Evolution of two-step structural phase transition in Fe1+dTe detected by low-temperature x-ray diffraction

The low-temperature crystal structure of Fe1.13Te, which exhibits an anomalous two-step magnetic transition, was clarified by the systematic x-ray diffraction measurements. It was found that two-step structural phase transition, tetragonal-orthorhombic-monoclinic, occurred correspondingly to the two-step magnetic transition. The detailed analysis of the profile at 5 K indicated the coexistence of the minor orthorhombic area inside the major monoclinic lattice, which could explain the lower-shift (suppression) of the antiferromagnetic transition temperature in Fe1.13Te and suggest a possibility of superconductivity at the domain boundary.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Bulk superconductivity in Bi4O4S3 revealed by specific heat measurement

Specific heat experiments on a well-characterized polycrystalline sample of the BiS2 based superconductor Bi4O4S3 revealed that it shows a crear specific heat anomaly at about Tc = 4.4 K, consistent with Tc from the resistivity and dc susceptibility. This observation indicates the superconductivity of Bi4O4S3 to be bulk in nature

Superconductivity in PbO-type Fe chalcogenides

PbO-type Fe chalcogenide has been drawing much attention as the Fe-based superconductor with the most simple crystal structure. Whereas FeSe is an intrinsic superconductor, FeTe, while having a structure analogous to FeSe, exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering. The relationship between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity provides key information to understand better superconductivity in Fe chalcogenides. Furthermore the significant pressure effect on Tc in the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors, which is likely to be correlated with the crystal structure and/or magnetism, is important in elucidating the mechanism of Fe-based superconductivity. Due to the simple structure and composition, Fe-chalcogenide superconductor is one candidate for applications to such areas as superconducting wires and thin films.Comment: A review article published in a special issue "100 years of superconductivity" in Z. Kristallogr. [ 47 pages, 41 figurs

Indication of unconventional superconductivity in layered bismuth chalcogenide superconductor LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2 revealed by Se isotope effect

We have investigated the Se isotope effect in layered bismuth chalcogenide (BiCh2-based) superconductor LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2 with 76Se and 80Se. For all examined samples, the Se concentration, which is linked to the superconducting properties, is successfully controlled within x = 1.09-1.14 in LaO0.6F0.4BiS2-xSex. From the magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements, changes in Tc are not observed for the LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2 samples with 76Se and 80Se isotopes. Our results suggest that pairing in the BiCh2-based superconductors is not mediated by phonons, and unconventional superconductivity states may emerge in the BiCh2 layers of LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2.Comment: 11 pages, 1 table, 3 figure

Nonlinear Simulation of Edge-Localized Mode in Spherical Tokamak

A numerical modeling for the dynamics of an edge-localized mode (ELM) crash in the spherical tokamak is proposed with a consecutive scenario which is initiated by the spontaneous growth of the ballooning mode instability by means of a three-dimensional nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic simulation. The simulation result shows a two-step relaxation process which is induced by the intermediate-n ballooning instability followed by the m/n=1/1 internal kink mode, where m and n represent the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively. By comparing with the experimental observations, we have found that the simulation result can reproduce several characteristic features of the so-called type-I ELM in an appropriate time scale:(1) relation to the ballooning instability, (2) intermediate-n precursors, (3) low-n structure on the crash, (4) formation and separation of the filament, and (5) considerable amount of loss of plasma. Furthermore, the model is verified by examining the effect of diamagnetic stabilization and comparing the nonlinear behavior with that of the peeling modes. The ion diamagnetic drift terms are found to stabilize some specific components linearly; nevertheless they are not so effective in the nonlinear dynamics such as the filament formation and the amount of loss. For the peeling mode case, no prominent filament structure is formed in contrast to the ballooning case