualitatively studied. It is shown that the energy gap takes place in some holes concentration area, limited on both sides. The superconducting state, whereby the condensation energy is positive, originates in the more narrower doping interval inside this area. The hole pair redistribution in the pulse space constitutes the cause of the superconducting state origination by the holes repulsive screened Coulomb interaction. The coupling mechanism discussed hereby, males it possible to explain qualitatively not only the phase diagram basic peculiarities but also the key experimental facts, related to the cuprate HTSC-materials

Conversion of Phase II Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment Data to Common Format; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hand, M. M.

1999-01-01

A vast amount of aerodynamic, structural, and turbine performance data were collected during three phases of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment (UAE). To compare data from the three phases, a similar format of engineering unit data is required. The process of converting Phase II data from a previous engineering unit format to raw integer counts is discussed. The integer count files can then be input to the new post-processing software, MUNCH. The resulting Phase II engineering unit files are in a common format with current and future UAE engineering unit files. An additional objective for changing the file format was to convert the Phase II data from English units to SI units of measurement

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-08-01

A major problem in the field of high-transition temperature ( T c ) superconductivity is the identification of the electronic instabilities near superconductivity. It is known that the iron-based superconductors exhibit antiferromagnetic order, which competes with the superconductivity. However, in the nonmagnetic state, there are many aspects of the electronic instabilities that remain unclarified, as represented by the orbital instability and several in-plane anisotropic physical properties. We report a new aspect of the electronic state of the optimally doped iron-based superconductors by using high-energy resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find spectral evidence for the folded electronic structure suggestive of an antiferroic electronic instability, coexisting with the superconductivity in the nonmagnetic state of Ba 1- x K x Fe 2 As 2 . We further establish a phase diagram showing that the antiferroic electronic structure persists in a large portion of the nonmagnetic phase covering the superconducting dome. These results motivate consideration of a key unknown electronic instability, which is necessary for the achievement of high- T c superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors.

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, A.W.B.; Noakes, G.R.

1981-01-01

This book is an elementray introduction into superconductivity. The topics are the superconducting state, the magnetic properties of superconductors, type I superconductors, type II superconductors and a chapter on the superconductivity theory. (WL)

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onnes, H.K.

1988-01-01

The author traces the development of superconductivity from 1911 to 1986. Some of the areas he explores are the Meissner Effect, theoretical developments, experimental developments, engineering achievements, research in superconducting magnets, and research in superconducting electronics. The article also mentions applications shown to be technically feasible, but not yet commercialized. High-temperature superconductivity may provide enough leverage to bring these applications to the marketplace

Hofstadter's Butterfly and Phase Transition of Checkerboard Superconducting Network in a Magnetic Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Jingmin; Tian, Li-Jim

2010-01-01

We study the magnetic effect of the checkerboard superconducting wire network. Based on the de Gennes-Alexader theory, we obtain difference equations for superconducting order parameter in the wire network. Through solving these difference equations, we obtain the eigenvalues, linked to the coherence length, as a function of magnetic field. The diagram of eigenvalues shows a fractal structure, being so-called Hofstadter's butterfly. We also calculate and discuss the dependence of the transition temperature of the checkerboard superconducting wire network on the applied magnetic field, which is related to up-edge of the Hofstadter's butterfly spectrum. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Prediction of high-Tc conventional superconductivity in the ternary lithium borohydride system

Science.gov (United States)

Kokail, Christian; von der Linden, Wolfgang; Boeri, Lilia

2017-12-01

We investigate the superconducting ternary lithium borohydride phase diagram at pressures of 0 and 200 GPa using methods for evolutionary crystal structure prediction and linear-response calculations for the electron-phonon coupling. Our calculations show that the ground state phase at ambient pressure, LiBH4, stays in the P n m a space group and remains a wide band-gap insulator at all pressures investigated. Other phases along the 1 :1 :x Li:B:H line are also insulating. However, a full search of the ternary phase diagram at 200 GPa revealed a metallic Li2BH6 phase, which is thermodynamically stable down to 100 GPa. This superhydride phase, crystallizing in a F m 3 ¯m space group, is characterized by sixfold hydrogen-coordinated boron atoms occupying the fcc sites of the unit cell. Due to strong hydrogen-boron bonding this phase displays a critical temperature of ˜100 K between 100 and 200 GPa. Our investigations confirm that ternary compounds used in hydrogen-storage applications should exhibit high-Tc conventional superconductivity in diamond anvil cell experiments, and suggest a viable route to optimize the superconducting behavior of high-pressure hydrides, exploiting metallic covalent bonds.

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, N.H.; Mortensen, K.

1988-12-01

This report contains lecture notes of the basic lectures presented at the 1st Topsoee Summer School on Superconductivity held at Risoe National Laboratory, June 20-24, 1988. The following lecture notes are included: L.M. Falicov: 'Superconductivity: Phenomenology', A. Bohr and O. Ulfbeck: 'Quantal structure of superconductivity. Gauge angle', G. Aeppli: 'Muons, neutrons and superconductivity', N.F. Pedersen: 'The Josephson junction', C. Michel: 'Physicochemistry of high-T c superconductors', C. Laverick and J.K. Hulm: 'Manufacturing and application of superconducting wires', J. Clarke: 'SQUID concepts and systems'. (orig.) With 10 tabs., 128 figs., 219 refs

Results from a model system of superconducting solenoids and phase shifting bridge for pulsed power studies for proposed tokamak EF coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuja, R.E.; Kustom, R.L.; Smith, R.P.

1977-01-01

A matched pair of superconducting solenoids and a phase-shifting bridge circuit has been constructed to study energy storage and transfer for application to tokamak EF coils. The intrinsically stable solenoids, each with 4 H self-inductance, incorporate sufficient cooling to allow charging at several hundred volts, corresponding to B approximately equal 1 T/sec. The three-phase inductor-convertor capacitive bridge network operating at up to 150 V rms transfers energy reversibly and at controllable rates from the storage coil to the load coil

Connections between magnetism and superconductivity in UBe13 doped with thorium or boron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heffner, R.H.; Ott, H.R.; Schenck, A.; Mydosh, J.A.; MacLaughlin, D.E.

1991-06-01

Magnetism and superconductivity appear to be intimately connected in the heavy electron (HE) superconductors. For example, it has been conjectured but not proven that the exchange of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations are responsible for pairing in HE superconductors. In this paper we review recent results in U 1-x Th x Be 13 , where specific heat, lower critical field and zero-field μSR measurements reveal another second-order phase transition to a state which possesses small-moment magnetic correlations for 0.019 ≤ x ≤ 0.043. We present a new phase diagram for (U,Th)Be 13 which indicates that the superconducting and magnetic order parameters are closely coupled. A discussion of the nature of the lower phase is presented, including the consideration of a possible magnetic superconducting state. When UBe 13 is doped with B (UBe 12.97 B 0.03 ) the Kondo temperature is decreased and the specific heat jump at the superconducting transition temperature is significantly enhanced. However, μSR measurements reveal no magnetic signature in UBe 12.97 B 0.03 , unlike the case for Th doping. The correlation between changes in the Kondo temperature and changes in the superconducting properties induced by B doping provide evidence for the importance of magnetic excitations in the superconducting pairing interaction in UBe 13

Experimental formation enthalpies for intermetallic phases and other inorganic compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, George; Meschel, S. V.; Nash, Philip; Chen, Wei

2017-01-01

The standard enthalpy of formation of a compound is the energy associated with the reaction to form the compound from its component elements. The standard enthalpy of formation is a fundamental thermodynamic property that determines its phase stability, which can be coupled with other thermodynamic data to calculate phase diagrams. Calorimetry provides the only direct method by which the standard enthalpy of formation is experimentally measured. However, the measurement is often a time and energy intensive process. We present a dataset of enthalpies of formation measured by high-temperature calorimetry. The phases measured in this dataset include intermetallic compounds with transition metal and rare-earth elements, metal borides, metal carbides, and metallic silicides. These measurements were collected from over 50 years of calorimetric experiments. The dataset contains 1,276 entries on experimental enthalpy of formation values and structural information. Most of the entries are for binary compounds but ternary and quaternary compounds are being added as they become available. The dataset also contains predictions of enthalpy of formation from first-principles calculations for comparison. PMID:29064466

Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O superconducting films fabricated using metal alkoxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katayama, S.; Sekine, M.

1991-01-01

Superconducting films in the Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O systems were made using metal alkoxides. To prepare a dip-coating solution using a mixed alkoxide solution, insoluble Cu and Bi alkoxides were dissolved by modification with 2-dimethylaminoethanol and formation of a double alkoxide, respectively. Formation of the double alkoxides of Bi with Ca or Sr was confirmed using FT-IR and 1 H-NMR. Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films on yttria-stabilized ZrO 2 and single crystal MgO(100) substrates were made using this solution. The films were closely oriented along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The film on MgO(100) fired at 850 degree C for 48 h showed two resistance drops around 115 and 85 K, corresponding to the high-T c and low-T c phases, respectively, and zero resistance at 72 K

Lighting up superconducting stripes

Science.gov (United States)

Ergeçen, Emre; Gedik, Nuh

2018-02-01

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

Superconducting coherence in a vortex line liquid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, T.; Teitel, S.

1995-01-01

We carry out simulations of the anisotropic uniformly frustrated 3d XY model, as a model for vortex line fluctuations in high T c superconductors. We compute the phase diagram as a function of temperature and anisotropy, for a fixed applied magnetic field B. We find two distinct phase transitions. Upon heating, there is first a lower T c perpendicular where the vortex line lattice melts and super-conducting coherence perpendicular to the applied magnetic field vanishes. At a higher T cz , within the vortex line liquid, superconducting coherence parallel to the applied magnetic field vanishes. For finite anisotropy, both T c perpendicular and T cz lie well below the crossover from the vortex line liquid to the normal state

Magnetism and superconductivity in Eu-based iron pnictides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zapf, Sina [1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Stuttgart (Germany)

2015-07-01

EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} is an extraordinary parent compound of the iron pnictides, as it exhibits at low temperatures - additional to the Fe spin density wave - long-range magnetic order of the Eu{sup 2+} local moments. Nevertheless, bulk superconductivity around 30 K can be induced by mechanical pressure or chemical substitution. In this talk we review the remarkable interplay of unconventional superconductivity, itinerant and local magnetism in Eu based iron pnictides. We focus on the appearance of a re-entrant spin glass phase that coexists with superconductivity and an indirect magneto-elastic coupling, enabling the persistent magnetic detwinning by small magnetic fields.

Cooper pairs' magnetic moment in MCFL color superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Bo; Ferrer, Efrain J.; Incera, Vivian de la

2011-01-01

We investigate the effect of the alignment of the magnetic moments of Cooper pairs of charged quarks that form at high density in three-flavor quark matter. The high-density phase of this matter in the presence of a magnetic field is known to be the Magnetic Color-Flavor-Locked (MCFL) phase of color superconductivity. We derive the Fierz identities of the theory and show how the explicit breaking of the rotational symmetry by the uniform magnetic field opens new channels of interactions and allows the formation of a new diquark condensate. The new order parameter is a spin-1 condensate proportional to the component in the field direction of the average magnetic moment of the pairs of charged quarks. The magnitude of the spin-1 condensate becomes comparable to the larger of the two scalar gaps in the region of large fields. The existence of the spin-1 condensate is unavoidable, as in the presence of a magnetic field there is no solution of the gap equations with nonzero scalar gaps and zero magnetic moment condensate. This is consistent with the fact that the extra condensate does not break any symmetry that has not already been broken by the known MCFL gaps. The spin-1 condensate enhances the condensation energy of pairs formed by charged quarks and the magnetization of the system. We discuss the possible consequences of the new order parameter on the issue of the chromomagnetic instability that appears in color superconductivity at moderate density.

Theory of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crisan, M.

1988-01-01

This book discusses the most important aspects of the theory. The phenomenological model is followed by the microscopic theory of superconductivity, in which modern formalism of the many-body theory is used to treat most important problems such as superconducting alloys, coexistence of superconductivity with the magnetic order, and superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional systems. It concludes with a discussion on models for exotic and high temperature superconductivity. Its main aim is to review, as complete as possible, the theory of superconductivity from classical models and methods up to the 1987 results on high temperature superconductivity. Contents: Phenomenological Theory of Superconductivity; Microscopic Theory of Superconductivity; Theory of Superconducting Alloys; Superconductors in a Magnetic Field; Superconductivity and Magnetic Order; Superconductivity in Quasi-One-Dimensional Systems; and Non-Conventional Superconductivity

Applied superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Newhouse, Vernon L

1975-01-01

Applied Superconductivity, Volume II, is part of a two-volume series on applied superconductivity. The first volume dealt with electronic applications and radiation detection, and contains a chapter on liquid helium refrigeration. The present volume discusses magnets, electromechanical applications, accelerators, and microwave and rf devices. The book opens with a chapter on high-field superconducting magnets, covering applications and magnet design. Subsequent chapters discuss superconductive machinery such as superconductive bearings and motors; rf superconducting devices; and future prospec

Unconventional superconductivity in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ying [Department of Physics and Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093 (China); Mao, Zhi-Qiang [Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 (United States)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • Constraints on and experimental support to unconventional superconductivity in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}. • Phase-sensitive determination of the pairing symmetry in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}. • Response of superconductivity to mechanical perturbations. • Superconductivity in non-bulk Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}. • Unresolved issues and outlook in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} research. - Abstract: Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}, featuring a layered perovskite crystalline and quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure, was first synthesized in 1959. Unconventional, p-wave pairing was predicted for Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} by Rice and Sigrist and Baskaran shortly after superconductivity in this material was discovered in 1994. Experimental evidence for unconventional superconductivity in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} has been accumulating in the past two decades and reviewed previously. In this article, we will first discuss constraints on the pairing symmetry of superconductivity in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} and summarize experimental evidence supporting the unconventional pairing symmetry in this material. We will then present several aspects of the experimental determination of the unconventional superconductivity in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} in some detail. In particular, we will discuss the phase-sensitive measurements that have played an important role in the determination of the pairing symmetry in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}. The responses of superconductivity to the mechanical perturbations and their implications on the mechanism of superconductivity will be discussed. A brief survey of various non-bulk Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} will also be included to illustrate the many unusual features resulted from the unconventional nature of superconductivity in this material system. Finally, we will discuss some outstanding unresolved issues on Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} and provide an outlook of the future work on Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}.

Superconducting conversion of the Intersecting storage Rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

A study is presented of design, performances and cost estimates for superconducting proton storage rings in the existing ISR tunnel at CERN. By using a proven technology for the superconducting magnets an energy of 120 GeV is attainable, which corresponds to a bending field of 5.12 T. Using injection from the PS and stacking at 25 GeV, followed by phase displacement acceleration, luminosities of up to 4.10 33 cm -2 s -1 at 120 GeV are obtained. (Auth.)

Anomalous superconductivity in the tJ model; moment approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads Peter; Rodriguez-Nunez, J.J.

1997-01-01

By extending the moment approach of Nolting (Z, Phys, 225 (1972) 25) in the superconducting phase, we have constructed the one-particle spectral functions (diagonal and off-diagonal) for the tJ model in any dimensions. We propose that both the diagonal and the off-diagonal spectral functions...... Hartree shift which in the end result enlarges the bandwidth of the free carriers allowing us to take relative high values of J/t and allowing superconductivity to live in the T-c-rho phase diagram, in agreement with numerical calculations in a cluster, We have calculated the static spin susceptibility......, chi(T), and the specific heat, C-v(T), within the moment approach. We find that all the relevant physical quantities show the signature of superconductivity at T-c in the form of kinks (anomalous behavior) or jumps, for low density, in agreement with recent published literature, showing a generic...

The origins of macroscopic quantum coherence in high temperature superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, Philip; Nottale, Laurent

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We propose a new theoretical approach to superconductivity in p-type cuprates. • Electron pairing mechanisms in the superconducting and pseudogap phases are proposed. • A scale free network of dopants is key to macroscopic quantum coherence. - Abstract: A new, theoretical approach to macroscopic quantum coherence and superconductivity in the p-type (hole doped) cuprates is proposed. The theory includes mechanisms to account for e-pair coupling in the superconducting and pseudogap phases and their inter relations observed in these materials. Electron pair coupling in the superconducting phase is facilitated by local quantum potentials created by static dopants in a mechanism which explains experimentally observed optimal doping levels and the associated peak in critical temperature. By contrast, evidence suggests that electrons contributing to the pseudogap are predominantly coupled by fractal spin waves (fractons) induced by the fractal arrangement of dopants. On another level, the theory offers new insights into the emergence of a macroscopic quantum potential generated by a fractal distribution of dopants. This, in turn, leads to the emergence of coherent, macroscopic spin waves and a second associated macroscopic quantum potential, possibly supported by charge order. These quantum potentials play two key roles. The first involves the transition of an expected diffusive process (normally associated with Anderson localization) in fractal networks, into e-pair coherence. The second involves the facilitation of tunnelling between localized e-pairs. These combined effects lead to the merger of the super conducting and pseudo gap phases into a single coherent condensate at optimal doping. The underlying theory relating to the diffusion to quantum transition is supported by Coherent Random Lasing, which can be explained using an analogous approach. As a final step, an experimental program is outlined to validate the theory and suggests a new

Superconductivity in Weyl semimetal candidate MoTe{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Yanpeng; Naumov, Pavel; Rajamathi, Catherine; Barkalov, Oleg; Wu, Shu-Chun; Shekhar, Chandra; Sun, Yan; Suess, Vicky; Schmidt, Marcus; Schwarz, Ulrich; Schnelle, Walter; Felser, Claudia; Medvedev, Sergey [Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden (Germany); Ali, Mazhar; Cava, Robert [Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton (United States); Hanfland, Michael [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble (France); Pippel, Eckhard; Werner, Peter; Hillebrand, Reinald; Parkin, Stuart [Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Germany); Foerster, Tobias; Kampert, Erik [Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Dresden (Germany); Yan, Binghai [Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden (Germany); Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden (Germany)

2016-07-01

In this work, we investigate the sister compound of WTe{sub 2}, MoTe{sub 2}, which is also predicted to be a Weyl semimetal and a quantum spin Hall insulator in bulk and monolayer form, respectively. We find that MoTe{sub 2} exhibits superconductivity with a resistive transition temperature T{sub c} of 0.1 K. The application of a small pressure is shown to dramatically enhance the T{sub c}, with a maximum value of 8.2 K being obtained at 11.7 GPa (a more than 80-fold increase in Tc). This yields a dome-shaped superconducting phase diagram. Further explorations into the nature of the superconductivity in this system may provide insights into the interplay between superconductivity and topological physics.

Superconducting on-chip microwave interferometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menzel, Edwin P.; Fischer, Michael; Schneider, Christian; Baust, Alexander; Eder, Peter; Goetz, Jan; Haeberlein, Max; Schwarz, Manuel; Wulschner, Karl Friedrich; Xie, Edwar; Zhong, Ling; Deppe, Frank; Fedorov, Kirill; Huebl, Hans; Marx, Achim; Gross, Rudolf [Walther-Meissner-Institut, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Garching (Germany); Physik-Department, TU Muenchen, Garching (Germany); Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM), Muenchen (Germany)

2015-07-01

In the realm of all-microwave quantum computation, information is encoded in itinerant microwave photons propagating along transmission lines. In such a system unitary operations are implemented by linear elements such as beam splitters or interferometers. However, for two-qubit operations non-linear gates, e.g., c-phase gates are required. In this work, we investigate superconducting interferometers as a building block of a c-phase gate. We experimentally characterize their scattering properties and compare them to simulation results. Finally, we discuss our progress towards the realization of a c-phase gate.

Influence of iridium doping in MgB2 superconducting wires

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grivel, Jean-Claude

2018-01-01

MgB2 wires with iridium doping were manufactured using the in-situ technique in a composite Cu-Nb sheath. Reaction was performed at 700°C, 800°C or 900°C for 1h in argon atmosphere. A maximum of about 1.5 at.% Ir replaces Mg in MgB2. The superconducting transition temperature is slightly lowered...... by Ir doping. The formation of IrMg3 and IrMg4 secondary phase particles is evidenced, especially for a nominal stoichiometry with 2.0 at.% Ir doping. The critical current density and accommodation field of the wires are strongly dependent on the Ir content and are generally weakened in the presence...

Analysis of phase velocity designing on superconducting section of proton Linac for spallation neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang Huafu; Xu Taoguang; Yu Qingchang; Guan Xialing; Luo Zihua

2001-01-01

A preliminary design of superconducting section of proton linac for spallation neutron source is made, which includes the design and optimization of the cavity shape and the architecture design of the superconducting section. In addition, the choice of the cell number of the superconducting cavity, the value of the geometric β G , the optimization principles of cavity and the beam dynamic properties are discussed

Structural, magnetic and superconducting phase transitions in CaFe2As2 under ambient and applied pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canfield, P.C.; Bud'ko, S.L.; Ni, N.; Kreyssig, A.; Goldman, A.I.; McQueeney, R.J.; Torikachvili, M.S.; Argyriou, D.N.; Luke, G.; Yu, W.

2009-01-01

At ambient pressure CaFe 2 As 2 has been found to undergo a first order phase transition from a high temperature, tetragonal phase to a low-temperature orthorhombic/antiferromagnetic phase upon cooling through T ∼ 170 K. With the application of pressure this phase transition is rapidly suppressed and by ∼0.35 GPa it is replaced by a first order phase transition to a low-temperature collapsed tetragonal, non-magnetic phase. Further application of pressure leads to an increase of the tetragonal to collapsed tetragonal phase transition temperature, with it crossing room temperature by ∼1.7 GPa. Given the exceptionally large and anisotropic change in unit cell dimensions associated with the collapsed tetragonal phase, the state of the pressure medium (liquid or solid) at the transition temperature has profound effects on the low-temperature state of the sample. For He-gas cells the pressure is as close to hydrostatic as possible and the transitions are sharp and the sample appears to be single phase at low temperatures. For liquid media cells at temperatures below media freezing, the CaFe 2 As 2 transforms when it is encased by a frozen media and enters into a low-temperature multi-crystallographic-phase state, leading to what appears to be a strain stabilized superconducting state at low temperatures.

Superconducting Electric Boost Pump for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A submersible, superconducting electric boost pump sized to meet the needs of future Nuclear Thermal Propulsion systems in the 25,000 lbf thrust range is proposed....

Unconventional Cooper pairing results in a pseudogap-like phase in s-wave superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Springer, Daniel; Cheong, Siew Ann

2015-01-01

The impact of disorder on the superconducting (SC) pairing mechanism is the centre of much debate. Some evidence suggests a loss of phase coherence of pairs while others point towards the formation of a competing phase. In our work we show that the two perspectives may be different sides of the same coin. Using an extension of the perturbative renormalization group approach we compare the impact of different disorder-induced interactions on a SC ground state. We find that in the strongly disordered regime an interaction between paired fermions and their respective disordered environment replaces conventional Cooper pairing. For these unconventional Cooper pairs the phase coherence condition, required for the formation of a SC condensate, is not satisfied. (paper)

Hybrid superconducting-magnetic memory device using competing order parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Burm; Rippard, William H; Benz, Samuel P; Russek, Stephen E; Dresselhaus, Paul D

2014-05-28

In a hybrid superconducting-magnetic device, two order parameters compete, with one type of order suppressing the other. Recent interest in ultra-low-power, high-density cryogenic memories has spurred new efforts to simultaneously exploit superconducting and magnetic properties so as to create novel switching elements having these two competing orders. Here we describe a reconfigurable two-layer magnetic spin valve integrated within a Josephson junction. Our measurements separate the suppression in the superconducting coupling due to the exchange field in the magnetic layers, which causes depairing of the supercurrent, from the suppression due to the stray magnetic field. The exchange field suppression of the superconducting order parameter is a tunable and switchable behaviour that is also scalable to nanometer device dimensions. These devices demonstrate non-volatile, size-independent switching of Josephson coupling, in magnitude as well as phase, and they may enable practical nanoscale superconducting memory devices.

Color-superconductivity from a Dyson-Schwinger perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nickel, M.D.J.

2007-01-01

Color-superconducting phases of quantum chromodynamics at vanishing temperatures and high densities are investigated. The central object is the one-particle Green's function of the fermions, the so-called quark propagator. It is determined by its equation of motion, the Dyson-Schwinger equation. To handle Dyson-Schwinger equations a successfully applied truncation scheme in the vacuum is extended to finite densities and gradually improved. It is thereby guaranteed that analytical results at asymptotically large densities are reproduced. This way an approach that is capable to describe known results in the vacuum as well as at high densities is applied to densities of astrophysical relevance for the first time. In the first part of the thesis the framework of the investigations with focus on the extension to finite densities is outlined. Physical observables are introduced which can be extracted from the propagator. In the following a minimal truncation scheme is presented. To point out the complexity of our approach in comparison to phenomenological models of quantum chromodynamics the chirally unbroken phase is discussed first. Subsequently color-superconducting phases for massless quarks are investigated. Furthermore the role of finite quark masses and neutrality constraints at moderate densities is studied. In contrast to phenomenological models the so-called CFL phase is found to be the ground state for all relevant densities. In the following part the applicability of the maximum entropy method for the extraction of spectral functions from numerical results in Euclidean space-time is demonstrated. As an example the spectral functions of quarks in the chirally unbroken and color-superconducting phases are determined. Hereby the results of our approach are presented in a new light. For instance the finite width of the quasiparticles in the color-superconducting phase becomes apparent. In the final chapter of this work extensions of our truncation scheme in

Color-superconductivity from a Dyson-Schwinger perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nickel, M.D.J.

2007-12-20

Color-superconducting phases of quantum chromodynamics at vanishing temperatures and high densities are investigated. The central object is the one-particle Green's function of the fermions, the so-called quark propagator. It is determined by its equation of motion, the Dyson-Schwinger equation. To handle Dyson-Schwinger equations a successfully applied truncation scheme in the vacuum is extended to finite densities and gradually improved. It is thereby guaranteed that analytical results at asymptotically large densities are reproduced. This way an approach that is capable to describe known results in the vacuum as well as at high densities is applied to densities of astrophysical relevance for the first time. In the first part of the thesis the framework of the investigations with focus on the extension to finite densities is outlined. Physical observables are introduced which can be extracted from the propagator. In the following a minimal truncation scheme is presented. To point out the complexity of our approach in comparison to phenomenological models of quantum chromodynamics the chirally unbroken phase is discussed first. Subsequently color-superconducting phases for massless quarks are investigated. Furthermore the role of finite quark masses and neutrality constraints at moderate densities is studied. In contrast to phenomenological models the so-called CFL phase is found to be the ground state for all relevant densities. In the following part the applicability of the maximum entropy method for the extraction of spectral functions from numerical results in Euclidean space-time is demonstrated. As an example the spectral functions of quarks in the chirally unbroken and color-superconducting phases are determined. Hereby the results of our approach are presented in a new light. For instance the finite width of the quasiparticles in the color-superconducting phase becomes apparent. In the final chapter of this work extensions of our truncation scheme in

Formation of Ion Phase-Space Vortexes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pécseli, Hans; Trulsen, J.; Armstrong, R. J.

1984-01-01

The formation of ion phase space vortexes in the ion two stream region behind electrostatic ion acoustic shocks are observed in a laboratory experiment. A detailed analysis demonstrates that the evolution of such vortexes is associated with ion-ion beam instabilities and a nonlinear equation for ...

Superconductivity and its pressure variation in GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nirmala Louis, C.; Jayam, Sr. Gerardin; Amalraj, A.

2005-01-01

The electronic band structure, metallization, phase transition and superconducting transition of gallium arsenide under pressure are studied using TB-LMTO method. Metallization occurs via indirect closing of band gap between Γ and X points. GaAs becomes superconductor under high pressure but before that it undergoes structural phase transition from ZnS phase to NaCl phase. The ground state properties are analyzed by fitting the calculated total energies to the Birch-Murnaghan's equation of state. The superconducting transition temperatures (T c ) obtained as a function of pressure for both the ZnS and NaCl structures and GaAs comes under the class of pressure induced superconductor. When pressure is increased T c increases in both the normal and high pressure structures. The dependence of T c on electron-phonon mass enhancement factor λ shows that GaAs is an electron-phonon-mediated superconductor. Also it is found that GaAs retained in their normal structure under high pressure give appreciably high T c . (author)

Superconducting homopolar motor and conductor development

Science.gov (United States)

Gubser, Donald U.

1996-10-01

The U.S. Navy has been developing superconducting homopolar motors for ship applications since 1969; a successful at-sea demonstration of the first motor, using NbTi wire for the magnet, was achieved in the early 1980s. Recently, this same motor was used as a test bed to demonstrate progress in high-critical-temperature superconducting magnet technology using bismuth-strontium- calcium-copper-oxide (BSCCO) compounds. In the fall of 1995, this motor achieved a performance of 124 kW operating at a temperature of 4.2 K and 91 kW while operating at 28 K. Future tests are scheduled using new magnets with conductors of both the 2223 and the 2212 BSCCO phases. This article describes the advantages of superconducting propulsion and recent progress in the development of BSCCO conductors for use in Navy power systems.

Superconducting to spin-glass state transformation in β-pyrochlore KxOs2O6

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, C. C.; Lee, W. L.; Lin, J.-Y.; Tsuei, C. C.; Lin, J. G.; Chou, F. C.

2011-03-01

β-pyrochore KOs2O6, which shows superconductivity below ~9.7 K, has been converted into KxOs2O6 (x≲(2)/(3)-(1)/(2)) electrochemically to show spin-glass-like behavior below ~6.1 K. A room-temperature sample surface potential versus charge transfer scan indicates that there are at least two two-phase regions for x between 1 and 0.5. A rattling model of superconductivity for the title compound has been examined using electrochemical potassium de-intercalation. The significant reduction of superconducting volume fraction due to minor potassium reduction suggests the importance of defect and phase coherence in the rattling model. Magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and specific heat measurement results have been compared between the superconducting and spin-glass-like samples.

Superconductivity in zirconium-rhodium alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Zegler, S. T.

1969-01-01

Metallographic studies and transition temperature measurements were made with isothermally annealed and water-quenched zirconium-rhodium alloys. The results clarify both the solid-state phase relations at the Zr-rich end of the Zr-Rh alloy system and the influence upon the superconducting transition temperature of structure and composition.

Topological crystalline superconductivity and second-order topological superconductivity in nodal-loop materials

Science.gov (United States)

Shapourian, Hassan; Wang, Yuxuan; Ryu, Shinsei

2018-03-01

We study the intrinsic fully gapped odd-parity superconducting order in doped nodal-loop materials with a torus-shaped Fermi surface. We show that the mirror symmetry, which protects the nodal loop in the normal state, also protects the superconducting state as a topological crystalline superconductor. As a result, the surfaces preserving the mirror symmetry host gapless Majorana cones. Moreover, for a Weyl-loop system (twofold degenerate at the nodal loop), the surfaces that break the mirror symmetry (those parallel to the bulk nodal loop) contribute a Chern (winding) number to the quasi-two-dimensional system in a slab geometry, which leads to a quantized thermal Hall effect and a single Majorana zero mode bound at a vortex line penetrating the system. This Chern number can be viewed as a higher-order topological invariant, which supports hinge modes in a cubic sample when mirror symmetry is broken. For a Dirac-loop system (fourfold degenerate at the nodal loop), the fully gapped odd-parity state can be either time-reversal symmetry-breaking or symmetric, similar to the A and B phases of 3He. In a slab geometry, the A phase has a Chern number two, while the B phase carries a nontrivial Z2 invariant. We discuss the experimental relevance of our results to nodal-loop materials such as CaAgAs.

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caruana, C.M.

1988-01-01

Despite reports of new, high-temperature superconductive materials almost every day, participants at the First Congress on Superconductivity do not anticipate commercial applications with these materials soon. What many do envision is the discovery of superconducting materials that can function at much warmer, perhaps even room temperatures. Others hope superconductivity will usher in a new age of technology as semiconductors and transistors did. This article reviews what the speakers had to say at the four-day congress held in Houston last February. Several speakers voiced concern that the Reagan administration's apparent lack of interest in funding superconductivity research while other countries, notably Japan, continue to pour money into research and development could hamper America's international competitiveness

Renormalization group approach to a p-wave superconducting model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Continentino, Mucio A.; Deus, Fernanda; Caldas, Heron

2014-01-01

We present in this work an exact renormalization group (RG) treatment of a one-dimensional p-wave superconductor. The model proposed by Kitaev consists of a chain of spinless fermions with a p-wave gap. It is a paradigmatic model of great actual interest since it presents a weak pairing superconducting phase that has Majorana fermions at the ends of the chain. Those are predicted to be useful for quantum computation. The RG allows to obtain the phase diagram of the model and to study the quantum phase transition from the weak to the strong pairing phase. It yields the attractors of these phases and the critical exponents of the weak to strong pairing transition. We show that the weak pairing phase of the model is governed by a chaotic attractor being non-trivial from both its topological and RG properties. In the strong pairing phase the RG flow is towards a conventional strong coupling fixed point. Finally, we propose an alternative way for obtaining p-wave superconductivity in a one-dimensional system without spin–orbit interaction.

Quark condensation, induced symmetry breaking and color superconductivity at high density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langfeld, Kurt; Rho, Mannque

1999-01-01

The phase structure of hadronic matter at high density relevant to the physics of compact stars and relativistic heavy-ion collisions is studied in a low-energy effective quark theory. The relevant phases that figure are (1) chiral condensation, (2) diquark color condensation (color superconductivity) and (3) induced Lorentz-symmetry breaking (''ISB''). For a reasonable strength for the effective four-Fermi current-current interaction implied by the low-energy effective quark theory for systems with a Fermi surface we find that the ''ISB'' phase sets in together with chiral symmetry restoration (with the vanishing quark condensate) at a moderate density while color superconductivity associated with scalar diquark condensation is pushed up to an asymptotic density. Consequently, color superconductivity seems rather unlikely in heavy-ion collisions although it may play a role in compact stars. Lack of confinement in the model makes the result of this analysis only qualitative but the hierarchy of the transitions we find seems to be quite robust

Theoretical studies of superconductivity in doped BaCoSO

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Shengshan; Li, Yinxiang; Zhang, Qiang; Le, Congcong; Hu, Jiangping

2018-06-01

We investigate superconductivity that may exist in the doped BaCoSO, a multi-orbital Mott insulator with a strong antiferromagnetic ground state. The superconductivity is studied in both t-J type and Hubbard type multi-orbital models by mean field approach and random phase approximation (RPA) analysis. Even if there is no C 4 rotational symmetry, it is found that the system still carries a d-wave like pairing symmetry state with gapless nodes and sign changed superconducting order parameters on Fermi surfaces. The results are largely doping insensitive. In this superconducting state, the three {t_{{2_g}}} orbitals have very different superconducting form factors in momentum space. In particular, the intra-orbital pairing of the {d_{{x^2} - {y^2}}} orbital has an s-wave like pairing form factor. The two methods also predict very different pairing strength on different parts of Fermi surfaces. These results suggest that BaCoSO and related materials can be a new ground to test and establish fundamental principles for unconventional high temperature superconductivity.

Two-phase regime in the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram of a type-II superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, L.L.A.; Halterman, Klaus; Valls, Oriol T.; Goldman, A.M.

2004-01-01

The magnetic field and temperature dependencies of the magnetic moments of superconducting crystals of V 3 Si have been studied. In a constant magnetic field and at temperatures somewhat below the superconducting transition temperature, the moments are hysteretic in temperature. However, the magnetic moment-magnetic field isotherms are reversible and exhibit features that formally resemble the pressure-volume isotherms of the liquid-gas transition. This suggests the existence of a first-order phase transition, a two-phase regime, and a critical point in the superconducting phase diagram. The two phases are disordered vortex configurations with the same magnetization, but with different vortex densities. The entropy change, determined from the data using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, is consistent with estimates based on the difference in the vortex densities of the two phases

Two-phase regime in the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram of a type-II superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, L.L.A.; Halterman, Klaus; Valls, Oriol T.; Goldman, A.M

2004-01-01

The magnetic field and temperature dependencies of the magnetic moments of superconducting crystals of V{sub 3}Si have been studied. In a constant magnetic field and at temperatures somewhat below the superconducting transition temperature, the moments are hysteretic in temperature. However, the magnetic moment-magnetic field isotherms are reversible and exhibit features that formally resemble the pressure-volume isotherms of the liquid-gas transition. This suggests the existence of a first-order phase transition, a two-phase regime, and a critical point in the superconducting phase diagram. The two phases are disordered vortex configurations with the same magnetization, but with different vortex densities. The entropy change, determined from the data using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, is consistent with estimates based on the difference in the vortex densities of the two phases.

In-situ deposition of YBCO high-Tc superconducting thin films by MOCVD and PE-MOCVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, J.; Noh, D.W.; Chern, C.; Li, Y.Q.; Norris, P.E.; Kear, B.; Gallois, B.

1991-01-01

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) offers the advantages of a high degree of compositional control, adaptability for large scale production, and the potential for low temperature fabrication. The capability of operating at high oxygen partial pressure is particularly suitable for in situ formation of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) thin films having a sharp zero-resistance transition with T(sub c) greater than 90 K and J(sub c) of approximately 10(exp 4) A on YSZ have been prepared, in situ, at a substrate temperature of about 800 C. Moreover, the ability to form oxide films at low temperature is very desirable for device applications of HTSC materials. Such a process would permit the deposition of high quality HTSC films with a smooth surface on a variety of substrates. Highly c-axis oriented, dense, scratch resistant, superconducting YBCO thin films with mirror-like surfaces have been prepared, in situ, at a reduced substrate temperature as low as 570 C by a remote microwave-plasma enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process. Nitrous oxide was used as a reactant gas to generate active oxidizing species. This process, for the first time, allows the formation of YBCO thin films with the orthorhombic superconducting phase in the as-deposited state. The as-deposited films grown by PE-MOCVD show attainment of zero resistance at 72 K with a transition width of about 5 K. MOCVD was carried out in a commercial production scale reactor with the capability of uniform deposition over 100 sq cm per growth run. Preliminary results indicate that PE-MOCVD is a very attractive thin film deposition process for superconducting device technology

Theory of spin-fluctuation induced superconductivity in iron-based superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Junhua

2011-01-01

In this dissertation we focus on the investigation of the pairing mechanism in the recently discovered high-temperature superconductor, iron pnictides. Due to the proximity to magnetic instability of the system, we considered short-range spin fluctuations as the major mediating source to induce superconductivity. Our calculation supports the magnetic fluctuations as a strong candidate that drives Cooper-pair formation in this material. We find the corresponding order parameter to be of the so-called ss-wave type and show its evolution with temperature as well as the capability of supporting high transition temperature up to several tens of Kelvin. On the other hand, our itinerant model calculation shows pronounced spin correlation at the observed antiferromagnetic ordering wave vector, indicating the underlying electronic structure in favor of antiferromagnetic state. Therefore, the electronic degrees of freedom could participate both in the magnetic and in the superconducting properties. Our work shows that the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity plays an important role to the understanding of the rich physics in this material. The magnetic-excitation spectrum carries important information on the nature of magnetism and the characteristics of superconductivity. We analyze the spin excitation spectrum in the normal and superconducting states of iron pnictides in the magnetic scenario. As a consequence of the sign-reversed gap structure obtained in the above, a spin resonance mode appears below the superconducting transition temperature. The calculated resonance energy, scaled with the gap magnitude and the magnetic correlation length, agrees well with the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements. More interestingly, we find a common feature of those short-range spin fluctuations that are capable of inducing a fully gapped ss state is the momentum anisotropy with elongated span along the direction transverse to the antiferromagnetic momentum

Changes of Tsub(c), Jsub(c), Bsub(c2) and the lattice parameter of the Nb/sub 3/Sn phase formed at the initial stage of growth in a multifilamentary superconductive wire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glowacki, B A; Bukowski, Z

1987-03-01

Investigations were made of the superconducting transition temperature, Tsub(c), the upper critical flux density, Bsub(c2), and the critical current density, Jsub(c), of Nb/sub 3/Sn layers in filamentary wire in a bronze matrix. The lattice parameter, a/sub 0/ and Tsub(c) of Nb/sub 3/Sn layers in 259-filament wire were determined after removal of the bronze matrix. The microstructure and layer thickness were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The diffusion formation of Nb/sub 3/Sn phase at 1023 K was studied until the complete reaction of the niobium filaments. It was found that the Nb/sub 3/Sn layer begins to form in the manufacturing process during the intermediate annealing at 793 K, and that there is a considerable degradation of critical parameters due to the nonstiochiometry of the Nb/sub 3/Sn phase in layers thinner than 1 ..mu..m.

Development of a superconducting rotating-gantry for heavy-ion therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwata, Y.; Noda, K.; Murakami, T.; Shirai, T.; Furukawa, T.; Fujita, T.; Mori, S.; Mizushima, K.; Shouda, K.; Fujimoto, T.; Ogitsu, T.; Obana, T.; Amemiya, N.; Orikasa, T.; Takami, S.; Takayama, S.

2013-01-01

An isocentric superconducting rotating-gantry for heavy-ion therapy is being developed. This rotating gantry can transport heavy ions having 430 MeV/u to an isocenter with irradiation angles of over ±180°, and is further capable of performing fast raster-scanning irradiation. For the magnets, combined-function superconducting-magnets are to be employed. All of the superconducting magnets have been designed, and their magnetic-field distributions were calculated by using a 3D electromagnetic-field solver. With the calculated magnetic-fields, beam-tracking simulations were performed to evaluate the field quality of the superconducting magnets. Beam profiles as well as phase-space distributions at the isocenter, as calculated by simulations, agreed well with those of linear beam-optics calculations, proving validity of the final design for the magnets. Three superconducting magnets were manufactured, and are being tested. In this paper, results of tracking simulations as well as test results for the superconducting magnets are presented

Multi-gap superconductivity in MgB2: Magneto-Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumberg, G.; Mialitsin, A.; Dennis, B.S.; Zhigadlo, N.D.; Karpinski, J.

2007-01-01

Electronic Raman scattering studies on MgB 2 single crystals as a function of excitation and polarization have revealed three distinct superconducting features: a clean gap below 37 cm -1 and two coherence peaks at 109 and 78 cm -1 which we identify as the superconducting gaps in π- and σ-bands and as the Leggett's collective mode arising from the fluctuation in the relative phase between two superconducting condensates residing on corresponding bands. The temperature and field dependencies of the superconducting features have been established. A phononic Raman scattering study of the E 2g boron stretching mode anharmonicity and of superconductivity induced self-energy effects is presented. We show that anharmonic two phonon decay is mainly responsible for the unusually large linewidth of the E 2g mode. We observe ∼2.5% hardening of the E 2g phonon frequency upon cooling into the superconducting state and estimate the electron-phonon coupling strength associated with this renormalization

UPt3, heavy fermions and superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, A. de.

1986-01-01

In this thesis an experimental study is presented of one of the heavy-fermion superconductors: UPt 3 (T c =0.5 K). The normal-state properties of this material are governed by pronounced spin-fluctuation effects. The unusual coexistence of spin-fluctuations and superconductivity is strongly suggestive for an unconventional type of superconductivity, mediated by spin-fluctuations instead of phonons, with the condensate formed out of odd-parity electron states. In the first chapter a general introduction is given to the field of the heavy-fermions. In the second chapter a theoretical background for the properties of UPt 3 is presented. Chapter 3 deals with the sample preparation and measuring techniques. In chapter 4 a series of experiments is presented on the normal-phase of UPt 3 , among which are studies of the specific heat, thermal expansion, sound velocity, magnetization, electrical resistivity, magnetoresistivity and magnetostriction. Also the influence of high-magnetic fields (35 T) and high-pressures (5 kbar) has been studied. The superconducting phase of UPt 3 has been discussed in chapter 5. In chapter 6 a series of pseudobinary U(Pt 1-x Pd x ) 3 compounds (x≤0.30) are studied. In the last chapter some final remarks and conclusions are presented. (Auth.)

Superconductivity in the Penson-Kolb Model on a Triangular Lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Ptok, A.; Mierzejewski, M.

2008-07-01

We investigate properties of the two-dimensional Penson-Kolb model with repulsive pair hopping interaction. In the case of a bipartite square lattice this interaction may lead to the η-type pairing, when the phase of superconducting order parameter changes from one lattice site to the neighboring one. We show that this interaction may be responsible for the onset of superconductivity also for a triangular lattice. We discuss the spatial dependence of the superconducting order parameter and demonstrate that the total momentum of the paired electrons is determined by the lattice geometry.

Flux flow, pinning, and resistive behavior in superconducting networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teitel, S.

1991-10-01

We have studied the behavior of fluctuation effects in superconducting systems using numerical simulations of XY and Coulomb gas models. Flux flow resistance in two dimensional Josephson junction arrays has been calculated, and related to correlations in vortex structure. Randomness has been introduced, and its effects on the superconducting transition, and vortex mobility, have been studied. We find that randomness destroys phase coherence, yet the randomness induced pinning reduces flux flow resistance at low temperatures. Vortex line fluctuations in high temperature superconductors have been studied using a three dimensional XY model. We have considered the melting of the vortex line lattice, and the entanglement and cutting of vortex lines in the vortex line liquid phase. Vortex line entangling and cutting appear to occur on the same length scales in the liquid phase. The vortex structure function has been calculated and from it, elastic properties of the vortex line liquid have been inferred. The two dimensional classical Coulomb gas, where charges map onto vortices in the superconducting system, has been simulated. The melting transitions of ordered charge (vortex) lattices have been studied, and we find evidence that these transitions do not have the critical behavior expected from standard symmetry analysis

Status of rf superconductivity at Argonne National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markovich, P.M.; Shepard, K.W.; Zinkann, G.P.

1987-01-01

This paper reports the status of hardware development for the linac portion of the Argonne tandem-linac accelerator system (ATLAS). The ATLAS superconducting linac consists of an independent-phased array of 45 superconducting niobium resonators of the split-ring type. The linac has been operating in its present form since 1985, on a 24-hours per day, 5 days per week schedule. An upgrade of the ATLAS system is currently under construction the positive-ion injector (PII). The PII system will consist of an ECR positive-ion source mounted on a high-voltage platform injecting a very-low-velocity superconducting linac. The completed system will provide for the acceleration of beams of mass up to uranium, and will replace the tandem electrostatic accelerator as the injector for ATLAS. The status of resonator development for the superconducting linac is reported in this paper. Accelerating gradients in the existing ATLAS linac are currently limited by excessive heating and rf loss in the fast-tuning system associated with each superconducting resonator. Development of an upgraded fast-tuning system is also reported here. 7 refs., 5 figs

Magnetic and Superconducting Materials at High Pressures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Struzhkin, Viktor V. [Carnegie Inst. of Washington, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-03-24

The work concentrates on few important tasks in enabling techniques for search of superconducting compressed hydrogen compounds and pure hydrogen, investigation of mechanisms of high-Tc superconductivity, and exploring new superconducting materials. Along that route we performed several challenging tasks, including discovery of new forms of polyhydrides of alkali metal Na at very high pressures. These experiments help us to establish the experimental environment that will provide important information on the high-pressure properties of hydrogen-rich compounds. Our recent progress in RIXS measurements opens a whole field of strongly correlated 3d materials. We have developed a systematic approach to measure major electronic parameters, like Hubbard energy U, and charge transfer energy Δ, as function of pressure. This technique will enable also RIXS studies of magnetic excitations in iridates and other 5d materials at the L edge, which attract a lot of interest recently. We have developed new magnetic sensing technique based on optically detected magnetic resonance from NV centers in diamond. The technique can be applied to study superconductivity in high-TC materials, to search for magnetic transitions in strongly correlated and itinerant magnetic materials under pressure. Summary of Project Activities; development of high-pressure experimentation platform for exploration of new potential superconductors, metal polyhydrides (including newly discovered alkali metal polyhydrides), and already known superconductors at the limit of static high-pressure techniques; investigation of special classes of superconducting compounds (high-Tc superconductors, new superconducting materials), that may provide new fundamental knowledge and may prove important for application as high-temperature/high-critical parameter superconductors; investigation of the pressure dependence of superconductivity and magnetic/phase transformations in 3d transition metal compounds, including

Study on niobium carbide dispersed superconducting tapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, H; Tachikawa, K [National Research Inst. for Metals, Tokyo (Japan); Oh' asa, M [Science Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)

1977-11-01

Niobium carbide (NbC) dispersed superconducting tapes have been fabricated by two metallurgical processes. In the first process, Ni-Nb-C alloys are directly arc melted and hot worked in air and the NbC phase is distributed in the form of fine discrete particles. In the second process, Ni-Nb and Ni-Nb-Cu alloys are arc melted, hot worked and subjected to solid-state carburization. NbC then precipitates along the grain boundaries, forming a network. The highest superconducting transition temperature attained is about 11 K. Taken together with the lattice parameter measurement, this indicates that NbC with a nearly perfect NaCl structure is formed in both processes. Measured values of the upper critical field, the critical current density and the volume fraction of the NbC phase are also discussed.

Detection of Resistive Transitions in LHC Superconducting Components

OpenAIRE

Denz, R; Rodríguez-Mateos, F

2001-01-01

The LHC has entered the construction phase. It will incorporate a large number of superconducting components like magnets, current leads and busbars. All these components require protection means in case of a transition from the superconducting to the resistive state, the so-called quench. Key elements in the protection system are electronic quench detectors, which have to be able to identify a quench in any state of the powering cycle of the accelerator. According to the different properties...

Formation of nano quasicrystalline and crystalline phases by mechanical alloying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamah, A.M.; Ibrahim, S.; Hanna, F.F.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Mechanical alloying (MA) is an important method to investigate the formation of nano sized quasicrystalline phases in Al 86 Cr 14 , Al 84 Fe 16 and Al 62.5 Cu 25 Fe 12.5 compounds. The second part of the present work is an attempt to examine the possibility of formation of the i-phase of the Al 62.5 Cu 25 Fe 12.5 , which lies in the region of the perfect i-phase in the ternary phase diagram, by rapid solidification method. To perform the obtained quasi phase mechanical alloying and heat treatment at the rapid solidified sample were done. - Abstract: In the present work, the formation of nano quasicrystalline icosahedral phase in Al 86 Cr 14 , Al 84 Fe 16 and Al 62.5 Cu 25 Fe 12.5 alloys has been investigated by mechanical alloying. Mixtures of quasicrystalline and related crystalline phases have been observed under various milling conditions. The X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and electrical resistivity techniques have been used for characterization and physical property measurements. The particle size was calculated by X-ray profile using Williamson-Hall plot method and it was found to be 25-50 nm size.

Colloquium: High pressure and road to room temperature superconductivity

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-01-01

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

Phase formation in multicomponent monotectic aluminium alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mirkovic, Djordje; Groebner, Joachim; Schmid-Fetzer, Rainer [Institute of Metallurgy, Clausthal University of Technology (Germany)

2008-07-01

Alloys with a miscibility gap in the liquid state are potential materials for advanced bearings in automotive and other applications. While binary alloys, such as Al-Pb or Al-Bi, are well known, the information available for ternary monotectic Al-alloys is scarce. However, the phase formation in multicomponent alloys is not only more challenging from a scientific aspect, it is also a prerequisite for a focused development of advanced alloys. This motivated our detailed study of monotectic Al-Bi-Cu-Sn alloys including both experimental and computational thermodynamic methods. Based on the initially established systematic classification of monotectic ternary Al-alloys, the first promising monotectic reaction was observed in the ternary Al-Bi-Zn system. Further ternary systems Al-Cu-Sn, Al-Bi-Sn, Al-Bi-Cu and Bi-Cu-Sn were investigated as basis for quaternary Al-Bi-Cu-Sn alloys. Experimental investigations of phase equilibria, enthalpies and solidification microstructures were combined with thermodynamic modeling. The results demonstrate that the developed precise thermodynamic description is vital to reveal the distinct multicomponent monotectic features of pertinent phase diagrams. The solidification paths of ternary monotectic alloy systems, Al-Bi-Zn, Al-Sn-Cu and Al-Bi-Cu, were also studied using thermodynamic calculations, revealing specific details of phase formation during solidification of selected alloys.

Superconductivity: Is there a problem in transuranics?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colineau, Eric; Griveau, Jean-Christophe; Eloirdi, Rachel; Hen, Amir; Caciuffo, Roberto

2014-01-01

Superconductivity was first reported in 1942 for uranium metal (¡-U) and in 1958 for U compounds: UCo, U6Mn, U6Fe, and U6Co, with critical temperatures Tc, of 1.7, 2.3, 3.9, and 2.3K, respectively. A new class of U superconductors emerged in the early 1980’s with the discovery of U heavy fermion superconductors : UBe13 (Tc = 0.85K), UPt3 (Tc = 0.53K), URu2Si2 (Tc = 1.5K) , UPd2Al3 (Tc = 1.9K) … Furthermore, in most of these systems, the superconducting phases coexist with antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations which have characteristic temperatures, usually the Néel temperature TN, that are typically one order of magnitude greater than the corresponding superconducting critical temperatures Tc. Superconductivity was even shown to co-exist with ferromagnetism in e.g. UGe2 (Tc ï» 0.8K, TC ï» 30K at p ï» 1.2GPa) and URhGe (Tc = 0.25K, TC = 9.5K). Heavy fermion superconductors still remain a major challenge for condensed matter physics. The existence of heavy fermion superconductivity and its coexistence or proximity with magnetic order suggests that the conventional mechanism of phonon-mediated superconductivity is inappropriate and that alternative mechanisms, like spin fluctuations, should be considered for Cooper pairing

Phase coexistence in ferroelectric solid solutions: Formation of monoclinic phase with enhanced piezoelectricity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Lu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Phase morphology and corresponding piezoelectricity in ferroelectric solid solutions were studied by using a phenomenological theory with the consideration of phase coexistence. Results have shown that phases with similar energy potentials can coexist, thus induce interfacial stresses which lead to the formation of adaptive monoclinic phases. A new tetragonal-like monoclinic to rhombohedral-like monoclinic phase transition was predicted in a shear stress state. Enhanced piezoelectricity can be achieved by manipulating the stress state close to a critical stress field. Phase coexistence is universal in ferroelectric solid solutions and may provide a way to optimize ultra-fine structures and proper stress states to achieve ultrahigh piezoelectricity.

Effect of aluminium on formation of metastable phases in titanium-niobium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trenogina, T.L.; Derevyanko, V.N.; Vozilkin, V.A.

2001-01-01

Specific features of phase transformations in the alloy of Ti-20Nb-29Al (at.%) are investigated in comparison with those in the aluminium-free Ti-21Nb alloy. It is states that in the alloy Ti-20Nb-29Al on quenching the ordering of β-solid solution takes place with B2-structure formation. The B2-matrix experiences decomposition with the formation of ordered Ω 0 -phase which field ranges up to 700 deg C. The investigation results show that the sequence of phase formation in Ti-Nb-Al and aluminium-free alloys is much the same. The only difference between them is the formation of ordered phases in the alloy Ti-20Nb-29Al [ru

Propagation of a normal-superconducting interface in type I superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delon, P.

1976-01-01

The speed of propagation of an N-S boundary was measured as a function of temperature, and, when the superconductive phase increases, two minima are observed in the speed. Limited thermal conductivity gives the minimum situated at the highest temperature, the second minimum is caused by interference of quasi-particles through a superconductive sheet which covers a part of the normal state [fr

Nature of inhomogeneous states in superconducting junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivlev, B.I.; Kopnin, N.B.

1982-01-01

A superconducting structure which arises in a superconducting film under a strong injection of a current through a tunnel junction is considered. If the current density in the film exceeds the critical Ginzburg-Landau value, an inhomogeneous resistive state with phase-slip centers can arise in it. This state is charcterized by the presence of regions with different chemical potentials of the Cooper pairs. These shifts of the pair chemical potential and the nonuniform structure of the order parameter may account for the so-called multigap states which have been observed experimentally

Modeling of formation of binary-phase hollow nanospheres from metallic solid nanospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svoboda, J.; Fischer, F.D.; Vollath, D.

2009-01-01

Spontaneous formation of binary-phase hollow nanospheres by reaction of a metallic nanosphere with a non-metallic component in the surrounding atmosphere is observed for many systems. The kinetic model describing this phenomenon is derived by application of the thermodynamic extremal principle. The necessary condition of formation of the binary-phase hollow nanospheres is that the diffusion coefficient of the metallic component in the binary phase is higher than that of the non-metallic component (Kirkendall effect occurs in the correct direction). The model predictions of the time to formation of the binary-phase hollow nanospheres agree with the experimental observations

Superconducting Submm Integrated Receiver for TELIS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koshelets, V P [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Ermakov, A B [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Filippenko, L V [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Koryukin, O V [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Khudchenko, A V [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Sobolev, A S [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Torgashin, M Yu [Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IREE) (Russian Federation); Yagoubov, P A [SRON National Institute for Space Research (Netherlands); Hoogeveen, R W M [SRON National Institute for Space Research (Netherlands); Vreeling, W J [SRON National Institute for Space Research (Netherlands); Wild, W [SRON National Institute for Space Research (Netherlands); Pylypenko, O M [State Research Center of Superconducting Electronics ' Iceberg' (Ukraine)

2006-06-01

In this report we present design and first experimental results for development of the submm superconducting integrated receiver spectrometer for Terahertz Limb Sounder (TELIS). TELIS is a collaborative European project to build up a three-channel heterodyne balloon-based spectrometer for measuring a variety of atmospheric constituents of the stratosphere. The 550 - 650 GHz channel of TELIS is based on a phase-locked Superconducting Integrated Receiver (SIR). SIR is an on-chip combination of a low-noise Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) mixer with quasioptical antenna, a superconducting Flux Flow Oscillator (FFO) acting as Local Oscillator (LO), and SIS harmonic mixer (HM) for FFO phase locking. A number of new solutions were implemented in the new generation of SIR chips. To achieve the wide-band performance of the spectrometer, a side-feed twin-SIS mixer and balanced SIS mixer with 0.8 {mu}m{sup 2} junctions integrated with a double-dipole (or double-slot) antenna is used. An improved design of the FFO for TELIS has been developed and optimized providing a free-running linewidth between 10 and 2 MHz in the frequency range 500 - 700 GHz. It is important to ensure that tuning of a phase-locked (PL) SIR can be performed remotely by telecommand. For this purpose a number of approaches for the PL SIR automatic computer control have been developed. All receiver components (including input optical elements and Martin-Puplett polarization rotating interferometer for single side band operation) will be mounted on a single 4.2 K plate inside a 40 x 180 x 80 mm{sup 3} box. First measurements give an uncorrected double side band (DSB) noise temperature below 250 K measured with the phase-locked FFO; more detailed results are presented at the conference.

Superconducting Submm Integrated Receiver for TELIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshelets, V P; Ermakov, A B; Filippenko, L V; Koryukin, O V; Khudchenko, A V; Sobolev, A S; Torgashin, M Yu; Yagoubov, P A; Hoogeveen, R W M; Vreeling, W J; Wild, W; Pylypenko, O M

2006-01-01

In this report we present design and first experimental results for development of the submm superconducting integrated receiver spectrometer for Terahertz Limb Sounder (TELIS). TELIS is a collaborative European project to build up a three-channel heterodyne balloon-based spectrometer for measuring a variety of atmospheric constituents of the stratosphere. The 550 - 650 GHz channel of TELIS is based on a phase-locked Superconducting Integrated Receiver (SIR). SIR is an on-chip combination of a low-noise Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) mixer with quasioptical antenna, a superconducting Flux Flow Oscillator (FFO) acting as Local Oscillator (LO), and SIS harmonic mixer (HM) for FFO phase locking. A number of new solutions were implemented in the new generation of SIR chips. To achieve the wide-band performance of the spectrometer, a side-feed twin-SIS mixer and balanced SIS mixer with 0.8 μm 2 junctions integrated with a double-dipole (or double-slot) antenna is used. An improved design of the FFO for TELIS has been developed and optimized providing a free-running linewidth between 10 and 2 MHz in the frequency range 500 - 700 GHz. It is important to ensure that tuning of a phase-locked (PL) SIR can be performed remotely by telecommand. For this purpose a number of approaches for the PL SIR automatic computer control have been developed. All receiver components (including input optical elements and Martin-Puplett polarization rotating interferometer for single side band operation) will be mounted on a single 4.2 K plate inside a 40 x 180 x 80 mm 3 box. First measurements give an uncorrected double side band (DSB) noise temperature below 250 K measured with the phase-locked FFO; more detailed results are presented at the conference

Majorana transport in superconducting nanowire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Jia-Bin; Shao, Xiao-Qiang; Tong, Qing-Jun; Chan, A H; Oh, C H; Vedral, Vlatko

2015-06-10

The tunneling experiment is a key technique for detecting Majorana fermion (MF) in solid state systems. We use Keldysh non-equilibrium Green function method to study two-lead tunneling in superconducting nanowire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings. A zero-bias dc conductance peak appears in our setup which signifies the existence of MF and is in accordance with previous experimental results on InSb nanowire. Interestingly, due to the exotic property of MF, there exists a hole transmission channel which makes the currents asymmetric at the left and right leads. The ac current response mediated by MF is also studied here. To discuss the impacts of Coulomb interaction and disorder on the transport property of Majorana nanowire, we use the renormalization group method to study the phase diagram of the wire. It is found that there is a topological phase transition under the interplay of superconductivity and disorder. We find that the Majorana transport is preserved in the superconducting-dominated topological phase and destroyed in the disorder-dominated non-topological insulator phase.

Majorana transport in superconducting nanowire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit couplings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You, Jia-Bin; Shao, Xiao-Qiang; Tong, Qing-Jun; Oh, C H; Vedral, Vlatko; Chan, A H

2015-01-01

The tunneling experiment is a key technique for detecting Majorana fermion (MF) in solid state systems. We use Keldysh non-equilibrium Green function method to study two-lead tunneling in superconducting nanowire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit couplings. A zero-bias dc conductance peak appears in our setup which signifies the existence of MF and is in accordance with previous experimental results on InSb nanowire. Interestingly, due to the exotic property of MF, there exists a hole transmission channel which makes the currents asymmetric at the left and right leads. The ac current response mediated by MF is also studied here. To discuss the impacts of Coulomb interaction and disorder on the transport property of Majorana nanowire, we use the renormalization group method to study the phase diagram of the wire. It is found that there is a topological phase transition under the interplay of superconductivity and disorder. We find that the Majorana transport is preserved in the superconducting-dominated topological phase and destroyed in the disorder-dominated non-topological insulator phase. (paper)

Structural formation of aluminide phases on titanium alloy during annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamaeva, A.A.; Romankov, S.E.; Sagdoldina, Zh.

2006-01-01

Full text: The aluminum layer on the surface of titanium alloy has been formed by thermal deposition. The structural formation of aluminide phases on the surface has been studied. The sequence of structural transformations at the Ti/Al interface is limited by the reaction temperature and time. The sequence of aluminide phase formation is occurred in compliance with Ti-Al equilibrium phase diagram. At the initial stages at the Ti/Al interface the Al3Ti alloy starts forming as a result of interdiffusion, and gradually the whole aluminum films is spent on the formation of this layer. The Al3Ti layer decomposes with the increase of temperature (>600C). At 800C the two-phase (Ti3Al+TiAl) layer is formed on the titanium surface. The TiAl compound is unstable and later on with the increase of the exposure time at 800C gradually transforms into the Ti3Al. The chain of these successive transformations leads to the formation of the continuous homogeneous layer consisting of the Ti3Al compound on the surface. At temperatures exceeding the allotropic transformation temperature (>900C) the Ti3Al compound starts decomposing. All structural changes taking place at the Ti/Al interface are accompanied by considerable changes in micro hardness. The structure of initial substrate influences on kinetics of phase transformation and microstructure development. (author)

Method of manufacturing a niobium-aluminum-germanium superconductive material

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.L.F.; Pickus, M.R.; Douglas, K.E.

A method for manufacturing flexible Nb/sub 3/ (Al,Ge) multifilamentary superconductive material in which a sintered porous Nb compact is infiltrated with an Al-Ge alloy. It is deformed and heat treated in a series of steps at successively higher temperatures preferably below 1000/sup 0/C during the heat treatment, cladding material such as copper can be applied to facilitate a deformation step preceding the heat treatment and can remain in place through the heat treatment to serve as a temperature stabilizer for the superconductive material produced. These lower heat treatment temperatures favor formation of filaments with reduced grain size and with more grain boundaries which in turn increase the current-carrying capacity of the superconductive material.

Competition/coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in iron pnictides probed by muon spin rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeshita, Soshi; Kadono, Ryosuke

2009-01-01

The presence of macroscopic phase separation into superconducting and magnetic phases in LaFeAsO 1-x F x and CaFe 1-x Co x AsF is demonstrated by muon spin rotation (μSR) measurement across their phase boundaries (x=0.06 for LaFeAsO 1-x F x and x=0.075-0.15 for CaFe 1-x Co x AsF). In LaFeAsO 0.94 F 0.06 , both magnetism and superconductivity develop simultaneously below a common critical temperature, T m ≅T c ≅18 K, where the magnetism is characterized by strong randomness. A similar, but more distinct segregation of these two phases is observed in CaFe 1-x Co x AsF, where the magnetic phase retains T m close to that of the parent compound (T c m ≅80-120 K) and the superconducting volume fraction is mostly proportional to the Co content x. The close relationship between magnetism and superconductivity is discussed based on these experimental observations. Concerning the superconducting phase, an assessment is made on the anisotropy of the order parameter in the superconducting state of LaFeAsO 1-x F x , CaFe 1-x Co x AsF and Ba 1-x K x Fe 2 As 2 (x=0.4) based on the temperature dependence of superfluid density [n s (T)] measured by μSR. The gap parameter, 2Δ/k B T c , determined from n s (T) exhibits a tendency that values in the hole-doped pnictides (Ba 1-x K x Fe 2 As 2 ) are much greater than those in electron-doped ones (LaFeAsO 1-x F x and CaFe 1-x Co x AsF), suggesting a difference in the coupling to bosons mediating the Cooper pairs between relevant d electron bands.

Theory of novel normal and superconducting states in doped oxide high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhumanov, S.

2001-10-01

A consistent and complete theory of the novel normal and superconducting (SC) states of doped high-T c superconductors (HTSC) is developed by combining the continuum model of carrier self-trapping, the tight-binding model and the novel Fermi-Bose-liquid (FBL) model. The ground-state energy of carriers in lightly doped HTSC is calculated within the continuum model and adiabatic approximation using the variational method. The destruction of the long-range antiferromagnetic (AF) order at low doping x≥ x cl ≅0.015, the formation of the in-gap states or bands and novel (bi)polaronic insulating phases at x c2 ≅0.06-0.08, and the new metal- insulator transition at x≅x c2 in HTSC are studied within the continuum model of impurity (defect) centers and large (bi)polarons by using the appropriate tight-binding approximations. It is found that the three-dimensional (3d) large (bi)polarons are formed at ε ∞ /ε 0 ≤0.1 and become itinerant when the (bi)polaronic insulator-to-(bi)polaronic metal transitions occur at x x c2 . We show that the novel pseudogapped metallic and SC states in HTSC are formed at x c2 ≤x≤x p ≅0.20-0.24. We demonstrate that the large polaronic and small BCS-like pairing pseudogaps opening in the excitation spectrum of underdoped (x c2 BCS =0.125), optimally doped (x BCS o ≅0.20) and overdoped (x>x o ) HTSC above T c are unrelated to superconductivity and they are responsible for the observed anomalous optical, transport, magnetic and other properties of these HTSC. We develop the original two-stage FBL model of novel superconductivity describing the combined novel BCS-like pairing scenario of fermions and true superfluid (SF) condensation scenario of composite bosons (i.e. bipolarons and cooperons) in any Fermi-systems, where the SF condensate gap Δ B and the BCS-like pairing pseudogap Δ F have different origins. The pair and single particle condensations of attracting 3d and two- dimensional (2d) composite bosons are responsible for

Interplay of CDW, SDW and superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panda, S.K.; Rout, G.C.

2009-01-01

We present a model calculation of the interplay of the charge density wave (CDW), spin density wave (SDW) and superconductivity in high temperature superconductors. In low doping situation the long range antiferromagnetic order is destroyed to give rise to SDW state accompanied by a CDW state in the system due to doping. For suitable doping the superconductivity appears in the system. The CDW state may describe the pseudogap phenomenon which co-exists with the superconducting phase and extends to normal phase in high-T c systems. These three competiting interactions co-exist together. These three gap parameters are calculated from the model Hamiltonian and solved self-consistently. By varying their coupling constants their interplay are investigated. Finally density of states is calculated for the conduction band which displays the experimental conductance data of Ekino et al. [T. Ekino, Y. Sezaki, H. Fujji, Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 6916].

Anomalous anisotropic compression behavior of superconducting CrAs under high pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zhenhai; Wu, Wei; Hu, Qingyang; Zhao, Jinggeng; Li, Chunyu; Yang, Ke; Cheng, Jinguang; Luo, Jianlin; Wang, Lin; Mao, Ho-kwang

2015-01-01

CrAs was observed to possess the bulk superconductivity under high-pressure conditions. To understand the superconducting mechanism and explore the correlation between the structure and superconductivity, the high-pressure structural evolution of CrAs was investigated using the angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The structure of CrAs remains stable up to 1.8 GPa, whereas the lattice parameters exhibit anomalous compression behaviors. With increasing pressure, the lattice parameters a and c both demonstrate a nonmonotonic change, and the lattice parameter b undergoes a rapid contraction at ∼0.18−0.35 GPa, which suggests that a pressure-induced isostructural phase transition occurs in CrAs. Above the phase transition pressure, the axial compressibilities of CrAs present remarkable anisotropy. A schematic band model was used to address the anomalous compression behavior of CrAs. The present results shed light on the structural and related electronic responses to high pressure, which play a key role toward understanding the superconductivity of CrAs. PMID:26627230

The effect of citric and oxalic acid doping on the superconducting properties of MgB2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojha, N; Singla, Rashmi; Varma, G D; Malik, V K; Bernhard, C

2009-01-01

In this paper we report the effect of carbon doping on the structural and superconducting properties of MgB 2 using citric and oxalic acids as carbon sources. The bulk polycrystalline samples have been synthesized via a standard solid state reaction route with composition MgB 2 +x wt% of citric and oxalic acids (x = 0, 5 and 10). The x-ray diffraction results reveal the formation of dominantly MgB 2 with only a small amount of impurity phase MgO and substitution of C at the B site of MgB 2 for both dopants. Improvements in the upper critical field (H C2 ), irreversibility field (H irr ) and high field (>2.5 T) critical current density (J C ) have been observed on C doping in the samples. The correlations between superconducting properties and structural characteristics of the samples are described and discussed in this paper.

Optical probes of symmetry breaking in magnetic and superconducting BaFe2(As1-xPx)2

Science.gov (United States)

Orenstein, Joseph

The discovery of iron pnictide superconductors has opened promising new directions in the effort to fully understand the phenomenon of high-Tc, with a focus on the connections between superconductivity, magnetism, and electronic nematicity. The BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 (P:Ba122) system in particular has received attention because isovalent substitution of As for P generates less disorder than doping on the Fe site. The phase diagram of P:Ba122 is characterized by a line of simultaneous antiferromagnetic (AF) and tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transitions, Ts (x) , that penetrates the superconducting dome at x =0.28, just below optimal doping (xopt = 0.30). In this work, we use spatially-resolved optical polarimetry and photomodulated reflectance to detect linear birefringence and therefore breaking of 4-fold rotational (C4) symmetry. In underdoped (xTsand grows continuously with decreasing T . The birefringence is unidirectional in a large (300 μm x300 μm) field of view, suggesting that C4 breaking in this range of T is caused by residual strain that couples to a diverging nematic susceptibility. Birefringence maps just below Ts (x) show the appearance of domains, indicating the onset of spontaneous symmetry breaking to an AF ground state. Surprisingly, in samples with x>0.28, in which the low T phase is superconducting/ tetragonal rather than AF/orthorhombic, C4 breaking is observed as well, with an abrupt onset and domain formation at 55 K. We tentatively associate these features with a transition to an AF phase induced by residual strain, as previously proposed [H.-H. Kuo et al. Phys. Rev. B86, 134507 (2012)] to account for structure in resistivity vs. T. Time-resolved photomodulation allow us to follow the amplitude of the AF order with time following pulsed photoexcitation. Below Tc the AF order at first weakens , but then strengthens in response to the photoinduced weakening of superconductivity. This complex time evolution is accounted for quantitatively by a model

Superconducting coil protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, E.L.

1975-01-01

The protection system is based on a two-phase construction program. Phase I is the development of a reliable hardwired relay control system with a digital loop utilizing firmware and a microprocessor controller. Phase II is an expansion of the digital loop to include many heretofore unmonitored coil variables. These new monitored variables will be utilized to establish early quench detection and to formulate confirmation techniques of the quench detection mechanism. Established quench detection methods are discussed and a new approach to quench detection is presented. The new circuit is insensitive to external pulsed magnetic fields and the associated induced voltages. Reliability aspects of the coil protection system are discussed with respect to shutdowns of superconducting coil systems. Redundance and digital system methods are presented as related topics

Hydrostatic pressure study of the structural phase transitions and superconductivity in single crystals of (Ba1-xKx)Fe2As2 (x=0 and 0.45) and CaFe2As2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torikachvili, M.S.; Bud'ko, S.L.; Ni Ni; Canfield, P.C.

2009-01-01

We studied the effect of hydrostatic pressure (P) on the structural phase transitions and superconductivity in the ternary and pseudo-ternary iron arsenides CaFe 2 As 2 , BaFe 2 As 2 , and (Ba 0.55 K 0.45 )Fe 2 As 2 , by means of measurements of electrical resistivity (ρ) in the 1.8-300 K temperature (T) range, pressures up to 20 kbar, and magnetic fields up to 9 T. CaFe 2 As 2 and BaFe 2 As 2 (lightly doped with Sn) display structural phase transitions near 170 and 85 K, respectively, and do not exhibit superconductivity in ambient pressure, while K-doped (Ba 0.55 K 0.45 )Fe 2 As 2 is superconducting for T 2 As 2 is to shift the onset of the crystallographic transformation down in temperature at the rate of ∼-1.04 K/kbar, while shifting the whole ρ(T) curves downward, whereas its effect on superconducting (Ba 0.55 K 0.45 )Fe 2 As 2 is to shift the onset of superconductivity to lower temperatures at the rate of ∼-0.21 K/kbar. The effect of pressure on CaFe 2 As 2 is first to suppress the crystallographic transformation and induce superconductivity with onset near 12 K very rapidly, i.e., for P c2 ) data in (Ba 0.55 K 0.45 )Fe 2 As 2 and CaFe 2 As 2 are discussed.