arXiv subjects

J. Karpinski

Publications and source records attributed to J. Karpinski.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Anisotropic Phase Diagram and Superconducting Fluctuations in SmFeAsO0.85F0.15

We report on the specific heat determination of the anisotropic phase diagram of single crystals of optimally doped SmFeAsO1-xFx. In zero-field, the optimally doped compound displays a clear cusp-like anomaly in C/T with ΔC/Tc = 24 mJ/molK2 at Tc = 49.5 K. In magnetic fields applied along the c-axis, we find pronounced superconducting fluctuations induced broadening and suppression of the specific heat anomaly which can be described using three-dimensional lowest-Landau-level scaling with an upper critical field slope of -3.5 T/K and an anisotropy of Γ = 8. The small value of ΔC/Tc yields a Sommerfeld coefficient γ ~ 8 mJ/molK2 indicating that SmFeAsO1-xFx is characterized by a modest density of states and strong coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Influence of the carbon substitution on the critical current density and AC losses in MgB2 single crystals

The DC magnetization and AC complex magnetic susceptibilities were measured for MgB2 single crystals, unsubstituted and carbon substituted with the composition of Mg(B_0.94C_0.06)2. The measurements were performed in AC and DC magnetic fields oriented parallel to the c-axis of the crystals. From the DC magnetization loops and the AC susceptibility measurements, critical current densities (Jc) were derived as a function of temperature and the DC and AC magnetic fields. Results show that the substitution with carbon decreases Jc at low magnetic fields, opposite to the well known effect of an increase of Jc at higher fields. AC magnetic losses were derived from the AC susceptibility data as a function of amplitude and the DC bias magnetic field. The AC losses were determined for temperatures of 0.6 and 0.7 of the transition temperature Tc, so close to the boiling points of LH2 and LNe, potential cooling media for magnesium diboride based composites. The results are analyzed and discussed in the context of the critical state model.

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arXiv2010

Anomalies in the Fermi surface and band dispersion of quasi-one-dimensional CuO chains in the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu4O8

We have investigated the electronic states in quasi one dimensional (1D) CuO chains by microprobe Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy. We find that the quasiparticle Fermi surface consists of six disconnected segments, consistent with recent theoretical calculations that predict the formation of narrow, elongated Fermi surface pockets for coupled CuO chains. In addition, we find a strong renormalization effect with a significant kink structure in the band dispersion. The properties of this latter effect [energy scale (~40 meV), temperature dependence and behavior with Zn-doping] are identical to those of the bosonic mode observed in CuO2 planes of high temperature superconductors, indicating they have a common origin.

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arXiv2010

Pressure-induced lattice instabilities and superconductivity in YBa2Cu4O8 and optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Combined synchrotron angle-dispersive powder diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy are used to investigate the pressure-induced lattice instabilities that are accompanied by T$_{\rm c}$ anomalies in YBa$_{\rm 2}$Cu$_{\rm 4}$O$_{\rm 8}$, in comparison with the optimally doped YBa$_{\rm 2}$Cu$_{\rm 3}$O$_{\rm 7-δ}$ and the non-superconducting PrBa$_{\rm 2}$Cu$_{\rm 3}$O$_{\rm 6.92}$. In the first two superconducting systems there is a clear anomaly in the evolution of the lattice parameters and an increase of lattice disorder with pressure, that starts at $\approx3.7 GPa$ as well as irreversibility that induces a hysteresis. On the contrary, in the Pr-compound the lattice parameters follow very well the expected equation of state (EOS) up to 7 GPa. In complete agreement with the structural data, the micro-Raman data of the superconducting compounds show that the energy and width of the A$_{\rm g}$ phonons show anomalies at the same pressure range where the lattice parameters deviate from the EOS and the average Cu2-O$_{pl}$ bond length exhibits a strong contraction and correlate with the non-linear pressure dependence of T$_{\rm c}$. This is not the case for the non superconducting Pr sample, clearly indicating a connection with the charge carriers. It appears that the cuprates close to optimal doping are at the edge of lattice instability.

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arXiv2010

Structural phase transition and superlattice misfit strain of RFeAsO (R = La, Pr, Nd and Sm)

The tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural phase transition (SPT) in LaFeAsO (La-1111) and SmFeAsO (Sm-1111) single crystals measured by high resolution x-ray diffraction is found to be sharp while the RFeAsO (R=La, Nd, Pr, Sm) polycrystalline samples show a broad continuous SPT. Comparing the polycrystalline and the single crystal 1111 samples, the critical exponents of the SPT are found to be the same while the correlation length critical exponents are found to be very different. These results imply that the lattice fluctuations in 1111 systems change in samples with different surface to volume ratio that is assigned to the relieve of the temperature dependent superlattice misfit strain between active iron layers and the spacer layers in 1111 systems. This phenomenon that is missing in the AFe2As2 (A=Ca, Sr, Ba) "122" systems, with the same electronic structure but different for the thickness and the elastic constant of the spacer layers, is related with the different maximum superconducting transition temperature in the 1111 (55 K) versus 122 (35 K) systems and implies the surface reconstruction in 1111 single crystals.

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arXiv2010

Field Dependent Superfluid Density in the Optimally Doped SmFeAsO_(1-x)F_y Superconductor

The magnetic field dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth for optimally doped SmFeAsO_(1-x)F_y was investigated by combining torque magnetometry, SQUID magnetometry, and muon-spin rotation. The results obtained from these techniques show all a pronounced decrease of the superfluid density as the field is increased up to 1.4 T. This behavior is analysed within a two-band model with self-consistently derived coupled gaps, where the superfluid density related to the larger gap is field independent and the superfluid density related to the smaller gap is strongly suppressed with increasing field.

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arXiv2010

Fermi-surface of underdoped LaFeAsO1-xFx as determined by the Haas-van Alphen-effect

Here, we present a de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect1 study on the newly discovered LaFeAsO1-xFx compounds2,3 in order to unveil the topography of the Fermi surface associated with their antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases, which is essential for understanding their magnetism, pairing symmetry and superconducting mechanism. Calculations 4 and surface-sensitive measurements 5,6,7 provided early guidance, but lead to contradictory results, generating a need for a direct experimental probe of their bulk Fermi surface. In antiferromagnetic LaFeAsO1-xFx 8,9 we observe a complex pattern in the Fourier spectrum of the oscillatory component superimposed onto the magnetic torque signal revealing a reconstructed Fermi surface, whose geometry is not fully described by band structure calculations. Surprisingly, several of the same frequencies, or Fermi surface cross-sectional areas, are also observed in superconducting LaFeAsO1-xFx (with a superconducting transition temperature Tc ~ 15 K). Although one could attribute this to inhomogeneous F doping, the corresponding effective masses are largely enhanced with respect to those of the antiferromagnetic compound. Instead, this implies the microscopic coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism on the same Fermi surface in the underdoped region of the phase diagram of the LaFeAsO1-xFx series. Thus, the dHvA-effect reveals a more complex Fermi surface topography than that predicted by band structure calculations4 upon which the currently proposed superconducting pairing scenarios10,11,12,13 are based, which could be at the origin of their higher Tcs when compared to their phosphide analogs.

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arXiv2010

Local quasiparticle density of states of superconducting SmFeAsO$1-x$F$x$ single crystals: Evidence for spin-mediated pairing

We probe the local quasiparticles density-of-states in micron-sized SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ single-crystals by means of Scanning Tunnelling Spectroscopy. Spectral features resemble those of cuprates, particularly a dip-hump-like structure developed at energies larger than the gap that can be ascribed to the coupling of quasiparticles to a collective mode, quite likely a resonant spin mode. The energy of the collective mode revealed in our study decreases when the pairing strength increases. Our findings support spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing in pnictides.

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arXiv2010

Th substituted SmFeAsO: structural details and superconductivity with Tc above 50 K

Superconducting poly- and single-crystalline samples of Sm1-xThxFeAsO with partial substitution of Sm3+ by Th4+ were synthesized and grown under high pressure and their structural, magnetic and transport properties are studied. The superconducting Tc reaches values higher than 50 K. Bulk superconducting samples (x = 0.08, 0.15, 0.3) do not show any signs of a phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic crystal structure at low temperatures. With Th substitution the unit cell parameters a and c shrink and the fractional atomic coordinate of the As site zAs remains almost unchanged, while that of Sm/Th zSm/Th increases. Upon warming from 5 K to 295 K the expansion of the FeAs layer thickness is dominant, while the changes in the other structural building blocks are smaller by a factor of 1/5, and they compensate each other, since the As-Sm/Th distance appears to contract by about the same amount as the O-Sm/Th expands. The poly- and single-crystalline samples are characterized by a full diamagnetic response in low magnetic field, by a high intergrain critical-current density for polycrystalline samples, and by a critical current density of the order of 8 x 105 A/cm2 for single crystals at 2 K in fields up to 7 T. The magnetic penetration depth anisotropy γλ increases with decreasing temperature, a similar behavior to that of SmFeAsO1-xFy single crystals. The upper critical field estimated from resistance measurements is anisotropic with slopes of 5.4 T/K (H//ab plane) and 2.7 T/K (H//c axis), at temperatures sufficiently far below Tc. The upper critical field anisotropy γH is in the range of 2, consistent with the tendency of a decreasing γH with decreasing temperature, already reported for SmFeAsO1-xFy single crystals.

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arXiv2010

Inelastic x-ray scattering investigations of lattice dynamics in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ superconductors

We report measurements of the phonon density of states as measured with inelastic x-ray scattering in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ powders. An unexpected strong renormalization of phonon branches around 23 meV is observed as fluorine is substituted for oxygen. Phonon dispersion measurements on SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ single crystals allow us to identify the 21 meV A$_{1g}$ in-phase (Sm,As) and the 26 meV B$_{1g}$ (Fe,O) modes to be responsible for this renormalization, and may reveal unusual electron-phonon coupling through the spin channel in iron-based superconductors.

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arXiv2010

Influence of Mg deficiency in MgB2 single crystals on crystal structure and superconducting properties

The effects of high-temperature vacuum-annealing induced Mg deficiency in MgB2 single crystals grown under high pressure were investigated. As the annealing temperature was increased from 800 to 975 C, the average Mg content in the MgB2 crystals systematically decreased, while Tc remains essentially unchanged and the superconducting transition slightly broadens from 0.55 K to 1.3 K. The reduction of the superconducting volume fraction was noticeable already after annealing at 875 C. Samples annealed at 975 C are partially decomposed and the Mg site occupancy is decreased to 0.92 from 0.98 in as-grown crystals. Annealing at 1000 C completely destroys superconductivity. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the main final product of decomposition is polycrystalline MgB4 and thus the decomposition reaction of MgB2 can be described as 2MgB2(s) = MgB4(s) + Mg(g). First-principles calculations of the Mg1-x(VMg)xB2 electronic structure, within the supercell approach, show a small downshift of the Fermi level. Holes induced by the vacancies go to both sigma and pi bands. These small modifications are not expected to influence Tc, in agreement with observations. The significant reduction of the superconducting volume fraction without noticeable Tc reduction indicates the coexistence, within the same crystal, of superconductive and non-superconductive electronic phases, associated with regions rich and poor in Mg vacancies.

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arXiv2010

Disorder effects and current percolation in FeAs based superconductors

We report the influence of atomic disorder introduced by sequential neutron irradiation on the basic superconducting properties, flux pinning and grain connectivity. Two different polycrystalline Sm-1111 samples (SmFeAsO_{1-x}F_x) and two Ba-122 single crystals (BaFe_{1.8}Co_{0.2}As_2) were investigated. The monotonous decrease of the transition temperature with neutron fluence degrades the upper critical field, at least in the investigated temperature region. Pinning on the other hand is largely improved, with a different optimal defect concentration (fluence) in the two materials. The analysis of the current flow in the polycrystalline samples reveals weak link behaviour in the majority of grain connections and the existence of stronger grain connections. The density of the latter seems to be close to the percolation threshold (i.e. the minimum fraction for a continuous current path). Both types of connections are sensitive to disorder and degrade upon neutron irradiation.

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arXiv2010

Inelastic X-ray Scattering Study of superconducting SmFeAs(O$_{1-x}$F$_{y}$) Single Crystals: Evidence for Strong Momentum-Dependent Doping-Induced Renormalizations of Optical Phonons

We report inelastic x-ray scattering experiments on the lattice dynamics in SmFeAsO and superconducting SmFeAsO$_{0.6}$F$_{0.35}$ single crystals. Particular attention was paid to the dispersions along the [100] direction of three optical modes close to 23 meV, polarized out of the FeAs planes. Remarkably, two of these modes are strongly renormalized upon fluorine doping. These results provide significant insight into the energy and momentum dependence of the coupling of the lattice to the electron system and underline the importance of spin-phonon coupling in the superconducting iron-pnictides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Nernst effect in single crystals of the pnictide superconductor CaFe1.92Co0.08As2 and parent compound CaFe2As2

We report a combined study of the Nernst coefficient (v), Hall effect and thermoelectric power of CaFe2As2 and CaFe1.92Co0.08As2 single crystals. The absolute value of v in both samples is enhanced, probably due to ambipolar flow of electron- and hole-like quasiparticles. The onset of spin-density-wave order in CaFe2As2 causes further rapid rise of the Nernst coefficient. On the contrary, in the CaFe1.92Co0.08As2 crystal we do not see any feature of v(T), which could be clearly associated with SDW fluctuations. In this Co-doped sample there is also no noticeable increase in of v in the vicinity of superconducting transition, despite the expectation of such due to vortex movement.

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arXiv2010

Quasiparticle relaxation dynamics in spin-density-wave and superconducting SmFeAsO_{1-x}F_{x} single crystals

We investigate the quasiparticle relaxation and low-energy electronic structure in undoped SmFeAsO and near-optimally doped SmFeAsO_{0.8}F_{0.2} single crystals - exhibiting spin-density wave (SDW) ordering and superconductivity respectively - using pump-probe femtosecond spectroscopy. In the undoped single crystals a single relaxation process is observed, showing a remarkable critical slowing down of the QP relaxation dynamics at the SDW transition temperature T_{SDW}\simeq125{K}. In the superconducting (SC) crystals multiple relaxation processes are present, with distinct SC state quasiparticle recombination dynamics exhibiting a BCS-like T-dependent superconducting gap, and a pseudogap (PG)-like feature with an onset above 180K indicating the existence of a pseudogap of magnitude 2Δ_{\mathrm{PG}}\simeq120 meV above T_{\mathrm{c}}. From the pump-photon energy dependence we conclude that the SC state and PG relaxation channels are independent, implying the presence of two separate electronic subsystems. We discuss the data in terms of spatial inhomogeneity and multi-band scenarios, finding that the latter is more consistent with the present data.

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arXiv2010

The electronic specific heat of Ba1-xKxFe2As2 from 2K to 380K

Using a differential technique, we have measured the specific heats of polycrystalline Ba1-xKxFe2As2 samples with x=0, 0.1 and 0.3, between 2K and 380K and in magnetic fields 0 to 13 Tesla. From this data we have determined the electronic specific heat coefficient, gamma, over the entire range for the three samples. The most heavily doped sample (x=0.3) exhibits a large superconducting anomaly Delta gamma(Tc)~48mJ/molK^2 at Tc=35K, and we determine the energy gap, condensation energy, superfluid density and coherence length. In the normal state for the x=0.3 sample, gamma~47 mJ/molK^2 is constant from Tc to 380K. In the parent compound (x=0) there is a large almost first order anomaly at the spin density wave (SDW) transition at To=136K. This anomaly is smaller and broader for x=0.1. At low T, gamma is strongly reduced by the SDW gap for both x=0 and 0.1, but above To, gamma for all three samples are similar.

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arXiv2009

Influence of carbon on intraband scattering in Mg(B1-xCx)2

We report data on the Hall coefficient (RH) of the carbon substituted Mg(B1-xCx)2 single crystals with x in the range from 0 to 0.1. The temperature dependences of RH obtained for the substituted crystals differ systematically at low temperatures, but all of them converge to the value of 1.8 x 10^-10 m^3/C at room temperature. The RH(T) data together with results of the thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity measurements are interpreted within a quasi-classical transport approach, where the presence of four different conducting sheets is considered. The main influence of the carbon substitution on the transport properties in the normal state is associated with enhanced scattering rates, rather than modified concentration of charge carriers. Presumably the carbon substitution increases the electron-impurity scattering mainly in the pi band.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Anomalous asymmetry of the Fermi surface in the YBa2Cu4O8 high temperature superconductor revealed by Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

We use microprobe Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy to study the Fermi surface and band dispersion of the CuO2 planes in the high temperature superconductor, YBa2Cu4O8. We find a strong in-plane asymmetry of the electronic structure between directions along a and b axes. The saddle point of the antibonding band lies at a significantly higher energy in the a direction (pi,0) than the b direction (0,pi), whereas the bonding band displays the opposite behavior. We demonstrate that the abnormal band shape is due to a strong asymmetry of the bilayer band splitting, likely caused by a non-trivial hybridization between the planes and chains. This asymmetry has an important implication for interpreting key properties of the Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) family, especially the superconducting gap, transport and results of inelastic neutron scattering.

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