Thermodynamical properties of superconducting contacts

We investigate the thermodynamical properties of superconducting contacts, and concentrate on the calculation of the specific heat in the vicinity of the superconducting transition point. By considering the thick film limit, it is found that the reduction in the specific heat is a much more delicate measure of the proximity effect than is the change in transition temperature, for example. For the case that the normal film consists of a paramagnetic metal, it can be shown that for superconducting films even as thick as 100-times the coherence distance the reduction in the specific heat is still approximately 15%. Our computations apply to arbitrary mean free path. Finally we discuss experiments byShiffman et al. on eutectic Pb-Sn alloys and show that reasonable good agreement between theory and experiment can be obtained.     

Nonmagnetic ground states and phase transitions in the caged compounds PrT2Zn20 (T = Ru, Rh and Ir)

We performed electrical resistivity ρ, magnetic susceptibility χ, specific heat C and electron diffraction measurements on single-crystalline samples of PrT2Zn20 (T = Ru, Rh and Ir). The three compounds show the Van Vleck paramagnetic behavior, indicating the nonmagnetic crystalline electric field (CEF) ground states. A Schottky-type peak appears at around 14 K, irrespective of the T element, which can be moderately reproduced by a doublet–triplet model. For T = Ru, a structural transition occurs at Ts = 138 K, below which no phase transition appears down to 0.04 K. On the other hand, for T = Ir, antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) ordering arising from the nonmagnetic Γ3 doublet takes place at TQ = 0.11 K. For T = Rh, despite a structural transition between 170 and 470 K, the CEF ground state is still the non-Kramers Γ3 doublet. However, no phase transition due to the Γ3 doublet was observed even down to 0.1 K.     

Magnetic Phase Transition in MnSi on the Base of the LSDA + U + SO Calculations of the Electronic Structure and the Spin-Fluctuation Theory

Spin states appearing near the magnetic phase transition in helicoidal ferromagnet MnSi are studied on the basis of the spin-fluctuation theory and the LSDA + U + SO calculations of the electronic structure. The temperature dependence of the uniform magnetic susceptibility is calculated near the magnetic phase transition temperature, and the result agrees well with the experiment. Spin correlators corresponding to various solutions of the equation of magnetic state are determined in the region of the magnetic phase transition expanded in temperature. It is shown that, in this region, a helicoidal short-range order appears in the form of the superposition of left and right spin spirals with stochastic weight coefficients. It is shown that the magnetic susceptibility divergences on the helicoid wave vector at the temperature of disappearance of local magnetization and during the transition to the paramagnetic state.     

Renormalization of Competing Interactions and Superconductivity on Small Scales

The interaction-induced orbital magnetic response of a nanoscale ring is evaluated for a diffusive system which is a superconductor in the bulk. The interplay of the renormalized Coulomb and Fröhlich interactions is crucial. The magnetic susceptibility which results from the fluctuations of the uniform superconducting order parameter is diamagnetic (paramagnetic) when the renormalized combined interaction is attractive (repulsive). Above the transition temperature of the bulk the total magnetic susceptibility has contributions from many wave-vector- and (Matsubara) frequency-dependent order parameter fluctuations. Each of these contributions results from a different renormalization of the relevant coupling energy, when one integrates out the fermionic degrees of freedom. The total diamagnetic response of the large superconductor may become paramagnetic when the system’s size decreases.     

Supraleitung von Lanthan-Folien und von aufgedampften Lanthan-Schichten mit Zusatz von Gadolinium

Foils of lanthanum were found to be converted entirely to the h. c. p. modification by the rolling process. This made it possible to obtain the superconducting transition temperatures for both the h. c. p. and f. c. c. modifications of lanthanum from measurements of the electrical resistivity. Lanthanum foils in the h. c. p. form exhibited a superconducting transition at 4.9° K while foils in the f. c. c. form became superconducting at 6.0° K. Cold working lowered the transition temperature of the h. c. p. modification. — Quenching condensation provided films of the h. c. p. modification, their transition temperature being depressed by the quenching condensation. — Small additions of gadolinium lowered the transition temperatures as well of the quenchingly condensed as of the annealed films at the same rate of 4.5° K per at % Gd. From the accordance of these rates it is concluded that the lowering of the transition temperature by paramagnetic impurities is not affected by quenching condensation. The results of the measurements on La-Gd films are also in accord with those ofMatthias et al. obtained on bulk specimens.     

NMR,magnetic susceptibility and specific heat of CrAl7

The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility, Knight shift and specific heat for the compound CrAl₇ have been measured. These measurements point out that, at the temperature around T_N ≈220 K the compound CrAl₇ presents a second order phase transition from the electron itinerant antiferromagnetism state to the paramagnetic state. The NMR and magnetic susceptibility measurements are correlated and the results are discussed in terms of the electron itinerant antifer-romagnetism and rigid band models. For the temperature independent-term of the susceptibility all the contributions are given.     

Specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of MnF2 and Mn0.98Fe0.02F2 near TN

The antiferro- to paramagnetic phase transition of the weakly anisotropic compound MnF₂ has been studied by means of heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility and thermal expansion measurements. The critical-point parameters associated with the specific heat indicate a transition according to the theoretical Ising-model. The temperature derivative of the parallel magnetic susceptibility times temperature (d(χ∥T)/dT) and the c-axis thermal expansion coefficient show a critical behaviour very similar to that of the specific heat. The influence of iron doping on the critical behaviour has been investigated by studies on Mn_0.98Fe_0.02F₂. Specific heat and magnetic susceptibility measurements show an unexpectedly sharp transition although some rounding off is noticed as compared to pure MnF₂.     

Strong electronic correlations in LixZnPc organic metals

Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetization measurements show that bulk LixZnPc are strongly correlated one-dimensional metals. The temperature dependence of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_{1} and of the static uniform susceptibility chi_{S} on approaching room temperature are characteristic of a Fermi liquid. Moreover, while for x approximately 2 the electrons are delocalized down to low temperature, for x-->4 a tendency towards localization is noticed upon cooling, yielding an increase both in 1/T_{1} and chi_{s}. The x dependence of the effective density of states at the Fermi level D(E_{F}) displays a sharp enhancement for x approximately 2, at the half filling of the ZnPc lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals. This suggests that LixZnPc is on the edge of a metal-insulator transition where enhanced superconducting fluctuations could develop.     

Electrical and magnetic properties of pseudo-one-dimensional calcium iridium oxide Ca5Ir3O12

The electrical and magnetic properties of one-dimensional calcium iridium oxide Ca₅Ir₃O₁₂ are investigated. A weak ferromagnetic transition has been found at 7.5 K through magnetic susceptibility measurements. At the same temperature, a λ-type specific heat anomaly has been observed. The effective magnetic moments in the paramagnetic temperature range and the magnetic entropy due to the magnetic transition indicates that the tetravalent and pentavalent Ir ions exist in the ratio of 1:2. Another λ-type anomaly has been observed at 105 K in the temperature dependence of the specific heat. The electrical conductivity shows one-dimensional Mott variable-range hopping conduction behavior.     

On the possible separation of the phase enriched with Nb in superconducting intermetallic Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Sn irradiated with fast protons

The results of the study of magnetization and dynamic magnetic susceptibility are correlated with changes in the microstructure of superconducting intermetallic Nb₃Sn plates irradiated at the Kurchatov Institute cyclotron with fast protons with an energy of 12.8 MeV to a fluence of 1 · 10¹⁸ cm^?2. The dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on the total irradiation dose is determined. For one of the samples, the dynamic magnetic susceptibility exhibits several steps corresponding to superconducting transitions at different temperatures. It is assumed that a Nb-enriched phase is separated in the region of maximum radiation damages. A microstructural analysis shows the appearance of randomly oriented Nb-enriched regions from 0.1 to 0.5 μm in size.     

Mott transition, antiferromagnetism, and unconventional superconductivity in layered organic superconductors

The phase diagram of the organic superconductor kappa-(ET)2Cu[N(CN)2]Cl has been accurately measured from 1H NMR and ac susceptibility techniques under helium gas pressure. The domains of stability of antiferromagnetic and superconducting orders in the pressure vs temperature plane have been determined. Both phases overlap through a first-order boundary that separates two regions of inhomogeneous phase coexistence. The boundary curve merges with the first-order line of the metal-insulator transition which ends with a critical point at higher temperature. The whole phase diagram features a point-like region where metallic, insulating, antiferromagnetic, and non-s-wave superconducting phases all meet.     

Reentrant superconductivity in the orthorhombic system (Tm1−xLux)RuB2

The boundaries between the paramagnetic, superconducting and magnetically ordered phases in the orthorhombic pseudoternary system (Tm_1?xLu_x)RuB₂ have been established by means of ac magnetic susceptibility measurements down to 1.2 K. Reentrant superconductivity occurs between x = 0.52 and x ? 0.68. The absence of coexistence between superconductivity and long range magnetic order in this region suggests a ferromagnetic-like nature of the magnetic state. The initial linear depression of superconducting transition temperature (T_c) gives a coupling constant value N(E_F)$\text{J}$² between conduction electrons and magnetic Tm³⁺ moments of 6.7 × 10^?4 eV-atom-states/ spin direction.     

The magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of Gd-doped lanthanumsulfides

The system La_3-x( )_xS₄ [where ( ) denotes a vacancy] containing up to 25 at.% Gd is shown to be a model system in which magnetic interactions in metals can be studied. By measuring the temperature dependence of the low field a.c. susceptibility, the superconducting, spin-glass and ferromagnetic transitions can be determined as a function of the Gd concentration. The depression of the superconducting transition temperature mainly follows the theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov, with a possibility for coexistence of superconductivity and spin-glass magnetic order near a critical concentration of 3 at.% Gd. The transition from spin-glass to ferromagnet is well-defined with the percolation limit for the long range ferromagnetic order at 14 at.% Gd.     

Thermodynamics and phase diagram of high temperature superconductors

Thermodynamic quantities are derived for superconducting and pseudogap regimes by taking into account both amplitude and phase fluctuations of the pairing field. In the normal (pseudogap) state of the underdoped cuprates, two domains have to be distinguished: near the superconducting region, phase correlations are important up to temperature T(phi). Above T(phi), the pseudogap region is determined only by amplitudes, and phases are uncorrelated. Our calculations show excellent quantitative agreement with specific heat and magnetic susceptibility experiments on cuprates. We find that the mean field temperature T0 has a similar doping dependence as the pseudogap temperature T(*), whereas the pseudogap energy scale is given by the average amplitude above T(c).     

Effect of paramagnetic fluctuations on superconductivity in ferromagnetic superconductors

The superconducting transition temperature T_c is calculated for ferromagnetic superconductors taking into account explicitly elastic scattering between electrons and paramagnetic fluctuations. Depending on the strength and range of the Heisenberg interaction between localized magnetic moments, the superconducting gap may or may not remain finite at the onset of long range ferromagnetic ordering. In a dirty system, the mean free path reduces the depairing effect of fluctuations. The Heisenberg interaction is assumed to be of other than RKKY origin.     

Spezifische Wärme im Cr-Re-System Antiferromagnetismus und Supraleitung

The investigation of the specific heat at low temperatures, superconductivity and electrical resistivity in the Cr-Re system within the cubic phase shows a relatively sharp transition from an antiferromagnetic to a superconducting region. The results can fully be accounted for by theOverhauser spin-density wave (SDW) theory. On the other hand, the superconducting transition temperature varies in the manner predicted by the theory ofBardeen, Cooper andSchrieffer (BCS). Both phenomena show an evident d-character. A detailed analysis gives strong indication that, although possible, a coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in Cr-Re is rather improbable.     

Coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in the hole doped FeAs-based superconducting compound

The magnetic and superconducting properties of the Sm-doped FeAs-based superconducting compound were investigated under wide ranges of temperature and magnetic field. After the systematical magnetic ion substitution, the superconducting transition temperature decreases with increasing magnetic moment. The hysteresis loop of the La_0.87?xSm_xSr_0.13FeAsO sample shows a superconducting hysteresis and a paramagnetic background signal. The paramagnetic signal is mainly attributed to the Sm moments. The experiment demonstrates that the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in the hole doped FeAs-based superconducting compounds is possible. Unlike the electron doped FeAs-based superconducting compounds SmFeAsOF, the hole doped superconductivity is degraded by the substitution of La by Sm. The hole-doped and electron-doped sides are not symmetric.     

Modification of several physicochemical properties of a high-temperature superconducting yttrium ceramic upon doping with gold

The influence of additions of gold (5 and 10 at. %) on the lattice parameters, the superconducting transition temperature, and the diamagnetic susceptibility of the high-temperature superconducting ceramic YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ is investigated. The influence of gold on the kinetics of the release of weakly bound oxygen during heating of the ceramic in a vacuum is also studied. It is shown that doping the ceramic with gold causes uniaxial expansion of the lattice of the material, a significant decrease in the diamagnetic susceptibility, and nonmonotonic variation of the kinetic parameters of the oxygen release, while the superconducting transition temperature remains nearly unchanged. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 31–34 (February 1997)     

Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in phase fluctuating superconductors with inhomogeneous Gaussian distributed couplings

Within the framework of phase fluctuation picture for the pseudogap state of cuprate superconductors, we study the effects of both spatial inhomogeneity of coupling strength and thermal phase fluctuations on the superconducting transition temperature. Such a Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition is characterized by a two-dimensional (2D) classical XY model, in which the bond coupling is assumed to be roughly proportional to the superconducting bond order parameter. In recent STM experiments with lattice-tracking spectroscopy technique, a Gaussian-like spatially distributed pairing strength is observed. Our Monte Carlo simulations using Wolff cluster update on such 2D classical XY model, in which the bond coupling obeys a similar spatial Gaussian distribution, indicate that the enhancement of the variance of Gaussian distribution may suppress the BKT transition temperature. In addition, we calculate the related physical quantities, including the spin stiffness, free energy, specific heat, magnetization and magnetic susceptibility, by changing the inhomogeneity variance.     

Superconductivity induced by doping Ru in SrFe2−xRuxAs2

Using one-step solid state reaction method, we have successfully synthesized the superconductor SrFe_1−xRu_xAs. X-ray diffraction indicates that the material has formed the ThCr₂Si₂-type structure with a space group I4/mmm. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants demonstrates that the Fe ions are successfully replaced by the Ru. By increasing the doping content of Ru, the spin-density-wave (SDW) transition in the parent compound is suppressed and superconductivity emerges. The maximum superconducting transition temperature is found at 13.5 K with the doping level of x = 0.7. The temperature dependence of DC magnetization confirms superconducting transitions at around 12 K. Our results indicate that similar to non-isoelectronic substitution, isoelectronic substitution contributes to changes in both the carrier concentration and internal pressure, and superconductivity could be induced by isoelectronic substitution.