24 research outputs found
Evidence for two distinct anisotropies in the oxypnictide superconductors SmFeAsO_(0.8)F_(0.2) and NdFeAsO_(0.8)F_(0.2)
Single crystals of the oxypnictide superconductors SmFeAsO_(0.8)F_(0.2) and
NdFeAsO_(0.8)F_(0.2) with T_c in the range of 44 K to 48 K were investigated by
torque magnetometry. An analysis of the data in terms of a recently proposed
model for the anisotropic magnetization in the superconducting state, treating
the penetration depth anisotropy differently than the upper critical field
anisotropy, provides evidence that in the oxypnictide superconductors two
distinct anisotropies are present. As a result the penetration depth anisotropy
differs significantly in magnitude and in temperature dependence from the upper
critical field anisotropy, analogous to MgB_2 but with a reversed sign of
slope. This scenario strongly suggests a new multi-band mechanism in the novel
class of oxypnictide high-temperature superconductors.Comment: published online in J. Supercond. Nov. Mag