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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Scanning SQUID study of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates

Infinite-layer nickelates R 1-x Sr x NiO 2 (R = La, Pr, Nd) are a class of superconductors with structural similarities to cuprates. Although long-range antiferromagnetic order has not been observed for these materials, magnetic effects such as antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and spin-glass behavior have been reported. Different experiments have drawn different conclusions about whether the pairing symmetry is s or d wave. In this paper, we applied a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) to probe the magnetic behavior of film samples of three infinite-layer nickelates (La 0.85 Sr 0.15 NiO 2 , Pr 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 , and Nd 0.775 Sr 0.225 NiO 2 ) grown on SrTiO 3 (STO), each with a nominal thickness of 20 unit cells. In all three films, we observed a ferromagnetic background. We also measured the magnetic susceptibility above the superconducting critical temperature in Pr 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 and La 0.85 Sr 0.15 NiO 2 and identified a non-Curie-Weiss dynamic susceptibility. Both magnetic features are likely due to NiO x nanoparticles. We investigated superconductivity in Pr 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 and Nd 0.775 Sr 0.225 NiO 2 , which exhibited inhomogeneous diamagnetic screening. The superfluid density inferred from the diamagnetic susceptibility in relatively homogeneous regions shows T-linear behavior in both samples. Finally, we observed superconducting vortices in Nd 0.775 Sr 0.225 NiO 2 . We determined a Pearl length of 330 µm for Nd 0.775 Sr 0.225 NiO 2 at 300 mK, both from the strength of the diamagnetism and from the size and shape of the vortices. These results highlight the importance of considering NiO x particles when interpreting experimental results for these films.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Possible unconventional pairing in ( Ca , Sr ) 3 ( Ir , Rh ) 4 Sn 13 superconductors revealed by controlling disorder

Here we study the evolution of temperature-dependent resistivity with added pointlike disorder induced by 2.5 MeV electron irradiation in stoichiometric compositions of the “3-4-13” stannides, (Ca,Sr) 3 (Ir,Rh) 4 Sn 13 . Three of these cubic compounds exhibit a proposed microscopic coexistence of charge density wave (CDW) order and superconductivity (SC), while Ca 3 Rh 4 Sn 13 does not develop CDW order. As expected, the CDW transition temperature T CDW is universally suppressed by irradiation in all three compositions. The superconducting transition temperature, T c , behaves in a more complex manner. In Sr 3 Rh 4 Sn 13 , it increases initially in a way consistent with a direct competition of CDW and SC, but quickly saturates at higher irradiation doses. In the other three compounds, T c is monotonically suppressed by irradiation. The strongest suppression is found in Ca 3 Rh 4 Sn 13 , which does not have CDW order. We further examine this composition by measuring the London penetration depth λ(T), from which we derive the superfluid density. The result unambiguously points to a weak-coupling, full single gap, isotropic superconducting state. Therefore we must explain two seemingly incompatible experimental observations: a single isotropic superconducting gap and a significant suppression of T c by nonmagnetic disorder. We conduct a quantitative theoretical analysis based on a generalized Anderson theorem which points to an unconventional multiband s +– -pairing state where the sign of the order parameter is different on one (or a small subset) of the smaller Fermi surface sheets but remains isotropic and overall fully gapped.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

In Situ Local Imaging of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in RbEuFe 4 As 4

The coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism is an intrinsically interesting research focus in condensed matter physics but the study is limited by low superconducting (T c ) and magnetic (T m ) transition temperatures in related materials. Here, we used a scanning superconducting quantum interference device to image the in-situ diamagnetic and ferromagnetic responses of RbEuFe 4 As 4 with high T c and T m . We observed significant suppression of superfluid density in vicinity of the magnetic phase transition, signifying fluctuation-enhanced magnetic scatterings between Eu spins and Fe 3d conduction electrons. Intriguingly, we observed multiple ferromagnetic domains which should be absent in an ideal magnetic helical phase. The formation of these domains demonstrates a weak c-axis ferromagnetic component probably arising from Eu spin-canting effect, indicative of possible superconductivity-driven domain Meissner and domain vortex-antivortex phases as revealed in EuFe 2 (As 0.79 P 0.21 ) 2 . Finally, our observations highlight RbEuFe 4 As 4 is a unique system which includes multiple interplay channels between superconductivity and ferromagnetism.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiband superconductivity in V 3 Si determined from studying the response to controlled disorder

The London penetration depth, λ(T), was measured in a single crystal V 3 Si. The superfluid density obtained from this measurement shows a distinct signature of two almost decoupled superconducting gaps. This alone is insufficient to distinguish between s ± and s ++ pairing states, but it can be achieved by studying the effect of a controlled non-magnetic disorder on the superconducting transition temperature, T c . For this purpose, the same V 3 Si crystal was sequentially irradiated by 2.5 MeV electrons three times, repeating the measurement between the irradiation runs. A total dose of 10 C/cm 2 (6.24 × 10 19 electrons/cm 2 ) was accumulated, for which T c has changed from 16.4 K in a pristine state to 14.7 K (9.3 %). This substantial suppression is impossible for a single isotropic gap, but also it is not large enough for a sign-changing s± pairing state. Our electronic band-structure calculations show how five bands crossing the Fermi energy can be naturally grouped to support two effective gaps, not dissimilar from the iron pnictides physics. We analyze the results using two-gap models for both, λ(T) and T c , which describe the data very well. Finally, the experimental results and theoretical analysis provide strong support for an s ++ superconductivity with two unequal gaps, Δ 1 (0) ≈ 2.53 meV and Δ 2 (0) ≈ 1.42 meV, and a very weak inter-band coupling in V 3 Si superconductor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Biexciton Condensation in Electron-Hole-Doped Hubbard Bilayers: A Sign-Problem-Free Quantum Monte Carlo Study

The bilayer Hubbard model with electron-hole doping is an ideal platform to study excitonic orders due to suppressed recombination via spatial separation of electrons and holes. However, suffering from the sign problem, previous quantum Monte Carlo studies could not arrive at an unequivocal conclusion regarding the presence of phases with clear signatures of excitonic condensation in bilayer Hubbard models. Here, we develop a determinant quantum Monte Carlo algorithm for the bilayer Hubbard model that is sign-problem-free for equal and opposite doping in the two layers and study excitonic order and charge and spin density modulations as a function of chemical potential difference between the two layers, on-site Coulomb repulsion, and interlayer interaction. In the intermediate coupling regime and in proximity to the SU(4)-symmetric point, we find a biexcitonic condensate phase at finite electron-hole doping, as well as a competing (π, π) charge density wave state. In this study, we extract the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature from superfluid density and a finite-size scaling analysis of the correlation functions and explain our results in terms of an effective biexcitonic hard-core boson model.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1996

Heat Capacity of Superfluid (sup 4)He in the Presence of a Heat Current Near T

The thermodynamic theory of superfluid helium in the presence of a heat current is presented. We show that there is a thermodynamic relation between the heat capacity and the expression ps(W), which describes the depression of the superfluid density with the counterflow velocity W. Using this relation we show that the heat capacity of superfluid super4He in the presence of a heat current diverges at a depressed lambda transition temperature, suggesting the possibility of a new second order phase transition where the superfluid wave function is not the order parameter.

superfluid helium thermodynamic↗
DOE OSTI2023

Linear magnetic susceptibility of anisotropic superconductors of cuboidal shape

In this study, a simplified model of anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in the Meissner–London vortex-free state of cuboidal superconducting samples is presented. Using this model, precision measurements of the magnetic response in three perpendicular directions of a magnetic field with respect to primary crystal axes can be used to extract the components of the London penetration depth, thus enabling the evaluation of the general superfluid density tensor, which is needed in the analysis of the superconducting gap structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2002

Theoretical Studies of Liquid He-4 Near the Superfluid Transition

We performed theoretical studies of liquid helium by applying state of the art simulation and finite-size scaling techniques. We calculated universal scaling functions for the specific heat and superfluid density for various confining geometries relevant for experiments such as the confined helium experiment and other ground based studies. We also studied microscopically how the substrate imposes a boundary condition on the superfluid order parameter as the superfluid film grows layer by layer. Using path-integral Monte Carlo, a quantum Monte Carlo simulation method, we investigated the rich phase diagram of helium monolayer, bilayer and multilayer on a substrate such as graphite. We find excellent agreement with the experimental results using no free parameters. Finally, we carried out preliminary calculations of transport coefficients such as the thermal conductivity for bulk or confined helium systems and of their scaling properties. All our studies provide theoretical support for various experimental studies in microgravity.

Manousakis, Efstratios↗
DOE OSTI2022

Intermediate scattering potential strength in electron-irradiated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ from London penetration depth measurements

Temperature-dependent London penetration depth, λ(T), of a high quality optimally-doped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ single crystal was measured using tunnel-diode-resonator technique. Controlled artificial disorder was induced by low-temperature 20 K irradiation by 2.5 MeV electrons at two large doses of 3.8 x 10 19 and 5.3 x 10 19 electrons per cm 2 . The irradiation caused significant suppression of the superconductor's critical temperature, T c , from 94.6 K to 90.0 K, and to 78.7 K, respectively. The low-temperature behavior of λ(T) evolves from a T-linear in pristine state to a T 2 behavior after irradiation, expected for a line-nodal d-wave superconductor. However, the original theory that explained such behavior assumed a unitary limit of the scattering potential, whereas usually in normal metals and semiconductors, Born scattering is sufficient to describe the experiment. To estimate the scattering potential strength, we calculated the superfluid density, ρ s (t = T/T c ) = λ 2 (0)/λ 2 (T), varying the amount and strength of non-magnetic scattering using a self-consistent t-matrix theory. Fitting the obtained curves to a power law, ρ s = 1 - Rt n , and to a polynomial, ρ s = 1 - At - Bt 2 , and comparing the coefficients n in one set and A and B in another with the experimental values, we estimate the phase shift to be around 70 and 65°, respectively. We correlate this result with the evolution of the density of states with nonmagnetic disorder.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Theory of topological exciton insulators and condensates in flat Chern bands

Excitons are the neutral quasiparticles that form when Coulomb interactions create bound states between electrons and holes. Due to their bosonic nature, excitons are expected to condense and exhibit superfluidity at sufficiently low temperatures. In interacting Chern insulators, excitons may inherit the nontrivial topology and quantum geometry from the underlying electron wavefunctions. We theoretically investigate the excitonic bound states and superfluidity in flat-band insulators pumped with light. We find that the exciton wavefunctions exhibit vortex structures in momentum space, with the total vorticity being equal to the difference of Chern numbers between the conduction and valence bands. Moreover, both the exciton binding energy and the exciton superfluid density are proportional to the Brillouin-zone average of the quantum metric and the Coulomb potential energy per unit cell. Spontaneous emission of circularly polarized light from radiative decay is a detectable signature of the exciton vorticity. We propose that the vorticity can also be experimentally measured via the nonlinear anomalous Hall effect, whereas the exciton superfluidity can be detected by voltage-drop quantization through a combination of quantum geometry and Aharonov–Casher effect. Topological excitons and their superfluid phase could be realized in flat bands of twisted Van der Waals heterostructures.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cavity-altered superconductivity

Is it feasible to alter the ground-state properties of a material by engineering its electromagnetic environment? Inspired by theoretical predictions, experimental realizations of such cavity-controlled properties without optical excitation are beginning to emerge. Here we devised and implemented a new platform to realize cavity-altered materials. Single crystals of hyperbolic van der Waals (vdW) compounds provide a resonant electromagnetic environment with enhanced density of photonic states and prominent mode confinement. We interfaced hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with the molecular superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Cu[N(CN) 2 ]Br (κ-ET). The frequencies of infrared hyperbolic modes (HMs) of hBN match the infrared-active carbon–carbon (C=C) stretching molecular resonance of κ-ET implicated in superconductivity. Nano-optical data supported by first-principles molecular Langevin dynamics simulations confirm the presence of resonant coupling between the hBN hyperbolic cavity modes and the C=C stretching mode in κ-ET. Meissner-effect measurements using magnetic force microscopy (MFM) demonstrate a strong suppression of superfluid density near the hBN/κ-ET interface. Non-resonant control heterostructures, including RuCl 3 /κ-ET and hBN/Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x (BSCCO), do not show the pronounced superfluid suppression. These observations suggest that hBN/κ-ET realizes a cavity-altered superconducting ground state. Our work highlights the potential of dark cavities devoid of external photons for engineering electronic ground-state properties of complex quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fractional magnetoresistance oscillations in spin-triplet superconducting rings

Abstract Half-quantum vortices in spin-triplet superconductors are predicted to host Majorana zero modes and may provide a viable platform for topological quantum computation. Recent works also suggested that, in thin mesoscopic rings, the superconducting pairing symmetry can be probed via Little-Parks-like magnetoresistance oscillations of periodicity Φ 0 = h /2 e that persist below the critical temperature. Here we use the London limit of Ginzburg-Landau theory to study these magnetoresistance oscillations resulting from thermal vortex tunneling in spin-triplet superconducting rings. For a range of temperatures in the presence of disorder, we find magnetoresistance oscillations with an emergent fractional periodicity Φ 0 / n , where the integer n ≥ 3 is entirely determined by the ratio of the spin and charge superfluid densities. These fractional oscillations can unambiguously confirm the spin-triplet nature of superconductivity and directly reveal the tunneling of half-quantum vortices in real-world candidate materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optical conductivity of overdoped cuprates from ab initio out-of-plane impurity potentials

Dopant impurity potentials determined by ab initio supercell density functional theory calculations are used to calculate the optical conductivity of overdoped La 2-x ⁢Sr x CuO 4 (LSCO) and Tl 2 ⁢Ba 2⁢ CuO 6+δ (Tl-2201) in the superconducting and normal states. Vertex corrections are included to account for the effect of forward scattering on two-particle properties. This approach was previously shown to provide good, semiquantitative agreement with measurements of superfluid density in LSCO. Here, in this study, we compare calculations of conductivity with measurements of terahertz conductivity on LSCO using identical impurity, band, and correlation parameters and find similarly good correspondence with experiment. In the process, we delineate the impact of the different disorder mechanisms on single-particle and transport relaxation processes. In particular, we reveal the critical role of apical oxygen vacancies in transport scattering and show that transport relaxation rates in LSCO are significantly reduced when apical oxygen vacancies are annealed out. These considerations are shown to be crucial for understanding the variability of experimental results for overdoped LSCO in samples of nominally identical doping but different types. Finally, we give predictions for Tl-2201 terahertz conductivity experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1999

Second Sound Measurements Very Near the Lambda Point

The sound was generated by wire-wound heaters embedded in the end opposite the sensor in each cavity. The superfluid density was determined from second sound measurements and the critical exponent v was obtained from fits to the data. The results from the exponent were found to be very sensitive to the treatment of systematic effects in the data.

sound measurements Lambda point superfluid↗
DOE OSTI2024

Conventional single-gap $s-$wave superconductivity and hidden peak effect in single crystals of Mo$_8$Ga$_{41}$ superconductor

London and Campbell penetration depths were measured in single crystals of the endohedral gallide cluster superconductor, Mo _8 8 Ga _41 41 . The full temperature range superfluid density, \rho_s(T) ρ s ( T ) , is consistent with the clean isotropic s- s − wave weak-coupling BCS theory without any signs of the second gap or strong coupling. The temperature dependence of the Campbell length is hysteretic between zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) protocols, indicating an anharmonic vortex pinning potential. The field dependence of the effective critical current density, j_{c}(H) j c ( H ) , reveals an unusual result. While in the ZFC protocol, j_{c}(H) j c ( H ) is monotonically suppressed by the magnetic field, it exhibits a profound “hidden” peak effect in the FC protocol, that is, without a vortex density gradient. We suggest a possible novel mechanism for such a peak effect, which involves both static and dynamic aspects of vortex pinning.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Constraints on a split superconducting transition under uniaxial strain in Sr 2 RuO 4 from scanning SQUID microscopy

More than two decades after the discovery of superconductivity in Sr 2 RuO 4 , it is still unclear whether the order parameter has a single component or two degenerate components. For any two-component scenario, application of uniaxial strain is expected to lift the degeneracy, generating two distinct phase transitions. The presence of a second (lower-temperature) transition may be observable by probes that are sensitive to changes in the London penetration depth, λ, as a function of temperature, T. Furthermore, we use scanning SQUID microscopy combined with a uniaxial strain device to test for a second transition under strain. We only observe a single transition. Within the temperature range where a second transition has been suggested by μSR measurements, we further place a tight upper bound of less than 1% on the change in the zero temperature superfluid density n s ∝ λ –2 (0) due to a second transition, suggesting that such a transition does not occur. These results constrain theories of the order parameter in Sr 2 RuO 4 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1999

Study of Flow of Superfluid He-II Very Near Tau(sub lambda)

We report here, preliminary data from an experiment studying flow of superfluid helium through a slit orifice (of sub-micron width) very close to T(sub lambda). Critical supercurrent (I(sub c)) data is obtained from a step function drive to the diaphragm in a Helmholtz resonator cell. The superfluid density (rho(sub s)) data can be obtained from the resonant frequency of the Helmholtz oscillator, as determined by transfer function of the resonator or from the free ringing after the step function excitation. Preliminary data shows that I(sub c) is proportional to (rho(sub s))(exp 1.27) and rho(sub s)) is proportional to tau(exp 0.73), where tau is the reduced temperature. However, the magnitude of I(sub c) is much larger than expected, indicating a possible parallel flow path. Further investigations are in progress. Keywords: superfluid; hydrodynamics; critical exponent

Mukharsky, Yury↗
DOE OSTI2020

Anisotropic effect of a magnetic field on the neutron spin resonance in FeSe

We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the effect of a magnetic field on the neutron spin resonance (E r = 3.6 meV) of superconducting FeSe (T c = 9 K). While a field aligned along the in-plane direction broadens and suppresses the resonance, a c-axis aligned field does so much more efficiently, consistent with the anisotropic field-induced suppression of the superfluid density from the heat capacity measurements. These results suggest that the resonance in FeSe is associated with the superconducting electrons arising from orbital selective quasiparticle excitations between the hole and electron Fermi surfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗