A Mössbauer study of YBa2(Cu1−x)Fex3O7−σ

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of a sample of YBa₂(Cu_0.985Fe_0.015)₃O_7−σ for which T_c≈59 K show that long-range magnetic order is established below ∼ K. A model in which the Fe spins are aligned with the crystallographic c-axis provides satisfactory agreement with the observed relaxation spectra. This result is discussed with reference to current theoretical models of high-T_c superconductivity which involve magnetic coupling mechanisms.     

The vortex-like excitations detected by Nernst signals in high-T c superconductors

The nature of the pseudogap state and its relation to the d-wave superconductivity in high-T _c superconductors is still an open issue. The vortex-like excitations detected by the Nernst effect measurements exist in a certain temperature range above superconducting transition temperature T _c, which strongly support that the pseudogap phase is characterized by finite pairing amplitude with strong phase fluctuations and imply that the phase transition at T _c is driven by the loss of long-range phase coherence. We first briefly introduce the electronic phase diagram and pseudogap state of high-T _c superconductors, and then review the results of Nernst effect for different high-T _c superconductors. Related theoretical models are also discussed.     

Potential parent compound of superconductor: Sr2CuM2As2O2 (M = Mn, Fe)

The electronic structure of Sr₂CuMn₂As₂O₂ and Sr₂CuFe₂As₂O₂ are studied by the first-principle calculations. These compounds have a body-centered-tetragonal crystal structure that consists of the CuO₂ layers similar to those in the high-Tc cuprate superconductor, and intermetallic MAs (M = Mn, or Fe) layers similar to the FeAs layers in high-Tc pnictides. Such special structure makes them as interesting candidates for new type of superconductor since they have two types of superconducting layers. However, our calculations indicate that the states in the range from −2.0 eV to +2.0 eV are dominated by Mn-3d or Fe-3d states, while the states of Cu-3d are far away from the Fermi level (in the range from −3.0 eV to −1.0 eV). Such results are significantly different with the Cu-based superconductor, like La₂CuO₄, where the states around Fermi level are dominated by Cu-3d states. Besides, we find that the mean-field magnetic ground state is the checkerboard antiferromagnetic in Cu sublattice and the stripe antiferromagnetic in Fe (or Mn) sublattice.     

Phase diagram and transport properties of Sb-doped Ca0.88La0.12Fe2As2 single crystals

The effects of isovalent Sb substitution on the superconducting properties of the Ca_0.88La_0.12Fe₂(As_1-ySb_y)₂ system have been studied through electrical resistivity measurements. It is seen that the antiferromagnetic or structural transition is suppressed with Sb content, and a high-T_c superconducting phase, accompanied by a low-T_c phase, emerges at 0.02 ≤ y ≤ 0.06. In this intermediate-doping regime, normal-state transport shows non-Fermi-liquid-like behaviors with nearly T-linear resistivity above the high-T_c phase. With further Sb doping, this high-T_c phase abruptly vanishes for y > 0.06 and the conventional Fermi liquid is restored, while the low-T_c phase remains robust against Sb impurities. The coincidence of the high-T_c phase and non-Fermi liquid transport behaviors in the intermediate Sb-doping regime suggests that AFM fluctuations play an important role in the observed non-Fermi liquid behaviors, which may be intimately related to the unusual nonbulk high-T_c phase in this system.     

Model of superconducting domains––a unified theory of high- and low-Tc superconductors

A unified model of the superconducting mechanism has been put forward. The model suits not only to high-T_c but also to low-T_c superconductors. It is found that there are superconducting domains (SD) in crystal. When T⩽T_c, all the SD’s in the whole crystal are connected with one another. We have obtained the formula of T_c. On the basis of the formula and theory of quantum mechanics, the different behaviours of isotopic effects in low- and high-T_c superconductors as well as C₆₀, the triangular peak of T_c of transition metals, Matthias rules, and other effects are explained. New superconductors with higher T_c are predicted.     

Theoretical study of photoinduced superconductors in a two band model

A study of photoinduced high-T_c superconductivity is presented by canonical two-band BCS model containing Fermi surfaces of p and d holes. We have obtained two superconducting gaps from this model. Studies of chemical potential and hole concentration dependences on critical temperature (T_c) are made. The enhancement of T_c is found due to doping.The study of specific heat and density of states based on this model is also presented. The dependence T_c(n_h) for the system YBa₂Cu₃O_7?x (1 2 3) obtained theoretically agrees with the available experimental data.     

EPR study of deoxygenated high-temperature superconductors

High-T _c superconductors are EPR silent but on a little deoxygenation of the high-T _c materials and their constituents, they yield rich but complex spectra. Spectra of (1) CuO, (2) BaCuO₂, (3) CaCuO₂, (4) Y₂Cu₂O₅, (5) La₂CuO₄, (6) La_2−x M _x CuO₄ (M=Sr, Ba), (7) Y based-123, (8) Bi based-2201, 2212, 2223, (9) Tl based-2223 and (10) Hg based-1212, 1223 have been studied. One thing common to all these materials is the CuO₂ plane which gets fragmented on deoxygenation and the inherent antiferromagnetic coupling is partially destroyed which results in the appearance of the spectra. The spectra recorded have been identified to be due to (1) Cu-monomer, (2) Cu-dimer, (3) Cu-tetramer, (4) Cu-octamer and (5) one signal at very low field which could not be identified because there was no structure in it and may be due to fragments higher than octamers. Very big fragments do not give any spectra because the original AF order probably remains intact in them. It is expected that when the fragments become magnetically isolated from the bulk, they produce EPR spectra. Most of the spectra have been analyzed and their spin-Hamiltonian parameters determined. The spectra of these species vary a little in terms of g-value and fine-structure splitting constant from sample to sample or even in the same sample and this may be attributed to some extra oxygen attachments retained with these species. Most frequently occurring species is the Cu-tetramer, (CuO)₄. As (CuO)₄ represents the unit cell of the all important two-dimensional CuO₂ plane of the high-T _c materials, its spectra have been argued to provide some clue to the mechanism of high-T _c superconductivity. The tetramer (CuO)₄ is a four one-half spin system and is essentially 16-fold degenerate by Heisenberg isotropic exchange, it is split into 6 components: one pentet, three triplets and two singlets. In superconductors the pentet appears to be the ground state and in the non-superconducting constituents the singlets seem to form the ground state as revealed by the temperature variation studies. In the case of La_1.854Sr_0.146CuO₄ we have found the signature of quantum stripe formation. The high-T _c superconductivity theories involving spin bag, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and magnons can be explained on the basis of Cu-tetramers.     

Positron annihilation studies in high-Tc superconductors RBa2Cu3Oy,R: La,Nd, Sm,Eu, Gd,Dy, Ho,Y, Er

Positron lifetime and Doppler broadening of the annihilation line measurements have been performed at room temperature in high-T_c superconductors RBa₂Cu₃O_y, where R: La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Y, Er and 6.9 < y ≤ 7. Doppler broadening of the annihilation line measurements have also been performed in high-T_c superconducting samples R RBa₂Cu₃O_y, where R: Nd, Sm, Eu, Ho, Y, Er as a function of temperature between 14 K and 293 K. It was observed that the positron lifetime and the S parameter values at room temperature have no obvious trend in their variation from the yttrium substitution by a rare-earth element. It was also observed that the temperature dependence of the positron annihilation parameters is similar in the high-T_c superconducting samples.     

Superconductivity in mesoscopic high-Tc superconducting particles

Based on the Hubbard model in the framework of non-phonon kinematical mechanism and taking into account the discreetness of an electronic energy spectrum, the superconducting critical temperature of a mesoscopic high-T_c sphere is analyzed as a function of doping and as a function of particle's radius. The critical temperature T_c is found to be an oscillating function of the radius of a particle. The size-dependent doping regime is revealed in high-T_c nanoparticles. Our analysis shows that each oscillation in T_c corresponds to the increase in a number of the energy levels in the sphere by 1. The amplitude of oscillations of T_c increases with decreasing R and can reach a value of 6 K for nanoparticles with sizes about 25 nm, in good agreement with experimental studies of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ nanoparticles.     

The Peierls instability and superconductivity in quasi-2-d La2-x(Ba,Sr)xCuO4 compounds

The Peierls instability in the quasi-2-d La_2-x(Ba,Sr)_xCuO₄ is reexamined by taking the weak interlayer coupling into account. A two-step Peierls transition theory is developed, the general misunderstandings on the Peierls instability are therefore clarified, and a number of experimental anomalies observed in La₂CuO₄ are well explained. By suggesting an additional change of space group symmetries at the lower transition point, the calculated band structures are also intepreted. The possibility of CDW coexistence with the high-T_c superconductivity, the possible evidence for the 3-d superconductivity of the high-T_c materials are discussed with this theory.     

NMR studies of singlet-ground-state rare-earth ions in high-T c superconductors

Many of presently known high-T _c superconductors contain rare-earth (RE) ions with an even number of electrons in an unfilled 4f-shell (Pr³⁺, Tb³⁺, Ho³⁺, Tm³⁺). If the ground state of 4f-electrons is non-degenerate and separated from excited states by high enough energy intervals, one can observe the so-called “enhanced NMR” of RE nuclei at low temperatures. In the present paper some aspects of the enhanced NMR are analyzed in applications to the crystal and electron structure of high-T _c superconductors.     

Mössbauer and X-ray diffraction studies of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2(Cu0.99Fe0.01)3O7−δ

The high-T _c superconductor YBa₂(Cu_0.99Fe_0.01)₃O_7?δ was studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Spectra taken at room temperature were fitted with four components. Annealing experiments showed that changes in the spectra at various temperatures are related to the nearest environment of Fe atoms rather than to the global lattice symmetry. Based on the results obtained, a model of lattice site assignment of Fe atoms has been proposed.     

Doping effect on the carrier scattering in iron-pnictide superconductors studied by charge transport

In order to reveal the role of “carrier doping” in the iron-based superconductors, we investigated the transport properties of the oxygen-deficient iron-arsenides LnFeAsO_1−y (Ln=La, Ce, Pr and Nd) over a wide doping range. We found that the effect of “doping” in this system is mainly on the carrier scattering rather than carrier density, quite distinct from that in high-T_c cuprates. In the case of La system with lower T_c, the low temperature resistivity is dominated by T² term and fairly large magnetoresistance is observed. On the other hand, in the Nd system with higher T_c, carriers are subject to stronger scattering showing nearly T-linear resistivity and small magnetoresistance. Such strong scattering appears intimately correlated with high-T_c superconductivity in the iron-based system.     

Fermi surface studies in the low- and high-T c phase of the organic superconductor β-(BEDT-TTF)2I3

We report de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements of the high-T _c modification (T _c = 7 - 8 K) and Shubnikov-de Haas results of the low-T _c modification (Tc ≈ 1:4 K) of the organic superconductor β-(BEDT-TTF)₂I₃. In the high-T _c phase we find a single closed two-dimensional orbit with a dHvA frequency F ₀ = (3815±10) T and a 1/cosθ dependence as expected for a quasi two-dimensional system (where θ is the angle between the magnetic field and the direction normal to the conducting planes). The effective cyclotron mass is m _c = (4:2±0:2)m _e. The dHvA signal shows a beating pattern caused by the three-dimensional warping of the Fermi cylinder. The inter-plane transfer integral estimated from the maximum beating frequency ΔF is t _⊥/εF ≈ 1/175. At the angles where the beating disappears, i.e., ΔF ≈ 0, the oscillations have a harmonic content which is much larger than expected from the Lifshitz-Kosevich formula. In the low-T _c phase weak SdH oscillations with a frequency of F _SdH ≈ 110 T and an effective cyclotron mass m _c ≈ 1:0m _e is found. These results suggest a possible reconstruction of the Fermi surface in the low-T _c phase.     

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure investigations of Nb3Ge0.26Al0.74

We have performed Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) studies of the high-T_c ternary superconducting alloy Nb₃Ge_0.26Al_0.74 above the Ge K-edge. The EXAFS indicates that the local environment surrounding the Ge atoms is characterized by a high degree of structural order, similar to that found in previous investigations of high-T_c Nb₃Ge thin films. We also present direct “microscopic” structural evidence that this material is a solid solution of Nb₃Ge and Nb₃Al. No evidence of Nb₃Ge microcrystals is observed.     

Magnetic ordering in57Fe-doped high-T c superconductors

The high-temperature superconductor, Tl₂CaBa₂(Cu_1?x Fe _x )₂O_8+δ (the 2122 compound), has been investigated by a number of techniques, including X-ray diffraction, resistance and ac susceptibility measurements, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The procedures followed to make close to single-phase samples are described. The decrease in the critical temperature for superconductivity,T _c , is less than for the iron-doped 123 compounds. The Mössbauer spectra at 77 K and above consist of an asymmetric doublet. Below about 10 K magnetic hyperfine splitting occurs; relaxation effects are still present at 2.3 K. The spectra can be fitted with two overlapping patterns. Their origin is discussed: comparisons are made with other high-T _c superconductors.     

Extension of the 3D-scaling rule for resistivity as a function of magnetic field and its orientation for anisotropic high-temperature superconductors

The measurement of the c-axis resistivity of single crystalline La_1.86Sr_0.14CuO₄ is performed at different constant temperatures as a function of magnetic field H and angle θ between H and the ab-plane. It is shown that the 2D- or 3D-scaling rule proposed for high-T _c superconductors does not work well for the present system. Taking into account unusual vortex dynamics in the high-T _c systems, an extension is made to the 3D-scaling rule developed on the basis of the effective-mass model. Based on this extended rule, it is shown that at each given temperature the observed resistivity as a function of H and θ could be consistently scaled onto the corresponding Lorentz-force-free magnetoresistivity curves directly measured in H‖I‖c.     

Properties of disordered Mo3Ge thin films with A15 structure

Heavy ion irradiation of A15 Mo₃Ge with the low transition temperature T_c = 1.45 K raises T_c to ? 6 K. For the first time in A15 compounds a T_c degradation (≈ 3 K) after having passed through a maximum is observed until near 3.5 K the saturation value is reached. The effects on T_c are interpreted by variations of the deduced (H'_c2, ?) density of states at the Fermi level. This picture consistently explains the T_c degradation of the high-T_c A15 compounds.     

Muonic x-ray intensity measurements on a highT c superconductor

Muonic x-ray spectra from the high-T _c superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_6.95 have been measured in the superconducting and normal states. No significant differences were found between the two spectra when comparing the intensities of 27 lines.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. J. Mang on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

The effect of atomic ordering on the photoelectron spectra of V3Au

The X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectra of the valence bands are measured on 3 different modifications of the compound V₃Au, as obtained from the same starting sample. Two of these modifications are of the same crystal structure type (A 15), but have a different LRO parameter, S. An increase of the XPS V3d density of states, in agreement with the observed increase of the electronic specific heat coefficient, γ, and the superconducting transition temperature, T_c.