97 research outputs found
Influence of Resonances on the Noise Performance of SQUID Susceptometers
Scanning Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Susceptometry simultaneously images the local magnetic fields and susceptibilities above a sample with sub-micron spatial resolution. Further development of this technique requires a thorough understanding of the current, voltage, and flux ( IVΦ ) characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers. These sensors often have striking anomalies in their current–voltage characteristics, which we believe to be due to electromagnetic resonances. The effect of these resonances on the performance of these SQUIDs is unknown. To explore the origin and impact of the resonances, we develop a model that qualitatively reproduces the experimentally-determined IVΦ characteristics of our scanning SQUID susceptometers. We use this model to calculate the noise characteristics of SQUIDs of different designs. We find that the calculated ultimate flux noise is better in susceptometers with damping resistors that diminish the resonances than in susceptometers without damping resistors. Such calculations will enable the optimization of the signal-to-noise characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers
Meissner response of a bulk superconductor with an embedded sheet of reduced penetration depth
We calculate the change in susceptibility resulting from a thin sheet with
reduced penetration depth embedded perpendicular to the surface of an isotropic
superconductor, in a geometry applicable to scanning Superconducting QUantum
Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy, by numerically solving Maxwell's and
London's equations using the finite element method. The predicted stripes in
susceptibility agree well in shape with the observations of Kalisky et al. of
enhanced susceptibility above twin planes in the underdoped pnictide
superconductor Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 (Ba-122). By comparing the predicted stripe
amplitudes with experiment and using the London relation between penetration
depth and superfluid density, we estimate the enhanced Cooper pair density on
the twin planes, and the barrier force for a vortex to cross a twin plane. Fits
to the observed temperature dependence of the stripe amplitude suggest that the
twin planes have a higher critical temperature than the bulk, although stripes
are not observed above the bulk critical temperature.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Spatially modulated magnetic structure of EuS due to the tetragonal domain structure of SrTiO
The combination of ferromagnets with topological superconductors or
insulators allows for new phases of matter that support excitations such as
chiral edge modes and Majorana fermions. EuS, a wide-band-gap ferromagnetic
insulator with a Curie temperature around 16 K, and SrTiO (STO), an
important substrate for engineering heterostructures, may support these phases.
We present scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)
measurements of EuS grown epitaxially on STO that reveal micron-scale
variations in ferromagnetism and paramagnetism. These variations are oriented
along the STO crystal axes and only change their configuration upon thermal
cycling above the STO cubic-to-tetragonal structural transition temperature at
105 K, indicating that the observed magnetic features are due to coupling
between EuS and the STO tetragonal structure. We speculate that the STO
tetragonal distortions may strain the EuS, altering the magnetic anisotropy on
a micron-scale. This result demonstrates that local variation in the induced
magnetic order from EuS grown on STO needs to be considered when engineering
new phases of matter that require spatially homogeneous exchange
Observation of high-Tc superconductivity in inhomogeneous combinatorial ceramics
A single-sample synthesis concept based on multi-element ceramic samples can
produce a variety of local products. When applied to cuprate superconductors
(SC), statistical modelling predicts the occurrence of possible compounds in a
concentration range of about 50 ppm. In samples with such low concentrations,
determining which compositions are superconducting is a challenging task and
requires local probes or separation techniques. Here, we report results from
samples with seven components: BaO2, CaCO3, SrCO3, La2O3, PbCO3, ZrO2 and CuO
oxides and carbonates, starting from different grain sizes. The reacted
ceramics show different phases, particular grain growth, as well as variations
in homogeneity and superconducting properties. High-Tc superconductivity up to
118 K was found. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with
energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning transmission electron microscopy
(STEM) can assign Pb1223 and (Sr,Ca,Ba)0.7-1.0CuO2 phases in inhomogeneous
samples milled with 10 mm ball sizes. Rather uniform samples featuring strong
grain growth were obtained with 3 mm ball sizes, resulting in Tc =70 K
superconductivity of the La(Ba,Ca)2Cu3Ox based phase. Scanning SQUID microscopy
(SSM) establishes locally formed superconducting areas at a level of a few
microns in inhomogeneous superconducting particles captured by a magnetic
separation technique. The present results demonstrate a new synthetic approach
for attaining high-Tc superconductivity in compounds without Bi, Tl, Hg, or the
need for high-pressure synthesis
Influence of Resonances on the Noise Performance of SQUID Susceptometers
Scanning Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Susceptometry simultaneously images the local magnetic fields and susceptibilities above a sample with sub-micron spatial resolution. Further development of this technique requires a thorough understanding of the current, voltage, and flux ( IVΦ ) characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers. These sensors often have striking anomalies in their current–voltage characteristics, which we believe to be due to electromagnetic resonances. The effect of these resonances on the performance of these SQUIDs is unknown. To explore the origin and impact of the resonances, we develop a model that qualitatively reproduces the experimentally-determined IVΦ characteristics of our scanning SQUID susceptometers. We use this model to calculate the noise characteristics of SQUIDs of different designs. We find that the calculated ultimate flux noise is better in susceptometers with damping resistors that diminish the resonances than in susceptometers without damping resistors. Such calculations will enable the optimization of the signal-to-noise characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers
Probing the order parameter symmetry in the cuprate high temperature superconductors by SQUID microscopy
The orbital component of the order parameter in the cuprate high-Tc cuprate
superconductors is now well established, in large part because of phase
sensitive tests. Although it would be desirable to use such tests on other
unconventional superconductors, there are a number of favorable factors
associated with the properties of the cuprates, and a number of technical
advances, that were required for these tests to be successful. In this review I
will describe the development of phase sensitive pairing symmetry tests using
SQUID microscopy, underlining the factors favoring these experiments in the
cuprates and the technical advances that had to be made.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure, invited review to be published in Comptes Rendus
de l'Academie des Sciences (Comptes Rendus Physique
Vortex Trapping an Expulsion in Thin-Film Type-II Supercondu cting Strips
Vortex trapping is investigated in thin-film strips of superconducting material. We present a model for the critical field above which vortex trapping occurs in these strips. This model includes the pairing energy of vortex-antivortex pairs in addition to the energy of single vortices. Experimental verification of the model with a scanning SQUID microscope shows very good agreement between the model and experiments on YBa2Cu3O7-delta and Nb strips. Statistical analysis of the vortex distribution in the strips above the critical field has been performed and a comparison has been made between Nb and YBa2Cu3O7-delta for the distributions in the lateral and longitudinal directions
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