Magnetism and superconductivity in strongly correlated CeRhIn5

Specific heat studies of CeRhIn5 as functions of pressure and magnetic field have been used to explore the relationship between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity, both of which involve the 4f electron of Ce. Results of these studies cannot be understood as a simple competition for Fermi-surface states and require a new conceptual framework.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Pressure effects on the superconducting thin film Ba1−x_{1-x}Kx_{x}Fe2_{2}As2_{2}

We report electrical resistivity measurements on a high-quality Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ thin film ($x=0.4$) under pressure. The superconducting transition temperature (=39.95 K) of the optimally-doped thin film shows a dome shape with pressure, reaching a maximal value 40.8 K at 11.8 kbar. The unusually high superconducting transition temperature and its anomalous pressure dependence are ascribed to a lattice mismatch between the LaAlO$_3$ substrate and the thin film. The local temperature exponent of the resistivity ($n=d\text{ln}\Delta\rho/d\text{ln}T$) shows a funnel shape around the optimal pressure, suggesting that fluctuations associated with the anomalous normal state are responsible for high-temperature superconductivity.Comment: To appear in Appl. Phys. Let

Presure-Induced Superconducting State of Antiferromagnetic CaFe2_2As2_2

The antiferromagnet CaFe$_2$As$_2$ does not become superconducting when subject to ideal hydrostatic pressure conditions, where crystallographic and magnetic states also are well defined. By measuring electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility under quasi-hydrostatic pressure, however, we find that a substantial volume fraction of the sample is superconducting in a narrow pressure range where collapsed tetragonal and orthorhombic structures coexist. At higher pressures, the collapsed tetragonal structure is stabilized, with the boundary between this structure and the phase of coexisting structures strongly dependent on pressure history. Fluctuations in magnetic degrees of freedom in the phase of coexisting structures appear to be important for superconductivity.Comment: revised (6 pages, 5 figures) - includes additional experimental result

Anomalous Pressure Dependence of Kadowaki-Woods ratio and Crystal Field Effects in Mixed-valence YbInCu4

The mixed-valence (MV) compound YbInCu4 was investigated by electrical resistivity and ac specific heat at low temperatures and high pressures. At atmospheric pressure, its Kadowaki-Woods (KW) ratio, A/\gamma ^2, is 16 times smaller than the universal value R_{KW}(=1.0 x 10^-5 \mu \Omega cm mol^2 K^2 mJ^-2), but sharply increases to 16.5R_{KW} at 27 kbar. The pressure-induced change in the KW ratio and deviation from R_{KW} are analyzed in terms of the change in f-orbital degeneracy N and carrier density n. This analysis is further supported by a dramatic change in residual resistivity \rho_0 near 25 kbar, where \rho_0 jumps by a factor of 7.Comment: 4pages, 3figure