arXiv subjects

R. Movshovich

Publications and source records attributed to R. Movshovich.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Observation of localized ferromagnetic resonance in a continuous ferromagnetic film via magnetic resonance force microscopy

We present Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM) measurements of Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) in a 50 nm thick permalloy film, tilted with respect to the direction of the external magnetic field. At small probe-sample distances the MRFM spectrum breaks up into multiple modes, which we identify as local ferromagnetic resonances confined by the magnetic field of the MRFM tip. Micromagnetic simulations support this identification of the modes and show they are stabilized in the region where the dipolar tip field has a component anti-parallel to the applied field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Low-temperature magneto-thermal transport investigation of a Ni-based superconductor BaNi2As2: Evidence for fully gapped superconductivity

We have performed low-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements of the Ni-based superconductor BaNi$_2$As$_2$ ($T_\mathrm{c}$ = 0.7 K) in magnetic field. In zero field, thermal conductivity shows $T$-linear behavior in the normal state and exhibits a BCS-like exponential decrease below $T_\mathrm{c}$. The field dependence of the residual thermal conductivity extrapolated to zero temperature is indicative of a fully gapped superconductor. This conclusion is supported by the analysis of the specific heat data, which are well fit by the BCS temperature dependence from $T_\mathrm{c}$ down to the lowest temperature of 0.1 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Ni$_2$X$_2$ (X=pnictide, chalcogenide, or B) Based Superconductors

We review the properties of Ni-based superconductors which contain Ni2X2 (X=As, P, Bi, Si, Ge, B) planes, a common structural element found also in the recently discovered FeAs superconductors. Strong evidence for the fully gapped nature of the superconducting state has come from field dependent thermal conductivity results on BaNi2As2. Coupled with the lack of magnetism, the majority of evidence suggests that the Ni-based compounds are conventional electron-phonon mediated superconductors. However, the increase in Tc in LaNiAsO with doping is anomalous, and mimics the behavior in LaFeAsO. Furthermore, comparisons of the properties of Ni- and Fe-based systems show many similarities, particularly with regards to structure-property relationships. This suggests a deeper connection between the physics of the FeAs superconductors and the related Ni-based systems which deserves further investigation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Isotropic Quantum Scattering and Unconventional Superconductivity

Superconductivity without phonons has been proposed for strongly correlated electron materials that are tuned close to a zero-temperature magnetic instability of itinerant charge carriers. Near this boundary, quantum fluctuations of magnetic degrees of freedom assume the role of phonons in conventional superconductors, creating an attractive interaction that glues electrons into superconducting pairs. Here we show that superconductivity can arise from a very different spectrum of fluctuations associated with a local or Kondo-breakdown quantum-critical point that is revealed in isotropic scattering of charge carriers and a sub-linear temperature-dependent electrical resistivity. At this critical point, accessed by applying pressure to the strongly correlated, local-moment antiferromagnet CeRhIn5, magnetic and charge fluctuations coexist and produce electronic scattering that is maximal at the optimal pressure for superconductivity. This previously unanticipated source of pairing glue opens possibilities for understanding and discovering new unconventional forms of superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

First Order Phase Transition and Superconductivity in BaNi2As2 Single Crystals

We report the synthesis and physical properties of single crystals of stoichiometric BaNi2As2 that crystalizes in the ThCr2Si2 structure with lattice parameters a = 4.112(4) Åand c = 11.54(2) Å. Resistivity and heat capacity show a first order phase transition at T_0 = 130 K with a thermal hysteresis of 7 K. The Hall coefficient is weakly temperature dependent from room temperature to 2 K where it has a value of -4x10^{-10} Ω-cm/Oe. Resistivity, ac-susceptibility, and heat capacity find evidence for bulk superconductivity at T_c = 0.7 K. The Sommerfeld coefficient at T_c is 11.6 \pm 0.9 mJ/molK^2. The upper critical field is anisotropic with initial slopes of dH_{c2}^{c}/dT = -0.19 T/K and dH_{c2}^{ab}/dT = -0.40 T/K, as determined by resistivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Spatial characterization of the magnetic field profile of a probe tip used in magnetic resonance force microscopy

We have developed the experimental approach to characterize spatial distribution of the magnetic field produced by cantilever tips used in magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM). We performed MRFM measurements on a well characterized diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) film and mapped the 3D field profile produced by a Nd2Fe14B probe tip. Using our technique field profiles of arbitrarily shaped probe magnets can be imaged.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Anisotropic effect of Cd and Hg doping on Pauli limited superconductor CeCoIn$_5$

We investigated the effect of Cd and Hg doping on the first order superconducting (SC) transition and the high field-low temperature SC state of CeCoIn$_5$ by measuring the specific heat of CeCo(In$_{\rm 1-x}$Cd$_{\rm x}$)$_5$ with x=0.0011, 0.0022 and 0.0033 and CeCo(In$_{\rm 1-x}$Hg$_{\rm x}$)$_5$ with x=0.00016, 0.00032, and 0.00048 at temperatures down to 0.1 K and fields up to 14 T. Cd substitution rapidly suppresses the cross-over temperature $T_{\rm 0}$, where the superconducting transition changes from second to first order, to $T$=0 K with x=0.0022 for $H\parallel$ [100], while it remains roughly constant up to x=0.0033 for $H\parallel$ [001]. The associated anomaly of the proposed FFLO state in Hg-doped samples is washed out by x=0.00048, while remaining at the same temperature, indicating high sensitivity of that state to impurities. We interpret these results as supporting the non-magnetic, possibly FFLO, origin of the high field - low temperature state in CeCoIn$_5$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Physical properties of the new Uranium ternary compounds U3Bi4M3 (M=Ni, Rh)

We report the properties of two new isostructural compounds, U3Bi4Ni3 and U3Bi4Rh3. The first of these compounds is non-metallic, and the second is a nearly ferromagnetic metal, both as anticipated from their electron count relative to other U-based members of the larger 3-4-3 family. For U3Bi4Rh3, a logarithmic increase of C/T below 3 K, a resistivity proportional to T^4/3, and the recovery of Fermi-liquid behavior in both properties with applied fields greater than 3T, suggest that U3Bi4Rh3 may be a new example of a material displaying ferromagnetic quantum criticality.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

NaV2O4: a Quasi-1D Metallic Antiferromagnet with Half-Metallic Chains

NaV2O4 crystals were grown under high pressure using a NaCl flux, and the crystals were characterized with X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, heat capacity, and magnetization. The structure of NaV2O4 consists of double chains of edge-sharing VO6 octahedra. The resistivity is highly anisotropic, with the resistivity perpendicular to the chains more than 20 times greater than that parallel to the chains. Magnetically, the intrachain interactions are ferromagnetic and the interchain interactions are antiferromagnetic; 3D antiferromagnetic order is established at 140 K. First principles electronic structure calculations indicate that the chains are half metallic. Interestingly, the case of NaV2O4 seems to be a quasi-1D analogue of what was found for half-metallic materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy on a thin permalloy film

Ferromagnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (FMRFM) offers a means of performing local ferromagnetic resonance. We have studied the evolution of the FMRFM force spectra in a continuous 50 nm thick permalloy film as a function of probe-film distance and performed numerical simulations of the intensity of the FMRFM probe-film interaction force, accounting for the presence of the localized strongly nonuniform magnetic field of the FMRFM probe magnet. Excellent agreement between the experimental data and the simulation results provides insight into the mechanism of FMR mode excitation in an FMRFM experiment.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

FFLO State and Peak Effect Dynamics in CeCoIn_5: Magnetization Studies

Magnetization measurements were performed on CeCoIn_5 at temperature down to 30 mK with the magnetic field applied in three different orientations: parallel, near parallel ($\sim$ 10$^{0}$ rotated) and perpendicular to the ab-plane. For these three orientations we have observed crossover features in the torque/magnetization traces at fields just below $H_{c2}$, giving further evidence for the formation of a high field Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state in CeCoIn_5 for $H \parallel ab$-plane and newly indicates that the FFLO state persists for out-of-plane field orientations. Furthermore, for the (near) parallel to $ab$-plane field configurations and $T\leq \mathrm{50 mK}$, we have found an anomalous peak effect(APE) just below the crossover field when the magnetic field is sweeping down from normal to superconducting state. The dynamics of this peak suggests the existence of a metastable phase occurring in the vicinity of the FFLO phase and raises questions about the order (first or second) of the transition from FFLO to the superconducting state. None of the above features were found in a Ce_{0.98}Gd_{0.02}CoIn_{5} crystal.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic Excitations of the 2-D Sm Spin Layers in Sm(La,Sr)CuO4

We present specific heat and susceptibility data on Sm(La,Sr)CuO4 in magnetic fields up to 9 T and temperatures down to 100 mK. We find a broad peak in specific heat which is insensitive to magnetic field at a temperature of 1.5 K with a value of 2.65 J/mol K. The magnetic susceptibility at 5 T continues to increase down to 2 K, the lowest temperature measured. The data suggest that the Sm spin system may be an ideal realization of the frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Hidden Magnetism and Quantum Criticality in the Heavy Fermion Superconductor CeRhIn5

With understood exceptions, conventional superconductivity does not coexist with long-range magnetic order[1]. In contrast, unconventional superconductivity develops near a boundary separating magnetically ordered and magnetically disordered phases[2,3]. A maximum in the superconducting transition temperature Tc develops where this boundary extrapolates to T=0 K, suggesting that fluctuations associated with this magnetic quantum-critical point are essential for unconventional superconductivity[4,5]. Invariably though, unconventional superconductivity hides the magnetic boundary when T < Tc, preventing proof of a magnetic quantum-critical point[5]. Here we report specific heat measurements of the pressure-tuned unconventional superconductor CeRhIn5 in which we find a line of quantum-phase transitions induced inside the superconducting state by an applied magnetic field. This quantum-critical line separates a phase of coexisting antiferromagnetism and superconductivity from a purely unconventional superconducting phase and terminates at a quantum tetracritical point where the magnetic field completely suppresses superconductivity. The T->0 K magnetic field-pressure phase diagram of CeRhIn5 is well described with a theoretical model[6,7] developed to explain field-induced magnetism in the high-Tc cuprates but in which a clear delineation of quantum-phase boundaries has not been possible. These experiments establish a common relationship among hidden magnetism, quantum criticality and unconventional superconductivity in cuprate and heavy-electron systems, such as CeRhIn5.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Pressure Study of Quantum Criticality in CeCoIn5

We report resistivity measurements in the normal state of CeCoIn5 down to 40 mK and simultaneously in magnetic fields up to 9 T in the [001] crystallographic direction and under pressures up to 1.3 GPa. At ambient pressure the data are consistent with a field tuned quantum critical point coincident with the superconducting upper critical field H_{c2}, as observed previously. We find that with increasing pressure the quantum critical point moves inside the superconducting dome to lower fields. Thus, we can rule out that superconductivity is directly responsible for the non-Fermi liquid behavior in CeCoIn5. Instead, the data point toward an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point scenario.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

c-axis magnetotransport in CeCoIn$_{5}$

We present the results of out-of-plane electrical transport measurements on the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_{5}$ at temperatures from 40 mK to 400 K and in magnetic field up to 9 T. For $T <$ 10 K transport measurements show that the zero-field resistivity $ρ_{c}$ changes linearly with temperature and extrapolates nearly to zero at 0 K, indicative of non-Fermi-liquid (nFL) behavior associated with a quantum critical point (QCP). The longitudinal magnetoresistance (LMR) of CeCoIn$_{5}$ for fields applied parallel to the c-axis is negative and scales as $B/(T+T^{*})$ between 50 and 100 K, revealing the presence of a single-impurity Kondo energy scale $T^{*} \sim 2$ K. Beginning at 16 K a small positive LMR feature is evident for fields less than 3 tesla that grows in magnitude with decreasing temperature. For higher fields the LMR is negative and increases in magnitude with decreasing temperature. This sizable negative magnetoresistance scales as $B{^2}/T$ from 2.6 K to roughly 8 K, and it arises from an extrapolated residual resistivity that becomes negative and grows quadratically with field in the nFL temperature regime. Applying a magnetic field along the c-axis with B $>$ B$_{c2}$ restores Fermi-liquid behavior in $ρ_{c}(T)$ at $T$ less than 130 mK. Analysis of the $T{^2}$ resistivity coefficient's field-dependence suggests that the QCP in CeCoIn$_{5}$ is located \emph{below} the upper critical field, inside the superconducting phase. These data indicate that while high-$T$ c-axis transport of CeCoIn$_{5}$ exhibits features typical for a heavy fermion system, low-$T$ transport is governed both by spin fluctuations associated with the QCP and Kondo interactions that are influenced by the underlying complex electronic structure intrinsic to the anisotropic CeCoIn$_{5}$ crystal structure.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Field-Tuned Quantum Critical Point in CeCoIn$_5$ Near the Superconducting Upper Critical Field

We report a systematic study of high magnetic field specific heat and resistivity in single crystals of CeCoIn_5 for the field oriented in the basal plane (H//ab) of this tetragonal heavy fermion superconductor. We observe a divergent electronic specific heat as well as an enhanced A coefficient of the T^{2} law in resistivity at the lowest temperatures, as the field approaches the upper critical field of the superconducting transition. Together with the results for field along the tetragonal axis (H//c), the emergent picture is that of a magnetic field tuned quantum critical point which exists in the vicinity of the superconducting H_{c2} despite a variation of a factor of 2.4 in H_{c2} for different field orientations. This suggests an underlying physical reason exists for the superconducting H_{c2} to coincide with the quantum critical field. Moreover, we show that the recovery of a Fermi Liquid ground state with increasing magnetic field is more gradual, meaning that the fluctuations responsible for the observed quantum critical phenomena are more robust with respect to magnetic field, when the magnetic field is applied in-plane. Together with the close proximity of the quantum critical point and H_{c2} in CeCoIn_5 for both field orientation, the anisotropy in the recovery of the Fermi liquid state might constitute an important piece of information in identifying the nature of the fluctuations that become critical.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Superconductivity in CeCoIn5-xSnx: Veil Over an Ordered State or Novel Quantum Critical Point?

Measurements of specific heat and electrical resistivity in magnetic fields up to 9 T along [001] and temperatures down to 50 mK of Sn-substituted CeCoIn5 are reported. The maximal -ln(T) divergence of the specific heat at the upper critical field H_{c2} down to the lowest temperature characteristic of non-Fermi liquid systems at the quantum critical point (QCP), the universal scaling of the Sommerfeld coefficient, and agreement of the data with spin-fluctuation theory, provide strong evidence for quantum criticality at H_{c2} for all x < 0.12 in CeCoIn5-xSnx. These results indicate the "accidental" coincidence of the QCP located near H_{c2} in pure CeCoIn5, in actuality, constitute a novel quantum critical point associated with unconventional superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Non-Fermi Liquid behavior in CeIrIn$_5$ near a metamagnetic transition

We present specific heat and resistivity study of CeIrIn5 in magnetic fields up to 17 T and temperature down to 50 mK. Both quantities were measured with the magnetic field parallel to the c-axis (H || [001]) and within the a-b plane (H \perp [001]). Non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior develops above 12 T for H || [001]. The Fermi liquid state is much more robust for H \perp [001] and is suppressed only moderately at the highest applied field. Based on the observed trends and the proximity to a metamagnetic phase transition, which exists at fields above 25 T for H || [001], we suggest that the observed NFL behavior in CeIrIn5 is a consequence of a metamagnetic quantum critical point.

cond-mat.str-el↗