Engineering topics

Helm, Toni

Publications and source records attributed to Helm, Toni.

4 records

DOE OSTI2023

Non‐Fermi‐Liquid Behavior of Superconducting SnH 4

Abstract The chemical interaction of Sn with H 2 by X‐ray diffraction methods at pressures of 180–210 GPa is studied. A previously unknown tetrahydride SnH 4 with a cubic structure ( fcc ) exhibiting superconducting properties below T C = 72 K is obtained; the formation of a high molecular C 2/ m ‐SnH 14 superhydride and several lower hydrides, fcc SnH 2 , and C 2‐Sn 12 H 18 , is also detected. The temperature dependence of critical current density J C (T) in SnH 4 yields the superconducting gap 2Δ(0) = 21.6 meV at 180 GPa. SnH 4 has unusual behavior in strong magnetic fields: B,T ‐linear dependences of magnetoresistance and the upper critical magnetic field B C2 (T) ∝ ( T C – T ). The latter contradicts the Wertheimer–Helfand–Hohenberg model developed for conventional superconductors. Along with this, the temperature dependence of electrical resistance of fcc SnH 4 in non‐superconducting state exhibits a deviation from what is expected for phonon‐mediated scattering described by the Bloch‐Grüneisen model and is beyond the framework of the Fermi liquid theory. Such anomalies occur for many superhydrides, making them much closer to cuprates than previously believed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2020

Non-monotonic pressure dependence of high-field nematicity and magnetism in CeRhIn 5

CeRhIn 5 provides a textbook example of quantum criticality in a heavy fermion system: Pressure suppresses local-moment antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and induces superconductivity in a dome around the associated quantum critical point (QCP) near p c ≈ 23 kbar. Strong magnetic fields also suppress the AFM order at a field-induced QCP at B c ≈ 50 T. In its vicinity, a nematic phase at B * ≈ 28 T characterized by a large in-plane resistivity anisotropy emerges. Here, we directly investigate the interrelation between these phenomena via magnetoresistivity measurements under high pressure. As pressure increases, the nematic transition shifts to higher fields, until it vanishes just below p c . While pressure suppresses magnetic order in zero field as p c is approached, we find magnetism to strengthen under strong magnetic fields due to suppression of the Kondo effect. We reveal a strongly non-mean-field-like phase diagram, much richer than the common local-moment description of CeRhIn 5 would suggest.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2019

Interplay of structure and charge order revealed by quantum oscillations in thin films of Pr 2 CuO 4 ± δ

The discovery of quantum oscillations in hole- A nd electron-doped cuprate families has underscored the importance of the Fermi surface in cuprate superconductivity. While the observed quantum oscillations in both families have revealed the presence of reconstructed Fermi surfaces, there remains an important distinction between the two. In hole-doped cuprates the oscillations are thought to arise from the effects of a charge density wave, while in the electron-doped cuprates it is thought that these oscillations occur from an antiferromagnetically reconstructed Fermi surface, despite the fact that the oscillations are observed in overdoped compounds, far from the putative antiferromagnetic critical point. In this work we study thin films of Pr 2 CuO 4±δ , whose apparent doping can be finely tuned by annealing, allowing studies of quantum oscillations in samples straddling the critical point. Here, we show that even though there is a mass enhancement of the quasiparticles, there are only small changes to the Fermi surface itself, suggesting that charge order is a more likely origin, with electronic correlations that are strongly dependent on the structural parameters.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2019

Spatial control of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn 5

While crystals of strongly correlated metals exhibit a diverse set of electronic ground states, few approaches exist for spatially modulating their properties. In this study, we demonstrate disorder-free control, on the micrometer scale, over the superconducting state in samples of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn 5 . We pattern crystals by focused ion beam milling to tailor the boundary conditions for the elastic deformation upon thermal contraction during cooling. The resulting nonuniform strain fields induce complex patterns of superconductivity, owing to the strong dependence of the transition temperature on the strength and direction of strain. These findings showcase a generic approach to manipulating electronic order on micrometer length scales in strongly correlated matter without compromising the cleanliness, stoichiometry, or mean free path.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗