arXiv subjects

Phillip M. Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Phillip M. Wu.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Fe-vacancy ordered Fe4Se5: The insulating parent phase of FeSe superconductor

We have carried out a detailed study to investigate the existence of an insulating parent phase for FeSe superconductor. The insulating Fe4Se5 with specific Fe-vacancy order shows a 3D-Mott variable range hopping behavior with a Verwey-like electronic correlation at around 45 K. The application of the RTA process at 450 celcius degree results in the destruction of Fe-vacancy order and induces more electron carriers by increasing the Fe3+ valence state. Superconductivity emerges with Tc ~ 8K without changing the chemical stoichiometry of the sample after the RTA process by resulting in the addition of extra carriers in favor of superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Disordered Fe vacancies and superconductivity in potassium-intercalated iron selenide (K2-xFe4+ySe5)

The parent compound of an unconventional superconductor must contain unusual correlated electronic and magnetic properties of its own. In the high-Tc potassium intercalated FeSe, there has been significant debate regarding what the exact parent compound is. Our studies unambiguously show that the Fe-vacancy ordered K2Fe4Se5 is the magnetic, Mott insulating parent compound of the superconducting state. Non-superconducting K2Fe4Se5 becomes a superconductor after high temperature annealing, and the overall picture indicates that superconductivity in K2-xFe4+ySe5 originates from the Fe-vacancy order to disorder transition. Thus, the long pending question whether magnetic and superconducting state are competing or cooperating for cuprate superconductors may also apply to the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors. It is believed that the iron selenides and related compounds will provide essential information to understand the origin of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors, and possibly to the superconducting cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

What Tc Tells

Superconductivity has continued to be a fascinating phenomenon ever since its discovery in 1911. The magnitude of the transition temperature, Tc, provides valuable insight into the underlying physics. Here we provide select examples of the extensive research that has been done towards understanding Tc, and some cases where further investigation is called for. We believe that searching for new and enhanced Tc's remains a fertile frontier.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Novel Differential Conductance Oscillations in Asymmetric Quantum Point Contacts

Small differential conductance oscillations as a function of source-drain bias were observed and systematically studied in an asymmetric quantum point contact (QPC). These oscillations become significantly suppressed in a small in-plane magnetic field ($\sim~0.7~T$) or at higher temperatures ($\sim~800~mK$). Qualitatively, their temperature evolution can be simulated numerically based on smearing of the Fermi distribution, whereas features near zero-bias cannot. Single particle scenarios are unsatisfactory in accounting for the oscillations, suggesting that they are likely caused by electron and spin correlation effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Point-contact tunneling spectroscopy measurement of Cu$_x$TiSe$_2$: disorder-enhanced Coulomb effects

We performed point-contact spectroscopy tunneling measurements on Cu$_x$TiSe$_2$ bulk with $x=0.02$ and $0.06$ at temperatures ranging from $T=4-40$ K and observe a suppression in the density of states around zero-bias that we attribute to enhanced Coulomb interactions due to disorder. We find that the correlation gap associated with this suppression is related to the zero-temperature resistivity. We use our results to estimate the disorder-free transition temperature and find that the clean limit $T_{c0}$ is close to the experimentally observed $T_c$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Quasibound States and Evidence for a Spin 1 Kondo Effect in Asymmetric Quantum Point Contacts

Linear conductance below $2e^2/h$ shows resonance peaks in highly asymmetric quantum point contacts (QPCs). As the channel length increases, the number of peaks also increases. At the same time, differential conductance exhibits zero bias anomalies (ZBAs) in correspondence with every other peak in the linear conductance. This even odd effect, observable in the longer channels, is consistent with the formation of quasi-localized states within the QPC. In rare cases, triple peaks are observed, indicating the formation of a spin one Kondo effect when the electron filling number is even. Changing the gate voltage tunes this spin triplet to a singlet which exhibits no ZBA. The triple-peak provides the first evidence suggestive of a spin singlet triplet transition in a QPC, and the presence of a ferromagnetic spin interaction between electrons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Single Phase Slip Limited Switching Current in 1-Dimensional Superconducting Al Nanowires

An Aluminum nanowire switches from superconducting to normal as the current is increased in an upsweep. The switching current (I_s) averaged over upsweeps approximately follows the depairing critical current (I_c) but falls below it. Fluctuations in I_s exhibit three distinct regions of behaviors and are non-monotonic in temperature: saturation well below the critical temperature T_c, an increase as T^{2/3} at intermediate temperatures, and a rapid decrease close to T_c. Heat dissipation analysis indicates that a single phase slip is able to trigger switching at low and intermediate temperatures, whereby the T^{2/3} dependence arises from the thermal activation of a phase slip, while saturation at low temperatures provides striking evidence that the phase slips by macroscopic quantum tunneling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Retrapping Current, Self-Heating, and Hysteretic Current-Voltage Curves in Ultra-Narrow Superconducting Aluminum Nanowires

Hysteretic I-V (current-voltage) is studied in narrow Al nanowires. The nanowires have a cross section as small as 50 nm^2. We focus on the retapping current in a down-sweep of the current, at which a nanowire re-enters the superconducting state from a normal state. The retrapping current is found to be significantly smaller than the switching current at which the nanowire switches into the normal state from a superconducting state during a current up-sweep. For wires of different lengths, we analyze the heat removal due to various processes, including electronic and phonon processes. For a short wires 1.5 um in length, electronic thermal conduction is effective; for longer wires 10um in length, phonon conduction becomes important. We demonstrate that the measured retrapping current as a function of temperature can be quantitatively accounted for by the selfheating occurring in the normal portions of the nanowires to better than 20 % accuracy. For the phonon processes, the extracted thermal conduction parameters support the notion of a reduced phase-space below 3-dimensions, consistent with the phonon thermal wavelength having exceeded the lateral dimensions at temperatures below ~ 1.3K. Nevertheless, surprisingly the best fit was achieved with a functional form corresponding to 3-dimensional phonons, albeit requiring parameters far exceeding known values in the literature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Structural Phase Transformations in Iron-Chalcogen under High Pressures

We report high pressure structural phase transformation sequence in a layered Iron-based superconducting compound FeSe0.3Te0.7 to 31 GPa at room temperature. The ambient pressure PbO type tetragonal phase (Space Group - P4/nmm) transforms to a monoclinic phase (Space group - P21/m) at a pressure of 7.3 \pm 0.9 GPa. This monoclinic phase is similar to the one observed below 100 K at ambient pressure. On further increase of pressure above 12 GPa, a transformation to an amorphous phase is observed that is completed by 20 GPa. The amorphous phase is found to be stable to the highest pressure of 31 GPa. This structural sequence of tetragonal \to monoclinic \to amorphous phase transformation appears to be a common feature of iron-based layered superconductors under compression. The pressure induced structural phase transformations are likely to play a key role in the superconductivity in these materials at high pressures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Structural phase transition in TmxFe1-xSe0.85 (Tm = Mn and Cu) and its relation to superconductivity

In this letter, we report the results of detailed studies on Mn- and Cu-substitution to Fe-site of beta-FeSe, namely MnxFe1-xSe0.85 and CuxFe1-xSe0.85. The results show that with only 10 at% Cu-doping the compound becomes a Mott insulator. Detailed temperature dependent structural analyses of these Mn- and Cu-substituted compounds show that the structural transition, which is associated with the changes in the building block FeSe4 tetrahedron, is essential to the occurrence of superconductivity in beta-FeSe.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Tellurium substitution effect on superconductivity of the alpha-phase Iron Selenide

We have carried out a systematic study of the PbO-type compound FeSe_{1-x}Te_x (x = 0~1), where Te substitution effect on superconductivity is investigated. It is found that superconducting transition temperature reaches a maximum of Tc=15.2K at about 50% Te substitution. The pressure-enhanced Tc of FeSe0.5Te0.5 is more than 10 times larger than that of FeSe. Interestingly, FeTe is no longer superconducting. A low temperature structural distortion changes FeTe from triclinic symmetry to orthorhombic symmetry. We believe that this structural change breaks the magnetic symmetry and suppresses superconductivity in FeTe.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Superconductivity in the PbO-type Structure alpha-FeSe

The recent discovery of superconductivity with relatively high transition temperature Tc in the layered iron-based quaternary oxypnictides La[ O1-xFx] FeAs was a real surprise. The excitement generated can be seen by the number of subsequent works published within a very short period of time. Although there exists superconductivity in alloy that contains Fe element, LaOMPn (with M= Fe, Ni; and Pn=P and As) is the first system where Fe-element plays the key role to the occurrence of superconductivity. LaOMPn has a layered crystal structure with an Fe-based plane. It is quite natural to ask whether there exists other Fe based planar compounds that exhibit superconductivity. Here we report the observation of superconductivity with zero resistance transition temperature at 8K in the PbO-type alpha-FeSe compound. Although FeSe has been studied quite extensively, a key observation is that the clean superconducting phase exists only in those samples prepared with intentional Se deficiency. What is truly striking, is that this compound has the same, perhaps simpler, planar crystal sublattice as the layered oxypnictides. Furthermore, FeSe is, compared with LaOFeAs, much easier to handle and fabricate. In view of the abundance of compounds with PbO type structure, this result opens a new route to the search for unconventional superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗