Isotope effect in superconducting n-doped SrTiO3.

We report the influence on the superconducting critical temperature Tc in doped SrTiO3 of the substitution of the natural 16O atoms by the heavier isotope 18O. We observe that for a wide range of doping this substitution causes a strong (~50%) enhancement of Tc. Also the magnetic critical field Hc2 is increased by a factor ~2. Such a strong impact on Tc and Hc2, with a sign opposite to conventional superconductors, is unprecedented. The observed effect could be the consequence of strong coupling of the doped electrons to lattice vibrations (phonons), a notion which finds support in numerous optical and photo-emission studies. The unusually large size of the observed isotope effect supports a recent model for superconductivity in these materials based on strong coupling to the ferroelectric soft modes of SrTiO3.

Collapse of the Mott Gap and Emergence of a Nodal Liquid in Lightly Doped Sr(2)IrO(4).

We report angle resolved photoemission experiments on the electron doped Heisenberg antiferromagnet (Sr(1-x)La(x))(2)IrO(4). For a doping level of x=0.05, we find an unusual metallic state with coherent nodal excitations and an antinodal pseudogap bearing strong similarities with underdoped cuprates. This state emerges from a rapid collapse of the Mott gap with doping resulting in a large underlying Fermi surface that is backfolded by a (π,π) reciprocal lattice vector which we attribute to the intrinsic structural distortion of Sr(2)IrO(4).

Pressure-induced valence crossover in superconducting CeCu2Si2.

Measurement of the Ce valence in the heavy fermion CeCu(2)Si(2) is reported for the first time under pressure and at low temperature (T=14 K) in proximity of the superconducting region. CeCu(2)Si(2) is considered as a strong candidate for a new type of pairing mechanism related to critical valence fluctuations which could set in at high pressure in the vicinity of the second superconducting dome. A quantitative estimate of the valence in this pressure region was achieved from the measurements of the Ce L(3) edge in the high-resolution partial-fluorescence yield mode and subsequent analysis of the spectra within the Anderson impurity model. While a clear increase of the Ce valence is found, the weak electron transfer and the continuous valence change under pressure suggests a crossover regime with the hypothetical valence line terminating at a critical end point T(cr) close to zero.

Multiprobe experiments under high pressure: resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and thermopower measurements around 5 GPa.

We have performed multiprobe experiments using a Bridgman-anvil pressure cell, adapted to trap Daphne oil as pressure medium. Resistivity, ac-magnetic susceptibility, thermopower, and ac-heat capacity of a type-I superconductor, lead, have been studied at low temperature up to 5+/-0.1 GPa. This is the first report where ac-magnetic susceptibility has been measured in this type of pressure cell and at such a high pressure range. The signature of the superconducting transition temperature, obtained from all these different measurements, agrees well within the experimental errors.

Electric field control of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface ground state.

Interfaces between complex oxides are emerging as one of the most interesting systems in condensed matter physics. In this special setting, in which translational symmetry is artificially broken, a variety of new and unusual electronic phases can be promoted. Theoretical studies predict complex phase diagrams and suggest the key role of the charge carrier density in determining the systems' ground states. A particularly fascinating system is the conducting interface between the band insulators LaAlO(3) and SrTiO(3) (ref. 3). Recently two possible ground states have been experimentally identified: a magnetic state and a two-dimensional superconducting condensate. Here we use the electric field effect to explore the phase diagram of the system. The electrostatic tuning of the carrier density allows an on/off switching of superconductivity and drives a quantum phase transition between a two-dimensional superconducting state and an insulating state. Analyses of the magnetotransport properties in the insulating state are consistent with weak localization and do not provide evidence for magnetism. The electric field control of superconductivity demonstrated here opens the way to the development of new mesoscopic superconducting circuits.

Superconducting interfaces between insulating oxides.

At interfaces between complex oxides, electronic systems with unusual electronic properties can be generated. We report on superconductivity in the electron gas formed at the interface between two insulating dielectric perovskite oxides, LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. The behavior of the electron gas is that of a two-dimensional superconductor, confined to a thin sheet at the interface. The superconducting transition temperature of congruent with 200 millikelvin provides a strict upper limit to the thickness of the superconducting layer of congruent with 10 nanometers.

Metallic state in cubic FeGe beyond its quantum phase transition.

We report on results of electrical resistivity and structural investigations on the cubic modification of FeGe under high pressure. The long-wavelength helical order (T(C) = 280 K) is suppressed at a critical pressure p(c) approximately 19 GPa. An anomaly at T(X)(p) and strong deviations from a Fermi-liquid behavior in a wide pressure range above p(c) suggest that the suppression of T(C) disagrees with the standard notion of a quantum critical phase transition. The metallic ground state persisting at high pressure can be described by band-structure calculations if zero-point motion is included. The shortest FeGe interatomic distance display discontinuous changes in the pressure dependence close to the T(C)(p) phase line.

Adaptation of the Bridgman anvil cell to liquid pressure mediums.

The advantage of Bridgman anvil pressure cells is their wide pressure range and the large number of wires which can be introduced into the pressure chamber. In these pressure cells, soft solid pressure mediums such as steatite are used. We have succeeded in adapting the Bridgman cell to liquid pressure mediums. With this breakthrough, it is now possible to measure in very good hydrostatic pressure conditions up to 7 GPa, which is about twice the pressure attainable in piston-cylinder cells. The pressure gradient in the cell, estimated from the superconducting transition width of lead, is reduced by a factor of 5 in the liquid medium with respect to steatite. By using nonmagnetic materials for the anvils and the clamp and due to the small dimensions of the latter, our device is specially suitable for magnetotransport measurements in dilution fridges. This pressure cell has been developed to measure very fragile and brittle samples such as organic conductors. Resistivity measurements of (TMTTF)(2)BF(4) performed in a solid and a liquid pressure medium demonstrate the necessity of hydrostatic pressure conditions for the study of organic conductors at high pressures.

Local switching of two-dimensional superconductivity using the ferroelectric field effect.

Correlated oxides display a variety of extraordinary physical properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. In these materials, strong electronic correlations often lead to competing ground states that are sensitive to many parameters--in particular the doping level--so that complex phase diagrams are observed. A flexible way to explore the role of doping is to tune the electron or hole concentration with electric fields, as is done in standard semiconductor field effect transistors. Here we demonstrate a model oxide system based on high-quality heterostructures in which the ferroelectric field effect approach can be studied. We use a single-crystal film of the perovskite superconductor Nb-doped SrTiO3 as the superconducting channel and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 as the gate oxide. Atomic force microscopy is used to locally reverse the ferroelectric polarization, thus inducing large resistivity and carrier modulations, resulting in a clear shift in the superconducting critical temperature. Field-induced switching from the normal state to the (zero resistance) superconducting state was achieved at a well-defined temperature. This unique system could lead to a field of research in which devices are realized by locally defining in the same material superconducting and normal regions with 'perfect' interfaces, the interface being purely electronic. Using this approach, one could potentially design one-dimensional superconducting wires, superconducting rings and junctions, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or arrays of pinning centres.