Observation of multiple superconducting gaps in the infrared reflectivity spectra of Ba(Fe<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The results of infrared reflectivity measurements for the iron-based high-temperature superconductor Ba(Fe_0.9Co_0.1)₂As₂ are reported. The reflectivity is found to be close to unity at frequencies ω lower than 2Δ/h (2Δ is the superconducting gap and h is Planck’s constant). This is evidence for the s ^+/− or s ^+/+ symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in the studied compound. The infrared reflectivity spectra of Ba(Fe_0.9Co_0.1)₂As₂ manifest opening of several superconducting gaps at temperatures lower than critical T _c .     

Upper critical magnetic field in Ba0.68K0.32Fe2As2 and Ba(Fe0.93Co0.07)2As2

We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the radio frequency magnetic penetration depth in Ba_0.68K_0.32Fe₂As₂ and Ba(Fe_0.93Co_0.07)₂As₂ single crystals in pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T. From our data, we construct an H-T-phase diagram for the inter-plane (H ‖ c) and in-plane (H ‖ ab) directions for both compounds. For both field orientations in Ba_0.68K_0.32Fe₂As₂ we find a concave curvature of the H _c2(T) lines with decreasing anisotropy and saturation towards lower temperature. Taking into account Pauli spin paramagnetism we can describe H _c2(T) and its anisotropy. In contrast, we find that Pauli paramagnetic pair breaking is not essential for Ba(Fe_0.93Co_0.07)₂As₂. For this electron-doped compound, the data support a H _c2(T) dependence that can be described by the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg model for H ‖ ab and a two-gap behavior for H ‖ c.     

Superconductivity of powder-in-tube Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 wires

Nb-sheathed Sr_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂ superconducting wires have been fabricated using the powder-in-tube (PIT) method for the first time and the superconducting properties of the wires have been investigated. The transition temperature (T_c) of the Sr_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂ wires is confirmed to be as high as 35.3 K. Most importantly, Sr_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂ wires exhibit a very weak J_c-field dependence behavior even the temperature is very close to T_c. The upper critical field H_c2(0) value can exceed 140 T, surpassing those of MgB₂ and all the low temperature superconductors. Such high H_c2 and superior J_c-field performance make the 122 phase SrKFeAs wire conductors a powerful competitor potentially useful in very high field applications.     

Study of the structure of a superconducting state of Co-doped BaFe2As2 multiband compounds

The terahertz and infrared spectra of the complex dynamic conductivity, as well as the temperature dependences of the density of a superconducting condensate and the electronic specific heat of superconducting Ba(Fe_{1 ? x} Co _x )₂As₂ compounds, have been analyzed within a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer-like model of a multiband superconductor with strong coupling. It has been shown that the superconducting state of these compounds is determined by three (one electronic and two hole) weakly interacting condensates. The order parameters of the condensates are: Δ₁ ≈ 15 cm^?1, Δ₂ ≈ 21 cm^?1, and Δ₃ ≈ 30–35 cm^?1. The results significantly refine the existing notions on the structure of the superconducting state of Co-doped BaFe₂As₂ multiband compounds.     

H+ irradiation effect in Co-doped BaFe2As2 single crystals

We report the suppression of the critical temperature T_c in single crystalline Ba(Fe_1?xCo_x)₂As₂ at under-, optimal-, and over-doping levels by 3 MeV proton irradiation. T_c decreases and residual resistivity increases monotonically with increasing the dose. The low-temperature resistivity does not show the upturn in contrast with the α-particle irradiated NdFeAs(O,F), which suggests that proton irradiation introduces nonmagnetic scattering centers. Critical scattering rates for all samples obtained by three different ways are much higher than that expected in s±-pairing scenario based on inter-band scattering due to antiferro-magnetic spin fluctuations.     

Synthesis and Characterization of BaFe2As2 Single Crystals Grown by In-flux Technique

We report a detailed characterization of BaFe₂As₂ single crystals grown by a metallic In-flux technique, an alternative to well-established growth routes using FeAs self- or Sn-flux. Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, nuclear magnetic resonance, and energy dispersive spectroscopy measurements showed no evidence of flux incorporation. More importantly, our results demonstrate that BaFe₂As₂ single crystals grown by In-flux have extremely high quality. To explore the efficiency of the In-flux growth method, we have also prepared nearly optimally doped superconducting samples of Ba(Fe_{1 ?x} M _x )₂As₂ (M = Co, Cu, Ni, and Ru). Among other interesting features, this alternative chemical substitution method has led to enhancement of the maximum T _c for most dopings.     

Iron isotope effect on Tc in optimally-doped (Ba,K)Fe2As2 (Tc = 38 K) and SmFeAsO1−y (Tc = 54 K) superconductors

We report the iron isotope effect on a transition temperature (T_c) in an optimally-doped (Ba,K)Fe₂As₂ (T_c = 38 K) and SmFeAsO_1−y (T_c = 54 K) superconductors. In order to obtain the reliable isotope shift in T_c, twin samples with different iron isotope mass are synthesized in the same conditions (simultaneously) under high-pressure. We have found that (Ba,K)Fe₂As₂ shows an inverse iron isotope effect α_Fe = −0.18 ± 0.03 while SmFeAsO_1−y shows a small iron isotope effect α_Fe = −0.02 ± 0.01, where the isotope exponent α is defined by T_c ∼ M^−α (M is the isotopic mass). The results show that α_Fe changes in the iron-based superconductors depending on the system. The distinct iron isotope effects imply the exotic coupling mechanism in the iron-based superconductors.     

Superconducting gap in iron pnictides studied by optical spectroscopy

We investigated the in-plane optical spectrum of a Co-doped Ba(Fe_0.94Co_0.06)₂As₂ single crystal showing superconductivity below . In the normal state, the low-energy optical conductivity spectrum can be decomposed into a sharp Drude term and a broad “incoherent” term. Below T_c, an s-wave-like superconducting gap appears in both components. We also investigated a magnetic or spin-density-wave gap in the detwinned parent compound.     

Pressure-induced superconductivity and structural transitions in Ba(Fe<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Ru<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Electrical transport and structural characterizations of isoelectronically substituted Ba(Fe_0.9Ru_0.1)₂As₂ have been performed as a function of pressure up to ～ 30 GPa and temperature down to ～ 10 K using designer diamond anvil cell. Similar to undoped members of the AFe₂As₂ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) family, Ba(Fe_0.9Ru_0.1)₂As₂ shows anomalous a-lattice parameter expansion with increasing pressure and a concurrent ThCr₂Si₂ type isostructural (I4/mmm) phase transition from tetragonal (T) phase to a collapsed tetragonal (cT) phase occurring between 12 and 17 GPa where the a is maximum. Above 17 GPa, the material remains in the cT phase up to 30 GPa at 200 K. The resistance measurements show evidence of pressure-induced zero resistance that may be indicative of high-temperature superconductivity for pressures above 3.9 GPa. The onset of the resistive transition temperature decreases gradually with increasing pressure before completely disappearing for pressures above ～ 10.6 GPa near the T-cT transition. We have determined the crystal structure of the high-T _c phase of Ru-doped BaFe₂As₂ to remain as tetragonal (I4/mmm) by analyzing the X-ray diffraction pattern obtained at 10 K and 9.7 ± 0.7 GPa, as opposed to inferring the structural transition from electrical resistance measurement, as in a previous report [S.K. Kim, M.S. Torikachvili, E. Colombier, A. Thaler, S.L. Bud’ko, P.C. Canfield, Phys. Rev. B 84, 134525 (2011)].     

Electronic structure,topological phase transitions and superconductivity in (K,Cs)<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We present LDA band structure of novel hole doped high temperature superconductors (T _c ∼ 30 K) K _x Fe₂Se₂ and Cs _x Fe₂Se₂ and compare it with previously studied electronic structure of isostructural FeAs superconductor BaFe₂As₂ (Ba122). We show that stoichiometric KFe₂Se₂ and CsFe₂Se₂ have rather different Fermi surfaces as compared with Ba122. However at about 60% of hole doping Fermi surfaces of novel materials closely resemble those of Ba122. In between these dopings we observe a number of topological Fermi surface transitions near the Γ point in the Brillouin zone. Superconducting transition temperature T _c of new systems is apparently governed by the value of the total density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level.     

Gigantic uniaxial pressure effect in single crystals of iron-based superconductors

In order to elucidate the anisotropic pressure effect on superconductivity in an iron-based superconductor, magnetization measurements have been performed in Ba(Fe_0.92Co_0.08)₂As₂ single crystals under uniaxial pressures applied along the c-axis. Gigantic T_c suppression, dT_c/dP_//c = −15 K/GPa, was observed when the anisotropic deformation with the a-expansion and c-compression was induced by the c-pressure, which should be compared with dT_c/dP < +1 K/GPa in the isotropic pressure case. This suggests that the a-axis (c-axis) compression has a positive (negative) contribution to T_c.     

Comparison of the local structures of Ca0.82La0.18FeAs2 and Ba0.64K0.36Fe2As2 pnictide superconductors using atomic pair distribution function analysis

A comparative local structure study of pnictide superconductors Ca_0.82La_0.18FeAs₂ (112-type, T_c∼ 40 K) and Ba_0.64K_0.36Fe₂As₂ (122-type, T_c∼ 37 K), using room temperature x-ray total scattering measurements is reported. The Fe–As superconducting active layer is found to be globally similar in both the systems consisting of edge-sharing FeAs_4/4 tetrahedra as in all the iron-pnictide superconductors discovered so far. Although optimally superconducting, the active layer in these compounds is found to sustain a large local inhomogeneity. These results thus imply that a nanoscopic manipulation of the Fe–As active layer, rather than its isotropic structural tuning, is the key parameter to control the superconducting properties of the iron-based systems.     

Point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy of superconducting energy gaps in 122-type family of iron pnictides

A brief overview of the superconducting energy gap studies on 122-type family of iron pnictides is given. It seems that the situation in the hole doped Ba_1?xK_xFe₂As₂ is well resolved. Most of the measurements including the presented here point contact Andreev reflection spectra agree on existence of multiple nodeless gaps in the excitation spectrum of this multiband system. The gaps have basically two sizes – the small one with a strength up to the BCS weak coupling limit and the large one with a very strong coupling with 2Δ_L/kT_c > 6–8. In the electron doped Ba(Fe_1?xCo_x)₂As₂ the most of the experiments including our point contact measurements reveal in quite broadened spectra only a single gap with a strong coupling strength. The high precision ARPES measurements on this system identified two gaps but very close to each other, both showing a strong coupling with 2Δ/kT_c ～ 5 and 6, respectively.     

High-pressure synthesis and physical properties of new iron (nickel)-based superconductors

We have utilized a high-pressure (HP) technique to synthesize a series of newly-discovered iron (nickel)-based superconductors. For the LnFeAsO-based superconductors (Ln = lanthanide), we show that the introduction of oxygen (O)-deficiency in the LnO layers, which is achievable only through HP process, is an effective way to dope electron carriers into the system, which results in yielding the superconducting transition temperature (T_c) comparable with those for F-substituted counterpart. The effect of O-deficiency, variation of Ln ions, and the external pressure on T_c are examined. All the experimental data indicate strong correlation between the crystal structure and the superconductivity of the oxypnictide superconductors. Upper critical field measurement on single crystalline sample of PrFeAsO_1?y shows the superconducting anisotropy of 5, which is smaller than cuprates. We also demonstrate that HP technique is applicable for the so-called ‘122’ systems, by showing the results on polycrystalline (Ca, Na)Fe₂As₂, (Ba, K)Fe₂As₂, as well as single crystal BaNi₂P₂ samples.     

Hydrostatic pressure study of the structural phase transitions and superconductivity in single crystals of (Ba1−xKx)Fe2As2 (x=0 and 0.45) and CaFe2As2

We studied the effect of hydrostatic pressure (P) on the structural phase transitions and superconductivity in the ternary and pseudo-ternary iron arsenides CaFe₂As₂, BaFe₂As₂, and (Ba_0.55K_0.45)Fe₂As₂, by means of measurements of electrical resistivity (ρ) in the 1.8-300 K temperature (T) range, pressures up to 20 kbar, and magnetic fields up to 9 T. CaFe₂As₂ and BaFe₂As₂ (lightly doped with Sn) display structural phase transitions near 170 and 85 K, respectively, and do not exhibit superconductivity in ambient pressure, while K-doped (Ba_0.55K_0.45)Fe₂As₂ is superconducting for T<30 K. The effect of pressure on BaFe₂As₂ is to shift the onset of the crystallographic transformation down in temperature at the rate of ~−1.04 K/kbar, while shifting the whole ρ(T) curves downward, whereas its effect on superconducting (Ba_0.55K_0.45)Fe₂As₂ is to shift the onset of superconductivity to lower temperatures at the rate of ~−0.21 K/kbar. The effect of pressure on CaFe₂As₂ is first to suppress the crystallographic transformation and induce superconductivity with onset near 12 K very rapidly, i.e., for P<5 kbar. However, higher pressures bring about another phase transformation characterized by reduced-resistivity, and the suppression of superconductivity, confining superconductivity to a narrow pressure dome centered near 5 kbar. Upper critical field (H_c2) data in (Ba_0.55K_0.45)Fe₂As₂ and CaFe₂As₂ are discussed.     

掺Ba对Bi系2212相超导电性的影响

研究了掺Ｂａ对Bi₂Sr_2-xBa_xCaCu₂O_y（０≤ｘ≤０．１５，０．３）单晶和多晶样品超导电性的影响，结果表明，有少量Ｂａ^２＋离子进入了超导相，且有固溶度极限．对于２２１２相单晶，ｃ轴参数和Ｔ_c均随Ｂａ含量增加而增加；对于慢冷多晶样品，掺Ｂａ可明显提高Ｔ_c；然而对于淬大多晶样品，Ｔ_c没有明显变化，用掺Ｂａ 关键词：     

Novel superconducting characteristics and unusual normal-state properties in iron-based pnictide superconductors: 57FeNMR and 75AsNQR/NMR studies in REFeAsO1−y (RE = La,Pr, Nd) and Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2

We discuss the novel superconducting characteristics and unusual normal-state properties of iron (Fe)-based pnictide superconductors REFeAsO_1?y (RE = La, Pr, Nd) and Ba_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂ (T_c = 38 K) by means of ⁵⁷FeNMR and ⁷⁵AsNQR/NMR. In the superconducting state of LaFeAsO_0.7 (T_c = 28 K), the spin component of the ⁵⁷Fe-Knight shift decreases to almost zero at low temperatures, which provide firm evidence of the superconducting state formed by spin-singlet Cooper pairing. The nuclear spin–lattice relaxation rates (1/T₁) in LaFeAsO_0.7 and Ba_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂ exhibit a T³-like dependence without a coherence peak just below T_c, indicating that an unconventional superconducting state is commonly realized in these Fe-based pnictide compounds. All these events below T_c are consistently argued in terms of an extended s_±-wave pairing with a sign reversal of the order parameter among Fermi surfaces. In the normal state, 1/T₁T decreases remarkably upon cooling for both the Fe and As sites of LaFeAsO_0.7. In contrast, it gradually increases upon cooling in Ba_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂. Despite the similarity between the superconducting properties of these compounds, a crucial difference was observed in their normal-state properties depending on whether electrons or holes are doped into the FeAs layers. These results may provide some hint to address a possible mechanism of Fe-based pnictide superconductors.     

The low field magnetisation of Y4Co3

The onset of magnetic order at 6 K and a superconducting transition at 2 K was previously observed in Y₄Co₃. In this paper we investigate the magnetisation in very low fields, in the vicinity of the magnetic and superconducting transition (T_c). Below T_c the M-H curves are characterised by broad hysteresis loops. This type of the behaviour indicates that the sample consists of different regions. Some of these regions are superconducting below T_c and others are magnetically ordered below 6 K.     

Critical current density and vortex dynamics in uranium irradiated Co-doped BaFe2As2

We report the effect of defects introduced by heavy-ion irradiation with 2.6 GeV uranium ions at several matching fields in single crystalline Ba(Fe_0.925Co_0.075)₂As₂. The suppression rate of T_c at lower matching fields is larger than that at higher matching fields. The critical current density calculated from magnetic hysteresis loop is enhanced up to 4.1 × 10⁶ A/cm² at 2 K. Clear dips in magnetic hysteresis loops near zero field are observed at high matching fields. Field dependence of normalized relaxation rate is suppressed, and the relationship between the dip and the relaxation rate is discussed.     

Theoretical analysis of two-gap superconductivity of magnesium diborades and iron pnictides in the generalized α model

A generalized ?? model for computing the superconducting parameters of real two-band superconductors is proposed based on an analysis of the properties of two-band equations in the theory of superconductivity. Using this model, we calculate the heat capacity and optical properties of Ba(Fe_{1 ? x} Co _x )₂As₂ superconducting compound and obtain the temperature dependences of the gaps and energies of the Leggett modes in the Mg_{1 ? x} Al _x B₂ superconducting system. Good quantitative coincidence of the calculated data and experimental results is demonstrated.