arXiv subjects

L. Civale

Publications and source records attributed to L. Civale.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

In-depth study of the $H -T$ phase diagram of Sr4Ru3O10 by magnetization experiments

We present magnetization measurements on Sr4Ru3O10 as a function of temperature and magnetic field applied perpendicular to the magnetic easy $c$-axis inside the ferromagnetic phase. Peculiar metamagnetism evolves in Sr4Ru3O10 below the ferromagnetic transition $T_{C}$ as a double step in the magnetization at two critical fields $H_{c1}$ and $H_{c2}$. We map the $H-T$ phase diagram with special focus on the temperature range 50\,K $\le T \le T_{C}$. We find that the critical field $H_{c1}(T)$ connects the field and temperature axes of the phase diagram, whereas the $H_{c2}$ boundary starts at 2.8\,T for the lowest temperatures and ends in a critical endpoint at (1\,T; 80\,K). We conclude from the temperature dependence of the ratio $\frac{Hc1}{Hc2}(T)$ that the double metamagnetic transition is an intrinisc effect of the material and it is not caused by sample stacking faults such as twinning or partial in-plane rotation between layers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Domain engineering of the metastable domains in the 4f-uniaxial-ferromagnet CeRu$_2$Ga$_2$B

In search of novel, improved materials for magnetic data storage and spintronic devices, compounds that allow a tailoring of magnetic domain shapes and sizes are essential. Good candidates are materials with intrinsic anisotropies or competing interactions, as they are prone to host various domain phases that can be easily and precisely selected by external tuning parameters such as temperature and magnetic field. Here, we utilize vector magnetic fields to visualize directly the magnetic anisotropy in the uniaxial ferromagnet CeRu$_2$Ga$_2$B. We demonstrate a feasible control both globally and locally of domain shapes and sizes by the external field as well as a smooth transition from single stripe to bubble domains, which opens the door to future applications based on magnetic domain tailoring.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Missing magnetism in Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$: Indication for Antisymmetric Exchange Interaction

We report a detailed study of the magnetization modulus as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field under varying angle in Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$ close to the metamagnetic transition at $H_{c}\backsimeq 2.5\,$T for $H \perp c$. We confirm that the double-feature at $H_{c}$ is robust without further splitting for temperatures below 1.8 K down to 0.48 K. The metamagnetism in Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$ is accompanied by a reduction of the magnetic moment in the plane of rotation and large field-hysteretic behavior. The double anomaly shifts to higher fields by rotating the field from $H\,\perp \,c$ to $H\,\parallel\,c$. We compare our experimental findings with numerical simulations based on spin reorientation models caused by intrinsic magnetocrystalline anisotropy and Zeeman effect. Crystal anisotropy is able to explain a metamagnetic transition in the ferromagnetic ordered system Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$, but a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya term is crucial to account for a reduction of the magnetic moment as discovered in the experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Quantum critical scaling in the disordered itinerant ferromagnet UCo$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$Ge

Belitz-Kirkpatrick-Vojta (BKV) theory shows in excellent agreement with experiment that ferromagnetic quantum phase transitions (QPTs) in clean metals are generally first-order due to the coupling of the magnetization to electronic soft modes, in contrast to the classical analogue that is an archetypical second-order phase transition. For disordered metals BKV theory predicts that the second order nature of the QPT is restored because the electronic soft modes change their nature from ballistic to diffusive. Our low-temperature magnetization study identifies the ferromagnetic QPT in the disordered metal UCo$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$Ge as the first clear example that exhibits the associated critical exponents predicted by BKV theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Spin Freezing in The Frustrated Disordered Quantum Magnet Ba$_{3}$(Mn$_{1-x}$V$_{x}$)$_{2}$O$_{8}$

Ba$_3$Mn$_2$O$_8$ is a geometrically frustrated spin dimer compound. We investigate the effect of site disorder on the zero field phase diagram of this material by considering the solid solution Ba$_{3}$(Mn$_{1-x}$V$_{x}$)$_{2}$O$_{8}$, where nonmagnetic V$^{5+}$ ions partially substitute magnetic Mn$^{5+}$ ions. This substitution results in unpaired $S=1$ moments for half-substituted dimers, which are ungapped and therefore susceptible to types of magnetic order not present in the parent compound. AC susceptibility measurements of compositions between $x=0.046$ and $x=0.84$ show a sharp frequency- and composition-dependent kink at temperatures below 210mK, suggesting that unpaired spins form a spin glass. The case for a glassy state is made clearer by the absence of any sharp features in the specific heat. However, Ba$_{3}$(Mn$_{1-x}$V$_{x}$)$_{2}$O$_{8}$ is not a paradigmatic spin glass. Whereas both the freezing temperature and the Weiss temperature (determined from susceptibility above 1K) vary strongly as a function of composition, the heat capacity per unpaired spin is found to be insensitive (above the glass transition) to the density of unpaired spins for the broad regime $0.18\leq x \leq 0.84$. This surprising result is consistent with a scenario in which nearest-neighbor unpaired spins form local, possibly fluctuating, spin-singlets prior to the eventual spin freezing. The spin glass state is only found for temperatures below the energy scale of single-ion anisotropy, suggestive this plays a significant role in determining the eventual ground state. Possible ground states in the "dilute" limit ($x < 0.04$ and $x > 0.9$) are also discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Decoupling and tuning competing effects of different types of defects on flux creep in irradiated YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-δ}$ coated conductors

YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-δ}$ coated conductors (CCs) have achieved high critical current densities ($\textit{J}_{c}$) that can be further increased through the introduction of additional defects using particle irradiation. However, these gains are accompanied by increases in the flux creep rate, a manifestation of competition between the different types of defects. Here, we study this competition to better understand how to design pinning landscapes that simultaneously increase $\textit{J}_{c}$ and reduce creep. CCs grown by metal organic deposition show non-monotonic changes in the temperature-dependent creep rate, $\textit{S}(\textit{T})$. Notably, in low fields, there is a conspicuous dip to low $\textit{S}$ as temperature ($\textit{T}$) increases from ~20 K to ~65 K. Oxygen-, proton-, and Au-irradiation substantially increase $\textit{S}$ in this temperature range. Focusing on an oxygen-irradiated CC, we investigate the contribution of different types of irradiation-induced defects to the flux creep rate. Specifically, we study $\textit{S}(\textit{T})$ as we tune the relative density of point defects to larger defects by annealing both an as-grown and an irradiated CC in O$_{2}$ at temperatures $\textit{T}_{A}$ = 250$°$C to 600$°$C. We observe a steady decrease in $\textit{S}$($\textit{T}$ > 20 K) with increasing $\textit{T}_{A}$, unveiling the role of pre-existing nanoparticle precipitates in creating the dip in $\textit{S}(\textit{T})$ and point defects and clusters in increasing $\textit{S}$ at intermediate temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic ordering in the frustrated J1-J2 Ising chain candidate BaNd2O4

The AR$_2$O$_4$ family (R = rare earth) have recently been attracting interest as a new series of frustrated magnets, with the magnetic R atoms forming zigzag chains running along the $c$-axis. We have investigated polycrystalline BaNd$_2$O$_4$ with a combination of magnetization, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) measurements. Magnetic Bragg peaks are observed below $T_N$ $=$ 1.7 K, and they can be indexed with a propagation vector of $\vec{k}$ $=$ (0 1/2 1/2). The signal from magnetic diffraction is well described by long-range ordering from only one of the two types of Nd zigzag chains, with collinear up-up-down-down intrachain spin configurations. Furthermore, low temperature magnetization and heat capacity measurements reveal two field-induced spin transitions at 2.5 T and 4 T for $T$ $=$ 0.46 K. The high field phase is paramagnetic, while the intermediate field state may arise from a spin transition of the long-range ordered Nd chains, resulting in an up-up-down intrachain spin configuration. The proposed intermediate field state is consistent with the magnetic structure determined in zero field for these chains by NPD, as both phases are predicted for the classical Ising chain model with nearest neighbor and next nearest neighbor interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Doubling the Critical Current Density of High Temperature Superconducting Coated Conductors through Proton Irradiation

The in-field critical current of commercial YBa2Cu3O7 coated conductors can be substantially enhanced by post-fabrication irradiation with 4 MeV protons. Irradiation to a fluence of 8x10^16 p/cm^2 induces a near doubling of the critical current in fields of 6 T || c at a temperature of 27 K, a field and temperature range of interest for applications such as rotating machinery. A mixed pinning landscape of preexisting precipitates and twin boundaries and small, finely dispersed irradiation induced defects may account for the improved vortex pinning in high magnetic fields. Our data indicate that there is significant head-room for further enhancements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Two-band effect on the vortex dynamics and critical current density in an anisotropic MgB$_2$ thin film

We report the influence of intrinsic superconducting parameters on the vortex dynamics and the critical current densities of a MgB$_2$ thin film. The small magnetic penetration depth of λ= 50 nm at T=4 K is related to a clean π-band, and transport and magnetization data show an upper critical field similar to those reported in clean single crystals. We find a high self-field critical current density Jc, which is strongly reduced with applied magnetic field, and attribute this to suppression of the superconductivity in the π-band. The temperature dependence of the creep rate S(T) at low magnetic field can be explained by a simple Anderson-Kim mechanism. The system shows high pinning energies at low field that are strongly suppressed by high field, which is consistent with a two-band contribution.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Intrinsic superconducting properties and vortex dynamics in heavily overdoped Ba(Fe$_{0.86}$Co$_{0.14}$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystal

In this work we report the influence of intrinsic superconducting parameters on the vortex dynamics in an overdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ (x=0.14) single crystal. We find a superconducting critical temperature of 13.5 K, magnetic penetration depth $λ_{ab}$(0) = 660 $\pm$ 50 nm, coherence length $ξ_{ab}$(0) = 5 nm, and the upper critical field anisotropy $γ_{T\rightarrow Tc}$ $\approx$ 3.7. In fact, the Ginzburg-Landau model may explain the angular dependent $H_{c2}$ for this anisotropic three-dimensional superconductor. The vortex phase diagram, in comparison with the optimally doped compound, presents a narrow collective creep regime. In addition, we found no sign of correlated pinning along the c axis. Our results show that vortex core to defect size ratio and $λ$ play an important role in the resulting vortex dynamics in materials with similar intrinsic thermal fluctuations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Strong Enhancement of the Critical Current at the Antiferromagnetic Transition in ErNi2B2C Single Crystals

We report on transport and magnetization measurements of the critical current density Jc in ErNi2B2C single crystals that show strongly enhanced vortex pinning at the Neel temperature TN and low applied fields. The height of the observed Jc peak decreases with increasing magnetic field in clear contrast with that of the peak effect found at the upper critical field. We also performed the first angular transport measurements of Jc ever conducted on this compound. They reveal the correlated nature of this pinning enhancement, which we attribute to the formation of antiphase boundaries at TN.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Ferromagnetic bubble clusters in Y$_{0.67}$Ca$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$ thin films

We studied the ferromagnetic topology in a Y$_{0.67}$Ca$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$ thin film with a combination of magnetic force microscopy and magnetization measurements. Our results show that the spin-glass like behavior, reported previously for this system, could be attributed to frustrated interfaces of the ferromagnetic clusters embedded in a non-ferromagnetic matrix. We found temperature dependent changes of the magnetic topology at low temperatures, which suggests a non-static Mn$^{3+}$/Mn$^{4+}$ ratio.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Magnetic penetration-depth measurements of a suppressed superfluid density of superconducting Ca$_{0.5}$Na$_{0.5}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals by proton irradiation

We report on the dramatic effect of random point defects, produced by proton irradiation, on the superfluid density $ρ_{s}$ in superconducting Ca$_{0.5}$Na$_{0.5}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals. The magnitude of the suppression is inferred from measurements of the temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth $λ(T)$ using magnetic force microscopy. Our findings indicate that a radiation dose of 2$\times10^{16}$cm$^{-2}$ produced by 3 MeV protons results in a reduction of the superconducting critical temperature $T_{c}$ by approximately 10%. % with no appreciable change in the slope of the upper critical fields. In contrast, $ρ_{s}(0)$ is suppressed by approximately 60%. This break-down of the Abrikosov-Gorkov theory may be explained by the so-called "Swiss cheese model", which accounts for the spatial suppression of the order parameter near point defects similar to holes in Swiss cheese. Both the slope of the upper critical field and the penetration depth $λ(T/T_{c})/λ(0)$ exhibit similar temperature dependences before and after irradiation. This may be due to a combination of the highly disordered nature of Ca$_{0.5}$Na$_{0.5}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ with large intraband and simultaneous interband scattering as well as the $s^\pm$-wave nature of short coherence length superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Direct measurement of the magnetic penetration depth by magnetic force microscopy

We present an experimental approach using magnetic force microscopy for measurements of the absolute value of the magnetic penetration depth $λ$ in superconductors. $λ$ is obtained in a simple and robust way without introducing any tip modeling procedure via direct comparison of the Meissner response curves for a material of interest to those measured on a reference sample. Using a well-characterized Nb film as a reference, we determine the absolute value of $λ$ in a Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ single crystal and a MgB$_2$ thin film through a comparative experiment. Our apparatus features simultaneous loading of multiple samples, and allows straightforward measurement of the absolute value of $λ$ in superconducting thin film or single crystal samples.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Measurement of the magnetic penetration depth of a superconducting MgB$_{2}$ thin film with a large intraband diffusivity

We report the temperature dependent magnetic penetration depth $λ(T)$ and the superconducting critical field $H_{c2}(T)$ in a 500-nm MgB$_{2}$ film. Our analysis of the experimental results takes into account the two gap nature of the superconducting state and indicates larger intraband diffusivity in the three-dimensional (3D) $π$ band compared to that in the two-dimensional (2D) $σ$ band. Direct comparison of our results with those reported previously for single crystals indicates that larger intraband scattering in the 3D $π$ band leads to an increase of $λ$. We calculated $λ$ and the thermodynamic critical field $H_{c}\approx$2000 Oe employing the gap equations for two-band superconductors. Good agreement between the measured and calculated $λ$ value indicates the two independent measurements, such as magnetic force microscopy and transport, provide a venue for investigating superconducting properties in multi-band superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Large magnetic penetration depth and thermal fluctuations in a Ca$_{10}$(Pt$_{3}$As$_{8}$)[(Fe$_{1-x}$Pt$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$]$_{5}$ (x=0.097) single crystal

We have measured the temperature dependence of the absolute value of the magnetic penetration depth $λ(T)$ in a Ca$_{10}$(Pt$_{3}$As$_{8}$)[(Fe$_{1-x}$Pt$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$]$_{5}$ (x=0.097) single crystal using a low-temperature magnetic force microscope (MFM). We obtain $λ_{ab}$(0)$\approx$1000 nm via extrapolating the data to $T = 0$. This large $λ$ and pronounced anisotropy in this system are responsible for large thermal fluctuations and the presence of a liquid vortex phase in this low-temperature superconductor with critical temperature of 11 K, consistent with the interpretation of the electrical transport data. The superconducting parameters obtained from $λ$ and coherence length $ξ$ place this compound in the extreme type \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 2} regime. Meissner responses (via MFM) at different locations across the sample are similar to each other, indicating good homogeneity of the superconducting state on a sub-micron scale.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Glassiness in vortex matter in MgB2 probed by a novel scaling method for creep analysis

The glassy dynamics is a consequence of the elastic properties of the vortex matter, and in principle may occur in any superconductor. However, whereas a large amount of experimental evidence confirms glassiness in high Tc superconductors (HTS), the applicability of the whole framework developed to describe vortex matter in HTS to other superconducting materials is unclear. In this framework, the particular creep behavior of MgB2, larger than creep of conventional superconductor materials but much lower than HTS one, had precluded a complete understanding of the vortex regimes in this material. In this work we present an experimental study of relaxation processes of pure MgB2 bulk samples measured by DC magnetization technique. We propose a novel self-consistent scaling method to analyze the data and extract the activation energies. The observed experimental behavior can be described in a glassy picture, with a unique critical exponent &mu~1, characteristic of collective creep in the intermediate vortex bundle regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Direct measurements of the penetration depth in a superconducting film using magnetic force microscopy

We report the local measurements of the magnetic penetration depth $λ$ in a superconducting Nb film using magnetic force microscopy (MFM). We developed a method for quantitative extraction of the penetration depth from single-parameter simultaneous fits to the lateral and height profiles of the MFM signal, and demonstrate that the obtained value is in excellent agreement with that obtained from the bulk magnetization measurements.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗