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A. S. Sefat

Publications and source records attributed to A. S. Sefat.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2012

Effect of uniaxial strain on the structural and magnetic phase transitions in BaFe$_2$As$_2$

We report neutron scattering experiments probing the influence of uniaxial strain on both the magnetic and structural order parameters in the parent iron pnictide compound, BaFe$_2$As$_2$. Our data show that modest strain fields along the in-plane orthorhombic b-axis can affect significant changes in phase behavior simultaneous to the removal of structural twinning effects. As a result, we demonstrate in BaFe$_2$As$_2$ samples detwinned via uniaxial strain that the in-plane C$_4$ symmetry is broken by \textit{both} the structural lattice distortion \textit{and} long-range spin ordering at temperatures far above the nominal (strain-free), phase transition temperatures. Surprising changes in the magnetic order parameter of this system under relatively small strain fields also suggest the inherent presence of magnetic domains fluctuating above the strain-free ordering temperature in this material.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2011

Phonon softening near structural transition in BaFe2As2 observed by inelastic x-ray scattering

In this work we present the results of an inelastic x-ray scattering experiment detailing the behavior of the transverse acoustic [110] phonon in BaFe2As2 as a function of temperature. When cooling through the structural transition temperature, the transverse acoustic phonon energy is reduced from the value at room temperature, reaching a maximum shift near inelastic momentum transfer q=0.1. This softening of the lattice results in a change of the symmetry from tetragonal to orthorhombic at the same temperature as the transition to long-range antiferromagnetic order. While the lattice distortion is minor, the anisotropy in the magnetic exchange constants in pnictide parent compounds is large. We suggest mechanisms of electron-phonon coupling to describe the interaction between the lattice softening and onset of magnetic ordering.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2011

Magnetic excitations in the geometric frustrated multiferroic CuCrO$_2$

In this paper detailed neutron scattering measurements of the magnetic excitation spectrum of CuCrO$_2$ in the ordered state below $T_{\rm{N1}}=24.2$ K are presented. The spectra are analyzed using a model Hamiltonian which includes intralayer-exchange up to the next-next-nearest neighbor and interlayer-exchange. We obtain a definite parameter set and show that exchange interaction terms beyond the next-nearest neighbor are important to describe the inelastic excitation spectrum. The magnetic ground state structure generated with our parameter set is in agreement with the structure proposed for CuCrO$_2$ from the results of single crystal diffraction experiments previously published. We argue that the role of the interlayer exchange is crucial to understand the incommensurability of the magnetic structure as well as the spin-charge coupling mechanism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2011

Pressure effects on the transport coefficients of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2

We report the temperature dependence of the resistivity and thermoelectric power under hydrostatic pressure of the itinerant antiferromagnet BaFe2As2 and the electron-doped superconductor Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2. We observe a hole-like contribution to the thermopower below the structural-magnetic transition in the parent compound that is suppressed in magnitude and temperature with pressure. Pressure increases the contribution of electrons to transport in both the doped and undoped compound. In the 10% Co-doped sample, we used a two-band model for thermopower to estimate the carrier concentrations and determine the effect of pressure on the band structure.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2011

Phonon splitting and anomalous enhancement of infrared-active modes in BaFe$_2$As$_2$

We present a comprehensive infrared spectroscopic study of lattice dynamics in the pnictide parent compound BaFe$_2$As$_2$. In the tetragonal structural phase, we observe the two degenerate symmetry-allowed in-plane infrared active phonon modes. Following the structural transition from the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase, we observe splitting into four non-degenerate phonon modes and a significant phonon strength enhancement. These detailed data allow us to provide a physical explanation for the anomalous phonon strength enhancement as the result of anisotropic conductivity due to Hund's coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2011

Electronic correlations and unconventional spectral weight transfer in BaFe$_{2-x}$Co$_{x}$As$_{2}$

We report an infrared optical study of the pnictide high-temperature superconductor BaFe$_{1.84}$Co$_{0.16}$As$_{2}$ and its parent compound BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$. We demonstrate that electronic correlations are moderately strong and do not change across the spin-density wave transition or with doping. By examining the energy scale and direction of spectral weight transfer, we argue that Hund's coupling \emph{J} is the primary mechanism that gives rise to correlations.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2011

Spatial Inhomogeneity in RFeAsO1-xFx (R =Pr, Nd) Determined from Rare Earth Crystal Field Excitations

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements of crystal field transitions in PrFeAsO, PrFeAsO0.87F0.13, and NdFeAsO0.85F0.15. Doping with fluorine produces additional crystal field excitations, providing evidence that there are two distinct charge environments around the rare earth ions, with probabilities that are consistent with a random distribution of dopants on the oxygen sites. The 4f electrons of the Pr3+ and Nd3+ ions have non-magnetic and magnetic ground states, respectively, indicating that the enhancement of Tc compared to LaFeAsO1-xFx is not due to rare earth magnetism.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2011

Effect of annealing on the specific heat of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2

We report on the effect of annealing on the temperature and field dependencies of the low temperature specific heat of the electron-doped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ for under-(x = 0.045), optimal- (x = 0.08) and over-doped (x = 0.105 and 0.14) regimes. We observed that annealing significantly improves some superconducting characteristics in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$. It considerably increases $T_{c}$, decreases $γ_{0}$ in the superconducting state and suppresses the Schottky-like contribution at very low temperatures. The improved sample quality allows for a better identification of the superconducting gap structure of these materials. We examine the effects of doping and annealing within a self-consistent framework for an extended s-wave pairing scenario. At optimal doping our data indicates the sample is fully gapped, while for both under and overdoped samples significant low-energy excitations possibly consistent with a nodal structure remain. The difference of sample quality offers a natural explanation for the variation in low temperature power laws observed by many techniques.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Magnetism and Disorder Effects on muSR Measurements of the Magnetic Penetration Depth in Iron-Based Superconductors

It is shown that attempts to accurately deduce the magnetic penetration depth of overdoped BaFe_{1.82}Co_{0.18}As2 single crystals by transverse-field muon spin rotation (TF-muSR) are thwarted by field-induced magnetic order and strong vortex-lattice disorder. We explain how substantial deviations from the magnetic field distribution of a nearly perfect vortex lattice by one or both of these factors is also significant for other iron-based superconductors, and this introduces considerable uncertainty in the values of the magnetic penetration depth obtained by TF-muSR.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Competing magnetic ground states in non-superconducting Ba(Fe1-xCrx)2As2

We present neutron diffraction measurements on single crystal samples of non-superconducting Ba(Fe1-xCrx)2As2 as a function of Cr-doping for 0<=x<=0.47. The average SDW moment is independent of concentration for x<=0.2 and decreases rapidly for x>=0.3. For concentrations in excess of 30% chromium, we find a new G-type antiferromagnetic phase which rapidly becomes the dominant magnetic ground state. Strong magnetism is observed for all concentrations measured and competition between these ordered states and superconductivity naturally explains the absence of superconductivity in the Cr-doped materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Effect of annealing on the specific heat of optimally doped Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$

We report the temperature dependence of the low-temperature specific heat down to 400 mK of the electron-doped Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ superconductors. We have measured two samples extracted from the same batch: first sample has been measured just after preparation with no additional heat treatment. The sample shows $T_{c}$=20 K, residual specific heat $γ_{0}$=3.6 mJ/mol K$^{2}$ and a Schottky-like contribution at low temperatures. A second sample has been annealed at 800 $^{o}C$ for two weeks and shows $T_{c}$ = 25 K and $γ_{0}$=1.4 mJ/mol~K$^{2}$. By subtracting the lattice specific heat, from pure BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, the temperature dependence of the electronic specific heat has been obtained and studied. For both samples the temperature dependence of $C_{el}(T)$ clearly indicate the presence of low-energy excitations in the system. Their specific heat data cannot be described by single clean s- or d-wave models and the data requires an anisotropic gap scenario which may or may not have nodes

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Electronic Structure of CeFeAsO1-xFx (x=0, 0.11/x=0.12) compounds

We report an extensive study on the intrinsic bulk electronic structure of the high-temperature superconductor CeFeAsO0.89F0.11 and its parent compound CeFeAsO by soft and hard x-ray photoemission, x-ray absorption and soft-x-ray emission spectroscopies. The complementary surface/bulk probing depth, and the elemental and chemical sensitivity of these techniques allows resolving the intrinsic electronic structure of each element and correlating it with the local structure, which has been probed by extended-x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The measurements indicate a predominant 4f1 (i.e. Ce3+) initial state configuration for Cerium and an effective valence-band-to-4f charge-transfer screening of the core hole. The spectra also reveal the presence of a small Ce f0 initial state configuration, which we assign to the occurrence of an intermediate valence state. The data reveal a reasonably good agreement with the partial density of states as obtained in standard density functional calculations over a large energy range. Implications for the electronic structure of these materials are discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

BaFe2As2 Surface Domains and Domain Walls: Mirroring the Bulk Spin Structure

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements on BaFe2As2-one of the parent compounds of the iron-based superconductors-reveals a (1x1) As-terminated unit cell on the (001) surface. However, there are significant differences of the surface unit cell compared to the bulk: only one of the two As atoms in the unit cell is imaged and domain walls between different (1x1) regions display a C2 symmetry at the surface. It should have been C2v if the STM image reflected the geometric structure of the surface or the orthorhombic bulk. The inequivalent As atoms and the bias dependence of the domain walls indicate that the origin of the STM image is primarily electronic not geometric. We argue that the surface electronic topography mirrors the bulk spin structure of BaFe2As2, via strong orbital-spin coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

A doping dependent specific heat study of the superconducting gap in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$

We report a doping, magnetic field and low-temperature dependent study of the specific heat of the iron-arsenide Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ at under (x=0.045), optimal (x=0.08) and overdoped (x=0.103 and 0.105) regimes. By subtracting the lattice specific heat the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electronic specific heat has been studied. The temperature and field dependencies of the superconducting part of $C_{p}$ exhibit similar behavior for all doping concentrations. The temperature variation of the electronic specific heat as well as its field dependence cannot be described by a single isotropic s-wave gap, pointing to a complex gap structure in the system. The lack of doping dependence indicates that the gap structure does not change significantly as a function of doping. We also observe a significant residual linear term of unknown origin in the specific heat of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ which suggests that inhomogeneity may be an important factor in Co-doped BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Orbital Symmetry of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 Superconductors Probed with X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

The orbital symmetries of electron doped iron-arsenide superconductors Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 have been measured with x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The data reveal signatures of Fe d electron itinerancy, weak electronic correlations, and a high degree of Fe-As hybridization related to the bonding topology of the Fe dxz+yz states, which are found to contribute substantially at the Fermi level. The energies and detailed orbital character of Fe and As derived unoccupied s and d states are found to be in remarkably good agreement with the predictions of standard density functional theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Probing Local Variations of Superconductivity on the Surface of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 Single Crystals

The spatially resolved electrical transport properties have been studied on the surface of optimally-doped superconducting Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystal by using a four-probe scanning tunneling microscopy. While some non-uniform contrast appears near the edge of the cleaved crystal, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals mostly uniform contrast. For the regions that showed uniform SEM contrast, a sharp superconducting transition at TC = 22.1 K has been observed with a transition width (delta)Tc = 0.2 K. In the non-uniform contrast region, TC is found to vary between 19.6 and 22.2 K with (delta)Tc from 0.3 to 3.2 K. The wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy reveals that Co concentration remains 7.72% in the uniform region, but changes between 7.38% and 7.62% in the non-uniform region. Thus the variations of superconductivity are associated with local compositional change.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2010

Gap structure in the electron-doped Iron-Arsenide Superconductor Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2: low-temperature specific heat study

We report the field and temperature dependence of the low-temperature specific heat down to 400 mK and in magnetic fields up to 9 T of the electron-doped Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 superconductor. Using the phonon specific heat obtained from pure BaFe2As2 we find the normal state Sommerfeld coefficient to be 18 mJ/mol.K^2 and a condensation energy of 1.27 J/mol. The temperature dependence of the electronic specific heat clearly indicate the presence of the low-energy excitations in the system. The magnetic field variation of field-induced specific heat cannot be described by single clean s- or d-wave models. Rather, the data require an anisotropic gap scenario which may or may not have nodes. We discuss the implications of these results.

cond-mat.supr-con↗