arXiv subjects

D. Di Castro

Publications and source records attributed to D. Di Castro.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Universal observation of multiple order parameters in cuprate superconductors

The temperature dependence of the London penetration depth λwas measured for an untwined single crystal of YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ} along the three principal crystallographic directions (a, b, and c). Both in-plane components (λ_a and λ_b) show an inflection point in their temperature dependence which is absent in the component along the c-direction (λ_c). The data provide convincing evidence that the in-plane superconducting order parameter is a mixture of s+d-wave symmetry whereas it is exclusively s-wave along the c-direction. In conjunction with previous results it is concluded that coupled s+d-order parameters are universal and intrinsic to cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Electrodynamics near the Metal-to-Insulator Transition in V3O5

The electrodynamics near the metal-to-insulator transitions (MIT) induced, in V3O5 single crystals, by both temperature (T) and pressure (P) has been studied by infrared spectroscopy. The T- and P-dependence of the optical conductivity may be explained within a polaronic scenario. The insulating phase at ambient T and P corresponds to strongly localized small polarons. Meanwhile the T-induced metallic phase at ambient pressure is related to a liquid of polarons showing incoherent dc transport, in the P-induced metallic phase at room T strongly localized polarons coexist with partially delocalized ones. The electronic spectral weight is almost recovered, in both the T and P induced metallization processes, on an energy scale of 1 eV, thus supporting the key-role of electron-lattice interaction in the V3O5 metal-to-insulator transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Evidence of a pressure-induced metallization process in monoclinic VO$_2$

Raman and combined trasmission and reflectivity mid infrared measurements have been carried out on monoclinic VO$_2$ at room temperature over the 0-19 GPa and 0-14 GPa pressure ranges, respectively. The pressure dependence obtained for both lattice dynamics and optical gap shows a remarkable stability of the system up to P*$\sim$10 GPa. Evidence of subtle modifications of V ion arrangements within the monoclinic lattice together with the onset of a metallization process via band gap filling are observed for P$>$P*. Differently from ambient pressure, where the VO$_2$ metal phase is found only in conjunction with the rutile structure above 340 K, a new room temperature metallic phase coupled to a monoclinic structure appears accessible in the high pressure regime, thus opening to new important queries on the physics of VO$_2$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Tuning topological disorder in MgB$_{2}$

We carried out Raman measurements on neutron-irradiated and Al-doped MgB$_2$ samples. The irradiation-induced topological disorder causes an unexpected appearance of high frequency spectral structures, similar to those observed in lightly Al-doped samples. Our results show that disorder-induced violations of the selection rules are responsible for the modification of the Raman spectrum in both irradiated and Al-doped samples. Theoretical calculations of the phonon density of states support this hypothesis, and demonstrate that the high frequency structures arise mostly from contributions at ${\bf q}\not=0$ of the E$_{2g}$ phonon mode.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Infrared properties of Mg$_{1-x}$Al$_x($B$_{1-y}$C$_{y}$)$_2$ single crystals in the normal and superconducting state

The reflectivity $R (ω)$ of $ab$-oriented Mg$_{1-x}$Al$_x$(B$_{1-y }$C$_y$)$_2$ single crystals has been measured by means of infrared microspectroscopy for $1300<ω<17000$ cm$^{-1}$. An increase with doping of the scattering rates in the $π$ and $σ$ bands is observed, being more pronounced in the C doped crystals. The $σ$-band plasma frequency also changes with doping due to the electron doping, while the $π$-band one is almost unchanged. Moreover, a $σ\toσ$ interband excitation, predicted by theory, is observed at $ω_{IB} \simeq 0.47$ eV in the undoped sample, and shifts to lower energies with doping. By performing theoretical calculation of the doping dependence $ω_{IB}$, the experimental observations can be explained with the increase with electron doping of the Fermi energy of the holes in the $σ$-band. On the other hand, the $σ$ band density of states seems not to change substantially. This points towards a $T_c$ reduction driven mainly by disorder, at least for the doping level studied here. The superconducting state has been also probed by infrared synchrotron radiation for $30<ω<150$ cm$^{-1}$ in one pure and one C-doped sample. In the undoped sample ($T_c$ = 38.5 K) a signature of the $π$-gap only is observed. At $y$ = 0.08 ($T_c$ = 31.9 K), the presence of the contribution of the $σ$-gap indicates dirty-limit superconductivity in both bands.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Role of charge doping and lattice distortions in codoped Mg_{1-x}(AlLi)_{x}B_2 compounds

We prepared a series of Mg_{1-x}(AlLi)_{x}B_2 samples with 0≤x≤0.45 in order to compensate with Li the electron doping induced by Al. Structural characterization by means of neutron and X-ray diffraction confirms that Li enters the MgB2 structure even though in an amount less than nominal one. We performed susceptibility, resistivity and specific heat measurements. Vibrational properties were also investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy. We compare these results with those obtained on a homologous series of Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_2 samples. The systematic success of scaling the relevant properties with the Al content rather than with the electron doping suggests that lattice deformation plays an important role in tuning the superconducting properties.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Anomalous electron-phonon coupling probed on the surface of ZrB$_{12}$ superconductor

Magnetization measurements under hydrostatic pressure up to 10.5 kbar in zirconium dodecaboride ZrB$_{12}$ superconductor ($T_c\simeq6.0$ K at $p=0$) were carried out. A negative pressure effect on $T_c$ with ${\rm d} T_c/{\rm d} p =-0.0225(3)$ K/kbar was observed. The electron-phonon coupling constant $λ_{el-ph}$ decreases with increasing pressure with ${\rm d}\lnλ_{el-ph}/{\rm d}p\simeq-0.20$%/kbar. The magnetic field penetration depth $λ$ was studied in the Meissner state and, therefore, probes only the surface of the sample. The absolute values of $λ$ and the superconducting energy gap at ambient pressure and zero temperature were found to be $λ(0)=$140(30) nm and $Δ_0=$1.251(9) meV, respectively. $Δ_0$ scales linearly with $T_c$ as $2Δ_0/k_BT_c=4.79(1)$. The studies of the pressure effect on $λ$ reveal that $λ^{-2}$ increases with pressure with ${\rm d}\lnλ^{-2}(0)/{\rm d}p=0.60(23)$ %/kbar. This effect can not be explained within the framework of conventional adiabatic electron-phonon pairing, suggesting that close to the surface, an unconventional {\it non-adiabatic} character of the electron-phonon coupling takes place.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Evidence for a smooth superconductor to normal state transition for nonzero applied magnetic field in Sr0.9La0.1CuO2

We present and analyze field cooled magnetization data, revealing for 0<H<5 T remarkable consistency with a magnetic field induced finite size effect. It is traced back to the fact that the correlation length gsi cannot grow beyond the limiting length scale LH set by the magnetic field, where at temperature Tp(H), gsi(T) = LH. Thus, in sufficiently homogeneous samples and nonzero H the transition from the superconducting to the normal state turns out to be smooth and the appropriately scaled magnetization data fall near Tp(H) on a universal curve. Consistent with the generic behavior of optimally doped cuprates we also show that the pressure effect on Tc is negligibly small, while the negative value of the relative volume change mirrors that of the ansisotropy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Muon-Spin-Rotation Measurements of the Penetration Depth in the Infinite-Layer Electron-Doped Cuprate Superconductor Sr0.9La0.1CuO2

Muon spin rotation (mSR) measurements of the in-plane penetration depth lambda_ab have been performed in the electron-doped infinite layer high-Tc superconductor (HTS) Sr0.9La0.1CuO2. Absence of the magnetic rare-earth ions in this compound allowed to measure for the first time the absolute value of lambda_ab(0) in electron-doped HTS using mSR. We found lambda_ab(0)=116(2) nm. The zero-temperature depolarization rate sigma(0)?1/lambda_ab(0)^2=4.6(1) MHz is more than four times higher than expected from the Uemura line. Therefore this electron-doped HTS does not follow the Uemura relation found for hole-doped HTS.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Pressure and isotope effect on the anisotropy of MgB$_{2}$

We analyze the data for the pressure and boron isotope effect on the temperature dependence of the magnetization near $T_{c}$. Invoking the universal scaling relation for the magnetization at fixed magnetic field it is shown that the relative shift of $T_{c}$, induced by pressure or boron isotope exchange, mirrors essentially that of the anisotropy. This uncovers a novel generic property of anisotropic type II superconductors, inexistent in the isotropic case. For MgB$_{2}$ it implies that the renormalization of the Fermi surface topology due to pressure or isotope exchange is dominated by a mechanism controlling the anisotropy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Study of pressure effect on the magnetic penetration depth in MgB$_2$

A study of the pressure effect on the magnetic penetration depth $λ$ in polycrystalline MgB$_{2}$ was performed by measuring the temperature dependence of the magnetization under an applied pressure of 0.15 and 1.13 GPa. We found that $λ^{-2}$ at low temperature is only slightly affected by pressure [$\frac{Δλ^{-2}}{λ^{-2}} = 1.5(9)%$], in contrast to cuprate superconductors, where, in the same range of pressure, a very large effect on $λ^{-2}$ was found. Theoretical estimates indicate that most of the pressure effect on $λ^{-2}$ in MgB$_2$ arises from the electron-phonon interaction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Study of the magnetic penetration depth in RbOs_2O_6

Measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth λin the pyrochlore superconductor RbOs_2O_6 (T_c\simeq6.3 K) were carried out by means of the muon-spin-rotation (\muSR) technique. At low temperatures λ^{-2}(T) saturates and becomes constant below T\simeq 0.2T_c, in agreement with what is expected for weak-coupled s-wave BCS superconductors. The value of λat T=0 was found to be in the range of 250 nm to 300 nm. \muSR and equilibrium magnetization measurements both reveal that at low temperatures $λ$ is almost (at the level of 10%) independent of the applied magnetic field. This result suggests that the superconducting energy gap in RbOs_2O_6 is isotropic.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Clean and Dirty Superconductivity in Pure, Al doped, and Neutron Irradiated MgB2: a Far-Infrared Study

The effects of Al substitution and neutron irradiation on the conduction regime (clean or dirty) of the $π$- and $σ$-band of MgB$_{2}$ have been investigated by means of far-infrared spectroscopy. The intensity reflected by well characterized polycrystalline samples was measured up to 100 cm$^{- 1}$ in both normal and superconducting state. The analysis of the superconducting to normal reflectivity ratios shows that only the effect of the opening of the small gap in the dirty $π$-band can be clearly observed in pure MgB$_{2}$, consistently with previous results. In Al-doped samples the dirty character of the $π$-band is increased, while no definitive conclusion on the conduction regime of the $σ$-band can be drawn. On the contrary, results obtained for the irradiated sample show that the irradiation-induced disorder drives the $σ$-band in the dirty regime, making the large gap in $σ$-band observable for the first time in far-infrared measurements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Anisotropy and internal field distribution of MgB2 in the mixed state at low temperatures

Magnetization and muon spin relaxation on MgB2 were measured as a function of field at 2 K. Both indicate an inverse-squared penetration depth strongly decreasing with increasing field H below about 1 T. Magnetization also suggests the anisotropy of the penetration depth to increase with increasing H, interpolating between a low Hc1 and a high Hc2 anisotropy. Torque vs angle measurements are in agreement with this finding, while also ruling out drastic differences between the mixed state anisotropies of the two basic length scales penetration depth and coherence length.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Absence of a boron isotope effect in the magnetic penetration depth of MgB$_{2}$

The magnetic penetration depth $λ(0)$ in polycrystalline MgB$_{2}$ for different boron isotopes ($^{10}$B/$^{11}$B) was investigated by transverse field muon spin rotation. No boron isotope effect on the penetration depth $λ(0)$ was found within experimental error: $Δλ(0)/λ(0) = -0.8(8)%$, suggesting that MgB$_{2}$ is an adiabatic superconductor. This is in contrast to the substantial oxygen isotope effect on $λ(0)$ observed in cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Finite size effect in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+d) and YBa2Cu3O6.7 probed by the in-plane and out of plane penetration depths

We report on a systematic finite size scaling analysis of in-plane penetration depth data taken on Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ epitaxially-grown films and single crystals, and of in-plane and out of plane data taken on YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.7}$ aligned powder. It is shown that the tails in temperature dependence of the penetration depths, appearing around the transition temperature, are fully consistent with a finite size effect. This uncovers the granular nature of these cuprates, consisting of superconducting homogeneous domains of nanoscale extent, embedded in a non-superconducting matrix.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Anisotropic properties of MgB2 by torque magnetometry

Anisotropic properties of superconducting MgB2 obtained by torque magnetometry are compared to theoretical predictions, concentrating on two issues. Firstly, the angular dependence of Hc2 is shown to deviate close to Tc from the dependence assumed by anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau theory. Secondly, from the evaluation of torque vs angle curves it is concluded that the anisotropy of the penetration depth gamma_lambda has to be substantially higher at low temperature than theoretical estimates, at least in fields higher than 0.2 T.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

High Tc superconductivity at a critical strain and charge density in diborides

We report variation of lattice structure in diborides (AB2) with different A atoms to identify the special case of MgB2 showing high Tc superconductivity. High purity MgB2 (Tc~39 K) has been prepared by direct reaction of the elements and the lattice parameters are measured by x-ray diffraction determining the strain e of the B-B distance. The results show that the superconductivity in these intermetallics appear near a critical point in a two variables (strain and charge density) phase diagram at (ec, rc).

cond-mat.supr-con↗