arXiv subjects

F. F. Balakirev

Publications and source records attributed to F. F. Balakirev.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Upper critical magnetic field and multiband superconductivity in artificial high-Tc superlattices of nano quantum wells

Artificial high-Tc superlattices (AHTS) composed of quantum building blocks with tunable superconducting critical temperature have been synthesized by engineering their nanoscale geometry using the Bianconi-Perali-Valletta (BPV) two gaps superconductivity theory. These quantum heterostructures consist of quantum wells made of superconducting, modulation-doped Mott insulators (S), confined by a metallic (N) potential barrier. The lattice geometry has been carefully engineered to induce the predicted Fano-Feshbach shape resonance between the gaps, near a topological Lifshitz transition. Here, we validate the BPV theory by providing compelling experimental evidence that AHTS samples, at the peak of the superconducting dome, exhibit resonant two-band, two-gap superconductivity. This is demonstrated by measuring the temperature dependence of the upper critical magnetic field,Bc2, in samples with superlattice periods 3.3<d<5.28 nm and L/d ratios close to the magic value 2/3 (where L is the thickness of the superconducting La2CuO4 layer and d is the superlattice period). The data reveal the predicted upward concavity in Hc2(T) and a characteristic kink in the coherence length as a function of temperature, confirming the predicted two-band superconductivity with Fermi velocity ratio 0.25 and significant pair exchange term among the two condensates.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Revaluation of the lower critical field in superconducting H$_3$S and LaH$_{10}$ (Nature Comm. 13, 3194, 2022)

In our paper [1], we studied the magnetic response of H$_3$S and LaH$_{10}$ superconductors to an applied magnetic field using Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry. Hirsch, in his comment [2], highlighted an inconsistency in the data averaging procedure while questioning whether high-Tc hydrides are superconductors at all. We accept the criticism regarding our method of extracting the penetration field HP from the original data. Our SQUID magnet becomes noisy at high magnetic fields, which necessitated the smoothing of a small portion of the data. To eliminate any data processing issues, we have performed an alternative data analysis that does not require data smoothing to estimate the penetration field Hp values. The formulation of the analysis is identical to the one widely used for determining critical currents in superconductors3. Recently, it has been shown to work effectively for extracting Hp and the lower critical field Hc1 from DC magnetization data4. The Hp values of the present analysis are consistent with those published in our original work1. We wish to emphasize very clearly that the criticism pertains to the secondary issue of determining Ginzburg-Landau parameters for these hydride superconductors and does not undermine the validity of the existence of hydride superconductivity. Indeed, as part of our paper1, we also published m(H) curves demonstrating the virgin curve (about which the analysis issues were raised) followed by magnetic hysteretic loops that have the classic form of the hysteresis curves of superconductors. Above Tc, in both H$_3$S and LaH$_{10}$, the hysteresis is absent. We make all the data available so that readers can judge for themselves.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Broadening of In-Field Superconducting Transitions in Hydrides

J. E. Hirsch and F. Marsiglio in their publication, Phys. Rev. B 103, 134505 (2021), assert that hydrogen-rich compounds do not exhibit superconductivity. Their argument hinges on the absence of broadening of superconducting transitions in applied magnetic fields. We argue, that this assertion is incorrect, as it relies on a flawed analysis and a selective and inaccurate report of published data, where data supporting the authors' perspective are highlighted while data demonstrating clear broadening are disregarded.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Radio Frequency Electrical Resistance Measurement under Destructive Pulsed Magnetic Fields

We developed a resistance measurement using radio frequency reflection to investigate the electrical transport characteristics under destructive pulsed magnetic fields above 100 T. A homemade flexible printed circuit for a sample stage reduced the noise caused by the induced voltage from the pulsed magnetic fields, improving the accuracy of the measurements of the reflected waves. From the obtained reflectance data, the absolute value of the magnetoresistance was successfully determined by using a phase analysis with admittance charts. These developments enable more accurate and comprehensive measurements of electrical resistance in pulsed magnetic fields.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2022

Energy-scale competition in the Hall resistivity of a strange metal

Anomalous transport behavior -- both longitudinal and Hall -- is the defining characteristic of the strange-metal state of High-Tc cuprates. The temperature, frequency, and magnetic field dependence of the resistivity is understood within strange metal phenomenology as resulting from energy-scale competition to set the inelastic relaxation rate. The anomalously strong temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient, however, is at odds with this phenomenology. Here we report measurements of the Hall resistivity in the strange metal state of cuprates over a broad range of magnetic fields and temperatures. The observed field and temperature dependent Hall resistivity at very high magnetic fields reveals a distinct high-field regime which is controlled by energy-scale competition. This extends the strange metal phenomenology in the cuprates to include the Hall resistivity and suggests, in particular, that the direct effect of magnetic field on the relaxation dynamics of quantum fluctuations may be at least partially responsible for the anomalous Hall resistivity of the strange metal state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

High-temperature superconductivity in hydrides: experimental evidence and details

Since the discovery of superconductivity at 200 K in H3S [1] similar or higher transition temperatures, Tcs, have been reported for various hydrogen-rich compounds under ultra-high pressures [2]. Superconductivity was experimentally proved by different methods, including electrical resistance, magnetic susceptibility, optical infrared, and nuclear resonant scattering measurements. The crystal structures of superconducting phases were determined by X-ray diffraction. Numerous electrical transport measurements demonstrate the typical behaviour of a conventional phonon-mediated superconductor: zero resistance below Tc, the shift of Tc to lower temperatures under external magnetic fields, and pronounced isotope effect. Remarkably, the results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions, which describe superconductivity in hydrides within the framework of the conventional BCS theory. However, despite this acknowledgment, experimental evidence for the superconducting state in these compounds has recently been treated with criticism [3, 4], which apparently stems from misunderstanding and misinterpretation of complicated experiments performed under very high pressures. Here, we describe in greater detail the experiments revealing high-temperature superconductivity in hydrides under high pressures. We show that the arguments against superconductivity [3, 4] can be either refuted or explained. The experiments on the high-temperature superconductivity in hydrides clearly contradict the theory of hole superconductivity [4] and eliminate it [3].

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Linear magnetoresistance with a universal energy scale in a strong-coupling superconductor

The recent discovery of a nonsaturating linear magnetoresistance in several correlated electron systems near a quantum critical point has revealed an interesting interplay between the linear magnetoresistance and the zero-field linear-in-temperature resistivity. These studies suggest a possible role of quantum criticality on the observed linear magnetoresistance. Here, we report our discovery of a nonsaturating, linear magnetoresistance in Mo$_8$Ga$_{41}$, a nearly isotropic strong electron-phonon coupling superconductor with a linear-in-temperature resistivity from the transition temperature to $\sim$55 K. The growth of the resistivity in field is comparable to that in temperature, provided that both quantities are measured in the energy unit. Our datasets are remarkably similar to magnetoresistance data of the optimally doped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, despite the clearly different crystal and electronic structures, and the apparent absence of quantum critical physics in Mo$_8$Ga$_{41}$. A new empirical scaling formula is developed, which is able to capture the key features of the low-temperature magnetoresistance data of Mo$_8$Ga$_{41}$, as well as the data of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Scale-Invariance of a Spin Liquid in High Magnetic Fields

In RuCl$_3$, inelastic neutron scattering and Raman spectroscopy reveal a continuum of non-spin-wave excitations that persists to high temperature, suggesting the presence of a spin liquid state on a honeycomb lattice. In the context of the Kitaev model, magnetic fields introduce finite interactions between the elementary excitations, and thus the effects of high magnetic fields - comparable to the spin exchange energy scale - must be explored. Here we report measurements of the magnetotropic coefficient - the second derivative of the free energy with respect to magnetic field orientation - over a wide range of magnetic fields and temperatures. We find that magnetic field and temperature compete to determine the magnetic response in a way that is independent of the large intrinsic exchange interaction energy. This emergent scale-invariant magnetic anisotropy provides evidence for a high degree of exchange frustration that favors the formation of a spin liquid state in RuCl$_3$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Scale-invariant magnetic anisotropy in RuCl$_3$ at high magnetic fields

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Detection of hole pockets in the candidate type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe$_2$ from Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations

The bulk electronic structure of $T_d$-MoTe$_2$ features large hole Fermi pockets at the Brillouin zone center ($Γ$) and two electron Fermi surfaces along the $Γ-X$ direction. However, the large hole pockets, whose existence has important implications for the Weyl physics of $T_d$-MoTe$_2$, has never been conclusively detected in quantum oscillations. This raises doubt about the realizability of Majorana states in $T_d$-MoTe$_2$, because these exotic states rely on the existence of Weyl points, which originated from the same band structure predicted by density functional theory (DFT). Here, we report an unambiguous detection of these elusive hole pockets via Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) quantum oscillations. At ambient pressure, the quantum oscillation frequencies for these pockets are 988 T and 1513 T, when the magnetic field is applied along the $c$-axis. The quasiparticle effective masses $m^*$ associated with these frequencies are 1.50 $m_e$ and 2.77 $m_e$, respectively, indicating the importance of Coulomb interactions in this system. We further measure the SdH oscillations under pressure. At 13 kbar, we detected a peak at 1798 T with $m^*$ = 2.86 $m_e$. Relative to the oscillation data at a lower pressure, the amplitude of this peak experienced an enhancement, which can be attributed to the reduced curvature of the hole pockets under pressure. Combining our experimental data with DFT + $U$ calculations, where $U$ is the Hubbard parameter, our results shed light on why these important hole pockets have not been detected until now.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Superconductivity up to 243 K in yttrium hydrides under high pressure

The discovery of high-temperature conventional superconductivity in H3S with a critical temperature of Tc=203 K was followed by the recent record of Tc ~250 K in the face-centered cubic (fcc) lanthanum hydride LaH10 compound. It was realized in a new class of hydrogen-dominated compounds having a clathrate-like crystal structure in which hydrogen atoms form a 3D framework and surround a host atom of rare earth elements. Yttrium hydrides are predicted to have even higher Tc exceeding room temperature. In this paper, we synthesized and refined the crystal structure of new hydrides: YH4, YH6, and YH9 at pressures up to 237 GPa finding that YH4 crystalizes in the I4/mmm lattice, YH6 in Im-3m lattice and YH9 in P63/mmc lattice in excellent agreement with the calculations. The observed very high-temperature superconductivity is comparable to that found in fcc-LaH10: the pressure dependence of Tc for YH9 also displays a "dome like shape" with the highest Tc of 243 K at 201 GPa. We also observed a Tc of 227 K at 237 GPa for the YH6 phase. However, the measured Tcs are notably lower by ~30 K than predicted. Evidence for superconductivity includes the observation of zero electrical resistance, a decrease of Tc under an external magnetic field and an isotope effect. The theoretically predicted fcc YH10 with the promising highest Tc>300 K was not stabilized in our experiments under pressures up to 237 GPa.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Growth of nematic susceptibility in the field-induced normal state of an iron-based superconductor revealed by elastoresistivity measurements in a 65 T pulsed magnet

In the iron-based superconductors, both nematic and magnetic fluctuations are expected to enhance superconductivity and may originate from a quantum critical point hidden beneath the superconducting dome. The behavior of the non-superconducting state can be an important piece of the puzzle, motivating in this paper the use of high magnetic fields to suppress superconductivity and measure the nematic susceptibility of the normal state at low temperatures. We describe experimental advances which make it possible to measure a resistive gauge factor (which is a proxy for the nematic susceptibility) in the field-induced normal state in a 65 T pulsed magnet, and report measurements of the gauge factor of a micromachined single crystal of Ba(Fe$_{0.926}$Co$_{0.074}$)$_2$As$_2$ at temperatures down to 1.2 K. The nematic susceptibility increases monotonically in the field-induced normal state as the temperature decreases, consistent with the presence of a quantum critical point nearby in composition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Anisotropic upper critical field of pristine and proton-irradiated single crystals of the magnetically ordered superconductor RbEuFe$_4$As$_4$

We present a study of the upper critical field, H$_{c2}$, of pristine and proton-irradiated RbEuFe$_4$As$_4$ crystals in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 65 T. The data for H$_{c2}$ reveal pronounced downwards curvature, particularly for the in-plane field orientation, and a superconducting anisotropy that decreases with decreasing temperature. These features are indicative of Pauli paramagnetic limiting. For the interpretation of these data, we use a model of a clean single-band superconductor with an open Fermi surface in the shape of a warped cylinder, which includes strong paramagnetic limiting. Fits to the data reveal that the in-plane upper critical field is Pauli paramagnetic limited, while the out-of-plane upper critical field is orbitally limited and that the orbital and paramagnetic fields have opposite anisotropies. A consequence of this particular combination is the unusual inversion of the anisotropy, $H_{c2}^{ab} < H_{c2}^c$, of the irradiated sample at temperatures below 10 K. The fits also yield an in-plane Maki parameter, $α_M^{110} \approx$ 2.6, exceeding the critical value for the formation of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. Nevertheless, the current measurements did not reveal direct evidence for the occurrence of this state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Nonsaturating large magnetoresistance in the high carrier density nonsymmorphic metal CrP

The band structure of high carrier density metal CrP features an interesting crossing at the Y point of the Brillouin zone. The crossing, which is protected by the nonsymmorphic symmetry of the space group, results in a hybrid, semi-Dirac-like energy-momentum dispersion relation near Y. The linear energy-momentum dispersion relation along Y-$Γ$ is reminiscent of the observed band structure in several semimetallic extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) materials. We have measured the transverse magnetoresistance of CrP up to 14 T at temperatures as low as $\sim$ 16 mK. Our data reveal a nonsaturating, quadratic magnetoresistance as well as the behaviour of the so-called `turn-on' temperature in the temperature dependence of resistivity. Despite the difference in the magnitude of the magnetoresistance and the fact that CrP is not a semimetal, these features are qualitatively similar to the observations reported for XMR materials. Thus, the high-field electrical transport studies of CrP offer the prospect of identifying the possible origin of the nonsaturating, quadratic magnetoresistance observed in a wide range of metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Phase stabilization by electronic entropy in plutonium

(Pu) has an unusually rich phase diagram that includes seven distinct solid state phases and an unusually large 25% collapse in volume from its delta phase to its low temperature alpha phase via a series of structural transitions. Despite considerable advances in our understanding of strong electronic correlations within various structural phases of Pu and other actinides, the thermodynamic mechanism responsible for driving the volume collapse has continued to remain a mystery. Here we utilize the unique sensitivity of magnetostriction measurements to unstable f electron shells to uncover the crucial role played by electronic entropy in stabilizing delta-Pu against volume collapse. We find that in contrast to valence fluctuating rare earths, which typically have a single f electron shell instability whose excitations drive the volume in a single direction in temperature and magnetic field, delta-Pu exhibits two such instabilities whose excitations drive the volume in opposite directions while producing an abundance of entropy at elevated temperatures. The two instabilities imply a near degeneracy between several different configurations of the 5f atomic shell, giving rise to a considerably richer behavior than found in rare earth metals. We use heat capacity measurements to establish a robust thermodynamic connection between the two excitation energies, the atomic volume, and the previously reported excess entropy of delta-Pu at elevated temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Planar Hall-effect, Anomalous planar Hall-effect, and Magnetic Field-Induced Phase Transitions in TaAs

We evaluate the topological character of TaAs through a detailed study of the angular, magnetic-field and temperature dependence of its magnetoresistivity and Hall-effect(s), and of its bulk electronic structure through quantum oscillatory phenomena. At low temperatures, and for fields perpendicular to the electrical current, we extract an extremely large Hall angle $Θ_H$ at higher fields, that is $Θ_H \sim 82.5^{\circ}$, implying a very pronounced Hall signal superimposed into its magnetoresistivity. For magnetic fields and electrical currents perpendicular to the \emph{c}-axis we observe a very pronounced planar Hall-effect, when the magnetic field is rotated within the basal plane. This effect is observed even at higher temperatures, i.e. as high as $T = 100$ K, and predicted recently to result from the chiral anomaly among Weyl points. Superimposed onto this planar Hall, which is an even function of the field, we observe an anomalous planar Hall-signal akin to the one reported for that is an odd function of the field. Below 100 K, negative longitudinal magnetoresistivity (LMR), initially ascribed to the chiral anomaly and subsequently to current inhomogeneities, is observed in samples having different geometries and contact configurations, once the large Hall signal is subtracted. Our measurements reveal a phase transition upon approaching the quantum limit that leads to the reconstruction of the FS and to the concomitant suppression of the negative LMR indicating that it is intrinsically associated with the Weyl dispersion at the Fermi level. For fields along the \emph{a}-axis it also leads to a pronounced hysteresis pointing to a field-induced electronic phase-transition. This collection of unconventional tranport observations points to the prominent role played by the axial anomaly among Weyl nodes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Cyclotron and combined phonon-assisted resonances in double-well heterostructure In$_{0.65}$Ga$_{0.35}$As/In$_{0.52}$Al$_{0.48}$As at megagauss magnetic fields

Experiments on resonances of conduction electrons in InGaAs/InAlAs double quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields in the Faraday geometry are reported. We observe new cyclotron resonances assisted by emission of InAs-like and GaAs-like optic phonons and a combined (cyclotron-spin) resonance assisted by emission of InAs-like phonon. The observations are very well described for three laser frequencies with the use of an eight-band (three level) $\textbf{k}\cdot \textbf{p}$ model, taking into account position- and energy-dependent effective masses and spin g-factors. It is indicated that the new observations are possible due to the application very high magnetic fields.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Enhanced hybridization sets the stage for electronic nematicity in CeRhIn5

High magnetic fields induce a pronounced in-plane electronic anisotropy in the tetragonal antiferromagnetic metal CeRhIn$_{5}$ at $H^{*} \gtrsim 30$ T for fields $\simeq 20^{\mathrm{o}}$ off the $c$-axis. Here we investigate the response of the underlying crystal lattice in magnetic fields to $45$ T via high-resolution dilatometry. Within the antiferromagnetic phase of CeRhIn$_{5}$, a finite magnetic field component in the tetragonal $ab$-plane explicitly breaks the tetragonal ($C_{4}$) symmetry of the lattice well below $H^{*}$ revealing a finite nematic susceptibility at low fields. A modest magnetostriction anomaly, $dL/L = -1.8 \times 10^{-6}$, at $H^{*} = 31$ T hence presumably marks the crossover to a fluctuating nematic phase with large electronic nematic susceptibility. Magnetostriction quantum oscillations confirm a Fermi surface change at $H^*$ with the emergence of new orbits. By analyzing the field-induced change in the crystal-field ground state, we conclude that the in-plane Ce $4f$ hybridization is enhanced at $H^*$, carrying the in-plane $f$-electron anisotropy to the Fermi surface. We argue that the nematic behavior observed in this prototypical heavy-fermion material is of electronic origin, and is driven by the hybridization between $4f$ and conduction electrons.

cond-mat.str-el↗