Effective interactions and the nature of Cooper instability of spin polarons in the 2D Kondo lattice

It has been shown that two-and three-center interactions arise in the strong-coupling regime for the 2D Kondo lattice; these interactions both induce and suppress the Cooper instability. It is important that, in contrast to the t-J* model, the three-center interactions promote the Cooper pairing and ensure the appearance of the superconducting phase with a high critical temperature T _c. The calculated concentration dependences of T _c agree well with the experimental data for the cuprate superconductors.     

Manifestation of pseudogap features in structurally inhomogeneous optimally doped HTSC YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6.92</Subscript>

Magnetization M(H,T) in magnetic fields H up to 90 kOe and at temperatures 2 K ≤ T < T _c (where Tc is the superconducting transition temperature), along with magnetic susceptibility χ(T) in the normal state T _c < T < 400 K for optimally oxygen-doped samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_6.92 with varying degrees of defects in the crystal structure, are studied to determine the influence of structural inhomogeneity on the electron systems characteristics of cuprate superconductors. It is shown that the existence of structural inhomogeneity of samples leads to the manifestation of peculiarities appropriate to pseudogap regime in their properties.     

Robust superconductivity and transport properties in (Li1-xFex)OHFeSe single crystals

The recently discovered (Li_1-xFe_x)OHFeSe superconductor with T_c about 40 K provides a good platform for investigating the magnetization and electrical transport properties of FeSe-based superconductors. By using a hydrothermal ion-exchange method, we have successfully grown crystals of (Li_1-xFe_x)OHFeSe. X-ray diffraction on the sample shows the single crystalline PbO-type structure with the c-axis preferential orientation. Magnetic susceptibility and resistive measurements show an onset superconducting transition at around T_c=38.3 K. Using the magnetization hysteresis loops and Bean critical state model, a large critical current J_s is observed in low temperature region. The critical current density is suppressed exponentially with increasing magnetic field. Temperature dependencies of resistivity under various currents and fields are measured, revealing a robust superconducting current density and bulk superconductivity.     

Nonlinear generation of vorticity in thin smectic films

The energy levels of the fermions bound to the vortex are considered for vortices in the superfluid/superconducting systems that contain the symmetry protected plane of zeroes in the gap function in bulk. The Caroli–de Gennes–Matricon branches with different approach zero energy level at p_z → 0. The density of states of the bound fermions diverges at zero energy giving rise to the \(\sqrt \Omega \) dependence of the density of states in the polar phase of superfluid ³He rotating with the angular velocity Ω and to the \(\sqrt B \) dependence of the density of states for superconductors in the (d_xz + id_yz)-wave pairing state.     

Development of the method for low-temperature investigations of HTSC systems on an X-ray electron magnetic spectrometer

Peculiarities of the chemical structure of bulk polycrystalline samples of the high-temperature superconductors Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈, BiSrCaCu₂O_5.5, BiSrCaCu₃O₈, and YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 ? δ} have been investigated in detail at room and superconducting temperatures on an X-ray electron magnetic spectrometer equipped with an attachment for low-temperature studies. It is shown that covalent bonding is formed at a superconducting temperature between copper and oxygen due to Cu²⁺ ions. Due to the enhancement of the d(Cu)–p(O) hybridization of copper and oxygen electrons in the superconducting state, the d-electron density increases near E _F. The occurrence of additional peaks in the O1s and Sr3d (Ba3d) spectra after transition of the system to the superconducting state indicates changes in the nearest environment of O and Sr (Ba) atoms, in particular, the transition of Sr atoms to a higher oxidation state.     

Threshold perturbations in current-carrying superconducting bridges with a finite length near the critical temperature

Near the critical temperature of a superconducting transition, the energy of the threshold perturbation δF_thr that transfers a superconducting bridge to a resistive state at a current below the critical current I_c has been determined. It has been shown that δF_thr increases with a decrease in the length of a bridge for short bridges with lengths L < ξ (where ξ is the coherence length) and is saturated for long bridges with L ? ξ. At certain geometrical parameters of banks and bridge, the function δF_thr(L) at the current I → 0 has a minimum at L ~ (2–3)ξ. These results indicate that the effect of fluctuations on Josephson junctions made in the form of short superconducting bridges is reduced and that the effect of fluctuations on bridges with lengths ~(2–3)ξ is enhanced.     

Analytical assessment of some characteristic ratios for <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-wave superconductors

We evaluate some thermodynamic quantities and characteristic ratios that describe low- and high-temperature s-wave superconducting systems. Based on a set of fundamental equations derived within the conformal transformation method, a simple model is proposed and studied analytically. After including a one-parameter class of fluctuations in the density of states, the mathematical structure of the s-wave superconducting gap, the free energy difference, and the specific heat difference is found and discussed in an analytic manner. Both the zero-temperature limit T = 0 and the subcritical temperature range T ? T_c are discussed using the method of successive approximations. The equation for the ratio R₁, relating the zero-temperature energy gap and the critical temperature, is formulated and solved numerically for various values of the model parameter. Other thermodynamic quantities are analyzed, including a characteristic ratio R₂, quantifying the dynamics of the specific heat jump at the critical temperature. It is shown that the obtained model results coincide with experimental data for low-T_c superconductors. The prospect of application of the presented model in studies of high-T_c superconductors and other superconducting systems of the new generation is also discussed.     

Effect of the nanoscale structural inhomogeneity on the magnetic and superconducting characteristics of fine-grained YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript> HTSCs

It has been experimentally established that the nanoscale structural inhomogeneity, inherent in fine-grained (0.4 ≤ 〈D〉 ≤ 2μm) high-temperature superconductors YBa₂Cu₃O _y (y ≈ 6.92, T _C ≈ 92 K) and manifesting itself in partial interplane redistribution of oxygen [1, 2], changes the density of states near the Fermi level and decreases the coherence length and density of superconducting carriers in CuO₂ planes. The revealed relationship between the changes in these characteristics with respect to their equilibrium values corresponds to the relationship that might occur for conventional superconductors.     

Enhancement of pseudogap anomalies induced by nanoscale structural inhomogeneity in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6.93</Subscript> high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript>c</Subscript> superconductor

The magnetization M(H) in the superconducting state, dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T) in the normal state, and specific heat C(T) near the superconducting transition temperature T _c have been measured for a series of fine-crystalline YBa₂Cu₃O _y samples having nearly optimum values of y = 6.93 ± 0.3 and T _c = (91.5 ± 0.5) K. The samples differ only in the degree of nanoscale structural inhomogeneity. The characteristic parameters of superconductors (the London penetration depth and the Ginzburg–Landau parameter) and the thermodynamic critical field H _c are determined by the analysis of the magnetization curves M(H). It is found that the increase in the degree of nanoscale structural inhomogeneity leads to an increase in the characteristic parameters of superconductors and a decrease in H _c(T) and the jump of the specific heat ΔC/T _c. It is shown that the changes in the physical characteristics are caused by the suppression of the density of states near the Fermi level. The pseudogap is estimated by analyzing χ(T). It is found that the nanoscale structural inhomogeneity significantly enhances and probably even creates the pseudogap regime in the optimally doped high-T _c superconductors.     

Penetration of a magnetic field into the YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7−δ</Subscript> high-temperature superconductor: Magnetoresistance in weak magnetic fields

The penetration of a magnetic field into superconducting grains and weak links of YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ ceramic high-temperature superconductors is investigated using measurements of the transverse and longitudinal magnetoresistances at T=77.3 K and 0≤H≤～500 Oe as a function of the transport current in the range ～0.01≤I/I _c ≤～0.99. The effects associated with the complete penetration of Josephson vortices into weak links of the high-temperature superconductor in magnetic fields H_c2J, the onset of penetration of Abrikosov vortices into superconducting grains in magnetic fields H_c1A, and the first-order transition from the Bragg glass phase to the vortex glass phase in fields H_BG-VG are revealed and interpreted. The I-H phase diagrams YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ high-temperature superconductors are constructed for I ⊥ H and I ‖ H.     

Resonant tunneling in superconducting structures with <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis> symmetry of order parameter

Resonant tunneling processes are studied in superconducting junctions of low transparency with the order parameter of the electrodes of different symmetry. A general equation of the resonant current is derived within the Green’s function formalism for the junctions of arbitrary dimensionality. The phase dependence of the supercurrent averaged over the set of localized states is analyzed for superconducting junctions with an isotropic order parameter. A numerical analysis of the resonant current transport in junctions with high-T _c superconducting electrodes with the d symmetry of the order parameter was carried out.     

Anion height dependence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis></Subscript> and the density of states in iron-based superconductors

Systematic ab initio LDA calculations were performed for all the typical representatives of recently discovered class of iron-based high-temperature superconductors: REOFe(As,P) (RE = La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb), Ba₂Fe₂As, (Sr,Ca)FFeAs, Sr₄Sc₂O₆Fe₂P₂, LiFeAs and Fe(Se,Te). Non-monotonic behavior of total density of states at the Fermi level is observed as a function of anion height relative to Fe layer with maximum at about Δz _a ～ 1.37 Å, attributed to changing Fe-As (P, Se, Te) hybridization. This leads to a similar dependence of superconducting transition temperature T _c as observed in the experiments. The fit of this dependence to elementary BCS theory produces semiquantitative agreement with experimental data for T _c for the whole class of iron-based superconductors. The similar fit to Allen-Dynes formula underestimates T _c in the vicinity of the maximum, signifying the possible importance of non-phonon pairing in this region. These results unambiguously demonstrate that the main effect of T _c variation between different types of iron-based superconductors is due to the corresponding variation of the density of states at the Fermi level.     

A brief review on <Emphasis Type="Italic">μ</Emphasis>SR studies of unconventional Fe- and Cr-based superconductors

Muon spin relaxation/rotation (μSR) is a vital technique for probing the superconducting gap structure, pairing symmetry and time reversal symmetry breaking, enabling an understanding of the mechanisms behind the unconventional superconductivity of cuprates and Fe-based high-temperature superconductors, which remain a puzzle. Very recently double layered Fe-based super- conductors having quasi-2D crystal structures and Cr-based superconductors with a quasi-1D structure have drawn considerable attention. Here we present a brief review of the characteristics of a few selected Fe- and Cr-based superconducting materials and highlight some of the major outstanding problems, with an emphasis on the superconducting pairing symmetries of these materials. We focus on μSR studies of the newly discovered superconductors ACa₂Fe₄As₄F₂ (A = K, Rb, and Cs), ThFeAsN, and A₂Cr₃As₃ (A = K, Cs), which were used to determine the superconducting gap structures, the presence of spin fluctuations, and to search for time reversal symmetry breaking in the superconducting states. We also briefly discuss the results of μSR investigations of the superconductivity in hole and electron doped BaFe₂As₂.     

The magnetic field dependence of the low temperature (0.1K to 3K) residual specific heat of Pr<Subscript>2−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ce<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>CuO<Subscript>4−δ</Subscript>

Measurements are presented of the low temperature specific heat of three polycrystalline samples of Pr_2?x Ce _x CuO₄ in magnetic fields of 0, 2 and 4 Tesla. The residual specific heat contribution in zero field seems to have a form αT ⁿ (n<1) for all of the samples, whether superconducting or non-superconducting. The behaviour in magnetic fields is similar to that reported for other high Tc superconductors where a change in exponent of the residual term occurs at some crossover temperature in magnetic fields.     

Phase transitions in a MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript> granular BCS superconductor in weak magnetic fields

The character of temperature dependences of the electric conductivity of MgB₂ granular BCS superconductors at temperatures of ~35–45 K in external magnetic fields H _ext of up to ~2 kOe is studied. An increase in the superconducting transition width ΔT _c with an increase in Hext is found. The presence of a system of weak links in MgB₂-based granular superconductors is established. On the basis of experimental data, MgB₂ granular superconductor is assigned to two-level superconducting systems and the H–T phase diagram is constructed.     

Superfluid density in the slave-boson theory

Despite of the success of the slave-boson theory in capturing qualitative physics of high-temperature superconductors like cuprates, it fails to reproduce the correct temperature-dependent behavior of superfluid density, let alone the independence of the linear temperature term on doping in the underdoped regimes of hole-doped cuprate, a common experimental observation in different cuprates. It remains puzzling up to now in spite of intensive theoretical efforts. For electron-doped case, even qualitative treatment is not reported at present time. Here we revisit these problems and provide an alternative superfluid density formulation by using the London relation instead of employing the paramagnetic current-current correlation function. The obtained formula, on the one hand, provides the correct temperature-dependent behavior of the superfluid density in the whole temperature regime, on the other hand, makes the doping dependence of the linear temperature term substantially weaken and a possible interpretation for its independence on doping is proposed. As an application, electron-doped cuprate is studied, whose result qualitatively agrees with existing experiments and successfully explains the origin of d- to anisotropic s-wave transition across the optimal doping. Our result remedies some failures of the slave-boson theory as employed to calculate superfluid density in cuprates and may be useful in the understanding of the related physics in other strongly correlated systems, e.g. Na_xCoO₂·yH₂O and certain iron-based superconductors with dominating local magnetic exchange interaction.     

Effect of incommensurate potential on the resonant tunneling through Majorana bound states on the topological superconductor chains

We study the transport through the Kitaev chain with incommensurate potentials coupled to two normal leads by the numerical operator method. We find a quantized linear conductance of e ² / h, which is independent to the disorder strength and the gate voltage in a wide range, signaling the Majorana bound states. While the incommensurate potential suppresses the current at finite voltage bias, and then narrows the linear response regime of the I-V curve which exhibits two plateaus corresponding to the superconducting gap and the band edge, respectively. The linear conductance abruptly drops to zero as the disorder strength reaches the critical value 2g _s + 2Δ with Δ the p-wave pairing amplitude and g _s the hopping between neighbor sites, corresponding to the transition from the topological superconducting phase to the Anderson localized phase. Changing the gate voltage also causes an abrupt drop of the linear conductance by driving the chain into the topologically trivial superconducting phase, whose I-V curve exhibits an exponential shape.     

Variation of electronic density in the superconducting phase transition in Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Al

The variation of electronic density in the superconducting phase transition in the classical superconductor Nb₃Al with critical temperature T_c=18.6 K was studied using ⁷³Ge emission Mössbauer spectroscopy. A comparison of the results obtained and the data available for the ⁶⁷Zn isotope in the lattices of high-temperature superconductors revealed a correlation between the electronic density variation at the Mössbauer probe nuclei sites and the value of T_c. This correlation is assumed to be related to the dependence of the electronic density variation on the standard correlation length.     

Spin-polaron nature of fermion quasiparticles and their <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-wave pairing in cuprate superconductors

In the framework of the spin-fermion model, to which the Emery model is reduced in the limit of strong electron correlations, it is shown that the fermion quasiparticles in cuprate high-T _c superconductors (HTSCs) arise under a strong effect of exchange coupling between oxygen holes and spins of copper ions. This underlies the spin-polaron nature of fermion quasiparticles in cuprate HTSCs. The Cooper instability with respect to the d-wave symmetry of the order parameter is revealed for an ensemble of such quasiparticles. For the normal phase, the spin-polaron concept allows us to reproduce the fine details in the evolution of the Fermi surface with the changes in the doping level x observed in experiment for La_2-xSr_xCuO₄. The calculated T–x phase diagram correlates well with the available experimental data for cuprate HTSCs.     

Robustness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-wave pairing symmetry in iron-based superconductors and its implications for fundamentals of magnetically driven high-temperature superconductivity

Based on the assumption that the superconducting state belongs to a single irreducible representation of lattice symmetry, we propose that the pairing symmetry in all measured iron-based superconductors is generally consistent with the A _1g s-wave. Robust s-wave pairing throughout the different families of iron-based superconductors at different doping regions signals two fundamental principles behind high-T _c superconducting mechanisms: (i) the correspondence principle: the short-range magnetic-exchange interactions and the Fermi surfaces act collaboratively to achieve high-T _c superconductivity and determine pairing symmetries; (ii) the magnetic-selection pairing rule: superconductivity is only induced by the magnetic-exchange couplings from the super-exchange mechanism through cation-anion-cation chemical bonding. These principles explain why unconventional high-T _c superconductivity appears to be such a rare but robust phenomena, with its strict requirements regarding the electronic environment. The results will help us to identify new electronic structures that can support high-T _c superconductivity.