arXiv subjects

D. M. Broun

Publications and source records attributed to D. M. Broun.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Microwave resonator for measuring time-reversal symmetry breaking at cryogenic temperatures

We present a microwave-frequency method for measuring polar Kerr effect and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) in unconventional superconductors. While this experiment is motivated by work performed in the near infrared using zero-loop-area Sagnac interferometers, the microwave implementation is quite different, and is based on the doubly degenerate modes of a TE$_{111}$ cavity resonator, which act as polarization states analogous to those of light. The resonator system has $in$-$situ$ actuators that allow quadrupolar distortions of the resonator shape to be controllably tuned, as these compete with the much smaller perturbations that arise from TRSB. The most reliable way to the detect the TRSB signal is by interrogating the two-mode resonator system with circularly polarized microwaves, in which case the presence of TRSB shows up unambiguously as a difference between the forward and reverse transmission response of the resonator - i.e., as a breaking of reciprocity. We illustrate and characterize a coupler system that generates and detects circularly polarized microwaves, and then show how these are integrated with the TE$_{111}$ resonator, resulting in a dilution refrigerator implementation with a base temperature of 20 mK. We show test data on yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) ferrite and the van der Waals ferromagnet CrGeTe$_3$ as an illustration of how the system operates, then present data showing system performance under realistic conditions at millikelvin temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Probing time-reversal symmetry breaking at microwave frequencies

Motivated by experiments carried out in the near infrared using zero-loop-area Sagnac interferometers, we explore electromagnetic signatures of time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) at microwave frequencies, using as a prototypical example a semiclassical conductor in a magnetic field. TRSB is generically accompanied by a skew-symmetric term in the electrodynamic response tensors (permittivity, conductivity, surface impedance), imparting a nonreciprocal phase shift to left- and right-circularly polarized electromagnetic waves reflected from the surface of such a material. We show that TRSB manifests as a difference in the surface reactance experienced by circularly polarized waves, and can be detected using a doubly degenerate resonator mode, such as the TE$_{111}$ mode of a cylindrical cavity. In addition to the frequency splitting induced by TRSB we show that, when interrogated by circularly polarized microwaves, the forward and reverse transmission responses of such a resonator break reciprocity, providing a crucial signature that distinguishes true Faraday effects (i.e., circular birefringence) from non-TRSB effects such as linear birefringence. In the limit that the sample is larger than the spot size (i.e., larger than the diameter of the microwave cavity) we show that the TRSB resonator has sensitivity to polar Kerr angle comparable to that of the zero-loop-area Sagnac, and should provide complementary insights into unconventional superconductors such as UPt$_3$ and Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ that have been observed to spontaneously break time-reversal symmetry.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Beyond Homes scaling: disorder, the Planckian bound and a new universality

Beginning with high-$T_c$ cuprate materials, it has been observed that many superconductors exhibit so-called "Homes scaling", in which the zero-temperature superfluid density, $ρ_{s0}$, is proportional to the product of the normal-state dc conductivity and the superconducting transition temperature, $σ_\mathrm{dc} T_c$. For conventional, s-wave superconductors, such scaling has been shown to be a natural consequence of elastic-scattering disorder, not only in the extreme dirty limit but across a broad range of scattering parameters. Here we show that when an analogous calculation is carried out for elastic scattering in d-wave superconductors, a stark contrast emerges, with $ρ_{s0} \propto \left(σ_\mathrm{dc} T_c \right)^2$ in the dirty limit, in apparent violation of Homes scaling. Within a simple approximate Migdal--Eliashberg treatment of inelastic scattering, we show how Homes scaling is recovered. The normal-state behavior of near optimally doped cuprates is dominated by inelastic scattering, but significant deviations from Homes scaling occur for disorder-dominated cuprate systems, such as underdoped YBCO and overdoped LSCO, and in very clean materials with little inelastic scattering, such as Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. We present a revised analysis where both axes of the original Homes scaling plot are normalized by the Drude plasma weight, $ω_{p,D}^2$, and show that new universal scaling emerges, in which the superfluid fractions of dirty s-wave and dirty d-wave superconductors coalesce to a single point at which normal-state scattering is occurring at the Planckian bound. The combined result is a new tool for classifying superconductors in terms of order parameter symmetry, as well as scattering strength and character. Although our model starts from a Fermi-liquid assumption it describes underdoped cuprates surprisingly well.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Gap structure of the non-symmorphic superconductor LaNiGa2 probed by muSR

We report muon spin rotation (muSR) measurements of the temperature dependence of the absolute value of the magnetic penetration depth and the magnetic field dependence of the vortex core size in the mixed state of the non-symmorphic superconductor LaNiGa2. The temperature dependence of the normalized superfluid density is shown to be well described by a two-band model with strong interband coupling. Consistent with a strong coupling of the superconducting condensates in two different bands, we show that the field dependence of the vortex core size resembles that of a single-band superconductor. Our results lend support to the proposal that LaNiGa2 is a fully-gapped, internally antisymmetric nonunitary spin-triplet superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Optical conductivity of overdoped cuprates from ab-initio out-of-plane impurity potentials

Dopant impurity potentials determined by ab-initio supercell DFT calculations are used to calculate the optical conductivity of overdoped LSCO and Tl-2201 in the superconducting and normal states. Vertex corrections are included, to account for the effect of forward scattering on two-particle properties. This approach was previously shown to provide good, semiquantitative agreement with measurements of superfluid density in LSCO. Here we compare calculations of conductivity with measurements of THz conductivity on LSCO using identical impurity, band, and correlation parameters, and find similarly good correspondence with experiment. In the process, we delineate the impact of the different disorder mechanisms on single-particle and transport relaxation processes. In particular, we reveal the critical role of apical oxygen vacancies in transport scattering and show that transport relaxation rates in LSCO are significantly reduced when apical oxygen vacancies are annealed out. These considerations are shown to be crucial for understanding the variability of experimental results on overdoped LSCO in samples of nominally identical doping but different types. Finally, we give predictions for Tl-2201 THz conductivity experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Effect of realistic out-of-plane dopant potentials on the superfluid density of overdoped cuprates

Recent experimental papers on hole-doped overdoped cuprates have argued that a series of observations showing unexpected behavior in the superconducting state imply the breakdown of the quasiparticle-based Landau-BCS paradigm in that doping range. In contrast, some of the present authors have argued that a phenomenological "dirty $d$-wave" theoretical analysis explains essentially all aspects of thermodynamic and transport properties in the superconducting state, provided the unusual effects of weak, out-of-plane dopant impurities are properly accounted for. Here we attempt to place this theory on a more quantitative basis by performing $\textit{ab-initio}$ calculations of dopant impurity potentials for LSCO and Tl-2201. These potentials are more complex than the pointlike impurity models considered previously, and require calculation of forward scattering corrections to transport properties. Including realistic, ARPES-derived bandstructures, Fermi liquid renormalizations, and vertex corrections, we show that the theory can explain semiquantitatively the unusual superfluid density measurements of the two most studied overdoped materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

The two-dimensional metallic triangular lattice antiferromagnet CeCd3P3

Single crystals of $R$Cd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ ($R$ = La and Ce) have been investigated by magnetization, electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, and specific heat. Magnetization measurements of CeCd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ demonstrate clear quasi-2D magnetic behavior. Electrical resistivity and Hall coefficient measurements suggest that $R$Cd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ compounds are low carrier density metallic systems, in strong contrast to an earlier study of polycrystalline material. Specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements of CeCd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ reveal a high temperature (structural) phase transition at $T_{s} = 127$~K and antiferromagnetic ordering below $T_{N} = 0.41$~K. Upon applying magnetic field in the easy-plane ($H {\parallel} ab$) the magnetic ordering temperature increases to 0.43~K at $H \sim 15$~kOe, demonstrating partial lifting of the magnetic frustration. The large electronic specific heat persists in an unusually wide range of temperature above $T_{N}$, due to the frustrated spins. The observation of conventional metallic behavior in the electrical resistivity suggests that the $f$-electrons in CeCd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ undergo negligible hybridization with the conduction electrons. Thus, CeCd$_{3}$P$_{3}$ may be a model system for exploring the complex interplay between magnetic frustration and RKKY physics on a low carrier density Ce triangular lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Comment on "Anisotropic Scattering Caused by Apical Oxygen Vacancies in Thin Films of Overdoped High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors"

In Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 137001 (2022), Wang $\textit{et al}.$ address an important problem in the overdoped cuprates, taking the first steps toward understanding the structure of real defects in these materials, in this case the apical oxygen vacancy, $\mathrm{V}_\mathrm{O}$, that sits immediately above the planar Cu. However, the approach taken has some issues, which we outline in this Comment.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Two-Gap Time Reversal Symmetry Breaking Superconductivity in Non-Centrosymmetric LaNiC2

We report a $μ$SR investigation of a non-centrosymmetric superconductor (LaNiC$_2$) in single crystal form. Compared to previous $μ$SR studies of non-centrosymmetric superconducting polycrystalline and powder samples, the unambiguous orientation of single crystals enables a simultaneous determination of the absolute value of the magnetic penetration depth and the vortex core size from measurements that probe the magnetic field distribution in the vortex state. The magnetic field dependence of these quantities unambiguously demonstrates the presence of two nodeless superconducting energy gaps. In addition, we detect weak internal magnetic fields in the superconducting phase, confirming earlier $μ$SR evidence for a time-reversal symmetry breaking superconducting state. Our results suggest that Cooper pairing in LaNiC$_2$ is characterized by the same interorbital equal-spin pairing model introduced to describe the pairing state in the centrosymmetric superconductor LaNiGa$_2$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

From Mott to not: phenomenology of overdoped cuprates

Recently, we have argued that experimental data on superfluid density and terahertz conductivity of overdoped LSCO are compatible with a Landau Fermi liquid/Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer description of these samples, provided dopants are treated within "dirty $d$-wave theory" as weak scatterers. Here we test these ideas by comparing to specific heat and thermal conductivity data on LSCO, showing that the theory works extremely well across the overdoped region for similar disorder parameters. We then study the same properties in another overdoped cuprate, Tl-2201, thought to be quite "clean" since it exhibits quantum oscillations, low residual resistivities and small superconducting state Sommerfeld coefficients. Our results are consistent with the Tl-2201 system being $\approx 3$ times cleaner due in part to the dopant atoms' being located further from the CuO$_2$ plane. We conclude that cuprates can be described semiquantitatively in the overdoped regime by "dirty $d$-wave" theory, subject to significant Fermi liquid renormalizations, without introducing physics beyond the Landau-BCS paradigm.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Logarithmic Upturn in Low-Temperature Electronic Transport as a Signature of d-Wave Order in Cuprate Superconductors

In cuprate superconductors, high magnetic fields have been used extensively to suppress superconductivity and expose the underlying normal state. Early measurements revealed insulating-like behavior in underdoped material versus temperature $T$, in which resistivity increases on cooling with a puzzling $\log(1/T)$ form. We instead use microwave measurements of flux-flow resistivity in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+y}$ and Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ to study charge transport deep inside the superconducting phase, in the low temperature and low field regime. Here, the transition from metallic low-temperature resistivity ($dρ/dT>0$) to a $\log(1/T)$ upturn persists throughout the superconducting doping range, including a regime at high carrier dopings in which the field-revealed normal-state resistivity is Fermi-liquid-like. The $\log(1/T)$ form is thus likely a signature of $d$-wave superconducting order, and the field-revealed normal state's $\log(1/T)$ resistivity may indicate the free-flux-flow regime of a phase-disordered $d$-wave superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Disorder and superfluid density in overdoped cuprate superconductors

We calculate superfluid density for a dirty d-wave superconductor. The effects of impurity scattering are treated within the self-consistent t-matrix approximation, in weak-coupling BCS theory. Working from a realistic tight-binding parameterization of the Fermi surface, we find a superfluid density that is both correlated with T_c and linear in temperature, in good correspondence with recent experiments on overdoped La2-xSrxCuO4.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Optical conductivity of overdoped cuprate superconductors: application to LSCO

We argue that recent measurements on both the superfluid density and the optical conductivity of high-quality LSCO films can be understood almost entirely within the theory of disordered BCS d-wave superconductors. The large scattering rates deduced from experiments are shown to arise predominantly from weak scatterers, probably the Sr dopants out of the CuO$_2$ plane, and correspond to significant suppression of $T_c$ relative to a pure reference state with the same doping. Our results confirm the "conventional" viewpoint that the overdoped side of the cuprate phase diagram can be viewed as approaching the BCS weak-coupling description of the superconducting state, with significant many-body renormalization of the plasma frequency. They suggest that, while some of the decrease in $T_c$ with overdoping may be due to weakening of the pairing, disorder plays an essential role.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Roughness-induced domain structure in perpendicular Co/Ni multilayers

We investigate the correlation between roughness, remanence and coercivity in Co/Ni films grown on Cu seed layers of varying thickness. Increasing the Cu seed layer thickness of Ta/Cu/8x[Co/Ni] thin films increases the roughness of the films. In-plane magnetization loops show that both the remanance and coercivity increase with increasing seed layer roughness. Polar Kerr microscopy and magnetic force microscopy reveal that the domain density also increases with roughness. Finite element micromagnetic simulations performed on structures with periodically modulated surfaces provide further insight. They confirm the connection between domain density and roughness, and identify the microsocpic structure of the domain walls as the source of the increased remanence in rough films. The simulations predict that the character of the domain walls changes from Bloch-like in smooth films to Néel-like for rougher films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Superfluid density and microwave conductivity of FeSe superconductor: ultra-long-lived quasiparticles and extended s-wave energy gap

FeSe is an iron-based superconductor of immense current interest due to the large enhancements of Tc that occur when it is pressurized or grown as a single layer on an insulating substrate. Here we report precision measurements of its superconducting electrodynamics, at frequencies of 202 and 658 MHz and at temperatures down to 0.1 K. The quasiparticle conductivity reveals a rapid collapse in scattering on entering the superconducting state that is strongly reminiscent of unconventional superconductors such as cuprates, organics and the heavy fermion material CeCoIn5. At the lowest temperatures the quasiparticle mean free path exceeds 50 micron, a record for a compound superconductor. From the superfluid response we confirm the importance of multiband superconductivity and reveal strong evidence for a finite energy-gap minimum.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Microwave conductivity and superfluid density in strongly overdoped Tl2201

We present measurements of the microwave surface impedance of the single-layer cuprate Tl2201, deep in the overdoped regime, with Tc ~ 25 K. Measurements have been made using cavity perturbation of a dielectric resonator at 17 discrete frequencies ranging from 2.50 to 19.16 GHz, and at temperatures from 0.12 to 27.5 K. From the surface impedance we obtain the microwave conductivity, penetration depth and superfluid density. The superfluid density displays a strong linear temperature dependence from 2 to 14 K, indicative of line nodes in the energy gap. The microwave data are compared with theoretical predictions for a d-wave superconductor with point-like impurities, with the conclusion that disorder in Tl2201 acts predominantly in the weak-to-intermediate-strength scattering regime, and that small-angle scattering is important.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Nodal quasiparticle dynamics in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 revealed by precision microwave spectroscopy

CeCoIn5 is a heavy fermion superconductor with strong similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, including quasi-two-dimensionality, proximity to antiferromagnetism, and probable d-wave pairing arising from a non-Fermi-liquid normal state. Experiments allowing detailed comparisons of their electronic properties are of particular interest, but in most cases are difficult to realize, due to their very different transition temperatures. Here we use low temperature microwave spectroscopy to study the charge dynamics of the CeCoIn5 superconducting state. The similarities to cuprates, in particular to ultra-clean YBa2Cu3Oy, are striking: the frequency and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle conductivity are instantly recognizable, a consequence of rapid suppression of quasiparticle scattering below Tc; and penetration depth data, when properly treated, reveal a clean, linear temperature dependence of the quasiparticle contribution to superfluid density. The measurements also expose key differences, including prominent multiband effects and a temperature dependent renormalization of the quasiparticle mass.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

In-plane superfluid density and microwave conductivity of the organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br: evidence for d-wave pairing and resilient quasiparticles

We report the in-plane microwave surface impedance of a high quality single crystal of κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br. In the superconducting state, we find three independent signatures of d-wave pairing: i) a strong, linear temperature dependence of superfluid density; ii) deep in the superconducting state the quasiparticle scattering rate Γ~ T^3; and iii) no BCS coherence peak is observed in the quasiparticle conductivity. Above T_c, the Kadowaki-Woods ratio and the temperature dependence of the in-plane conductivity show that the normal state is a Fermi liquid below ~ 23 K, yet resilient quasiparticles dominate the transport up to ~ 50 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗