Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

P. C. Canfield

Publications and source records attributed to P. C. Canfield.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Doping evolution of the absolute value of the London penetration depth and superfluid density in single crystals of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$

The zero temperature value of the in-plane London penetration depth, $λ_{ab}(0)$, has been measured in single crystals of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ as a function of the Co concentration, $x$, across both the underdoped and overdoped superconducting regions of the phase diagram. For $x\gtrsim0.047$, $λ_{ab}(0)$ has been found to have values between 120 $\pm$ 50~nm and 300 $\pm$ 50~nm. A pronounced increase in $λ_{ab}(0)$, to a value as high as 950 $\pm$ 50~nm, has been observed for $x\lesssim0.047$, corresponding to the region of the phase diagram where the itinerant antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases coexist and compete. Direct determination of the doping-dependent $λ_{ab}(0)$ has allowed us to track the evolution of the temperature-dependent superfluid density, from which we infer the development of a pronounced superconducting gap anisotropy at the edges of the superconducting dome.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Evidence from neutron diffraction for superconductivity in the stabilized tetragonal phase of CaFe2As2 under uniaxial pressure

CaFe2As2 single crystals under uniaxial pressure applied along the c axis exhibit the coexistence of several structural phases at low temperatures. We show that the room-temperature tetragonal phase is stabilized at low temperatures for pressures above 0.06 GPa, and its weight fraction attains a maximum in the region where superconductivity is observed under applied uniaxial pressure. Simultaneous resistivity measurements strongly suggest that this phase is responsible for the superconductivity in CaFe2As2 found below 10 K in samples subjected to nonhydrostatic pressure conditions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Superconducting order parameter in nonmagnetic borocarbides RNi$_{2}$B$_{2}$C (R=Y, Lu) probed by point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy

We report on the measurements of the superconducting order parameter in the nonmagnetic borocarbides LuNi$_2$B$_2$C and YNi$_2$B$_2$C. Andreev conductance spectra are obtained from nanoscale metallic junctions on single crystal surfaces prepared along three major crystallographic orientations: [001], [110], and [100]. The gap values extracted by the single-gap Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model follow the BCS predictions as a function of temperature and magnetic field and exhibit a small anisotropy. These observations are robust and reproducible among all the measurements on two different sets of LuNi$_2$B$_2$C crystals and one set of YNi$_2$B$_2$C crystals. We suggest possible explanations for the small gap anisotropy based on the recent detailed gap measurements by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and the tunneling cone effect. Our results provide a consistent picture of the superconducting gap structure in these materials, addressing the controversy particularly in the reported results of point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Nodes in the gap structure of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_x)_2As_2 from c-axis heat transport measurements

The thermal conductivity k of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_x)_2As_2 was measured down to 50 mK for a heat current parallel (k_c) and perpendicular (k_a) to the tetragonal c axis, for seven Co concentrations from underdoped to overdoped regions of the phase diagram (0.038 < x < 0.127). A residual linear term k_c0/T is observed in the T = 0 limit when the current is along the c axis, revealing the presence of nodes in the gap. Because the nodes appear as x moves away from the concentration of maximal T_c, they must be accidental, not imposed by symmetry, and are therefore compatible with an s_{+/-} state, for example. The fact that the in-plane residual linear term k_a0/T is negligible at all x implies that the nodes are located in regions of the Fermi surface that contribute strongly to c-axis conduction and very little to in-plane conduction. Application of a moderate magnetic field (e.g. H_c2/4) excites quasiparticles that conduct heat along the a axis just as well as the nodal quasiparticles conduct along the c axis. This shows that the gap must be very small (but non-zero) in regions of the Fermi surface which contribute significantly to in-plane conduction. These findings can be understood in terms of a strong k dependence of the gap Delta(k) which produces nodes on a Fermi surface sheet with pronounced c-axis dispersion and deep minima on the remaining, quasi-two-dimensional sheets.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

London penetration depth in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ (T=Co, Ni) superconductors irradiated with heavy ions

Irradiation with Pb ions was used to study the effect of disorder on the in-plane London penetration depth, $λ(T)$, in single crystals of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ (T=Co, Ni). An increase of the irradiation dose results in a monotonic decrease of the superconducting transition temperature, $T_c$, without affecting much the transition width. In both Co and Ni doped systems we find a power-law behavior, $Δλ(T) \propto T^n$, with the exponent $n$ systematically decreasing with the increase of disorder. This observation, supported by the theoretical analysis, conclusively points to a nodeless $s^\pm$ state with pairbreaking impurity scattering (interband) with strength being intermediate between Born and unitary limits.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Unconventional pairing in the iron arsenide superconductors

We use magnetic long range order as a tool to probe the Cooper pair wave function in the iron arsenide superconductors. We show theoretically that antiferromagnetism and superconductivity can coexist in these materials only if Cooper pairs form an unconventional, sign-changing state. The observation of coexistence in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ then demonstrates unconventional pairing in this material. The detailed agreement between theory and neutron diffraction experiments, in particular for the unusual behavior of the magnetic order below $T_{c}$, demonstrates the robustness of our conclusions. Our findings strongly suggest that superconductivity is unconventional in all members of the iron arsenide family.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Magnetic Order in TbCo2Zn20 and TbFe2Zn20

We report neutron diffraction studies of TbCo$_2$Zn$_{20}$ and TbFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$, two isostructural compounds which exhibit dramatically different magnetic behavior. In the case of TbCo$_2$Zn$_{20}$, magnetic Bragg peaks corresponding to antiferromagnetic order are observed below $T_N$ $\approx$ 2.5 K with a propagation vector of (0.5 0.5 0.5). On the other hand, TbFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$ undergoes a ferromagnetic transition at temperatures as high as 66 K which shows a high sensitivity to sample-to-sample variations. Two samples of TbFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$ with the same nominal compositions but with substantially different magnetic ordering temperatures ($T_c$ $\approx$ 51 and 66 K) were measured by single crystal neutron diffraction. Structural refinements of the neutron diffraction data find no direct signature of atomic site disorder between the two TbFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$ samples except for subtle differences in the anisotropic thermal parameters. The differences in the anisotropic thermal parameters between the two samples is likely due to very small amounts of disorder. This provides further evidence for the extreme sensitivity of the magnetic properties of TbFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$ to small sample variations, even small amounts of disorder.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Flux pinning in (1111) iron-pnictide superconducting crystals

Local magnetic measurements are used to quantitatively characterize heterogeneity and flux line pinning in PrFeAsO_1-y and NdFeAs(O,F) superconducting single crystals. In spite of spatial fluctuations of the critical current density on the macroscopic scale, it is shown that the major contribution comes from collective pinning of vortex lines by microscopic defects by the mean-free path fluctuation mechanism. The defect density extracted from experiment corresponds to the dopant atom density, which means that dopant atoms play an important role both in vortex pinning and in quasiparticle scattering. In the studied underdoped PrFeAsO_1-y and NdFeAs(O,F) crystals, there is a background of strong pinning, which we attribute to spatial variations of the dopant atom density on the scale of a few dozen to one hundred nm. These variations do not go beyond 5% - we therefore do not find any evidence for coexistence of the superconducting and the antiferromagnetic phase. The critical current density in sub-T fields is characterized by the presence of a peak effect, the location of which in the (B,T)-plane is consistent with an order-disorder transition of the vortex lattice.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Neutron scattering and scaling behavior in URu2Zn20 and YbFe2Zn20

The dynamic susceptibility chi"(deltaE), measured by inelastic neutron scattering measurements, shows a broad peak centered at Emax = 16.5 meV for the cubic actinide compound URu2Zn20 and 7 meV at the (1/2, 1/2, 1/2) zone boundary for the rare earth counterpart compound YbFe2Zn20. For URu2Zn20, the low temperature susceptibility and magnetic specific heat coefficient gamma = Cmag/T take the values chi = 0.011 emu/mole and gamma = 190 mJ/mole-K2 at T = 2 K. These values are roughly three times smaller, and Emax is three times larger, than recently reported for the related compound UCo2Zn20, so that chi and gamma scale inversely with the characteristic energy for spin fluctuations, Tsf = Emax/kB. While chi(T), Cmag(T), and Emax of the 4f compound YbFe2Zn20 are very well described by the Kondo impurity model, we show that the model works poorly for URu2Zn20 and UCo2Zn20, suggesting that the scaling behavior of the actinide compounds arises from spin fluctuations of itinerant 5f electrons.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Uniaxial strain detwinning of CaFe2As2 and BaFe2As2: optical and transport study

TThe parent compounds of iron-arsenide superconductors, $A$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ ($A$=Ca, Sr, Ba), undergo a tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition at a temperature $T_{\mathrm{TO}}$ in the range 135 to 205K depending on the alkaline earth element. Below $T_{\mathrm{TO}}$ the free standing crystals split into equally populated structural domains, which mask intrinsic, in-plane, anisotropic properties of the materials. Here we demonstrate a way of mechanically detwinning CaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ and BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$. The detwinning is nearly complete, as demonstrated by polarized light imaging and synchrotron $X$-ray measurements, and reversible, with twin pattern restored after strain release. Electrical resistivity measurements in the twinned and detwinned states show that resistivity, $ρ$, decreases along the orthorhombic $a_{o}$-axis but increases along the orthorhombic $b_{o}$-axis in both compounds. Immediately below $T_{\mathrm{TO}}$ the ratio $ρ_{bo}/ ρ_{ao}$ = 1.2 and 1.5 for Ca and Ba compounds, respectively. Contrary to CaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ reveals an anisotropy in the nominally tetragonal phase, suggesting that either fluctuations play a larger role above $T_{\mathrm{TO}}$ in BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ than in CaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, or that there is a higher temperature crossover or phase transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Suppression of antiferromagnetic order and orthorhombic distortion in superconducting Ba(Fe0.961Rh0.039)2As2

Neutron diffraction and high-resolution x-ray diffraction studies find that, similar to the closely related underdoped Ba(Fe[1-x]Cox)2As2 superconducting compounds, Ba(Fe0.961Rh0.039)2As2 shows strong evidence of competition and coexistence between superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order below the superconducting transition, Tc = 14 K. The transition temperatures for both the magnetic order and orthorhombic distortion are in excellent agreement with those inferred from resistivity measurements, and both order parameters manifest a distinct decrease in magnitude below Tc. These data suggest that the strong interaction between magnetism and superconductivity is a general feature of electron-doped Ba(Fe[1-x]TMx)2As2 superconductors (TM = Transition Metal).

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Dispersion of the superconducting spin resonance in underdoped and antiferromagnetic Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements have been performed on underdoped Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 (x = 4.7%) where superconductivity and long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) order coexist. The broad magnetic spectrum found in the normal state develops into a magnetic resonance feature below TC that has appreciable dispersion along c-axis with a bandwidth of 3-4 meV. This is in contrast to the optimally doped x = 8.0% composition, with no long-range AFM order, where the resonance exhibits a much weaker dispersion [see Lumsden et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 107005 (2009)]. The results suggest that the resonance dispersion arises from interlayer spin correlations present in the AFM ordered state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Anomalous suppression of the orthorhombic distortion in superconducting Ba[Fe(1-x)Cox]2As2

High-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements reveal an unusually strong response of the lattice to superconductivity in Ba[Fe(1-x)Cox]2As2. The orthorhombic distortion of the lattice is suppressed and, for Co-doping near x = 0.063, the orthorhombic structure evolves smoothly back to a tetragonal structure. We propose that the coupling between orthorhombicity and superconductivity is indirect and arises due to the magneto-elastic coupling, in the form of emergent nematic order, and the strong competition between magnetism and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Doping dependence of heat transport in the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$: from isotropic to strongly $k$-dependent gap structure

The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the in-plane thermal conductivity $κ$ of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ was measured down to $T \simeq 50$ mK and up to $H = 15$ T as a function of Co concentration $x$ in the range 0.048 $ \leq x \leq $ 0.114. In zero magnetic field, a negligible residual linear term in $κ/T$ as $T \to 0$ at all $x$ shows that there are no zero-energy quasiparticles and hence the superconducting gap has no nodes in the $ab$-plane anywhere in the phase diagram. However, the field dependence of $κ$ reveals a systematic evolution of the superconducting gap with doping $x$, from large everywhere on the Fermi surface in the underdoped regime, as evidenced by a flat $κ(H)$ at $T \to 0$, to strongly $k$-dependent in the overdoped regime, where a small magnetic field can induce a large residual linear term, indicative of a deep minimum in the gap magnitude somewhere on the Fermi surface. This shows that the superconducting gap structure has a strongly $k$-dependent amplitude around the Fermi surface only outside the antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic phase.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

The magnetic form factor of iron in SrFe2As2

The iron magnetic form factor in SrFe2As2 has been determined by neutron diffraction and by density functional theory (DFT). As noted previously, the magnitude of the calculated moment using DFT is sensitive to the Fe-As distance. However, the shape of the calculated form factor is practically insensitive to the Fe-As distance, and further we show that the form factor closely resembles that of bcc iron, and agrees well with experiment. The spin density exhibits some anisotropy due to geometry and As hybridization.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Magneto-optical study of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_{x}$)$_2$As$_2$ (T=Co, Ni) single crystals irradiated with heavy-ions

Optimally doped single crystals of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ (T=Co, Ni) were irradiated with 1.4 GeV $^{208}$Pb$^{56+}$ ions at fluences corresponding to matching fields of $B_ϕ=0.1, 0.5, 1$ and 2 T. Magneto-optical imaging has been used to map the distribution of the magnetic induction in the irradiated samples. The imaging is complemented by the magnetization measurements. The results show a substantial enhancement of the apparent critical current densities as revealed by the much larger Bean penetration fields and an increase of the hysteretic magnetization. However, the effect depends on the compound, temperature and applied magnetic field. In \FeCo crystals, at 15 K and low fields, the enhancement appears to scale with the irradiation dose at a rate of about 0.27 MA$\cdot$cm$^{-2}$T$^{-1}$, whereas in \FeNi crystals, higher irradiation doses are less effective. Our results suggest that moderate irradiation with heavy ions is a an effective way to \emph{homogeneously} enhance the current-currying capabilities of pnictide superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Three-dimensional nodal superconducting gap in single crystals Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$

The London penetration depth, $λ$, is directly related to the density, $n_{s}$, of the Cooper pairs ($λ^{2}\propto 1/n_{s}$) and its variation with temperature provides valuable insight into the pairing mechanism. Here we study the evolution with doping of the temperature dependence of the in-plane ($λ_{ab}$) and out-of-plane ($λ_{c}$) penetration depths in single crystals of electron-doped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$. As is the case for other pnictides, $λ(T) \sim T^n$ over the whole doping range and this behavior extends down to at least $T=T_c/100$, setting a very small upper limit on the gap minimum. Furthermore, in the overdoped regime: 1) the exponent $n$ becomes substantially smaller than 2, which is incompatible with the models that explain power-law behavior to be due to scattering; 2) the exponent $n$ becomes anisotropic, with $λ_{c}(T)$ showing a clear $T$-linear behavior over a large temperature interval. These findings suggest that in the overdoped regime the superconducting gap in iron-based pnictide superconductors develops nodal structure, which unlike in the cuprates, cannot be understood within a two-dimensional picture.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Discovery of a binary icosahedral quasicrystal in Sc$_12$Zn$_88$

We report the discovery of a new binary icosahedral phase in a Sc-Zn alloy obtained through solution-growth, producing millimeter-sized, facetted, single grain, quasicrystals that exhibit different growth morphologies, pentagonal dodecahedra and rhombic triacontahedra, under only marginally different growth conditions. These two morphologies manifest different degrees of quasicrystalline order, or phason strain. The discovery of i-Sc$_12$Zn$_88$ suggests that a reexamination of binary phase diagrams at compositions close to crystalline approximant structures may reveal other, new binary quasicrystalline phases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗