On the prediction of the Tc dependence on the non-stoichiometry and of the critical-field anisotropy in high Tc superconductors

The critical temperature dependency versus the non-stoichiometry in high temperature superconductors has been derived from a modified Landau-Ginzburg calculation. A qualitative agreement has been obtained with experiments. We have also studied the anisotropy of the critical field (H_c2) which is in agreement with experiment and shows that dimensionality controls superconductivity in YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x.     

AC susceptibility and intergranular critical current density study in pure and Ag doped (La1−xYx)2Ba2CaCu5Oz superconductors

The temperature and AC field amplitude variations of AC susceptibility have been measured on pure and 5 wt% Ag doped (La_1−xY_x)₂Ba₂CaCu₅O_z superconductors. The AC susceptibility as a function of field have been analyzed using Kim's critical state model. The temperature dependence of intergranular critical current density and the effective volume fractions of the grains have been estimated. The Ag doped samples show relatively large critical current density due to the improved intergranular coupling. The exponent of temperature variation of critical current density suggests that the weak links form superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) type of junctions for all the samples.     

Nearly frictionless transport of electrons in CuxBi2Se3

We study the electric-field-driven transport of electrons in superconductors (Cu_xBi₂Se₃) by using the borrowed approach which has been successfully adopted to study the critical transport of other superconductors as well as supersolid helium in very low temperature environment. The critical temperatures related to the nearly frictionless transport of electrons were found to be directly relevant to the superconducting temperature of superconductors (Cu_xBi₂Se₃) after selecting specific activation energies.     

Fabrication and characterization of iron pnictide wires and bulk materials through the powder-in-tube method

The recent discovery of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors with very high upper critical fields presents a new possibility for practical applications, but fabricating fine-wire is a challenge because of mechanically hard and brittle powders and the toxicity and volatility of arsenic. In this paper, we report the synthesis and the physical characterization of iron pnictide wires and bulks prepared by the powder-in-tube method (PIT). A new class of high-T_c iron pnictide composite wires, such as LaFeAsO_1?xF_x, SmFeAsO_1?xF_x and Sr_1?xK_xFeAs, has been fabricated by the in situ PIT technique using Fe, Ta and Nb tubes. Microscopy and X-ray analysis show that the superconducting core is continuous, and retains phase composition after wire drawing and heat treatment. Furthermore, the wires exhibit a very weak J_c-field dependence behavior even at high temperatures. The upper critical field H_c2(0) value can exceed 100 T, surpassing those of MgB₂ and all the low temperature superconductors and indicating a strong potential for applications requiring very high field. These results demonstrate the feasibility of producing superconducting pnictide composite wire. We also applied the one-step PIT method to synthesize the iron-based bulks, due to its convenience and safety. In fact, by using this technique, we have successfully discovered superconductivity at 35 K and 15 K in Eu_0.7Na_0.3Fe₂As₂ and SmCoFeAsO compounds, respectively. These clearly suggest that the one-step PIT technique is unique and versatile and hence can be tailored easily for other rare earth derivatives of novel iron-based superconductors.     

Effects of Pauli paramagnetism on superconducting fluctuations

We discuss the effects of the Pauli paramagnetism on the excess conductivity σ^fl due to fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter. We derived a formula for σ^fl for a thin film placed in a magnetic field of an arbitrary orientation α. It was found that σ^fl has a universal behavior as a function of some parameterp which depends on α and ΔH=H-H _c. If ΔH is kept constant and σ^fl is measured as a function of α, in the absence of the Pauli paramagnetism σ^fl is maximum when the field is parallel to the film and is minimum when the field is perpendicular. But in high field superconductors due to the effect of the Pauli paramagnetism σ^fl becomes maximum at some intermediate field orientation. We also discussed the excess conductivity in magnetic alloys in which impurity spins are aligned by an external magnetic field. It was shown that in this case one should expect, with certain strengths of the external field, the excess conductivity which is non-monotonic in temperature.     

Magnetic field dependence on transition temperature Tc in cuprate superconductors

We investigate the magnetic field dependence on T_c in the high transition temperature superconductors. It is shown that phonon-enhanced spin fluctuations drive this superconductivity once more suggested by us [Phys. Rev. B 61 (2001) 4289]. We know magnetic field dependence on our transition temperature is in good correspondence with experimental data. It is elucidated that the external field is closely related to the local internal field in order to influence spin fluctuations.     

Intracenter luminescence of Mn2+ in Cd1−x MnxTe and Cd1−x−y MnxMgyTe under intense optical pumping

A comparative analysis of the kinetic properties of intracenter 3d luminescence of Mn²⁺ ions in the dilute magnetic superconductors Cd_1?x Mn_xTe and Cd_1?x?y Mn_xMg_yTe is carried out. The influence of relative concentrations of the cation components on the position of the intracenter luminescence peak indicates that the introduction of magnesium enhances crystal field fluctuations. As a result, the processes facilitating nonlinear quenching of luminescence are suppressed. The kinetics of 3d-luminescence quenching in Cd_1?x Mn_xTe are accelerated considerably upon elevation of optical excitation level due to the evolution of cooperative processes in the system of excited manganese ions.     

Lifshitz-point behaviour of ferromagnetic superconductors

The critical behaviour of the electromagnetically coupled superconductor magnet system is investigated by means of a generalized mean field theory and a renormalization group analysis. We show that in the presence of a genuine anisotropy in systems with an additional pressure-like parameter (like concentration in pseudo-ternary ferromagnetic superconductors (FMS), e.g. Er_1?x Ho _x Rh₄B₄) the indirect coupling between superconducting and magnetic order parameters (i.e. gauge coupling) can lead to a peculiar kind of critical behaviour characterized by Lifshitz points (LP). These points (quite generally) occur as merging points of three phases: a (magnetically) disordered phase, a homogeneously ordered phase and a modulated phase. In FMS the latter phase may result from exchange screening by supercurrents. This unusual critical behaviour is found in two varieties:

1. a regular LP which may occur on the lower transition line of a reentrant FMS
2. a similar but slightly different critical point which we term modified Lifshitz point (MLP), and which is to be expected at the merging point of the upper and lower superconducting transition lines with the magnetic order disorder transition lines in the (x, T) phase diagrams of FMS's.

     

Magnetic and superconducting properties of FeAs-based high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript>c</Subscript> superconductors with Gd

We report on successful synthesis under high pressure of a series of polycrystalline GdFeAsO_{1 − x} F _x high-T _c superconductors with different oxygen deficiency x = 0.12−0.16 and also with no fluorine. We have found that the high-pressure synthesis technique is crucial for obtaining the single-phase superconducting materials: by sythesizing the same compounds with no pressure in ampoules, we obtained non-superconducting materials with an admixture of incidental phases. Critical temperature for all the materials was in the range 40 to 53 K. The temperature derivative of the critical field dH _c2/dT is remarkably high, indicating potentially high value of the second critical field H _c2 ∼ 130 T.     

Unusual critical behaviour of ferromagnetic superconductors

Electromagnetic effects are believed to play an important role in ferromagnetic superconductors (FMS). As an, to date, unobserved consequence of the electromagnetic coupling of the superconducting and the magnetic order parameter, we predict the possibility of Lifshitz point critical behaviour in FMS. In particular we present a detailed mean field investigation of the (T, x)-phase diagram of Er_1?xHo_xRh₄B₄ in the neighbourhood of the “modified Lifshitz point”, which separates the normal paramagnetic, the superconducting paramagnetic and the normal ferromagnetic phases.     

Long time effects in the spin glass Cd1−xMnxTe

Long time effects in the spin glass Cd_1-xMn_xTe are investigated by measurements of the low field Faraday rotation effect. Strongly marked fluctuations are observed in the time dependence of the Faraday angle below the critical temperature. That seems to be a new effect in spin glasses.     

Study on the competition between density waves, singlet, and triplet pairing superconductivity in organic conductors (TMTSF)2X

We study the effect of dimerization of TMTSF molecules and the effect of magnetic field (Zeeman splitting) on the phase competition in quasi one-dimensional organic superconductors (TMTSF)₂X by applying the random phase approximation method. As for the dimerization effect, we conclude that due to the decrease of the dimerization, which corresponds to applying the pressure and cooling, spin and charge density wave states are suppressed and give way to a superconducting state. As for the magnetic field effect, we find generally that spin-triplet pairing mediated by a coexistence of 2k_F spin and 2k_F charge fluctuations can be strongly enhanced by applying magnetic field rather than triplet pairing due to a ferromagnetic spin fluctuations. Applying the above idea to (TMTSF)₂X compounds, a magnetic field induced singlet-triplet transition is consistent with above mechanism in (TMTSF)₂ClO₄.     

Fluctuation induced magneto-conductivity studies in YBa2Cu3O7−δ + xBaZrO3 composite high-Tc superconductors

Fluctuations on the electrical conductivity of polycrystalline YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ + xBaZrO₃ (x = 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 wt.%) superconductors were investigated from the resistivity vs. temperature data for zero field and 8 T (Tesla) external magnetic fields. Attempts have been made to identify the optimum inclusion of BaZrO₃ (BZO) in YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ (YBCO) superconductors. The phase formation, texture and grain alignments were analyzed by XRD and SEM techniques. Then the effects of superconducting fluctuations on the electrical conductivity of granular composite superconductors were studied for zero field and 8 T external magnetic fields. Though inclusions of BZO sub-micron particles are not expected to influence superconducting order-parameter fluctuation (SCOPF) much, the transition from 2D to 3D of the order parameter in the mean-field region depends on the BZO content in the composites. It has been observed that BZO residing at the grain boundary of YBCO matrix influences the tailing region without having significant change in the mean-field critical temperature. In the present work, attention has been focused mostly in the experimental domain relatively above the T_c. It reveals that, 1 wt.% composite exhibits a better superconducting property in comparison with pure YBCO.     

Analytic Study of Properties of Holographic Superconductors with Weyl Corrections

We analytically investigate the properties of holographic superconductors with Weyl corrections in AdS ₅-Schwarzschild background by two approaches, one based on the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem and the other based on the matching of the solutions to the field equations near the horizon and near the asymptotic AdS region. The relation between the critical temperature and the charge density has been obtained and the dependence of the expectation value of the condensation operator on the temperature has been found. We find that the critical temperature of holographic superconductor with Weyl corrections increases as we amplify the Weyl coupling parameter γ, indicating the condensation will be harder when the parameter γ decreases. The critical exponent of the condensation also comes out to be 1/2 which is the universal value in the mean field theory.     

Spin fluctuations and high temperature superconductivity

Theory of spin fluctuations for itinerant magnetism and its application to high temperature superconductivity are reviewed. After a brief introduction to the whole subject the developments of the self-consistent renormalization theory of spin fluctuations are summarized with particular emphasis on critical properties at the quantum phase transitions. Most of the anomalous properties in the normal state of high-T_c cuprates are understood as due to the critical behaviours for the two dimensional antiferromagnetic metals. By analysing the nuclear magnetic relaxation rate and the T-linear term of resistivity, the set of parameters to specify the spin fluctuations are determined. It is shown that by using the parameters thus obtained one can describe other quantities as well, e.g. optical conductivity. Then we proceed to the theory of superconductivity by the spin fluctuation mechanism. After some discussion on the weak coupling treatments, the strong coupling theory is reviewed. It is shown that the set of parameters determined by the normal state properties of the high-T _c cuprates just give a transition temperature of the right order of magnitude. Among the parameters, the most sensitive one for T _c is the frequency spread of the spin fluctuations. This fact enables us to present a possible unified picture of the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation-induced superconductors, including heavy fermion superconductors and organic superconductors. This point of view may be confirmed to a certain extent by microscopic calculations based on the fluctuation exchange approximation for the two-dimensional Hubbard models representing not only the cuprates but also organic and trellis lattice compounds. The review is concluded with some discussions on future problems, e.g. the pseudo spin-gap in the under-doped region.     

Magnetic and magnetocaloric results of magnetic field-induced transitions in La1−xCexMn2Si2 (x=0.35 and 0.45) compounds

The La_1−xCe_xMn₂Si₂ compounds (x=0.35 and 0.45) exhibit an antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic transition caused by the changes in distance between Mn atoms due to temperature changes. A field-induced transition from antiferromagnetic state to ferromagnetic state at a critical field, which decreases with increase in temperature, can also be induced by applying a magnetic field. In this paper our aim is to study the magnetization and magnetocaloric effect, close to transition temperatures. Our subsidiary aim is to examine the temperature dependence of critical field and ferromagnetic fraction of compounds. The variation of magnetocaloric effect with temperature is correlated with the ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic phase coexistence. Our final aim is to examine the harmony between magnetocaloric effect values calculated both by the Maxwell theory and by the Landau theory.     

The instability point H s of the Meissner state for large-κ superconductors

The critical field H _s corresponding to the emergence of vortices in a superconductor without a threshold is found near the transition temperature and in the limit as T→0 for an arbitrary value of the depairing factor Γ. In superconductors of the second kind, this field value coincides with the absolute instability point of the Meissner state. In large-κ superconductors, the order parameter tends to zero on the surface of the super-conductor if the external magnetic field reaches the value H _s. We obtain that H _s=H _cm (where H _cm is the thermodynamic critical field) for an arbitrary value of the depairing factor Γin the temperature region near T _c and at T=0.     

Electrical transport and superconducting properties of Pb3BiSx film compounds

The electrical resistivity and superconducting properties of a newly synthesized superconducting material of the form Pb₃BiS_x (x = 1.5–3.0) composed of all non-transition elements are presented. The sample film is fabricated by quick evaporation of the original sintered material. It is found that temperature dependence of electrical resistivity has anomalous behavior as represented by broad maximum in higher temperature region and minimum in lower temperature region. The critical temperature is about 8K and the critical field is 35 kOe at 4.2 K for the sample with x = 1.9. The transition width is very broad for the magnetic transition, in contrast to the sharp transition at T_c. The gap structure of a Pb₃BiS_x-I-Sn tunnel junction is also presented.     

Critical magnetic field ratio of anisotropic magnetic superconductors

The upper critical field, the lower critical field and the critical magnetic field ratio of anisotropic magnetic superconductors are calculated by Ginzburg–Landau theory analytically. The effect of the Ginzburg–Landau parameter (κ₀), magnetic susceptibility (χ) and magnetic-to-anisotropic parameter ratio (θ) on the critical field ratio are considered. We find that the value of critical field ratio increases with increasing κ₀ and θ, and decreases with increasing χ. The highest and the lowest value of critical field ratio is found in the diamagnetic superconductors and the ferromagnetic superconductors, respectively.