From almost zero magnetostriction to giant magnetostrictive effects: recent results

A selected review of recent magnetostrictive material investigations is presented. Particular attention is paid to the artificially structured solids-like nanoscale magnetic multilayers and nanosize magnetic alloys. Topics covered also include the magnetoelastic effects in manganates, cobaltates and high-temperature superconductors.     

Orbital symmetry and electron correlation in NaxCoO2

Measurements of polarization-dependent soft x-ray absorption reveal that the electronic states determining the low-energy excitations of NaxCoO2 have predominantly a(1g) symmetry with significant O 2p character. In contrast to the prediction of band theory, doping-dependent O 1s x-ray absorption shows a large transfer of spectral weight, providing spectral evidence for strong electron correlations of the layered cobaltates. We also found that NaxCoO2 exhibits a charge-transfer electronic character rather than a Mott-Hubbard character.     

Are cobaltates conventional? An ARPES viewpoint

Recently discovered class of cobaltate superconductors (Na_0.3CoO₂·nH₂O) is a novel realization of interacting quantum electron system in a triangular network with low-energy degrees of freedom. We employ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the quasiparticle parameters in the parent superconductors. Results reveal a large hole-like Fermi surface generated by the crossing of heavy quasiparticles. The measured quasiparticle parameters collectively suggest two orders of magnitude departure from the conventional weak coupling (such as Al) Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer electron dynamics paradigm and unveils cobaltates as a rather hidden class of relatively high temperature superconductors. These parameters also form the basis for a microscopic Hamiltonian of the system.     

Low-lying quasiparticle states and hidden collective charge instabilities in parent cobaltate superconductors

We report a state-of-the-art photoemission (angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy) study of high quality single crystals of NaxCoO2 the series focusing on the fine details of the low-energy states. The Fermi velocity is found to be small (<0.5 eV A) and only weakly anisotropic over the Fermi surface at all dopings, setting the size of the pair wave function to be on the order of 10-20 nm. In the low-doping regime, the exchange interlayer splitting vanishes and two-dimensional collective instabilities such as 120 degrees -type fluctuations become kinematically allowed. Our results suggest that the unusually small Fermi velocity and the unique symmetry of kinematic instabilities distinguish cobaltates from most other oxide superconductors.     

Author index to volume 96A

It is shown that the upper critical field values in amorphous Zr-base superconductors can be higher or lower than the theoretical values, depending upon the preparation conditions of the samples. The results are correlated with inductive transitions at zero field and are attributed to flux pinning effect due to inhomogeneities. The applicability of the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg theory in this class of materials is discussed. The present findings have important implications on the analysis of upper critical field curves in crystalline superconductors of general interest.     

Carrier transport effects in quantum well lasers: an overview

Early theoretical predictions and later experimental work have shown that lasers with quantum well active areas have enhanced differential gain over bulk lasers. The resonance frequency in a semiconductor laser is proportional to the square root of the differential gain. The resonance frequency is directly related to the modulation bandwidth, and the enhancement in the intrinsic differential gain led to theoretical predictions of increased modulation bandwidth in quantum well lasers. This enhancement in the modulation bandwidth proved to be elusive initially, and later it was realized that other factors, namely carrier transport effects, played a more dominant role in the high-speed properties of quantum well lasers. Carrier transport effects, in addition to bandfilling, affect a wide range of static and dynamic properties of the quantum well lasers. This paper will present an overview of our present understanding of the carrier transport processes and their effects in quantum well lasers.     

EFFECTS OF BANDGAP SHRINKAGE IN FEMTOSECOND ABSORPTION SATURATION MEASUREMENTS OF GaAs FILM

Using CPM dye laser and self-mode-locked Ti sapphire laser as pump-probe optical sources, the effects of bandfilling and bandgap shrinkage on the femtosecond absorption saturation spectra of GaAs film have been studied, For exciting photon energy of 1.97eV and carrier density of 1×10¹⁸cm^-3, an optical-induced absorption increase is observed and is attributed to bandgap shrinkage, The dependence of the absorption coefficient change on the carrier temperature and the carrier densities is discussed.     

Interplay between unconventional superconductivity and heavy-fermion quantum criticality: CeCu2Si2 versus YbRh2Si2

In this paper the low-temperature properties of two isostructural canonical heavy-fermion compounds are contrasted with regards to the interplay between antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum criticality and superconductivity. For CeCu₂Si₂, fully-gapped d-wave superconductivity forms in the vicinity of an itinerant three-dimensional heavy-fermion spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum critical point (QCP). Inelastic neutron scattering results highlight that both quantum critical SDW fluctuations as well as Mott-type fluctuations of local magnetic moments contribute to the formation of Cooper pairs in CeCu₂Si₂. In YbRh₂Si₂, superconductivity appears to be suppressed at T???10?mK by AF order (T_N?=?70?mK). Ultra-low temperature measurements reveal a hybrid order between nuclear and 4f-electronic spins, which is dominated by the Yb-derived nuclear spins, to develop at T_A slightly above 2?mK. The hybrid order turns out to strongly compete with the primary 4f-electronic order and to push the material towards its QCP. Apparently, this paves the way for heavy-fermion superconductivity to form at T_c?=?2?mK. Like the pressure – induced QCP in CeRhIn₅, the magnetic field – induced one in YbRh₂Si₂ is of the local Kondo-destroying variety which corresponds to a Mott-type transition at zero temperature. Therefore, these materials form the link between the large family of about fifty low-T unconventional heavy – fermion superconductors and other families of unconventional superconductors with higher T_cs, notably the doped Mott insulators of the cuprates, organic charge-transfer salts and some of the Fe-based superconductors. Our study suggests that heavy-fermion superconductivity near an AF QCP is a robust phenomenon.     

Optical and electrical properties of quantum wells with electrically tunable two-dimensional electron density by selective contacts

We report on photoluminescence and absorption measurements in type-I hetero n-i-p-i structures. The electron density in the pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells is tunable between zero and more then 5 · 10¹² cm^-2. This electrical tuning of the subband filling is achieved by a variable voltage applied between selective n-and p-contacts fabricated by epitaxial shadow mask MBE. One of the advantages of having selective contacts to the n- and p-layers is to get reliable information about the electron density, independent of measured absorption and luminescence spectra. This allows a more rigorous analysis of the data on bandgap renormalization, bandfilling and k_∥-conservation. Moreover, the experiments can be performed at low optical power and low carrier temperatures. In the present investigation a bandgap renormalization of -20 meV and a bandfilling induced shift of the absorption edge as large as +50 meV was observed for a sheet electron density of 5 · 10₁₂ cm_-2.     

高温超导机制研究状况

以读者较熟悉的传统的ＢＣＳ理论为主，介绍了目前高温超导机制研究进行最多的几个主要流派，指出关于序参量的对称性问题成了争论的焦点问题。若实验上肯定了能隙的对称性，可能会结束各派纷呈的局面。     

铁基超导体系基于电子关联强度的统一相图

铁基超导和铜基超导具有诸多相似性,这为建立统一的高温超导机理图像提供了可能性.然而,对铁基超导体系中无论是进行电荷掺杂、还是等价掺杂来改变化学压力,都能产生定性上类似、而细节上纷繁复杂的相图,这对建立统一的图像造成了困难.研究化学掺杂效应如何在微观上影响电子结构和超导电性,区分主导超导电性演化的主要因素和次要因素,对建立统一图像和揭示高温超导机理至关重要.本文综述了对铁基超导体系中化学掺杂效应的一系列角分辨光电子能谱研究,涵盖了基于FeAs和FeSe面的多种代表性铁基超导体系,包括异价掺杂、等价掺杂、在元胞不同位置的化学掺杂,及其对电子体系在费米面结构、杂质散射、电子关联强度等方面的影响.实验结果表明：电子关联性或能带宽度是多个铁基超导相图背后的普适参数,不同的晶格和杂质散射效应导致了并不重要的复杂细节,而费米面拓扑结构与超导电性的关联并不强.这些结果对弱耦合机理图像提出了挑战,并促使人们通过局域反铁磁交换作用配对图像在带宽演化层面上统一地理解铁基超导.     

Theory of carrier concentration-dependent electronic behavior in layered cobaltates

A natural explanation for the carrier concentration-dependent electronic behavior in the layered cobaltates emerges within correlated-electron Hamiltonians with finite on-site and significant nearest neighbor hole-hole Coulomb repulsions. The nearest neighbor repulsion decreases hole double occupancy below hole density 1/3, but increases the same at higher hole densities. Our conclusion is valid for both single-band and three-band extended Hubbard Hamiltonians, and sheds light on concentration dependent e'(g) hole occupancy within the latter.     

Quasiparticle dynamics in the vicinity of metal-insulator phase transition in NaxCoO2

Layered cobaltates embody novel realizations of correlated matter on a spin-1/2 triangular lattice. We report a high-resolution systematic photoemission study of the insulating cobaltates. The observation of a single-particle gap opening and band folding provides direct evidence of anisotropic particle-hole instability on the Fermi surface due to its unique topology. Overlap of the measured Fermi surface is observed with the square root 3xsquare root 3 charge-order Brillouin zone near x=1/3 but not at x=1/2 where the insulating transition is actually observed. Unlike conventional density waves, charge stripes, or band insulators, the onset of the gap depends on the quasiparticle's quantum coherence which is found to occur well below the disorder-order symmetry breaking temperature of the crystal (the first known example of its kind).     

自旋涨落与非常规超导配对

铜氧化物高温超导、铁基高温超导、重费米子超导和κ-型层状有机超导等超导体的超导态都与磁性有序态相邻,且超导能隙在动量空间一般存在变号.因此,这些超导体的超导机理被认为有别于常规BCS超导中的电子交换声子导致的各向同性s-波配对.在这些非常规超导中,自旋涨落被认为是导致电子形成库珀对的主要起源之一.本文主要以铜基和铁基高...     

Preparation and superconductivity of the co-doped superconductor Nd2−x−yCayCexCuO4 with T′ structure

The preparation and superconductivity of the co-doped superconductor Nd_2−x−yCa_yCe_xCuO₄ with T′ structure were studied by XRD and superconductivity measurements. The results indicate that the effect of the co-doping of Ca²⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ on T_O and the carrier type is not significant, but the effect on the range of the superconducting compositions in this system is obvious. The study of co-doped superconductors could be important for an understanding of the effect of co-doping on the carrier concentration and to explore new superconductors.     

μSR and highT c superconductivity

Some implications of μSR experiments on high temperature superconductors are discussed. The possible relationship between the observation of spin freezing and the tendency of mobile holes to phase separate is considered. Measurements of the magnetic penetration depth as a function of doping are shown to imply that a non-retarded, or high energy scale pairing interaction is responsible for high temperature superconductivity. The depression of the transition temperature at high doping is associated with a crossover away from the regime in which a charge-transfer gap is relevant.     

Ultrafast dynamics of a charge-transfer dimer as a model for the photoinduced phase transition of charge-transfer compounds

By applying ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy with 15 fs temporal resolution to (TMTTF(+))(2) dimers we provide a full picture of the structural relaxation following photoexcitation of their CT transition. Both population and coherent phonon dynamics allow tracking wave packet motion onto the multidimensional excited state potential energy surface, as obtained by density functional theory calculations. We show that the vibrations that are strongly coupled to the charge-transfer transition of the dimer correspond to those driving the photoinduced phase transition occurring in charge-transfer crystalline solids.     

Low energy electronic states and triplet pairing in layered cobaltate

The structure of the low-energy electronic states in layered cobaltates is considered starting from the Mott insulating limit. We argue that the coherent part of the wave functions and the Fermi-surface topology at low doping are strongly influenced by spin-orbit coupling of the correlated electrons on the t(2g) level. An effective t-J model based on mixed spin-orbital states is radically different from that for the cuprates, and supports unconventional, pseudospin-triplet pairing.     

利用单轴压强下的电阻变化研究铁基超导体中的向列涨落

铁基超导体中普遍存在着反铁磁、超导和向列相,因此研究向列相的性质及其与反铁磁、超导的关系对于理解铁基超导体的低能物理及高温超导电性具有非常重要的作用.所谓向列相是指电子态自发破缺了晶格的面内四重旋转对称性而形成的有序态,从而导致样品的某些物理性质出现了两重的各向异性.我们通过自主研发的单轴压强装置,可以在低温下原位改变压强,测量电阻的变化,从而得到向列极化率.本文介绍了我们利用该装置在最近几年研究铁基超导体的向列相和向列涨落所取得的一些成果,包括详细研究了BaFe_(2-x)Ni_xAs_2体系中的向列量子临界点及其量子临界涨落,并提出了基于向列涨落强弱调节的铁基超导体统一相图.这些结果表明,向列相及其涨落与反铁磁和超导均有很强的耦合,对于理解铁基超导体中磁性和超导电性非常关键.     

Distinct fermi surface topology and nodeless superconducting gap in a (Tl0.58Rb0.42)Fe1.72Se2 superconductor

High resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been carried out to study the electronic structure and superconducting gap of the (Tl0.58Rb0.42)Fe1.72Se2 superconductor with a T(c) = 32 K. The Fermi surface topology consists of two electronlike Fermi surface sheets around the Γ point which is distinct from that in all other iron-based superconductors reported so far. The Fermi surface around the M point shows a nearly isotropic superconducting gap of ～12 meV. The large Fermi surface near the Γ point also shows a nearly isotropic superconducting gap of ～15 meV, while no superconducting gap opening is clearly observed for the inner tiny Fermi surface. Our observed new Fermi surface topology and its associated superconducting gap will provide key insights and constraints into the understanding of the superconductivity mechanism in iron-based superconductors.