Thermal Conductivity of the Pyrochlore Superconductor KOs2O6: Strong Electron Correlations and Fully Gapped Superconductivity

To elucidate the nature of the superconducting ground state of the geometrically frustrated pyrochlore KOs2O6 (Tc=9.6K), the thermal conductivity was measured down to low temperatures (~Tc/100). We found that the quasiparticle mean free path is strikingly enhanced below a transition at Tp=7.5K, indicating enormous electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. In a magnetic field the conduction at T ->0K is nearly constant up to ~0.4Hc2, in contrast with the rapid growth expected for superconductors with an anisotropic gap. This unambiguously indicates a fully gapped superconductivity, in contrast to the previous studies. These results highlight that KOs2O6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Reply to Comment by Borisenko et al. on article `A de Haas-van Alphen study of the Fermi surfaces of superconducting LiFeP and LiFeAs'

Recently, Borisenko et al have posted a Comment (arXiv:1108.1159) where they suggest an alternative interpretation of our de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements on the superconductor LiFeAs. In our original paper (arXiv:1107.4375) we concluded that our measurements of the bulk Fermi surface were not consistent with the surface bands observed thus far by ARPES. Borisenko et al dispute this and suggest the two measurements are consistent if some of the orbits we observe are due to magnetic breakdown. We argue here that this scenario is inconsistent with the experimental data and therefore that our original conclusion stands.Comment: 4 pages with figure

Spin frustration and magnetic ordering in theS=12molecular antiferromagnetfcc−Cs3C60

We have investigated the low-temperature magnetic state of face-centered-cubic (fcc) Cs3C60, a Mott insulator and the first molecular analog of a geometrically frustrated Heisenberg fcc antiferromagnet with S=1/2 spins. Specific heat studies reveal the presence of both long-range antiferromagnetic ordering and a magnetically disordered state below TN=2.2 K, which is in agreement with local probe experiments. These results together with the strongly suppressed TN are unexpected for conventional atom-based fcc antiferromagnets, implying that the fulleride molecular degrees of freedom give rise to the unique magnetic ground state

Flux Line Lattice Melting and the Formation of a Coherent Quasiparticle Bloch State in the Ultraclean URu2_2Si2_2 Superconductor

We find that in ultraclean heavy-fermion superconductor URu$_2$Si$_2$ ($T_{c0}=1.45$ K) a distinct flux line lattice melting transition with outstanding characters occurs well below the mean-field upper critical fields. We show that a very small number of carriers with heavy mass in this system results in exceptionally large thermal fluctuations even at subkelvin temperatures, which are witnessed by a sizable region of the flux line liquid phase. The uniqueness is further highlighted by an enhancement of the quasiparticle mean free path below the melting transition, implying a possible formation of a quasiparticle Bloch state in the periodic flux line lattice.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Nodal gap structure of BaFe_2(As_{1-x}P_x)_2 from angle-resolved thermal conductivity in a magnetic field

The structure of the superconducting order parameter in the iron-pnictide superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$ ($T_c=31$\,K) with line nodes is studied by the angle-resolved thermal conductivity measurements in a magnetic field rotated within the basal plane. We find that the thermal conductivity displays distinct fourfold oscillations with minima when the field is directed at $\pm45^\circ$ with respect to the tetragonal a-axis. We discuss possible gap structures that can account for the data, and conclude that the observed results are most consistent with the closed nodal loops located at the flat parts of the electron Fermi surface with high Fermi velocity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Anisotropic Superconducting Properties of Optimally Doped BaFe2_2(As0.65_{0.65}P0.35_{0.35})2_2 under Pressure

Magnetic measurements on optimally doped single crystals of BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_2$ ($x\approx0.35$) with magnetic fields applied along different crystallographic axes were performed under pressure, enabling the pressure evolution of coherence lengths and the anisotropy factor to be followed. Despite a decrease in the superconducting critical temperature, our studies reveal that the superconducting properties become more anisotropic under pressure. With appropriate scaling, we directly compare these properties with the values obtained for BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_2$ as a function of phosphorus content.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Temperature-dependent Ginzburg-Landau parameter

Taking into account both the orbital and the paramagnetic depairing effects we derive a simple analytic formula for the temperature dependence of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter valid in vicinity of field dependent critical temperature in a type-II superconductor.Comment: 3 pages, no figure

Direct observation of lattice symmetry breaking at the hidden-order transition in URu2Si2

Since the 1985 discovery of the phase transition at $T_{\rm HO}=17.5$ K in the heavy-fermion metal URu$_2$Si$_2$, neither symmetry change in the crystal structure nor magnetic ordering have been observed, which makes this "hidden order" enigmatic. Some high-field experiments have suggested electronic nematicity which breaks fourfold rotational symmetry, but direct evidence has been lacking for its ground state at zero magnetic field. Here we report on the observation of lattice symmetry breaking from the fourfold tetragonal to twofold orthorhombic structure by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements at zero field, which pins down the space symmetry of the order. Small orthorhombic symmetry-breaking distortion sets in at $T_{\rm HO}$ with a jump, uncovering the weakly first-order nature of the hidden-order transition. This distortion is observed only in ultrapure sample, implying a highly unusual coupling nature between the electronic nematicity and underlying lattice.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures. Submitted version. Revisions have been made through the review process. See the published version in Nature Communication

Structural origin of the anomalous temperature dependence of the local magnetic moments in the CaFe2_{2}As2_{2} family of materials

We report a combination of Fe K$\beta$ x-ray emission spectroscopy and $ab$-intio calculations to investigate the correlation between structural and magnetic degrees of freedom in CaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$. The puzzling temperature behavior of the local moment found in rare earth-doped CaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ [\textit{H. Gretarsson, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 110}, 047003 (2013)}] is also observed in CaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$. We explain this phenomenon based on first-principles calculations with scaled magnetic interaction. One scaling parameter is sufficient to describe quantitatively the magnetic moments in both CaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$ ($x=0.055$) and Ca$_{0.78}$La$_{0.22}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ at all temperatures. The anomalous growth of the local moments with increasing temperature can be understood from the observed large thermal expansion of the $c$-axis lattice parameter combined with strong magnetoelastic coupling. These effects originate from the strong tendency to form As-As dimers across the Ca layer in the CaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ family of materials. Our results emphasize the dual local-itinerant character of magnetism in Fe pnictides