Inelastic neutron-scattering measurements of incommensurate magnetic excitations on superconducting LiFeAs single crystals

Magnetic correlations in superconducting LiFeAs were studied by elastic and by inelastic neutron-scattering experiments. There is no indication for static magnetic ordering, but inelastic correlations appear at the incommensurate wave vector (0.5±δ,0.5-/+δ,0) with δ~0.07 slightly shifted from the commensurate ordering observed in other FeAs-based compounds. The incommensurate magnetic excitations respond to the opening of the superconducting gap by a transfer of spectral weight.     

Anisotropy in the length change of gallium single crystals at their superconducting transition

The magnetostriction of gallium single crystals has been measured for the three principal axes between 0.3K and 1.1 K. It is found that the length change at the transition from the superconducting to the normal state is given approximately by (Δl/l)_a = − 3.10⁻⁹, (Δl/l)_b = + 4.4 · 10⁻⁹ and (Δl/l)_c = + 1.8 · 10⁻⁹, for the a, b and c axes at T = 0 K. A short discussion of the results with respect to microscopic theory is presented.     

Anisotropy and temperature dependence of the spin-wave attenuation parameter in ferrite single crystals

Results are presented for ferromagnetic resonance in Mg-Mn and Li ferrites. The anisotropic part H_k of the spin-wave line width is defined as the difference between the spin-wave widths H_k as measured on a spherical specimen magnetized along [111] and [100] by parametric excitation of the spin waves by a longitudinal UHF magnetic field. The results are compared with the theory.Read at the All-Union Conference on Ferrites, Leningrad, 25 October 1963.     

Anisotropy of the critical data of superconducting V3Si-single crystals

The critical magnetic field and the critical currents in transverse magnetic fields are measured for V₃Si-single crystals with the current flowing along the [100]- and the [110]-directions of the crystal. A strong anisotropy is found for the critical current. An explanation of this behaviour may be connected with the anisotropy of the energy gap.     

Anomalous behavior of the structural parameters of YBa2Cu4O8 single crystals at the transition to the superconducting state

High-precision x-ray crystallographic studies of YBa₂Cu₄O₈ single crystals (T _c =70 K) are performed at eight temperatures in the interval 20–295 K. It is found that a number of structural parameters exhibit anomalous behavior near the superconducting transition of the crystal. A characteristic effect near the phase transition is the displacement of the O1 bridge atom that joins the Cu1 atom of the cuprate chain to the Cu2 atom of the cuprate plane. The shift of this oxygen toward the Cu2 atom is indicative of a change in the Cu2-O1 chemical bond and of charge transfer to the cuprate plane in the process of the transition of the crystal to the superconducting state. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 7, 502–506 (10 October 1997)     

Anisotropy and scale effect in the microhardness of crystals of Bi-based superconducting phases

Microhardness studies are carried out on the (001) plane of faceted crystals of the Bi₂Sr₂CuO₆ (2201) and Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ (2212) phases with the help of a Knoop indenter. Peculiarities in the effect produced on the microhardness by the indenter orientation relative to crystal faces, the presence of lead in the structure, and the force applied to the indenter (scale effect) are detected. It is found that crystals of the 2212 phase exhibit the strongest dependence of the microhardness on the above factors.     

Evidence for zero- and pi-phase order parameters of superconducting Nb/Co tri- and pentalayers from the oscillatory behavior of the transition temperature

The oscillation behavior of the superconducting transition temperature Tc as a function of the ferromagnetic Co layer thickness (dCo) has been examined for Nb/Co superconductor(S)/ferromagnetic(F) trilayer series (F/S/F) and pentalayer series (F/S/F/S/F). Tc of the pentalayer series takes a local maximum between dCo=2.0-3.2 nm, where Tc of the trilayer shows a local minimum. This difference in the Tc versus dCo curves provides a clear evidence for the occurrence of the pi phase in the pentalayers, which has been theoretically predicted by Buzdin et al., Radovic et al., and Tagirov.     

The superconducting transition temperature of niobium carbide single crystals after implantation of light elements

This overview outlines some basic properties of defects in insulators and describes experimental techniques by which these defects may be characterized. Then the production of defects by various types of particle irradiation is discussed. Finally some discussion is presented of the potential device application of defective crystals, including tunable colour centre lasers, miniaturised optical circuitry and neutron dosimetry.     

Anisotropy of the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O7−x single crystals with reduced oxygen content

In an investigation of the resistivity anisotropy of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x single crystals with suboptimal oxygen content it is observed that the superconducting transition for the component ρc of the resistivity tensor is shifted to lower temperatures with respect to the transition for the component ρab. A similar shift is also observed for the transition in the temperature dependence of the dynamic magnetic susceptibility. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 4, 309–313 (25 August 1998)     

Anisotropy of the Sommerfeld coefficient in magnesium diboride single crystals

The anisotropic field dependence of the Sommerfeld coefficient gamma has been measured down to B-->0 by combining specific heat and Hall probe magnetization measurements in MgB2 single crystals. We find that gamma(B,theta) is the sum of two contributions arising from the sigma and pi band, respectively. We show that gammasigma(B,theta)=B/Bc2(theta) where Bc2(theta)=Bc2ab/sqrt[sin2theta+Gamma2cos2theta] with Gamma approximately 5.4 (theta being the angle between the applied field and the c axis) and gammapi(B,theta)=gammapi(B)=B/Bpi(B). The "critical field" of the pi band Bpi is fully isotropic but field dependent increasing from approximately 0.25 T for B< or =0.1 T up to 3 T approximately Bc2c for B-->3 T. Because of the coupling of the two bands, superconductivity survives in the pi band up to 3 T but is totally destroyed above for any orientation of the field.     

Anisotropy of the hopping conductivity in TlGaSe2 single crystals

The temperature dependences of the conductivities parallel and perpendicular to the layers in layered TlGaSe₂ single crystals are investigated in the temperature range from 10 K to 293 K. It is shown that hopping conduction with a variable hopping length among localized states near the Fermi level takes place in TlGaSe₂ single crystals in the low-temperature range, both along and across the layers. Hopping conduction along the layers begins to prevail over conduction in an allowed band only at very low temperatures (10–30 K), whereas hopping conduction across the layers is observed at fairly high temperatures (T?210 K) and spans a broader temperature range. The density of states near the Fermi level is determined, N _F=1.3×10¹⁹eV·cm³)^?1, along with the energy scatter of these states J=0.011 eV and the hopping lengths at various temperatures. The hopping length R along the layers of TlGaSe₂ single crystals increases from 130 Å to 170 Å as the temperature is lowered from 30 K to 10 K. The temperature dependence of the degree of anisotropy of the conductivity of TlGaSe₂ single crystals is investigated.     

Nodal versus nodeless behaviors of the order parameters of LiFeP and LiFeAs superconductors from magnetic penetration-depth measurements

High-precision measurements of magnetic penetration depth λ in clean single crystals of LiFeAs and LiFeP superconductors reveal contrasting behaviors. In LiFeAs the low-temperature λ(T) shows a flat dependence indicative of a fully gapped state, which is consistent with previous studies. In contrast, LiFeP exhibits a T-linear dependence of superfluid density infinity λ(-2), indicating a nodal superconducting order parameter. A systematic comparison of quasiparticle excitations in the 1111, 122, and 111 families of iron-pnictide superconductors implies that the nodal state is induced when the pnictogen height from the iron plane decreases below a threshold value of ~1.33 ?.     

de Haas-van Alphen study of the Fermi surfaces of superconducting LiFeP and LiFeAs

We report a de Haas-van Alphen oscillation study of the 111 iron pnictide superconductors LiFeAs with T(c) ≈ 18 K and LiFeP with T(c) ≈ 5 K. We find that for both compounds the Fermi surface topology is in good agreement with density functional band-structure calculations and has almost nested electron and hole bands. The effective masses generally show significant enhancement, up to ~3 for LiFeP and ~5 for LiFeAs. However, one hole Fermi surface in LiFeP shows a very small enhancement, as compared with its other sheets. This difference probably results from k-dependent coupling to spin fluctuations and may be the origin of the different nodal and nodeless superconducting gap structures in LiFeP and LiFeAs, respectively.     

Evolution of the dielectric and acoustic parameters of chromium-doped SBN single crystals with variations in temperature

The temperature dependences of the dielectric characteristics of Sr_0.61Ba_0.39Nb_{2 − x} O₆: Cr _x ³⁺ single crystals with x = 0.0, 0.005, and 0.010 are investigated in the low-frequency and infrared ranges. It is revealed that the behavior of the dielectric response exhibits specific features in the vicinity of the transition from the ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase and in the low-temperature range. The measurements are performed along the [001] (polar axis) and [100] directions. The temperature dependences of the relative sound velocity and the attenuation of elastic waves are also studied, and the temperature ranges of the anomalous behavior of these parameters are determined. The specific features revealed in the behavior of the dielectric and acoustic properties are considered from the viewpoint of the structural transformations occurring in the SBN system upon doping with a chromium impurity. Original Russian Text ? A.S. Pilipenko, A.I. Burkhanov, L.I. Ivleva, 2009, published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2009, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 543–546.     

FeSe基超导单晶与薄膜研究新进展:自旋向列序、电子相分离及高临界参数

FeSe基超导体的超导临界温度可大范围调控,物理现象丰富,是非常规超导机理研究的热点.由于较高的超导临界参数及易于加工等特点,FeSe基超导体在超导应用开发方面也日益受到重视.大尺寸高质量的单晶和薄膜形态的FeSe基超导材料,对于相关基础科学研究和应用开发都极为重要.作者近年来先后开发和发明了水热离子交换（ion-exchange）、离子脱插（ion-deintercalation）、基底辅助水热外延生长方法,成功解决了二元FeSe和插层（Li,Fe）OHFeSe超导体高质量单晶和薄膜的生长和物性调控难题.进而在相关物理问题的研究中取得新进展,包括发现二元FeSe中自旋向列序与超导电性密切相关,观测到（Li,Fe）OHFeSe中的电子相分离现象.此外,（Li,Fe）OHFeSe超导薄膜呈现很高的超导临界电流密度和上临界磁场,其应用前景值得关注.     

Momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in NdFeAsO0.9F0.1 single crystals measured by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We use angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in NdFeAsO0.9F0.1 single crystals. We find that the Gamma hole pocket is fully gapped below the superconducting transition temperature. The value of the superconducting gap is 15+/-1.5 meV and its anisotropy around the hole pocket is smaller than 20% of this value-consistent with an isotropic or anisotropic s-wave symmetry of the order parameter. This is a significant departure from the situation in the cuprates, pointing to the possibility that the superconductivity in the iron arsenic based system arises from a different mechanism.     

Resistance fluctuations in superconducting K_xFe_(2-y)Se_2 single crystals studied by low-frequency noise spectroscopy

Low-frequency resistance noise spectroscopy is applied to investigate bulk single crystals of the intercalated ironselenide K_xFe_(2-y)Se_2 superconductors with different iron vacancy orders.Based on a generalized fluctuation model,the well-observed resistance hump above 100 K is interpreted as an insulator-metal phase transition with a characteristic transition energy of 0.1-0.6 eV,indicating a highly inhomogeneous energy distribution configuration.In the superconducting transition regime,we find that the normalized resistance noise scales with resistance R excellently as S_R/R~2∝R~(l_(rs)) with the noise exponent l_(rs)≈1.4.With reduced iron vacancy disordering in enhanced superconductivity K_xFe_(2-y)Se_2 crystals,the level of resistance fluctuations is greatly suppressed,suggesting a geometrical phase transition for conduction channel,which is directly related to the microstructure of the crystals.     

Dynamic behavior of indium contacts with single crystals of cadmium sulfide above room temperature

Dark-current relaxation is observed with single crystals of cadmium sulfide after voltage has been applied. The kinetics of this reaction have been measured with respect to voltage and temperature. The observations are explained from the viewpoint of filling and emptying of electron traps in the contact regions of the crystals.     

Anisotropy of the angular correlation in high temperature single crystal Cu

A small anisotropy in the two-γ angular correlation of annihilation radiation in a single crystal copper was detected at 925°C by the rotating specimen method. The ratio of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution of pair electrons annihilated at a vacancy site has been estimated.