Possible unconventional order parameter in single crystals of SrPt3P superconductor.

Anisotropic properties of single crystals of SrPt3P were studied using London penetration depth and electrical resistivity measurements. The upper critical field,Hc2(T), was determined from four-probe electrical resistivity measurements for three orthogonal directions of a magnetic field with respect to the crystal. The London penetration depth,λ(T), was determined from the magnetic susceptibility of the Meissner-London state measured using a tunnel-diode resonator technique. WhereasHc2(T)and the normal-stateρ(T)are practically identical for all three magnetic field orientations, the London penetration depth shows significant unidirectional anisotropy. The low-temperatureλ(T)is exponentially attenuated when a small excitation radiofrequency magnetic field,Hrf, is applied along thec''-direction, in which case screening currents flow in thea''b''-plane, while for the other two orientations,Hrf∥a''andHrf∥b'', the London penetration depth shows a much stronger,λ(T)∼T2, variation. Such unusual and contrasting behavior of the two anisotropies,γHT=Hc2,ab/Hc2,c=ξab/ξcandγλT=λc/λab, imposes significant constraints on the possible order parameter. Although our measurements are insufficient to derive conclusively the superconducting gap anisotropy, the order parameter with two point nodes and a modulation in the perpendicular direction is qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations.

Chiral singlet superconductivity in the weakly correlated metal LaPt3P.

Chiral superconductors are novel topological materials with finite angular momentum Cooper pairs circulating around a unique chiral axis, thereby spontaneously breaking time-reversal symmetry. They are rather scarce and usually feature triplet pairing: a canonical example is the chiral p-wave state realized in the A-phase of superfluid He3. Chiral triplet superconductors are, however, topologically fragile with the corresponding gapless boundary modes only weakly protected against symmetry-preserving perturbations in contrast to their singlet counterparts. Using muon spin relaxation measurements, here we report that the weakly correlated pnictide compound LaPt3P has the two key features of a chiral superconductor: spontaneous magnetic fields inside the superconducting state indicating broken time-reversal symmetry and low temperature linear behaviour in the superfluid density indicating line nodes in the order parameter. Using symmetry analysis, first principles band structure calculation and mean-field theory, we unambiguously establish that the superconducting ground state of LaPt3P is a chiral d-wave singlet.

Intrinsic Charge Dynamics in High-T_{c} AFeAs(O,F) Superconductors.

We report the first determination of the in-plane complex optical conductivity of 1111 high-T_{c} superconducting iron oxypnictide single crystals PrFeAs(O,F) and thin films SmFeAs(O,F) by means of conventional and microfocused infrared spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and time-domain THz transmission spectroscopy. A strong itinerant contribution is found to exhibit a dramatic difference in coherence between the crystal and the film. Using extensive temperature-dependent measurements of THz transmission, we identify a previously undetected 2.5-meV collective mode in the optical conductivity of SmFeAs(O,F), which is strongly suppressed at T_{c} and experiences an anomalous T-linear softening and narrowing below T^{*}≈110 K≫T_{c}. The suppression of the infrared absorption in the superconducting state reveals a large optical superconducting gap with a similar gap ratio 2Δ/k_{B}T_{c}≈7 in both materials, indicating strong pairing.

Magnetic states of MnP: muon-spin rotation studies.

Muon-spin rotation data collected at ambient pressure (p) and at p = 2.42 GPa in MnP were analyzed to check their consistency with various low- and high-pressure magnetic structures reported in the literature. Our analysis confirms that in MnP the low-temperature and low-pressure helimagnetic phase is characterised by an increased value of the average magnetic moment compared to the high-temperature ferromagnetic phase. An elliptical double-helical structure with a propagation vector [Formula: see text], an a-axis moment elongated by approximately 18% and an additional tilt of the rotation plane towards c-direction by [Formula: see text]-8° leads to a good agreement between the theory and the experiment. The analysis of the high-pressure µSR data reveals that the new magnetic order appearing for pressures exceeding 1.5 GPa can not be described by keeping the propagation vector [Formula: see text]. Even the extreme case-decoupling the double-helical structure into four individual helices-remains inconsistent with the experiment. It is shown that the high-pressure magnetic phase which is a precursor of superconductivity is an incommensurate helical state with [Formula: see text].

High-temperature superconductivity from fine-tuning of Fermi-surface singularities in iron oxypnictides.

In the family of the iron-based superconductors, the REFeAsO-type compounds (with RE being a rare-earth metal) exhibit the highest bulk superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) up to 55 K and thus hold the key to the elusive pairing mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the intrinsic electronic structure of SmFe0.92Co0.08AsO (Tc = 18 K) is highly nontrivial and consists of multiple band-edge singularities in close proximity to the Fermi level. However, it remains unclear whether these singularities are generic to the REFeAsO-type materials and if so, whether their exact topology is responsible for the aforementioned record Tc. In this work, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the inherent electronic structure of the NdFeAsO0.6F0.4 compound with a twice higher Tc = 38 K. We find a similarly singular Fermi surface and further demonstrate that the dramatic enhancement of superconductivity in this compound correlates closely with the fine-tuning of one of the band-edge singularities to within a fraction of the superconducting energy gap Δ below the Fermi level. Our results provide compelling evidence that the band-structure singularities near the Fermi level in the iron-based superconductors must be explicitly accounted for in any attempt to understand the mechanism of superconducting pairing in these materials.

Inhomogeneity of charge-density-wave order and quenched disorder in a high-Tc superconductor.

It has recently been established that the high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconducting state coexists with short-range charge-density-wave order and quenched disorder arising from dopants and strain. This complex, multiscale phase separation invites the development of theories of high-temperature superconductivity that include complexity. The nature of the spatial interplay between charge and dopant order that provides a basis for nanoscale phase separation remains a key open question, because experiments have yet to probe the unknown spatial distribution at both the nanoscale and mesoscale (between atomic and macroscopic scale). Here we report micro X-ray diffraction imaging of the spatial distribution of both short-range charge-density-wave 'puddles' (domains with only a few wavelengths) and quenched disorder in HgBa2CuO4 + y, the single-layer cuprate with the highest Tc, 95 kelvin (refs 26-28). We found that the charge-density-wave puddles, like the steam bubbles in boiling water, have a fat-tailed size distribution that is typical of self-organization near a critical point. However, the quenched disorder, which arises from oxygen interstitials, has a distribution that is contrary to the usually assumed random, uncorrelated distribution. The interstitial-oxygen-rich domains are spatially anticorrelated with the charge-density-wave domains, because higher doping does not favour the stripy charge-density-wave puddles, leading to a complex emergent geometry of the spatial landscape for superconductivity.

Interaction-induced singular Fermi surface in a high-temperature oxypnictide superconductor.

In the family of iron-based superconductors, LaFeAsO-type materials possess the simplest electronic structure due to their pronounced two-dimensionality. And yet they host superconductivity with the highest transition temperature Tc ≈ 55K. Early theoretical predictions of their electronic structure revealed multiple large circular portions of the Fermi surface with a very good geometrical overlap (nesting), believed to enhance the pairing interaction and thus superconductivity. The prevalence of such large circular features in the Fermi surface has since been associated with many other iron-based compounds and has grown to be generally accepted in the field. In this work we show that a prototypical compound of the 1111-type, SmFe(0.92)Co(0.08)AsO , is at odds with this description and possesses a distinctly different Fermi surface, which consists of two singular constructs formed by the edges of several bands, pulled to the Fermi level from the depths of the theoretically predicted band structure by strong electronic interactions. Such singularities dramatically affect the low-energy electronic properties of the material, including superconductivity. We further argue that occurrence of these singularities correlates with the maximum superconducting transition temperature attainable in each material class over the entire family of iron-based superconductors.

Huge critical current density and tailored superconducting anisotropy in SmFeAsO0.8F0.15 by low-density columnar-defect incorporation.

Iron-based superconductors could be useful for electricity distribution and superconducting magnet applications because of their relatively high critical current densities and upper critical fields. SmFeAsO0.8F0.15 is of particular interest as it has the highest transition temperature among these materials. Here we show that by introducing a low density of correlated nano-scale defects into this material by heavy-ion irradiation, we can increase its critical current density to up to 2 × 107 A cm⁻² at 5 K--the highest ever reported for an iron-based superconductor--without reducing its critical temperature of 50 K. We also observe a notable reduction in the thermodynamic superconducting anisotropy, from 8 to 4 upon irradiation. We develop a model based on anisotropic electron scattering that predicts that the superconducting anisotropy can be tailored via correlated defects in semimetallic, fully gapped type II superconductors.

Persistence of metastable vortex lattice domains in MgB2 in the presence of vortex motion.

Recently, extensive vortex lattice metastability was reported in MgB2 in connection with a second-order rotational phase transition. However, the mechanism responsible for these well-ordered metastable vortex lattice phases is not well understood. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we studied the vortex lattice in MgB2 as it was driven from a metastable to the ground state through a series of small changes in the applied magnetic field. Our results show that metastable vortex lattice domains persist in the presence of substantial vortex motion and directly demonstrate that the metastability is not due to vortex pinning. Instead, we propose that it is due to the jamming of counterrotated vortex lattice domains which prevents a rotation to the ground state orientation.

Observation of well-ordered metastable vortex lattice phases in superconducting MgB2 using small-angle neutron scattering.

The vortex lattice (VL) symmetry and orientation in clean type-II superconductors depends sensitively on the host material anisotropy, vortex density and temperature, frequently leading to rich phase diagrams. Typically, a well-ordered VL is taken to imply a ground-state configuration for the vortex-vortex interaction. Using neutron scattering we studied the VL in MgB(2) for a number of field-temperature histories, discovering an unprecedented degree of metastability in connection with a known, second-order rotation transition. This allows, for the first time, structural studies of a well-ordered, nonequilibrium VL. While the mechanism responsible for the longevity of the metastable states is not resolved, we speculate it is due to a jamming of VL domains, preventing a rotation to the ground-state orientation.

Local quasiparticle density of states of superconducting SmFeAsO(1-x)F(x) single crystals: evidence for spin-mediated pairing.

We probe the local quasiparticles density of states in micron-sized SmFeAsO(1-x)F(x) single crystals by means of scanning tunnelling spectroscopy. Spectral features resemble those of cuprates, particularly a dip-hump-like structure developed at energies larger than the gap that can be ascribed to the coupling of quasiparticles to a collective mode, quite likely a resonant spin mode. The energy of the collective mode revealed in our study decreases when the pairing strength increases. Our findings support spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing in pnictides.

Anomalies in the Fermi surface and band dispersion of quasi-one-dimensional CuO chains in the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu4O8.

We have investigated the electronic states in quasi-one-dimensional CuO chains by microprobe angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find that the quasiparticle Fermi surface consists of six disconnected segments, consistent with recent theoretical calculations that predict the formation of narrow, elongated Fermi surface pockets for coupled CuO chains. In addition, we find a strong renormalization effect with a significant kink structure in the band dispersion. The properties of this latter effect [energy scale (∼40 meV), temperature dependence, and behavior with Zn-doping] are identical to those of the bosonic mode observed in CuO2 planes of high-temperature superconductors, indicating they have a common origin.

Type-1.5 superconductivity.

We demonstrate the existence of a novel superconducting state in high quality two-component MgB2 single crystalline superconductors where a unique combination of both type-1 (lambda{1}/xi{1}<1/sqrt[2]) and type-2 (lambda{2}/xi{2}>1/sqrt[2]) superconductor conditions is realized for the two components of the order parameter. This condition leads to a vortex-vortex interaction attractive at long distances and repulsive at short distances, which stabilizes unconventional stripe- and gossamerlike vortex patterns that we have visualized in this type-1.5 superconductor using Bitter decoration and also reproduced in numerical simulations.

Distinct pseudogap and quasiparticle relaxation dynamics in the superconducting state of nearly optimally doped SmFeAsO0.8F0.2 single crystals.

We use femtosecond spectroscopy to investigate the quasiparticle relaxation and low-energy electronic structure in a nearly optimally doped pnictide superconductor with T{c}=49.5 K. Multiple relaxation processes are evident, with distinct superconducting state quasiparticle recombination dynamics exhibiting a T-dependent superconducting gap, and a clear "pseudogaplike" feature with an onset above 180 K indicating the existence of a temperature-independent gap of magnitude Delta{PG}=61+/-9 meV above T{c}. Both the superconducting and pseudogap components show saturation as a function of fluence with distinct saturation fluences 4 and 40 microJ/cm{2}, respectively.

Dual character of the electronic structure of YBa2Cu4O8: the conduction bands of CuO2 planes and CuO chains.

We use microprobe angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (microARPES) to separately investigate the electronic properties of CuO2 planes and CuO chains in the high temperature superconductor, YBa2Cu4O8. For the CuO2 planes, a two-dimensional (2D) electronic structure is observed and, in contrast to Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta, the bilayer splitting is almost isotropic and 50% larger, which strongly suggests that bilayer splitting has no direct effect on the superconducting properties. In addition, the scattering rate for the bonding band is about 1.5 times stronger than the antibonding band and is independent of momentum. For the CuO chains, the electronic structure is quasi-one-dimensional and consists of a conduction and insulating band. Finally, we find that the conduction electrons are well confined within the planes and chains with a nontrivial hybridization.

Observation of Leggett's collective mode in a multiband MgB2 superconductor.

We report observation of Leggett's collective mode in a multiband MgB2 superconductor with Tc=39 K arising from the fluctuations in the relative phase between two superconducting condensates. The novel mode is observed by Raman spectroscopy at 9.4 meV in the fully symmetric scattering channel. The observed mode frequency is consistent with theoretical considerations based on first-principles computations.

Effect of magnetic impurities in a two-band superconductor: a point-contact study of mn-substituted single crystals.

We present the first results of directional point-contact measurements in Mg1-xMnxB2 single crystals, with x up to 0.015 and bulk Tc down to 13.3 K. The order parameters Deltasigma and Deltapi were obtained by fitting the conductance curves with the two-band Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model. BothDeltapi and Deltasigma decrease with the critical temperature of the junctions TAC, but remain clearly distinct up to the highest Mn content. Once analyzed within the Eliashberg theory, the results indicate that spin-flip scattering is dominant in the sigma band, as also confirmed by first-principles band-structure calculations.

Pressure effects on the transition temperature and the magnetic field penetration depth in the pyrochlore superconductor RbOs2O6.

Magnetization measurements under hydrostatic pressure up to 8 kbar in the pyrochlore superconductor RbOs2O6 (T(c) approximately or equal 6.3 K at p=0) were carried out. A positive pressure effect on T(c) with dT(c)/dp=0.090(3) K/kbar was observed, whereas no pressure effect on the magnetic penetration depth lambda was detected. The pressure independent ratio 2 Delta(0)/k(B)T(c)=3.72(2) (Delta(0) is the superconducting gap at zero temperature) was found to be close to the BCS value 3.52. Magnetization and muon-spin rotation measurements of lambda(T) indicate that RbOs2O6 is an adiabatic s-wave BCS-type superconductor. The value of lambda extrapolated to zero temperature and ambient pressure was estimated to be 230(30) nm.

Light element analysis in oxycarbonate superconductors using EELS.

Elemental analysis in an oxycarbonate superconductor ((Cu,N,C)Sr2CaCu2Oy) is conducted using transmission electron microscope-electron energy-loss spectroscopy with detector-gain correction. The gain correction enables highly sensitive elemental analysis and precise measurement of energy-loss near edge structures (ELNESs). It is found that carbon is included as a CO3 group, because the carbon K-edge in the oxycarbonate shows the same ELNES observed from CaCO3. Nitrogen ELNES is similar to that of Sr(NO3)2, so nitrogen is contained as a NO3 group. Although both CO3(2-) and NO3- have similar planar atomic arrangements, the nitrogen ELNES observed is different from that of carbon. EEL spectrum simulation based on DV-Xalpha method is used to interpret the difference.

HRTEM study of new series of oxycarbonitrate superconductors (Cu,C,N)Sr2Ca(n - 1)Cu(n)O(y) (n = 1-6).

Arrangements of Cu and anion groups (CO3 and NO3) in the charge-reservoir (CR) blocks of a series of new oxycarbonitrate superconductors (Cu,C,N)Sr2Ca(n - 1)Cu(n)O(y) (n = 1-6) were examined by means of electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The first three members with n = 1-3 [Tc = 33 K (n = 1), 91 K (n = 2), 90 K (n = 3)] show the 4a0-type superstructures with periodic arrangements, [-Cu-X-X-X-Cu-X-X-X-Cu-] (X = CO3, NO3), in the CR blocks. The third member (n = 3) partly contains the 2a0-type of superstructure with [-Cu-X-Cu-X-Cu] in the CR blocks. The fourth member with n = 4 (Tc = 113 K) contains only the 2a0-type of superstructure. The higher members, with n = 5 (Tc = 65 K) and n = 6 (Tc = 52 K), show no evidence of ordering in the CR blocks, suggesting random arrangements of Cu and anion groups.