arXiv subjects

J. Schmalian

Publications and source records attributed to J. Schmalian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Odd-frequency superfluidity from a particle-number-conserving perspective

We investigate odd-in-time - or odd-frequency - pairing of fermions in equilibrium systems within the particle-number-conserving framework of Penrose, Onsager and Yang, where superfluid order is defined by macroscopic eigenvalues of reduced density matrices. We show that odd-frequency pair correlations are synonymous with even fermion-exchange symmetry in a time-dependent correlation function that generalises the two-body reduced density matrix. Macroscopic even-under-fermion-exchange pairing is found to emerge from conventional Penrose-Onsager-Yang condensation in two-body or higher-order reduced density matrices through the symmetry-mixing properties of the Hamiltonian. We identify and characterise a transformer matrix responsible for producing macroscopic even fermion-exchange correlations that coexist with a conventional Cooper-pair condensate, while a generator matrix is shown to be responsible for creating macroscopic even fermion-exchange correlations from hidden orders such as a multi-particle condensate. The transformer scenario is illustrated using the spin-balanced s-wave superfluid with Zeeman splitting as an example. The generator scenario is demonstrated by the composite-boson condensate arising for itinerant electrons coupled to magnetic excitations. Structural analysis of the transformer and generator matrices is shown to provide general conditions for odd-frequency pairing order to arise in a given system. Our formalism facilitates a fully general derivation of the Meissner effect for odd-frequency superconductors that holds also beyond the regime of validity for mean-field theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Evidence for vertical line nodes in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ from nonlocal electrodynamics

By determining the superconducting lower and upper critical fields $H_\mathrm{c1}(T)$ and $H_\mathrm{c2}(T)$, respectively, in a high-purity spherical Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ sample via ac-susceptibility measurements, we obtain the temperature dependence of the coherence length $ξ$ and the penetration depth $λ$ down to 0.04$T_c$. Given the high sample quality, the observed $T^2$ dependence of $λ$ at low temperatures cannot be explained in terms of impurity effects. Instead, we argue that the weak type-II superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ has to be treated in the non-local limit. In that limit, the penetration depth data agree with a gap structure having vertical line nodes, while horizontal line nodes cannot account for the observation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Emergent continuous symmetry in anisotropic flexible two-dimensional materials

We develop the theory of anomalous elasticity in two-dimensional flexible materials with orthorhombic crystal symmetry. Remarkably, in the universal region, where characteristic length scales are larger than the rather small Ginzburg scale ${\sim} 10\, {\rm nm}$, these materials possess an infinite set of flat phases which are connected by emergent continuous symmetry. This hidden symmetry leads to the formation of a stable line of fixed points corresponding to different phases. The same symmetry also enforces power law scaling with momentum of the anisotropic bending rigidity and Young's modulus, controlled by a single universal exponent -- the very same along the whole line of fixed points. These anisotropic flat phases are uniquely labeled by the ratio of absolute Poisson's ratios. We apply our theory to monolayer black phosphorus (phosphorene).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Soft phonons reveal the nematic correlation length in Ba(Fe$_{0.94}$Co$_{0.06}$)$_2$As$_2$

Nematicity is ubiquitous in electronic phases of high-$T_c$ superconductors, particularly in the Fe-based systems. While several experiments have probed nematic fluctuations, they have been restricted to uniform or momentum averaged fluctuations. Here, we investigate the behavior of finite-momentum nematic fluctuations by utilizing the anomalous softening of acoustic phonon modes in optimally doped Ba(Fe$_{0.94}$Co$_{0.06}$)$_2$As$_2$. We determine the nematic correlation length and find that it sharply changes its $T$-dependence at $T_c$, revealing a strong connection between nematicity and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Anomalous density fluctuations in a strange metal

A central mystery in high temperature superconductivity is the origin of the so-called "strange metal," i.e., the anomalous conductor from which superconductivity emerges at low temperature. Measuring the dynamic charge response of the copper-oxides, $χ''(q,ω)$, would directly reveal the collective properties of the strange metal, but it has never been possible to measure this quantity with meV resolution. Here, we present the first measurement of $χ''(q,ω)$ for a cuprate, optimally doped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ ($T_c=91$ K), using momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering. In the medium energy range 0.1-2 eV relevant to the strange metal, the spectra are dominated by a featureless, temperature- and momentum-independent continuum persisting to the eV energy scale. This continuum displays a simple power law form, exhibiting $q^2$ behavior at low energy and $q^2/ω^2$ behavior at high energy. Measurements of an overdoped crystal ($T_c=50$ K) showed the emergence of a gap-like feature at low temperature, indicating deviation from power law form outside the strange metal regime. Our study suggests the strange metal exhibits a new type of charge dynamics in which excitations are local to such a degree that space and time axes are decoupled.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Hydrodynamic approach to electronic transport in graphene

The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in hydrodynamic effects in interacting electron systems in ultra-pure materials. In this paper we briefly review the recent advances, both theoretical and experimental, in the hydrodynamic approach to electronic transport in graphene, focusing on viscous phenomena, Coulomb drag, non-local transport measurements, and possibilities for observing nonlinear effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Locking of length scales in two-band superconductors

A model of a clean two-band s-wave superconductor with cylindrical Fermi surfaces, different Fermi velocities v_{1,2}, and a general 2x2 coupling matrix V_{alpha beta} is used to study the order parameter distribution in vortex lattices. The Eilenberger weak coupling formalism is used to calculate numerically the spatial distributions of the pairing amplitudes Delta_1_ and Delta_2_ of the two bands for vortices parallel to the Fermi cylinders. For generic values of the interband coupling V_{12}, it is shown that, independently of the couplings V_{alpha beta}, of the ratio v_1 /v_2, of the temperature, and the applied field, the length scales of spatial variation of Delta_1 and of Delta_2 are the same within the accuracy of our calculations. The only exception from this single length-scale behavior is found for V_{12} --> 0, i.e., for nearly decoupled bands.

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arXiv2016

Nematic resonance in the Raman response of iron-based superconductors

In a fully-gapped superconductor the electronic Raman response has a pair-breaking peak at twice the superconducting gap $Δ$, if the Bogoliubov excitations are uncorrelated. Motivated by the iron based superconductors, we study how this peak is modified if the superconducting phase hosts a nematic-structural quantum critical point. We show that, upon approaching this point by tuning, e.g., doping, the growth of nematic correlations between the quasiparticles transforms the pair-breaking peak into a nematic resonance. The mode energy is below 2$Δ$, and stays finite at the quantum critical point, where its spectral weight is sharply enhanced. The latter is consistent with recent experiments on electron-doped iron based superconductors and provides direct evidence of nematic correlations in their superconducting phases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Entangled Orbital Triplet Pairs in Iron-Based Superconductors

A key question in high temperature iron-based superconductivity is the mechanism by which the paired electrons minimize their strong mutual Coulomb repulsion. While electronically paired superconductors generally avoid the Coulomb interaction through the formation of nodal, higher angular momentum pairs, iron based superconductors appear to form singlet s-wave (s$^{\pm}$) pairs. By taking the orbital degrees of freedom of the iron atoms into account, here we argue that the s$^{\pm}$ state in these materials possesses internal d-wave structure, in which a relative d-wave ($L=2$) motion of the pairs entangles with the ($I=2$) internal angular momenta of the d-orbitals to form a low spin $J=L+I=0$ singlet. We discuss how the recent observation of a nodal gap with octahedral structure in KFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ can be understood as a high spin ($J=L+I=4$) configuration of the orbital and isospin angular momenta; the observed pressure-induced phase transition into a fully gapped state can then interpreted as a high-to-low spin phase transition of the Cooper pairs.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Nematic order in iron superconductors - who is in the driver's seat?

Although the existence of nematic order in iron-based superconductors is now a well-established experimental fact, its origin remains controversial. Nematic order breaks the discrete lattice rotational symmetry by making the $x$ and $y$ directions in the Fe plane non-equivalent. This can happen because of (i) a tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition, (ii) a spontaneous breaking of an orbital symmetry, or (iii) a spontaneous development of an Ising-type spin-nematic order - a magnetic state that breaks rotational symmetry but preserves time-reversal symmetry. The Landau theory of phase transitions dictates that the development of one of these orders should immediately induce the other two, making the origin of nematicity a physics realization of a "chicken and egg problem". The three scenarios are, however, quite different from a microscopic perspective. While in the structural scenario lattice vibrations (phonons) play the dominant role, in the other two scenarios electronic correlations are responsible for the nematic order. In this review, we argue that experimental and theoretical evidence strongly points to the electronic rather than phononic mechanism, placing the nematic order in the class of correlation-driven electronic instabilities, like superconductivity and density-wave transitions. We discuss different microscopic models for nematicity in the iron pnictides, and link nematicity to other ordered states of the global phase diagram of these materials -- magnetism and superconductivity. In the magnetic model nematic order pre-empts stripe-type magnetic order, and the same interaction which favors nematicity also gives rise to an unconventional $s^{+-}$ superconductivity. In the charge/orbital model magnetism appears as a secondary effect of ferro-orbital order, and the interaction which favors nematicity gives rise to a conventional $s^{++}$ superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless-type transitions in d=2 quantum O(2) and O(2)xO(2) nonlinear sigma models

We discuss the d=2 quantum O(2)xO(2) nonlinear sigma model as a low-energy theory of phase reconstruction near a quantum critical point. We first examine the evolution of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition as the quantum limit is approached in the usual O(2) nonlinear sigma model. Then we go on to review results on the ground-state phase diagram of the O(2)xO(2) nonlinear sigma model, and on the behaviour of the O(2)xO(M) nonlinear sigma model with M>2 in the classical limit. Finally, we present a conjectured finite-temperature phase diagram for the quantum version of the latter model in the O(2)xO(2) case. The nature of the finite-temperature BKT-like transitions in the phase diagram is discussed, and avenues for further calculation are identified.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Scaling between magnetic and lattice fluctuations in iron-pnictide superconductors

The phase diagram of the iron arsenides is dominated by a magnetic and a structural phase transition, which need to be suppressed in order for superconductivity to appear. The proximity between the two transition temperature lines indicates correlation between these two phases, whose nature remains unsettled. Here, we find a scaling relation between nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and shear modulus data in the tetragonal phase of electron-doped $\mathrm{Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_{x})_{2}As_{2}}$ compounds. Because the former probes the strength of magnetic fluctuations while the latter is sensitive to orthorhombic fluctuations, our results provide strong evidence for a magnetically-driven structural transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Sign-reversal of the in-plane resistivity anisotropy in hole-doped iron pnictides

The in-plane anisotropy of the electrical resistivity across the coupled orthorhombic and magnetic transitions of the iron pnictides has been extensively studied in the parent and electron-doped compounds. All these studies universally show that the resistivity $ρ_{a}$ across the long orthorhombic axis $a_{O}$ - along which the spins couple antiferromagnetically below the magnetic transition temperature - is smaller than the resistivity $ρ_{b}$ of the short orthorhombic axis $b_{O}$, i. e. $ρ_{a}<ρ_{b}$. Here we report that in the hole-doped compounds Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, as the doping level increases, the resistivity anisotropy initially becomes vanishingly small, and eventually changes sign for sufficiently large doping, i. e. $ρ_{b}<ρ_{a}$. This observation is in agreement with a recent theoretical prediction that considers the anisotropic scattering of electrons by spin-fluctuations in the orthorhombic/nematic state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Evidence of Strong Correlations and Coherence-Incoherence Crossover in the Iron Pnictide Superconductor KFe2As2

Using resistivity, heat-capacity, thermal-expansion, and susceptibility measurements we study the normal-state behavior of KFe2As2. We find that both the Sommerfeld coefficient gamma = 103 mJ mol-1 K-2 and the Pauli susceptibility chi = 4x10-4 are strongly enhanced, which confirm the existence of heavy quasiparticles inferred from previous de Haas-van Alphen and ARPES experiments. We discuss this large enhancement using a Gutzwiller slave-boson mean-field calculation, which reveals the proximity of KFe2As2 to an orbital-selective Mott transition. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility and the thermal expansion provide strong experimental evidence for the existence of a coherence-incoherence crossover, similar to what is found in heavy fermion and ruthenate compounds, due to Hund's coupling between orbitals.

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arXiv2013

Conductivity close to antiferromagnetic criticality

We study the conductivity of a 3D disordered metal close to the antiferromagnetic instability within the framework of the spin-fermion model using the diagrammatic technique. We calculate the interaction correction $δσ(ω,T)$ to the conductivity, assuming that the latter is dominated by the disorder scattering, and the interaction is weak. Although the fermionic scattering rate shows critical behaviour on the entire Fermi surface, the interaction correction is dominated by the processes near the hot spots, narrow regions of the Fermi-surface corresponding to the strongest spin-fermion scattering. Exactly at the critical point $δσ\propto[max(ω, T)]^{3/2}$. At sufficiently large frequencies $ω$ the conductivity is independent of the temperature, and $δσ\propto(τ^{-1}-iω)^{-2}$, $τ$ being the elastic scattering time. In a certain intermediate frequency range $δσ(ω)\propto iω(τ^{-1}-iω)^{-2}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Magneto-elastically coupled structural, magnetic and superconducting order parameters in BaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$

We measure the transport properties of mechanically strained single crystals of BaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$ over a wide range of $x$. The Néel transition is extremely sensitive to stress and this sensitivity increases as optimal doping is approached, even though the transition itself is strongly suppressed. Furthermore, we observe significant changes in the superconducting transition temperature with applied strain, which mirror changes as a function of the composition $x$. These experiments are a direct illustration of the intimate coupling between different degrees of freedom in iron-based superconductors, revealing the importance of magneto-elastic coupling to the magnetic and superconducting transition temperatures.

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arXiv2012

Magnetic excitations in underdoped Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 with x=0.047

The magnetic excitations in the paramagnetic-tetragonal phase of underdoped Ba(Fe0.953Co0.047)2As2, as measured by inelastic neutron scattering, can be well described by a phenomenological model with purely diffusive spin dynamics. At low energies, the spectrum around the magnetic ordering vector Q_AFM consists of a single peak with elliptical shape in momentum space. At high energies, this inelastic peak is split into two peaks across the direction perpendicular to Q_AFM. We use our fittings to argue that such a splitting is not due to incommensurability or propagating spin-wave excitations, but is rather a consequence of the anisotropies in the Landau damping and in the magnetic correlation length, both of which are allowed by the tetragonal symmetry of the system. We also measure the magnetic spectrum deep inside the magnetically-ordered phase, and find that it is remarkably similar to the spectrum of the paramagnetic phase, revealing the strongly overdamped character of the magnetic excitations.

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arXiv2012

Femtosecond Population Inversion and Stimulated Emission of Dense Dirac Fermions in Graphene

We show that strongly photoexcited graphene monolayers with 35fs pulses quasi-instantaneously build up a broadband, inverted Dirac fermion population. Optical gain emerges and directly manifests itself via a negative optical conductivity for the first 200fs, where stimulated emission completely compensates absorption loss in the graphene layer. Our experiment-theory comparison with two distinct electron and hole chemical potentials reproduce absorption saturation and gain at 40fs, revealing, particularly, the evolution of the transient state from a hot classical gas to a dense quantum fluid with increasing the photoexcitation.

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