Vortex pinning by intrinsic correlated defects in Fe1-ySe

We present a study on the transport and magnetic properties of superconducting Fe1-ySe single crystals. In the superconducting state, the in-plane electrical resistivity of the crystal is measured for fields up to 16 T and as a function of field direction, in order to understand how the vortex dynamics is affected by the presence of defects. A strong deviation from the slightly anisotropic crystal (electronic anisotropy constant 7 ~ 1.08) is observed as a steep angular dependence, which is interpreted as a signature of the presence of correlated defects. The influence of the correlated defects on the critical current is studied through the angular dependence of the magnetization, and compared to numerical simulations

Unraveling the Landau's consistence criterion and the meaning of interpenetration in the "Two-Fluid" Model

In this letter we show that it is possible to unravel both the physical origin of the Landau's consistence criterion and the specific and subtle meaning of interpenetration of the "two fluids" if one takes into account that in the hydrodynamic regime one needs a coarse-graining in time to bring the system into local equilibrium. That is, the fuzziness in time is relevant for the phenomenological Landau's consistency criterion and the meaning of interpenetration. Note also that we are not questioning the validity of the "Two-Fluid" Model.Comment: 8 pages, affiliation added, typos corrected, final version published in Eur. Phys. J.

Tuning strategy for Curie-temperature enhancement in the van der Waals magnet Mn_1+xSb_2−xTe₄

The van-der-Waals antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 is one of the few materials that realize the sought-after quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state and quantized surface charge transport. To assess the relevance of its isostructural analog MnSb2Te4 as a potential QAH candidate, the roles of Mn/Sb site mixing and cationic vacancies need to be clarified. Recent findings have shown that non-stoichiometry in Mn1±xSb2∓xTe4 is an efficient tuning knob to achieve a net spin-polarized state and to raise the magnetic ordering temperature well above that of MnBi2Te4. Here, we report the crystal structure, the bulk and the surface magnetism of two new Mn1+xSb2−xTe4 samples: Mn1.08Sb1.92Te4(x ≈ 0.1) with TC = 44 K, and Mn2.01Sb1.19Te4(x ≈ 1.0) with the record TC = 58 K. We quantify the site mixing comprehensively by combining various structural probes on powders and single crystals, and then employ bulk, local (electron spin resonance), and spectroscopic (x-ray magnetic circular dichroism) probes to connect these insights to the magnetism of these materials. We demonstrate that Mn over-stoichiometry up to x = 1.0, in combination with a particular Mn/Sb intermixing pattern and the increasingly three-dimensional character of the magnetic order, push the TC upwards. The tendency towards more robust ferromagnetism mediated by stronger interlayer exchange in Mn1+xSb2−xTe4 upon increasing x is confirmed by bulk magnetometry and by a series of density-functional-theory calculations of model structures with varying intermixing.</p