arXiv subjects

H. Keller

Publications and source records attributed to H. Keller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

K. Alex Müller: Science between ferroelectricity and superconductivity

K. Alex Müller started his scientific career in 1958 when he was about thirty-one years old. After his wife passed away and being in his nineties, his interest in physics gradually faded. In those years shortly before he passed away, on January 9, 2023, he was no longer interested in superconductivity or ferroelectricity, he had become essentially devoted to philosophy and psychology. It is of note that altogether his research in physics comprised sixty years of activity. Almost in the middle of this period, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in ceramic copper oxides in 1987. This discovery made him truly famous. While most researchers are familiar with his Nobel Prize work, many are not aware of the fact that K. Alex Müller was already an acclaimed scientist before that and highly respected in the field of perovskite oxides, ferroelectricity, structural phase transitions, Jahn-Teller physics, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and, especially so in the properties of SrTiO3.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Quality Control of Mass-Produced GEM Detectors for the CMS GE1/1 Muon Upgrade

The series of upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider, culminating in the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, will enable a significant expansion of the physics program of the CMS experiment. However, the accelerator upgrades will also make the experimental conditions more challenging, with implications for detector operations, triggering, and data analysis. The luminosity of the proton-proton collisions is expected to exceed $2-3\times10^{34}$~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ for Run 3 (starting in 2022), and it will be at least $5\times10^{34}$~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ when the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider is completed for Run 4. These conditions will affect muon triggering, identification, and measurement, which are critical capabilities of the experiment. To address these challenges, additional muon detectors are being installed in the CMS endcaps, based on Gas Electron Multiplier technology. For this purpose, 161 large triple-Gas Electron Multiplier detectors have been constructed and tested. Installation of these devices began in 2019 with the GE1/1 station and will be followed by two additional stations, GE2/1 and ME0, to be installed in 2023 and 2026, respectively. The assembly and quality control of the GE1/1 detectors were distributed across several production sites around the world. We motivate and discuss the quality control procedures that were developed to standardize the performance of the detectors, and we present the final results of the production. Out of 161 detectors produced, 156 detectors passed all tests, and 144 detectors are now installed in the CMS experiment. The various visual inspections, gas tightness tests, intrinsic noise rate characterizations, and effective gas gain and response uniformity tests allowed the project to achieve this high success rate.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Filamentary superconductivity of resistively-switched strontium titanate

SrTiO$_3$, although a wide gap insulator, has long been known to become metallic and superconducting at extremely low doping levels. This has given rise to questions concerning the coexistence or interdependence of metallicity, superconductivity, and the material's polar properties. This issue becomes especially intriguing in conjunction with the observation that filamentary metallicity can be induced by means of resistive switching at conditions well below relevant doping levels for homogeneous metallicity. In this study, we demonstrate that resistive switching can also be employed to generate superconductivity at the superconducting transition temperature of $T_c$ $\approx$ 0.2 K in SrTiO$_3$. By combining local characterization of the conductivity with theoretical analysis, we propose that the superconducting properties are associated with the electro-formation of columnar-like bundles with a diameter of 40-50 nm, consisting of metallic filaments surrounded by polar regions. We provide a theoretical model identifying the coexistence of metallic and polar regions as a prerequisite for the filamentary-like superconductivity observed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Performance of a Triple-GEM Demonstrator in $pp$ Collisions at the CMS Detector

After the Phase-2 high-luminosity upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the collision rate and therefore the background rate will significantly increase, particularly in the high $η$ region. To improve both the tracking and triggering of muons, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration plans to install triple-layer Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors in the CMS muon endcaps. Demonstrator GEM detectors were installed in CMS during 2017 to gain operational experience and perform a preliminary investigation of detector performance. We present the results of triple-GEM detector performance studies performed in situ during normal CMS and LHC operations in 2018. The distribution of cluster size and the efficiency to reconstruct high $p_T$ muons in proton--proton collisions are presented as well as the measurement of the environmental background rate to produce hits in the GEM detector.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Modeling the triple-GEM detector response to background particles for the CMS Experiment

An estimate of environmental background hit rate on triple-GEM chambers is performed using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and compared to data taken by test chambers installed in the CMS experiment (GE1/1) during Run-2 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The hit rate is measured using data collected with proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV and a luminosity of 1.5$\times10^{34}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The simulation framework uses a combination of the FLUKA and Geant4 packages to obtain the hit rate. FLUKA provides the radiation environment around the GE1/1 chambers, which is comprised of the particle flux with momentum direction and energy spectra ranging from $10^{-11}$ to $10^{4}$ MeV for neutrons, $10^{-3}$ to $10^{4}$ MeV for $γ$'s, $10^{-2}$ to $10^{4}$ MeV for $e^{\pm}$, and $10^{-1}$ to $10^{4}$ MeV for charged hadrons. Geant4 provides an estimate of detector response (sensitivity) based on an accurate description of detector geometry, material composition and interaction of particles with the various detector layers. The MC simulated hit rate is estimated as a function of the perpendicular distance from the beam line and agrees with data within the assigned uncertainties of 10-14.5%. This simulation framework can be used to obtain a reliable estimate of background rates expected at the High Luminosity LHC.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Interstrip Capacitances of the Readout Board used in Large Triple-GEM Detectors for the CMS Muon Upgrade

We present analytical calculations, Finite Element Analysis modeling, and physical measurements of the interstrip capacitances for different potential strip geometries and dimensions of the readout boards for the GE2/1 triple-Gas Electron Multiplier detector in the CMS muon system upgrade. The main goal of the study is to find configurations that minimize the interstrip capacitances and consequently maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for the detector. We find agreement at the 1.5--4.8% level between the two methods of calculations and on the average at the 17% level between calculations and measurements. A configuration with halved strip lengths and doubled strip widths results in a measured 27--29% reduction over the original configuration while leaving the total number of strips unchanged. We have now adopted this design modification for all eight module types of the GE2/1 detector and will produce the final detector with this new strip design.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Complementary response of static spin-stripe order and superconductivity to non-magnetic impurities in cuprates

We report muon-spin rotation and neutron-scattering experiments on non-magnetic Zn impurity effects on the static spin-stripe order and superconductivity of the La214 cuprates. Remarkably, it was found that, for samples with hole doping x = 1/8, the spin-stripe ordering temperature T_so decreases linearly with Zn doping y and disappears at around y = 4\%, demonstrating a high sensitivity of static spin-stripe order to impurities within a CuO_2 plane. Moreover, T_so is suppressed by Zn in the same manner as is the superconducting transition temperature T_c for samples near optimal hole doping. This surprisingly similar sensitivity suggests that the spin-stripe order is dependent on intertwining with superconducting correlations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Cooperative coupling of static magnetism and bulk superconductivity in the stripe phase of La_2-xBa_xCuO_4: Pressure- and doping-dependent studies

Static spin-stripe order and superconductivity were systematically studied in La_2-xBa_xCuO_4 (0.11 - 0.17) at ambient pressure by means of magnetization and muSR experiments. We find that all the investigated La_2-xBa_xCuO_4 samples exhibit static spin-stripe order and that the quasi two-dimensional superconducting (SC) transition temperature T_c1 and the static spin-stripe order temperature T_so have very similar values throughout the phase diagram. Moreover, the magnetic and the SC properties of the x = 0.155 (LBCO-0.155) and x = 0.17 (LBCO-0.17) samples were studied under hydrostatic pressure. As a remarkable result, in these bulk cuprate superconductors the three-dimensional SC transition temperature T_c and T_so nearly coincide at all pressure investigated (0 - 2.3 GPa). We also observed a pressure induced transition from long-range spin stripe order to a disordered magnetic state at 1.6 GPa in LBCO-0.155, coexisting with a SC state with substantial superfluid density. In LBCO-0.17 a disordered magnetic state is present at all p. The present results indicate that static magnetic order and SC pairing correlations develop in a cooperative fashion in La_2-xBa_xCuO_4, and provide a new route of understanding the complex interplay between static magnetism and superconductivity in the stripe phase of cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Evidence for strong lattice effects as revealed from huge unconventional oxygen isotope effects on the pseudogap temperature in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$

The oxygen isotope ($^{16}$O/$^{18}$O) effect (OIE) on the pseudogap (charge-stripe ordering) temperature $T^{\ast}$ is investigated for the cuprate superconductor La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ as a function of doping $x$ by means of x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) studies. A strong $x$ dependent and sign reversed OIE on $T^{\ast}$ is observed. The OIE exponent $α_{T^{\ast}}$ systematically decreases from $α_{T^{\ast}} = - 0.6(1.3)$ for $x = 0.15$ to $α_{T^{\ast}} = - 4.4(1.1)$ for $x = 0.06$, corresponding to increasing $T^{\ast}$ and decreasing superconducting transition temperature $T_{c}$. Both $T^{\ast}(^{16}{\rm O})$ and $T^{\ast}(^{18}{\rm O})$ exhibit a linear doping dependence with different slopes and critical end points (where $T^{\ast}(^{16}{\rm O})$ and $T^{\ast}(^{18}{\rm O})$ fall to zero) at $x_{c}(^{16}{\rm O}) = 0.201(4)$ and $x_{c}(^{18}{\rm O}) = 0.182(3)$, indicating a large positive OIE of $x_{c}$ with an exponent of $α_{x_{c}} = 0.84(22)$. The remarkably large and strongly doping dependent OIE on $T^{\ast}$ signals a substantial involvement of the lattice in the formation of the pseudogap, consistent with a polaronic approach to cuprate superconductivity and the vibronic character of its ground state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Decimetre-scaled spectrophotometric properties of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from OSIRIS observations

We present the results of the photometric and spectrophotometric properties of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko nucleus derived with the OSIRIS instrument during the closest fly-by over the comet, which took place on 14 th February 2015 at a distance of {\~} 6 km from the surface. Several images covering the 0°-33° phase angle range were acquired, and the spatial resolution achieved was 11 cm/pxl. The flown-by region is located on the big lobe of the comet, near the borders of the Ash, Apis and Imhotep regions. Our analysis shows that this region features local heterogeneities at the decimetre scale. We observed difference of reflectance up to 40{\%} between bright spots and sombre regions, and spectral slope variations up to 50{\%}. The spectral reddening effect observed globally on the comet surface by Fornasier et al. (2015) is also observed locally on this region, but with a less steep behaviour. We note that numerous metre-sized boulders, which exhibit a smaller opposition effect, also appear spectrally redder than their surroundings. In this region, we found no evidence linking observed bright spots to exposed water-ice-rich material. We fitted our dataset using the Hapke 2008 photometric model. The region overflown is globally as dark as the whole nucleus (geometric albedo of 6.8{\%}) and it has a high porosity value in the uppermost-layers (86{\%}). These results of the photometric analysis at a decimetre scale indicate that the photometric properties of the flown-by region are similar to those previously found for the whole nucleus.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2015

Oxygen Isotope Effects on Lattice Properties of La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8)

A novel negative oxygen-isotope (16O/18O) effect (OIE) on the low-temperature tetragonal phase transition temperature T_{LTT} was observed in La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8) using high-resolution neutron powder diffraction. The corresponding OIE exponent alpha(T_{LTT}) = - 0.36(5) has the same sign as alpha(T_{so}) = -0.57(6) found for the spin-stripe order temperature T_so. The fact that the LTT transition is accompanied by charge ordering (CO) implies the presence of an OIE also for the CO temperature T_co. Furthermore, a temperature dependent shortening of the c-axis with the heavier isotope is observed. These results combined with model calculations demonstrate that anharmonic electron-lattice interactions are essential for all transitions observed in the stripe phase of cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Spin-lattice coupling induced weak dynamical magnetism in EuTiO_3 at high temperatures

EuTiO_3, which is a G-type antiferromagnet below T_N = 5.5 K, has some fascinating properties at high temperatures, suggesting that macroscopically hidden dynamically fluctuating weak magnetism exists at high temperatures. This conjecture is substantiated by magnetic field dependent magnetization measurements, which exhibit pronounced anomalies below 200 K becoming more distinctive with increasing magnetic field strength. Additional results from muon spin rotation ($μ$SR) experiments provide evidence for weak fluctuating bulk magnetism induced by spin-lattice coupling which is strongly supported in increasing magnetic field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Negative Oxygen Isotope Effect on the Static Spin Stripe Order in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8)

Large negative oxygen-isotope (16O/18O) effects (OIE's) on the static spin-stripe ordering temperature T_so and the magnetic volume fraction V_m were observed in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8) by means of muon spin rotation experiments. The corresponding OIE exponents were found to be alpha_(T_so) = -0.57(6) and alpha_(V_m) = -0.71(9), which are sign reversed to alpha_(T_c) = 0.46(6) measured for the superconducting transition temperature T_c. This indicates that the electron-lattice interaction is involved in the stripe formation and plays an important role in the competition between bulk superconductivity and static stripe order in the cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic field distribution and characteristic fields of the vortex lattice for a clean superconducting niobium sample in an external field applied along a three-fold axis

The field distribution in the vortex lattice of a pure niobium single crystal with an external field applied along a three-fold axis has been investigated by the transverse-field muon-spin-rotation (TF-$μ$SR) technique over a wide range of temperatures and fields. The experimental data have been analyzed with the Delrieu's solution for the form factor supplemented by phenomenological formulas for the parameters. This has enabled us to experimentally establish the temperatures and fields for the Delrieu's, Ginzburg-Landau's, and Klein's regions of the vortex lattice. Using the numerical solution of the quasiclassical Eilenberger's equation the experimental results have been reasonably understood. They should apply to all clean BCS superconductors. The analytical Delrieu's model supplemented by phenomenological formulas for its parameters is found to be reliable for analyzing TF-$μ$SR experimental data for a substantial part of the mixed phase. The Abrikosov's limit is contained in it.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Modifications of the Meissner screening profile in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ thin films by gold nanoparticles

Adding Au nanoparticles to YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ thin films leads to an increase of the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ and the critical current density $j_{\rm c}$. While the higher $j_{\rm c}$ can be understood in terms of a stronger pinning of the flux vortices at the Au nanoparticles, the enhanced $T_{\rm c}$ is still puzzling. In the present study, we determined the microscopic magnetic penetration profiles and the corresponding London penetration depths $λ_{\rm L}$ in the Meissner state of optimally doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ thin films with and without Au nanoparticles by low-energy muon spin rotation. By Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, we show that the Au nanoparitcles are distributed over the whole thickness of the thin-film samples. The superfluid density $n_{\rm s} \propto 1/λ_{\rm L}^2$ was found to increase in the films containing Au nanoparticles. We attribute this increase of $n_{\rm s}$ to a reduction of the defect density possibly due to defect condensation at the Au nanoparticles.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Evidence for Cooper Pair Diffraction on the Vortex Lattice of Superconducting Niobium

We investigated the Abrikosov vortex lattice (VL) of a pure Niobium single crystal with the muon spin rotation (μSR) technique. Analysis of the μSR data in the framework of the BCS-Gor'kov theory allowed us to determine microscopic parameters and the limitations of the theory. With decreasing temperature the field variation around the vortex cores deviates substantially from the predictions of the Ginzburg-Landau theory and adopts a pronounced conical shape. This is evidence of partial diffraction of Cooper pairs on the VL predicted by Delrieu for clean superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Superconductivity in a new layered bismuth oxyselenide: LaO0.5F0.5BiSe2

We report superconductivity in a new layered bismuth oxyselenide LaO0.5F0.5BiSe2 with the ZrCuSiAs-type structure composed of alternating superconducting BiSe2 and blocking LaO layers. The superconducting transition temperature is TC = 2.6K, as revealed from DC magnetization, resistivity and muon spin rotation (muSR) experiments. DC magnetization measurements indicate a superconducting volume fraction of approximately 80%, which is at least twice higher in comparison to that found in corresponding sulphide LaO0.5F0.5BiS2. Importantly, the bulk character of superconductivity in LaO0.5F0.5BiSe2 was confirmed by muSR.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Tuning the static spin-stripe phase and superconductivity in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8) by hydrostatic pressure

Magnetization and muon spin rotation experiments were performed in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8) as a function of hydrostatic pressure up to p = 2.2 GPa. It was found that the magnetic volume fraction of the static stripe phase strongly decreases linearly with pressure, while the superconducting volume fraction increases by the same amount. This demonstrates competition between bulk superconductivity and static magnetic order in the stripe phase of La_1.875Ba_0.125CuO_4 and that these phenomena occur in mutually exclusive spatial regions. The present results also reveal that the static spin-stripe phase still exists at pressures, where the long-range low-temperature tetragonal (LTT) structure is completely suppressed. This indicates that the long-range LTT structure is not necessary for stabilizing the static spin order in La_1.875Ba_0.125CuO_4.

cond-mat.supr-con↗