arXiv subjects

F. Ronning

Publications and source records attributed to F. Ronning.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Ni$_2$X$_2$ (X=pnictide, chalcogenide, or B) Based Superconductors

We review the properties of Ni-based superconductors which contain Ni2X2 (X=As, P, Bi, Si, Ge, B) planes, a common structural element found also in the recently discovered FeAs superconductors. Strong evidence for the fully gapped nature of the superconducting state has come from field dependent thermal conductivity results on BaNi2As2. Coupled with the lack of magnetism, the majority of evidence suggests that the Ni-based compounds are conventional electron-phonon mediated superconductors. However, the increase in Tc in LaNiAsO with doping is anomalous, and mimics the behavior in LaFeAsO. Furthermore, comparisons of the properties of Ni- and Fe-based systems show many similarities, particularly with regards to structure-property relationships. This suggests a deeper connection between the physics of the FeAs superconductors and the related Ni-based systems which deserves further investigation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Quantum oscillations in antiferromagnetic CaFe2As2 on the brink of superconductivity

We report quantum oscillation measurements on CaFe2As2 under strong magnetic fields- recently reported to become superconducting under pressures of as little as a kilobar. The largest observed carrier pocket occupies less than 0.05 % of the paramagnetic Brillouin zone volume- consistent with Fermi surface reconstruction caused by antiferromagnetism. On comparing several alkali earth AFe2As2 antiferromagnets (with A=Ca,Sr and Ba), the dependence of both the Fermi surface cross-sectional area F_alpha and the effective mass m*_alpha of the primary observed pocket on the antiferromagnetic/structural transition temperature T_s is found to be consistent with quasiparticles in a conventional spin-density wave model. These findings suggest that a conventional spin-density wave exists within close proximity to superconductivity in this series of compounds, which may have implications for the microscopic origin of unconventional pair formation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Superconductivity at 2.2K in La3Ni4P4O2

We report the observation of superconductivity in La3Ni4P4O2 at 2.2 K. The layer stacking in this compound results in an asymmetric distribution of charge reservoir layers around the Ni2P2 planes. The estimated Wilson ratio, Rw ~ 5, indicates the presence of a strongly enhanced normal state susceptibility, but many of the basic superconducting characteristics are conventional. The estimated electronic contribution to the specific heat, gamma ~ 6.2 mJ mol-Ni^-1K^-2, is about 2/3 of that found in layered nickel borocarbide superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Isotropic Quantum Scattering and Unconventional Superconductivity

Superconductivity without phonons has been proposed for strongly correlated electron materials that are tuned close to a zero-temperature magnetic instability of itinerant charge carriers. Near this boundary, quantum fluctuations of magnetic degrees of freedom assume the role of phonons in conventional superconductors, creating an attractive interaction that glues electrons into superconducting pairs. Here we show that superconductivity can arise from a very different spectrum of fluctuations associated with a local or Kondo-breakdown quantum-critical point that is revealed in isotropic scattering of charge carriers and a sub-linear temperature-dependent electrical resistivity. At this critical point, accessed by applying pressure to the strongly correlated, local-moment antiferromagnet CeRhIn5, magnetic and charge fluctuations coexist and produce electronic scattering that is maximal at the optimal pressure for superconductivity. This previously unanticipated source of pairing glue opens possibilities for understanding and discovering new unconventional forms of superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

First order magnetic transition in single crystal CaFe$_2$As$_2$ detected by $^{75}$As NMR

We report $^{75}$As Nuclear Magnetic Resonance data in a single crystal of CaFe$_2$As$_2$. The Knight shift, electric field gradient, and spin-lattice relaxation rate are strongly temperature dependent in the paramagnetic state, and change discontinuously at the structural transition temperature, $T_S=T_N=167$ K. Immediately below, the NMR spectra reveal an internal field at the As site associated with the presence of a commensurate magnetic order. These results indicate that the structural and magnetic transitions in CaFe$_2$As$_2$ are first order and strongly coupled, and that the electron density in the FeAs plane is highly sensitive to the out-of-plane structure.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Microscopic study of the effect of impurities on the first order spin density wave transition in BaFe$_2$As$_2$

We report an $^{75}$As NMR study of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ in both single crystals and polycrystal forms. We find that Sn impurities in the single crystal dramatically alter the low energy spin fluctuations and suppress the ordering temperature from 138 K to 85 K. In contrast to Sn-free samples, we find that the temperature dependence of the $^{75}$As NMR spectra and spin lattice relaxation rates reveal a second order phase transition to a state of incommensurate magnetic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

First Order Phase Transition and Superconductivity in BaNi2As2 Single Crystals

We report the synthesis and physical properties of single crystals of stoichiometric BaNi2As2 that crystalizes in the ThCr2Si2 structure with lattice parameters a = 4.112(4) Åand c = 11.54(2) Å. Resistivity and heat capacity show a first order phase transition at T_0 = 130 K with a thermal hysteresis of 7 K. The Hall coefficient is weakly temperature dependent from room temperature to 2 K where it has a value of -4x10^{-10} Ω-cm/Oe. Resistivity, ac-susceptibility, and heat capacity find evidence for bulk superconductivity at T_c = 0.7 K. The Sommerfeld coefficient at T_c is 11.6 \pm 0.9 mJ/molK^2. The upper critical field is anisotropic with initial slopes of dH_{c2}^{c}/dT = -0.19 T/K and dH_{c2}^{ab}/dT = -0.40 T/K, as determined by resistivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Superconductivity in SrNi2As2 Single Crystals

The electrical resistivity ρ(T) and heat capacity C(T) on single crystals of SrNi2As2 and EuNi2As2 are reported. While there is no evidence for a structural transition in either compound, SrNi2As2 is found to be a bulk superconductor at T_c=0.62 K with a Sommerfeld coefficient of γ= 8.7 mJ/mol K^2 and a small upper critical field H_{c2} \sim 200 Oe. No superconductivity was found in EuNi2As2 above 0.4 K, but anomalies in ρand C reveal that magnetic order associated with the Eu^{2+} magnetic moments occurs at T_m = 14 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Synthesis and Properties of CaFe$_2$As$_2$ Single Crystals

We report the synthesis and basic physical properties of single crystals of CaFe2As2, an isostructural compound to BaFe2As2 which has been recently doped to produce superconductivity. CaFe2As2 crystalizes in the ThCr2Si2 structure with lattice parameters a = 3.907(4) A and c = 11.69(2) A. Magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and heat capacity all show a first order phase transition at T_0 171 K. The magnetic susceptibility is nearly isotropic from 2 K to 350 K. The heat capacity data gives a Sommerfeld coefficient of 8.2 +- 0.3 mJ/molK2, and does not reveal any evidence for the presence of high frequency (> 300 K) optical phonon modes. The Hall coefficient is negative below the transition indicating dominant n-type carriers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

An Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Variation of 4f Hybridization Across the La1-xCexIn3 Series

Crystal structures of a series of La1-xCexIn3 (x = 0.02, 0.2, 0.5, or 0.8) intermetallic compounds have been investigated by both neutron and X-ray diffraction, and their physical properties have been characterized by magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements. Our results emphasize atypical atomic displacement parameters (ADP) for the In and the rare-earth sites. Depending on the x value, the In ADP presents either an "ellipsoidal" elongation (La-rich compounds) or a "butterfly-like" distortion (Ce-rich compounds). These deformations have been understood by theoretical techniques based on the band theory and are the result of hybridization between conduction electrons and 4f-electrons.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Anisotropic effect of Cd and Hg doping on Pauli limited superconductor CeCoIn$_5$

We investigated the effect of Cd and Hg doping on the first order superconducting (SC) transition and the high field-low temperature SC state of CeCoIn$_5$ by measuring the specific heat of CeCo(In$_{\rm 1-x}$Cd$_{\rm x}$)$_5$ with x=0.0011, 0.0022 and 0.0033 and CeCo(In$_{\rm 1-x}$Hg$_{\rm x}$)$_5$ with x=0.00016, 0.00032, and 0.00048 at temperatures down to 0.1 K and fields up to 14 T. Cd substitution rapidly suppresses the cross-over temperature $T_{\rm 0}$, where the superconducting transition changes from second to first order, to $T$=0 K with x=0.0022 for $H\parallel$ [100], while it remains roughly constant up to x=0.0033 for $H\parallel$ [001]. The associated anomaly of the proposed FFLO state in Hg-doped samples is washed out by x=0.00048, while remaining at the same temperature, indicating high sensitivity of that state to impurities. We interpret these results as supporting the non-magnetic, possibly FFLO, origin of the high field - low temperature state in CeCoIn$_5$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Physical properties of the new Uranium ternary compounds U3Bi4M3 (M=Ni, Rh)

We report the properties of two new isostructural compounds, U3Bi4Ni3 and U3Bi4Rh3. The first of these compounds is non-metallic, and the second is a nearly ferromagnetic metal, both as anticipated from their electron count relative to other U-based members of the larger 3-4-3 family. For U3Bi4Rh3, a logarithmic increase of C/T below 3 K, a resistivity proportional to T^4/3, and the recovery of Fermi-liquid behavior in both properties with applied fields greater than 3T, suggest that U3Bi4Rh3 may be a new example of a material displaying ferromagnetic quantum criticality.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Physical properties of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor Mg_10Ir_19B_16

Specific heat, electrical resistivity, and magnetic susceptibility measurements on a high quality sample of Mg10Ir19B16 provide a self-consistent determination of its superconducting properties. They indicate that Mg10Ir19B16 is a type-II superconductor (Tc=4.45K, k(0)=20), with an electron-phonon coupling constant l_ep=0.66. An analysis of the T-dependent specific heat shows that superconducting properties are dominated by an s-wave gap (D=0.7 meV). Point contact tunneling data provide evidence for multiple superconducting gaps, as expected from strong asymmetric spin-orbit coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Electron Removal Self Energy and its application to Ca2CuO2Cl2

We propose using the self energy defined for the electron removal Green's function. Starting from the electron removal Green's function, we obtained expressions for the removal self energy Sigma^ER (k,omega) that are applicable for non-quasiparticle photoemission spectral functions from a single band system. Our method does not assume momentum independence and produces the self energy in the full k-omega space. The method is applied to the angle resolved photoemission from Ca_2CuO_2Cl_2 and the result is found to be compatible with the self energy value from the peak width of sharp features. The self energy is found to be only weakly k-dependent. In addition, the Im Sigma shows a maximum at around 1 eV where the high energy kink is located.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Doping dependence of the superconducting gap in Tl_2Ba_2CuO_{6+delta} from heat transport

We present low-temperature thermal conductivity measurements on the cuprate Tl_2Ba_2CuO_{6+delta} throughout the overdoped regime. In the T -> 0 limit, the thermal conductivity due to d-wave nodal quasiparticles provides a bulk measurement of the superconducting gap, Delta. We find Delta to decrease with increasing doping, with a magnitude consistent with spectroscopic measurements (photoemission and tunneling). This argues for a pure and simple d-wave superconducting state in the overdoped region of the phase diagram, which appears to extend into the underdoped regime down to a hole concentration of 0.1 hole/Cu. As hole concentration is decreased, the gap-to-Tc ratio increases, showing that the suppression of the superconducting transition temperature Tc (relative to the gap) begins in the overdoped regime.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Angle-resolved photoemission studies of lattice polaron formation in the cuprate Ca2CuO2Cl2

To elucidate the nature of the single-particle excitations in the undoped parent cuprates, we have performed a detailed study of Ca2CuO2Cl2 using photoemission spectroscopy. The photoemission lineshapes of the lower Hubbard band are found to be well-described by a polaron model. By comparing the lineshape and temperature dependence of the lower Hubbard band with additional O 2p and Ca 3p states, we conclude that the dominant broadening mechanism arises from the interaction between the photohole and the lattice. The strength of this interaction was observed to be strongly anisotropic and may have important implications for the momentum dependence of the first doped hole states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Nonvanishing Energy Scales at the Quantum Critical Point of CeCoIn5

Heat and charge transport were used to probe the magnetic field-tuned quantum critical point in the heavy-fermion metal CeCoIn$_5$. A comparison of electrical and thermal resistivities reveals three characteristic energy scales. A Fermi-liquid regime is observed below $T_{FL}$, with both transport coefficients diverging in parallel and $T_{FL}\to 0$ as $H\to H_c$, the critical field. The characteristic temperature of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, $T_{SF}$, is tuned to a minimum but {\it finite} value at $H_c$, which coincides with the end of the $T$-linear regime in the electrical resistivity. A third temperature scale, $T_{QP}$, signals the formation of quasiparticles, as fermions of charge $e$ obeying the Wiedemann-Franz law. Unlike $T_{FL}$, it remains finite at $H_c$, so that the integrity of quasiparticles is preserved, even though the standard signature of Fermi-liquid theory fails.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Thermal conductivity in the vicinity of the quantum critical endpoint in Sr3Ru2O7

Thermal conductivity of Sr3Ru2O7 was measured down to 40 mK and at magnetic fields through the quantum critical endpoint at H_c = 7.85 T. A peak in the electrical resistivity as a function of field was mimicked by the thermal resistivity. In the limit as T -> 0 K we find that the Wiedemann-Franz law is satisfied to within 5% at all fields, implying that there is no breakdown of the electron despite the destruction of the Fermi liquid state at quantum criticality. A significant change in disorder (from $ρ_0$(H=0T) = 2.1 $μΩ$ cm to 0.5 $μΩ$ cm) does not influence our conclusions. At finite temperatures, the temperature dependence of the Lorenz number is consistent with ferromagnetic fluctuations causing the non-Fermi liquid behavior as one would expect at a metamagnetic quantum critical endpoint.

cond-mat.str-el↗