226 research outputs found
Superconducting phase fluctuations in SmFeAsOF from diamagnetism at low magnetic field above
Superconducting fluctuations (SF) in SmFeAsOF (characterized
by superconducting transition temperature K) are
investigated by means of isothermal high-resolution dc magnetization
measurements. The diamagnetic response to magnetic fields up to 1 T above
is similar to what previously reported for underdoped cuprate
superconductors and it can be justified in terms of metastable superconducting
islands at non-zero order parameter lacking of long-range coherence because of
strong phase fluctuations. In the high-field regime ( T) scaling
arguments predicted on the basis of the Ginzburg-Landau theory of conventional
SF are found to be applicable, at variance with what observed in the low-field
regime. This fact enlightens that two different phenomena are simultaneously
present in the fluctuating diamagnetism, namely the phase SF of novel character
and the conventional SF. High magnetic fields (1.5 T )
are found to suppress the former while leaving unaltered the latter one.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
1D Seismic Response Analysis of Soil-building Systems Including Failure Shear Mechanisms
Modelling of soil shear rupture due to an earthquake is not generally implemented in the common codes for 1D seismic response analysis. It requires the use of advanced plasticity-based constitutive models of soil, that are often neglected in practice. A good balance between simplicity and reliability can be achieved with methods based on simplified formulations of the mathematical equations and of the constitutive models. The paper presents a computer code based on this philosophy conceived, addressed and optimised to reliably model both the 'transient' seismic response ('stick' mode) and the permanent deformation mechanisms accounting for the coupled effects of deformability and strength ('slip' mode). The code can be adopted to evaluate the seismic performance of different geotechnical systems that can be reasonably approximated to a 1D problem. In the paper, the code is applied to model a soft-storey failure occurred in a framed structure heavily damaged during a strong-motion earthquake
Il ruolo degli effetti di sito sulla risposta strutturale degli edifici nella conca aquilana
Il terremoto de LâAquila del 6 aprile 2009 Ăš stato significativamente caratterizzato dagli effetti di sito, evidenziati sia dalla variabilitĂ delle registrazioni accelerometriche in zona near fault che dalla disuniforme distribuzione del danno rilevato. In particolare, nel quartiere aquilano di Pettino, in corrispondenza di un complesso residenziale composto da sette edifici della stessa tipologia strutturale, Ăš stato osservato un danneggiamento molto diversificato.
La nota riporta i risultati di una serie di analisi di risposta sismica locale 1D, condotte in corrispondenza di alcuni degli edifici del quartiere, per i quali si disponeva di indagini geotecniche di dettaglio, finalizzate a valutare lâinfluenza degli effetti di sito sulla risposta delle strutture. I risultati delle analisi condotte in condizioni di campo libero hanno mostrato significative amplificazioni del moto proprio in corrispondenza delle frequenze fondamentali del moto di input. Le analisi del sistema sottosuolo-edificio, condotte mediante lâutilizzo di un codice con formulazione a masse concentrate hanno inoltre consentito di verificare lâincidenza dellâinterazione inerziale sul moto in superficie, nonchĂ© di riprodurre in forma semplificata il meccanismo di piano soffice osservato
Evidence for electromagnetic granularity in polycrystalline Sm1111 iron-pnictides with enhanced phase purity
We prepared polycrystalline SmFeAsO1-xFx (Sm1111) bulk samples by sintering
and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) in order to study the effects of phase purity
and relative density on the intergranular current density. Sintered and HIPped
Sm1111 samples are denser with fewer impurity phases, such as SmOF and the
grain boundary wetting phase, FeAs. We found quite complex magnetization
behavior due to variations of both the inter and intragranular current
densities. Removing porosity and reducing second phase content enhanced the
intergranular current density, but HIPping reduced Tc and the intragranular
current density, due to loss of fluorine and reduction of Tc. We believe that
the HIPped samples are amongst the purest polycrystalline 1111 samples yet
made. However, their intergranular current densities are still small, providing
further evidence that polycrystalline pnictides, like polycrystalline cuprates,
are intrinsically granular.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
Transport and superconducting properties of Fe-based superconductors: SmFeAs(O1-x Fx) versus Fe1+y (Te1-x, Sex)
We present transport and superconducting properties - namely resistivity,
magnetoresistivity, Hall effect, Seebeck effect, thermal conductivity, upper
critical field - of two different families of Fe-based superconductors, which
can be viewed in many respects as end members: SmFeAs(O1-xFx) with the largest
Tc and the largest anisotropy and Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex), with the largest Hc2, the
lowest Tc and the lowest anisotropy. In the case of the SmFeAs(O1-xFx) series,
we find that a single band description allows to extract an approximated
estimation of band parameters such as carrier density and mobility from
experimental data, although the behaviour of Seebeck effect as a function of
doping demonstrates that a multiband description would be more appropriate. On
the contrary, experimental data of the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) series exhibit a
strongly compensated behaviour, which can be described only within a multiband
model. In the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) series, the role of the excess Fe, tuned by Se
stoichiometry, is found to be twofold: it dopes electrons in the system and it
introduces localized magnetic moments, responsible for Kondo like scattering
and likely pair-breaking of Cooper pairs. Hence, excess Fe plays a crucial role
also in determining superconducting properties such as the Tc and the upper
critical field Bc2. The huge Bc2 values of the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) samples are
described by a dirty limit law, opposed to the clean limit behaviour of the
SmFeAs(O1-xFx) samples. Hence, magnetic scattering by excess Fe seems to drive
the system in the dirty regime, but its detrimental pairbreaking role seems not
to be as severe as predicted by theory. This issue has yet to be clarified,
addressing the more fundamental issue of the interplay between magnetism and
superconductivity
Magneto-transport and magnetic susceptibility of SmFeAsO1-xFx (x = 0.0 and 0.20)
Bulk polycrystalline samples, SmFeAsO and the iso-structural superconducting
SmFeAsO0.80F0.20 are explored through resistivity with temperature under
magnetic field {\rho}(T, H), AC and DC magnetization (M-T), and Specific heat
(Cp) measurements. The Resistivity measurement shows superconductivity for x =
0.20 sample with Tc(onset) ~ 51.7K. The upper critical field, [Hc2(0)] is
estimated ~3770kOe by Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory. Broadening of
superconducting transition in magneto transport is studied through thermally
activated flux flow in applied field up to 130 kOe. The flux flow activation
energy (U/kB) is estimated ~1215K for 1kOe field. Magnetic measurements
exhibited bulk superconductivity with lower critical field (Hc1) of ~1.2kOe at
2K. In normal state, the paramagnetic nature of compound confirms no trace of
magnetic impurity which orders ferromagnetically. AC susceptibility
measurements have been carried out for SmFeAsO0.80F0.20 sample at various
amplitude and frequencies of applied AC drive field. The inter-granular
critical current density (Jc) is estimated. Specific heat [Cp(T)] measurement
showed an anomaly at around 140K due to the SDW ordering of Fe, followed by
another peak at 5K corresponding to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering of
Sm+3 ions in SmFeAsO compound. Interestingly the change in entropy (marked by
the Cp transition height) at 5K for Sm+3 AFM ordering is heavily reduced in
case of superconducting SmFeAsO0.80F0.20 sample.Comment: 18 pages text + Figs: comments/suggestions welcome
([email protected]
Growth conditions, structure, and superconductivity of pure and metal-doped FeTe1-xSex single crystals
Superconducting single crystals of pure FeTe1 xSex and FeTe0.65Se0.35 doped
with Co, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, Cd, In, Pb, Hg, V, Ga, Mg, Al, Ti, Cr, Sr or Nd
into Fe ions site have been grown applying Bridgman's method. It has been found
that the sharpness of transition to the superconducting state in FeTe1 xSex is
evidently inversely correlated with crystallographic quality of the crystals.
Among all of the studied dopants only Co, Ni and Cu substitute Fe ions in
FeTe0.65Se0.35 crystals. The remaining examined ions do not incorporate into
the crystal structure. Nevertheless, they form inclusions together with
selenium, tellurium and/or iron, what changes the chemical composition of host
matrix and therefore influences Tc value. Small disorder introduced into
magnetic sublattice, by partial replacement of Fe ions by slight amount of
nonmagnetic ions of Cu (~ 1.5 at%) or by magnetic ions of Ni (~ 2 at%) and Co
(~5 at%) with spin value different than that of Fe ion, completely suppresses
superconductivity in FeTe1 xSex system. This indicates that even if
superconductivity is observed in the system containing magnetic ions it can not
survive when the disorder in magnetic ions sublattice is introduced, most
likely because of magnetic scattering of Cooper pairs.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 3 table
Point-contact study of ReFeAs(1-x)Fx (Re=La, Sm) superconducting films
Point-contact (PC) Andreev-reflection (AR) measurements of the
superconducting gap in iron-oxipnictide ReFeAsO_{1-x}F_x (Re=La, Sm) films have
been carried out. The value of the gap is distributed in the range 2\Delta
\simeq 5-10 meV (for Re=Sm) with a maximum in the distribution around 6 meV.
Temperature dependence of the gap \Delta(T) can be fitted well by BCS curve
giving reduced gap ratio 2\Delta /kT_c^*\simeq 3.5 (here T_c^* is the critical
temperature from the BCS fit). At the same time, an expected second larger gap
feature was difficult to resolve distinctly on the AR spectra making
determination reliability of the second gap detection questionable. Possible
reasons for this and the origin of other features like clear-cut asymmetry in
the AR spectra and current regime in PCs are discussed.Comment: 6 two-column pages, 6 figs., 26 Refs., to be published in
Superconductor Science and Technolog
Interplay between magnetism and superconductivity and appearance of a second superconducting transition in alpha-FeSe at high pressure
We synthesized tetragonal alpha-FeSe by melting a powder mixture of iron and
selenium at high pressure. Subsequent annealing at normal pressure results in
removing traces of hexagonal beta- FeSe, formation of a rather sharp transition
to superconducting state at Tc ~ 7 K, and the appearance of a magnetic
transition near Tm = 120 K. Resistivity and ac-susceptibility were measured on
the annealed sample at hydrostatic pressure up to 4.5 GPa. A magnetic
transition visible in ac-susceptibility shifts down under pressure and the
resistive anomaly typical for a spin density wave (SDW) antiferromagnetic
transition develops near the susceptibility anomaly. Tc determined by the
appearance of a diamagnetic response in susceptibility, increases linearly
under pressure at a rate dTc/dP = 3.5 K/GPa. Below 1.5 GPa, the resistive
superconducting transition is sharp; the width of transition does not change
with pressure; and, Tc determined by a peak in drho/dT increases at a rate ~
3.5 K/GPa. At higher pressure, a giant broadening of the resistive transition
develops. This effect cannot be explained by possible pressure gradients in the
sample and is inherent to alpha-FeSe. The dependences drho(T)/dT show a
signature for a second peak above 3 GPa which is indicative of the appearance
of another superconducting state in alpha-FeSe at high pressure. We argue that
this second superconducting phase coexists with SDW antiferromagnetism in a
partial volume fraction and originates from pairing of charge carriers from
other sheets of the Fermi surface
Murge and Pre-murge in southern Italy: the last piece of Adria, the (almost) lost continent, attempting to became an aUGGp candidate (MurGEOpark)
In 2019, the executive of the Alta Murgia National Park (southeastern Italy) decided to propose its territory as possible inclusion in the network of the UNESCO Global Geoparks. Since then, in cooperation with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Aldo Moro University of Bari) and SIGEA, it is working to candidate the area as an aUGGp (called âMurGEOparkâ). The MurGEOpark comprises the Alta Murgia area, where a Cretaceous sector of the Apulia Carbonate Platform crops out, and the adjacent Pre-Murge area, where the southwestward lateral continuation of the same platform, being flexed toward the southern Apennines mountain chain, is thinly covered by Plio-Quaternary foredeep deposits.
The worldwide geological uniqueness is that the area is the only in situ remnant of the AdriaPlate, the old continent almost entirely squeezed between Africa and Europe. In such a contest, AltaMurgia is a virtually undeformed sector of Adria (the Apulia Foreland), while other territories of theplate are, and/or were, involved in the subduction/collision processes. In the MurGEOpark, the crustof Adria is still rooted to its mantle, and the Cretaceous evolution of the continent is spectacularlyrecorded in Alta Murgia thanks to the limestone succession of one of the largest peri-Tethyancarbonate platform (the Apulia Carbonate Platform). The MurGEOpark comprises also the Pre-Murge area, which represents the outer south-Apennines foredeep, whose Plio-Quaternaryevolution is spectacularly exposed thanks to an âanomalousâ regional middle-late Quaternary uplift.The international value of the proposal is enriched by the presence of several geological singularities such as two paleontological jewels of very different age: a Neanderthal skeletonpreserved in speleothems within a karst cave, and one of the largest surfaces in the world withupper Cretaceous dinosaur tracks (about 25.000 footprints). Moreover, the close relationships between man and geology are spectacularly documented in the MurGEOpark: among the others, the use and conservation of water in a karst area, the prehistoric and ancestral choices ofurbanization, karst caves traditionally used as religious sites, etc. All these examples demonstratehow the MurGEOpark could offer a good opportunity to spread the geological culture to a wide and
diverse audienc
- âŠ