arXiv subjects

Z. Q. Mao

Publications and source records attributed to Z. Q. Mao.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

Universal Heat Transport in Sr2RuO4

We present the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity kappa(T) of the unconventional superconductor Sr_2RuO_4 down to low temperatures (100 mK). In T -> 0 K limit we found a finite residual term in kappa/T, providing clear evidence for the superconducting state with an unconventional pairing. The residual term remains unchanged for samples with different T_c, demonstrating the universal character of heat transport in this spin-triplet superconductor. The low-temperature behavior of kappa suggests the strong impurity scattering with a phase shift close to pi/2. A criterion for the observation of universality is experimentally deduced.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Experimental determination of superconducting parameters for the intermetallic perovskite superconductor ${\text {MgCNi}}_3

We have measured upper-critical-field $H_{\text c2}$, specific heat C, and tunneling spectra of the intermetallic perovskite superconductor MgCNi${}_3$ with a superconducting transition temperature $T_{\text c}\approx 7.6$ K. Based on these measurements and relevant theoretical relations, we have evaluated various superconducting parameters for this material, including the thermodynamic critical field $H_{\text c}$(0), coherence length $ξ$(0), penetration depth $λ$(0), lower-critical-field $H_{\text c1}$(0), and Ginsberg-Landau parameter $κ$(0). From the specific heat, we obtain the Debye temperature $\it Θ_{\text D} \approx$ 280 K. We find a jump of $ΔC/γT_{\text c}$=2.3 at $T_{\text c}$ (where $\it γ$ is the normal state electronic specific coefficient), which is much larger than the weak coupling BCS value of 1.43. Our tunneling measurements revealed a gap feature in the tunneling spectra at $\it Δ$ with $2\it Δ/{\text k}_{\text B}T_{\text c}\approx$ 4.6, again larger than the weak-coupling value of 3.53. Both findings indicate that MgCNi$_3$ is a strong-coupling superconductor. In addition, we observed a pronounced zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in the tunneling spectra. We discuss the possible physical origins of the observed ZBCP, especially in the context of the pairing symmetry of the material.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Elastic Tensor of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$

The six independent elastic constants of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ were determined using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy on a high-quality single-crystal specimen. The constants are in excellent agreement with those obtained from pulse-echo experiments performed on a sample cut from the same ingot. A calculation of the Debye temperature using the measured constants agrees well with values obtained from both specific heat and Mössbauer measurements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Observation of Andreev Surface Bound States in the 3-K phase Region of Sr_2RuO_4

The tunneling spectrum of the superconducting phase with T_c ~ 3.0 K has been measured in the Ru-embedded region of Sr_2RuO_4 using cleaved junctions. A sharp zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) has been observed below 3 K. All characteristics of this ZBCP suggest that it originates from Andreev surface bound states, indicating that the pairing in the 3-K phase is also non-s-wave. Below the bulk T_c of Sr_2RuO_4 (~1.5 K), a bell-shaped ZBCP was found. This supports that there is a phase transition in the 3-K phase region near the bulk T_c.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Surface electronic structure of Sr2RuO4

We have addressed the possibility of surface ferromagnetism in Sr2RuO4 by investigating its surface electronic states by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). By cleaving samples under different conditions and using various photon energies, we have isolated the surface from the bulk states. A comparison with band structure calculations indicates that the ARPES data are most readily explained by a nonmagnetic surface reconstruction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Anisotropy of magnetothermal conductivity in Sr2RuO4

The dependence of in-plane and interplane thermal conductivities of Sr2RuO4 on temperature, as well as magnetic field strength and orientation, is reported. We found no notable anisotropy in the thermal conductivity for the magnetic field rotation parallel to the conducting plane in the whole range of experimental temperatures and fields, except in the vicinity of the upper critical field Hc2, where the anisotropy of the Hc2 itself plays a dominant role. This finding imposes strong constraints on the possible models of superconductivity in Sr2RuO4 and supports the existence of a superconducting gap with a line of nodes running orthogonal to the Fermi surface cylinder.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Ultrasound Attenuation in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$: an Angle-Resolved Study of the Superconducting Gap Function

We present a study of the electronic ultrasound attenuation $α$ in the unconventional superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ . The power law behavior of $α$ at temperatures down to $T_c/30$ clearly indicates the presence of nodes in the gap. In the normal state, we find an enormous anisotropy of $α$ in the basal plane of the tetragonal structure. In the superconducting state, the temperature dependence of $α$ also exhibits significant anisotropy. We discuss these results in relation to possible gap functions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Electrical Transport Properties of Single Crystal Sr3Ru2O7: The Possible Existence of an Antiferromagnetic Instability at Low Temperatures

We report the results of Hall coefficient R_H and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements on single crystalline samples of Sr3Ru2O7 grown by the floating zone method. R_H was found to be positive over the entire temperature range studied (0.3 - 300K). Its temperature (T) dependence follows closely that of the magnetic susceptibility, including a maximum at a characteristic temperature T=17 K. We show that R_H can be decomposed into normal and anomalous parts as in the case of skew scattering in heavy-fermion compounds and ferromagnetic metals. This, together with the observation that the longitudinal MR is greater than the transverse MR at the same magnetic field and temperature, suggests that magnetic fluctuations dominate the electrical transport properties in Sr3Ru2O7. We found a crossover in the sign of the MR at T*, from positive to negative as the temperature increased, for both the transverse and the longitudinal configurations. In addition, a non-monotonic behavior in the field dependence of the MR was found at low temperatures. These observations suggest that the magnetic correlations in Sr3Ru2O7 at ambient pressure undergo a qualitative change as the temperature is lowered. Above T*, they are dominated by ferromagnetic instability. However, below T*, the system crosses over to a different behavior, controlled possibly by a canted antiferromagnetic instability.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Fermi surface of Sr2RuO4 from angle resolved photoemission

We investigated the low-energy electronic structure of Sr2RuO4 by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) focusing, in particular, on the controversial issues of the Fermi surface (FS) topology and of the extended van Hove singularity (evHs). A detailed study of temperature and photon energy dependence demonstrates the surface-state nature of the electronic band responsible for the evHs, and may suggest the presence of ferromagnetic correlations at the surface. In addition, we detected a replica of the primary FS that indicates a (sqrt2 x sqrt2) surface reconstruction, as confirmed by LEED. In light of these findings, the FS determined by ARPES is consistent with LDA and de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) results, and it provides additional information on the detailed shape of the alpha, beta and gamma sheets. Also, at this stage, because of the strong sensitivity of the cleaved surface, we could not find any robust signature of the crossover from 2D to 3D Fermi liquid behavior in our ARPES measurements for T<130 K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Fermi Surface, Surface States, and Surface Reconstruction in Sr2RuO4

The electronic structure of Sr2RuO4 is investigated by high angular resolution ARPES at several incident photon energies. We address the controversial issues of the Fermi surface (FS) topology and of the van Hove singularity at the M point, showing that a surface state and the replica of the primary FS due to (sqrt2 x sqrt2) surface reconstruction are responsible for previous conflicting interpretations. The FS thus determined by ARPES is consistent with the de Haas-van Alphen results, and it provides additional information on the detailed shape of the alpha, beta and gamma sheets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

A reconstruction from small-angle neutron scattering measurements of the real space magnetic field distribution in the mixed state of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$

We have measured the diffracted neutron scattering intensities from the square magnetic flux lattice in the perovskite superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, which is thought to exhibit p-wave pairing with a two-component order parameter. The relative intensities of different Bragg reflections over a wide range of field and temperature have been shown to be inconsistent with a single component Ginzburg-Landau theory but qualitatively agree with a two component p-wave Ginzburg-Landau theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Vortex lattice structures and pairing symmetry in Sr2RuO4

Recent experimental results indicate that superconductivity in Sr2RuO4 is described by the p-wave E_u representation of the D_{4h} point group. Results on the vortex lattice structures for this representation are presented. The theoretical results are compared with experiment.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Cyclotron Resonance in the Layered Perovskite Superconductor Sr2RuO4

We have measured the cyclotron masses in Sr2RuO4 through the observation of periodic-orbit-resonances - a magnetic resonance technique closely related to cyclotron resonance. We obtain values for the alpha, beta and gamma Fermi surfaces of (4.33+/-0.05)me, (5.81+/-0.03)me and (9.71+/-0.11)me respectively. The appreciable differences between these results and those obtained from de Haas- van Alphen measurements are attributable to strong electron-electron interactions in this system. Our findings appear to be consistent with predictions for a strongly interacting Fermi liquid; indeed, semi-quantitative agreement is obtained for the electron pockets beta and gamma.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1999

Selection Rule in Josephson Coupling between In and Sr2RuO4

We have studied the Josephson coupling between a conventional s-wave superconductor (In) and Sr2RuO4 and found that the coupling is allowed in the in-plane direction, but not along the c axis. This selection rule indicates that the symmetry of superconducting order parameter of Sr2RuO4 is either p- or alternatively, purely d-wave. If Sr2RuO4 is a p-wave superconductor, as strongly favored by other experimental evidence, our result suggests that the pairing state of Sr2RuO4 is Gamma5 with d(k) = z(kx +/- iky), a nodeless state in which the spins of the superconducting electrons lie in the RuO2 planes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv1998

Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking Superconductivity in Sr2RuO4

We report muon spin relaxation measurements on the superconductor Sr2RuO4 that reveal the spontaneous appearance of an internal magnetic field below the transition temperature: the appearance of such a field indicates that the superconducting state in this material is characterized by the breaking of time-reversal symmetry. These results, combined with other symmetry considerations, suggest that superconductivity in Sr2RuO4 is of p-wave (odd-parity) type, analogous to superfluid 3He.

cond-mat.supr-con↗