5,962 research outputs found
Uncovering the Hidden Order in URu2Si2 by Impurity Doping
We report the use of impurities to probe the hidden order parameter of the
strongly correlated metal URu_2Si_2 below the transition temperature T_0 ~ 17.5
K. The nature of this order parameter has eluded researchers for more than two
decades, but is accompanied by the development of a partial gap in the single
particle density of states that can be detected through measurements of the
electronic specific heat and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate. We find that
impurities in the hidden order phase give rise to local patches of
antiferromagnetism. An analysis of the coupling between the antiferromagnetism
and the hidden order reveals that the former is not a competing order parameter
but rather a parasitic effect of the latter.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Josephson effect in point contacts between ''f-wave'' superconductors
A stationary Josephson effect in point contacts between triplet
superconductors is analyzed theoretically for most probable models of the order
parameter in UPt_{3} and Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. The consequence of misorientation of
crystals in superconducting banks on this effect is considered. We show that
different models for the order parameter lead to quite different current-phase
dependences. For certain angles of misorientation a boundary between
superconductors can generate the parallel to surface spontaneous current. In a
number of cases the state with a zero Josephson current and minimum of the free
energy corresponds to a spontaneous phase difference. This phase difference
depends on the misorientation angle and may possess any value. We conclude that
experimental investigations of the current-phase dependences of small junctions
can be used for determination of the order parameter symmetry in the mentioned
above superconductors.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Thermally Assisted Penetration and Exclusion of Single Vortex in Mesoscopic Superconductors
A single vortex overcoming the surface barrier in a mesoscopic superconductor
with lateral dimensions of several coherence lengths and thickness of several
nanometers provides an ideal platform to study thermal activation of a single
vortex. In the presence of thermal fluctuations, there is non-zero probability
for vortex penetration into or exclusion from the superconductor even when the
surface barrier does not vanish. We consider the thermal activation of a single
vortex in a mesoscopic superconducting disk of circular shape. To obtain
statistics for the penetration and exclusion magnetic fields, slow and periodic
magnetic fields are applied to the superconductor. We calculate the
distribution of the penetration and exclusion fields from the thermal
activation rate. This distribution can also be measured experimentally, which
allows for a quantitative comparison.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Linear response and collective oscillations in superconductors with d-wave pairing
Simple and physically transparent equations for the linear response of
layered superconductors with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter are derived
by means of the quasiclassic kinetic theory of superconductivity. Responses to
solenoidal and potential electric fields have different frequency dependencies.
The conductivity describing the response to the solenoidal field is limited by
the momentum relaxation, like in a normal metal. The response to the potential
electric field depends, in addition, on the branch imbalance relaxation rate.
The damping of plasma oscillations of superconducting electrons is determined
by dielectric relaxation and is small. Relaxation of branch imbalance
determined by elastic scattering is large enough to make the Carlson-Goldman
mode in d-wave superconductors overdamped.Comment: 11 pages, latex, no figures, submitted to Physical Review
Emergence of intrinsic superconductivity below 1.178 K in the topologically non-trivial semimetal state of CaSn3
Topological materials which are also superconducting are of great current
interest, since they may exhibit a non-trivial topologically-mediated
superconducting phase. Although there have been many reports of pressure-tuned
or chemical-doping-induced superconductivity in a variety of topological
materials, there have been few examples of intrinsic, ambient pressure
superconductivity in a topological system having a stoichiometric composition.
Here, we report that the pure intermetallic CaSn3 not only exhibits topological
fermion properties but also has a superconducting phase at 1.178 K under
ambient pressure. The topological fermion properties, including the nearly zero
quasi-particle mass and the non-trivial Berry phase accumulated in cyclotron
motions, were revealed from the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) quantum oscillation
studies of this material. Although CaSn3 was previously reported to be
superconducting at 4.2K, our studies show that the superconductivity at 4.2K is
extrinsic and caused by Sn on the degraded surface, whereas its intrinsic bulk
superconducting transition occurs at 1.178 K. These findings make CaSn3 a
promising candidate for exploring new exotic states arising from the interplay
between non-trivial band topology and superconductivity, e.g. topological
superconductivityComment: 20 pages,4 figure
Intrinsic Josephson Effect and Violation of the Josephson Relation in Layered Superconductors
Equations describing the resistive state of a layered superconductor with
anisotropic pairing are derived. The similarity with a stack of Josephson
junctions is found at small voltages only, when current density in the
direction perpendicular to the layers can be interpreted as a sum of the
Josephson superconducting, the Ohmic dissipative and the interference currents.
In the spatially uniform state differential conductivity at higher voltages
becomes negative. Nonuniformity of the current distribution generates the
branch imbalance and violates the Josephson relation between frequency and
voltage.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, revtex, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let
Magnetic quantum critical point and superconductivity in UPt3 doped with Pd
Transverse-field muon spin relaxation measurements have been carried out on
the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3 doped with small amounts of Pd. We find
that the critical Pd concentration for the emergence of the large-moment
antiferromagnetic phase is ~0.6 at.%Pd. At the same Pd content,
superconductivity is completely suppressed. The existence of a magnetic quantum
critical point in the phase diagram, which coincides with the critical point
for superconductivity, provides evidence for ferromagnetic spin-fluctuation
mediated odd-parity superconductivity, which competes with antiferromagnetic
order.Comment: 4 pages (includes 3 figures); postscript fil
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