Experimental evidence for two gaps in the high-temperature La1.83Sr0.17CuO4 superconductor

The in-plane magnetic field penetration depth (lambda(ab)) in single-crystal La1.83Sr0.17CuO4 was investigated by muon-spin rotation (muSR). The temperature dependence of lambda(ab)(-2) has an inflection point around 10-15 K, suggesting the presence of two superconducting gaps: a large gap (Delta(1)(d)) with d-wave and a small gap (Delta(2)(s)) with s-wave symmetry. The zero-temperature values of the gaps at mu(0)H=0.02 T were found to be Delta(1)(d)(0)=8.2(1) meV and Delta(2)(s)(0)=1.57(8) meV.     

Field and temperature dependence of the superfluid density in LaFeAsO1-xFx superconductors: a muon spin relaxation study

We present zero field and transverse field muon spin relaxation experiments on the recently discovered Fe-based superconductor LaFeAsO1-xFx (x=0.075 and x=0.1). The temperature dependence of the deduced superfluid density is consistent with a BCS s-wave or a dirty d-wave gap function, while the field dependence strongly evidences unconventional superconductivity. We obtain the in-plane penetration depth of lambda ab(0)=254(2) nm for x=0.1 and lambda ab(0)=364(8) nm for x=0.075. Further evidence for unconventional superconductivity is provided by the ratio of Tc versus the superfluid density, which is close to the Uemura line of high-Tc cuprates.     

Superconductivity and field-induced magnetism in Pr2-xCexCuO4 single crystals

We report muon-spin rotation and relaxation (muSR) measurements on single crystals of the electron-doped high-T(c) superconductor Pr2-xCexCuO4. In a zero external magnetic field, superconductivity is found to coexist with dilute Cu spins that are static on the muSR time scale. In an applied field, we observe a mu(+)-Knight shift that is primarily due to the magnetic moment induced on the Pr ions. Below the superconducting transition temperature T(c), an additional source of local magnetic field appears throughout the volume of the sample. This finding is shown to be consistent with field-induced antiferromagnetic ordering of the Cu spins. Measurements of the temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth lambda(ab) in the vortex state are also presented.     

Oxygen-isotope effect on the In-plane penetration depth in underdoped La2-xSrxCuO4 single crystals

We report measurements of the oxygen-isotope effect (OIE) on the in-plane penetration depth lambda(ab)(0) in underdoped La2-xSrxCuO4 single crystals. A highly sensitive magnetic torque sensor with a resolution of Deltatau approximately 10(-12) N m was used for the magnetic measurements on microcrystals with a mass of approximately 10 &mgr;g. The OIE on lambda(-2)(ab)(0) is found to be -10(2)% for x = 0.080 and -8(1)% for x = 0.086. It arises mainly from the oxygen-mass dependence of the in-plane effective mass m(*)(ab). The present results suggest that lattice vibrations are important for the occurrence of high temperature superconductivity.     

Nodal order parameter in electron-doped Pr(2-x)CexCuO(4-delta) superconducting films

The London penetration depth, lambda(ab)(T), is reported for thin films of the electron-doped superconductor Pr(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4-delta) with varying Ce concentration, x=0.13, 0.15, and 0.17. Measurements down to 0.35 K were carried out using a tunnel-diode oscillator with excitation fields applied both perpendicular and parallel to the conducting planes. Films at all three doping levels exhibited power law behavior indicative of d-wave pairing with impurity scattering. These results are fully consistent with previous measurements on single crystals.     

Experimental evidence of s-wave superconductivity in bulk CaC6

The temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth, lambda(ab)(T), has been measured in a c-axis oriented polycrystalline CaC(6) bulk sample using a high-resolution mutual inductance technique. A clear exponential behavior of lambda(ab)(T) has been observed at low temperatures, strongly suggesting isotropic s-wave pairing. Data fit using the standard BCS theory yields lambda(ab)(0) = (720 +/- 80) A and delta(0) = (1.79 +/- 0.08) meV. The ratio 2delta(0)/k(B)T(c) = (3.6 +/- 0.2) gives indication for a weakly coupled superconductor.     

Electric-field-effect modulation of the transition temperature, mobile carrier density, and in-plane penetration depth of NdBa2Cu3O7-delta thin films

We explore the relationship between the critical temperature T(c), the mobile areal carrier density n(2D), and the zero-temperature magnetic in-plane penetration depth lambda(ab)(0) in very thin underdoped NdBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) films near the superconductor to insulator transition using the electric-field-effect technique. Having established consistency with a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, we observe that T(KT) depends linearly on n(2D), the signature of a quantum superconductor to insulator transition in two dimensions with znu(over)=1, where z is the dynamic and nu is the critical exponent of the in-plane correlation length.     

High-power continuous-wave upconversion fiber laser at room temperature

We report cw laser emission of a Pr, Yb-doped ZrF(4)-BaF(2)-LaF(3)-AlF(3)-NaF fiber in the red spectral region. Laser emission was achieved on the transition P(0)(3)?F(2)(3)(lambda(L)=635 nm) with a Ti:sapphire pump laser tuned to lambda(p)=850 nm . A maximum output power of P(out)=675 mW was obtained at an incident pump power of P(in)=3.37 W . The output power was increased to P(out)=1020 mW when pumping with P(in)=5.51 W was provided by two Ti:sapphire lasers. A photon avalanche process was found to contribute strongly to the population of the upper laser level.     

Coexistence of magnetic fluctuations and superconductivity in the pnictide high temperature superconductor SmFeAsO1-xFx measured by muon spin rotation

Muon spin rotation experiments were performed on the pnictide high temperature superconductor SmFeAsO1-xFx with x=0.18 and 0.3. We observed an unusual enhancement of slow spin fluctuations in the vicinity of the superconducting transition which suggests that the spin fluctuations contribute to the formation of an unconventional superconducting state. An estimate of the in-plane penetration depth lambda ab(0)=190(5) nm was obtained, which confirms that the pnictide superconductors obey an Uemura-style relationship between Tc and lambda ab(0);(-2).     

Ensemble averages and nonextensivity at the edge of chaos of one-dimensional maps

Ensemble averages of the sensitivity to initial conditions xi(t) and the entropy production per unit of time of a new family of one-dimensional dissipative maps, x(t+1)=1-ae(-1/|x(t)|(z))(z>0), and of the known logisticlike maps, x(t+1)=1-a|x(t)|(z)(z>1), are numerically studied, both for strong (Lyapunov exponent lambda(1)>0) and weak (chaos threshold, i.e., lambda(1)=0) chaotic cases. In all cases we verify the following: (i) both [ln((q)x triple bond (x(1-q)-1)/(1-q); ln((1)x=ln(x] and [S(q) triple bond (1- sigma p(q)(i))/(q-1); S(1)=- sigma p(i)ln(p(i)] linearly increase with time for (and only for) a special value of q, q(av)(sen), and (ii) the slope of and that of coincide, thus interestingly extending the well known Pesin theorem. For strong chaos, q(av)(sen)=1, whereas at the edge of chaos q(av)(sen)(z)<1.     

Evidence for nodal quasiparticles in electron-doped cuprates from penetration depth measurements

The in-plane magnetic penetration depth, lambda(T), was measured down to 0.4 K in single crystals of electron-doped superconductors, Pr(1.85)Ce(0.15)CuO(4-delta) (PCCO) and Nd(1.85)Ce(0.15)CuO(4-delta) (NCCO). In PCCO, the superfluid density varies as T2 from 0.025 up to roughly 0.3T/T(c) suggestive of a d-wave state with impurities. In NCCO, lambda(T) shows a pronounced upturn for T<4 K due to the paramagnetic contribution of Nd3+ ions. Fits to an s-wave order parameter over the standard BCS range (T/T(c) = 0.32) limit any gap to less than Delta(min)(0)/T(c) = 0.57 in NCCO. For PCCO, the absence of paramagnetism permits a lower temperature fit and yields an upper limit of Delta(min)(0)/T(c) = 0.2.     

Direct observation of the oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-delta

We report the first direct observation of the oxygen-isotope ((16)O/(18)O) effect on the in-plane penetration depth lambda(ab) in a nearly optimally doped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) film using the novel low-energy muon-spin rotation technique. Spin-polarized low-energy muons are implanted in the film at a known depth z beneath the surface and process in the local magnetic field B(z). This feature allows us to measure directly the profile B(z) of the magnetic field inside the superconducting film in the Meissner state and to make a straightforward determination of lambda(ab). A substantial isotope shift Delta lambda(ab)/lambda(ab)=2.8(1.0)% at 4 K is observed, implying that the in-plane effective supercarrier mass m*(ab) is oxygen-isotope dependent with Delta m*(ab)/m*(ab)=5.5(2.0)%. These results are in good agreement with magnetization measurements on powder samples.     

Microwave electrodynamics of electron-doped cuprate superconductors

We report microwave cavity perturbation measurements of the temperature dependence of the penetration depth, lambda(T), and conductivity, sigma(T) of Pr(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4-delta) (PCCO) crystals, as well as parallel-plate resonator measurements of lambda(T) in PCCO thin films. Penetration depth measurements are also presented for a Nd(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4-delta) (NCCO) crystal. We find that Deltalambda(T) has a power-law behavior for T相似文献   

Superfluid density in the underdoped YBa2Cu3O7-x: evidence for d-density-wave order of the pseudogap

The investigation of the penetration depth lambda(ab)(T,p) in YBa2Cu3O7-x crystals allowed one to observe the following features of the superfluid density n(s)(T,p) proportional, variant lambda(-2)(ab)(T,p) as a function of temperature T0) depends on p slightly in the optimally and moderately doped regions (0.10相似文献   

First experimental measurements of the plasma potential throughout the presheath and sheath at a boundary in a weakly collisional plasma

Experimental data obtained with emissive probes and Langmuir probes show that the plasma potential profile in the presheath scales as -ephi /T(e)= sqrt[(x(0) -x)/lambda ], consistent with ion flux conservation, and that the sheath consists of a transition region and an electron-free collisionless sheath with thicknesses scaling as lambda( 1/5)lambda (4/5 )(D) and lambda(D )(ephi/ T(e))(3 /4), respectively, where lambda is the ion-neutral collision length. Results support Rieman's presheath and transitional region model [Phys. Plasmas 4, 4158 (1997)]]. The potential drop over the presheath and transition sheath region were the order of T(e) /e and 2T(e )/3e, respectively, increasing with increasing pressure.     

Muon spin relaxation and isotropic pairing in superconducting PrOs4Sb12

Transverse-field muon-spin rotation measurements in the vortex-lattice of the heavy-fermion (HF) superconductor PrOs4Sb12 yield a temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth lambda indicative of an isotropic or nearly isotropic energy gap. This is not seen to date in any other HF superconductor and is a signature of isotropic pairing symmetry, possibly related to a novel nonmagnetic "quadrupolar Kondo" HF mechanism in PrOs4Sb12. The T=0 relaxation rate sigma(s)(0)=0.91(1) micros(-1) yields an estimated magnetic penetration depth lambda(0)=3440(20) A, which is considerably shorter than in other HF superconductors.     

Temperature-dependent anisotropy of the penetration depth and coherence length of MgB2

We report measurements of the temperature-dependent anisotropies (gamma(lambda) and gamma(xi)) of both the London penetration depth lambda and the upper critical field of MgB2. Data for gamma(lambda)=lambda(c)/lambda(a) was obtained from measurements of lambda(a) and lambda(c) on a single crystal sample using a tunnel diode oscillator technique. gamma(xi)=H(perp)c(c2)/H(||c)(c2) was deduced from field-dependent specific heat measurements on the same sample. Gamma(lambda) and gamma(xi) have opposite temperature dependencies, but close to T(c) tend to a common value (gamma(lambda) similar or equal to gamma(xi)=1.75 +/- 0.05). These results are in good agreement with theories accounting for the two-gap nature of MgB2.     

Thermal conductivity of Pr1.3-xLa0.7CexCuO4 single crystals and signatures of stripes in an electron-doped cuprate

It was recently demonstrated that the anisotropic phonon heat transport behavior is a good probe of the stripe formation in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4) (LSCO) [Phys. Rev. B 67, 104503 (2003)]]. Using this probe, we examined an electron-doped cuprate Pr(1.3-x)La(0.7)Ce(x)CuO(4) (PLCCO) and found that essentially the same features as those in LSCO are observed. Moreover, the in-plane resistivity rho(ab) of lightly doped PLCCO shows metallic behavior (drho(ab)/dT>0) in the Néel ordered state with a mobility comparable to that in LSCO. It is discussed that these peculiar properties in common with LSCO signify the existence of stripes in electron-doped cuprates.     

Anisotropies of the lower and upper critical fields in MgB2 single crystals

The temperature dependence of the upper (H(c2)) and lower (H(c1)) critical fields has been deduced from Hall probe magnetization measurements of high quality MgB2 single crystals along the two main crystallographic directions. We show that Gamma(H(c2))=H(c2 axially ab)/H(c2 axially c) and Gamma(H(c1))=H(c1 axially c)/H(c1 axially ab) differ significantly at low temperature (being approximately 5 and approximately 1, respectively) and have opposite temperature dependencies. We suggest that MgB2 can be described by a single field dependent anisotropy parameter gamma(H) (=lambda(c)/lambda(ab)=xi(ab)/xi(c)) that increases from Gamma(H(c1)) at low field to Gamma(H(c2)) at high field.     

Magnetic imaging of pearl vortices in artificially layered (Ba0.9Nd0.1CuO2+x)m/(CaCuO2)n systems

We have used scanning SQUID magnetometry to image vortices in ultrathin (Ba0.9Nd0.1CuO2+x)(m)/(CaCuO2)(n) high temperature superconductor samples, with as few as three superconducting CuO2 planes. The Pearl lengths (Lambda=2lambda(2)(L)/d, lambda(L) the London penetration depth, d the superconducting film thickness) in these samples, as determined by fits to the vortex images, agree with those by local susceptibility measurements, and can be as long as 1 mm. The in-plane penetration depths lambda(ab) inferred from the Pearl lengths are longer than many bulk cuprates with comparable critical temperatures. We speculate on the causes of the long penetration depths, and on the possibility of exploiting the unique properties of these superconductors for basic experiments.