Publisher Correction: Carrier density and disorder tuned superconductor-metal transition in a two-dimensional electron system
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In YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO), heavy-ion irradiation creates continuous amorphous tracks that are highly effective for vortex pinning. However, the electronic structure landscape of defects and consequently their vortex pinning roles are unclear. Here, we show double chain layer (DCL) defects which intersect the columnar tracks are additionally produced by high energy Pb ion irradiation in YBCO. The DCL defects are similar to 29 nm long, about three times the columnar defect diameter. The electronic structures of the DCL and columnar track defects were determined using atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Results show a decrease in the oxygen and copper content at the interface between the track and the YBCO matrix, resulting in interfacial strain. For the DCL defects, the STEM/EELS study revealed a localized electron doped CuO2 plane next to the DCL defect. The DCL defects thus further extend the electronic inhomogeneity into YBCO.
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In this work the effect of electron irradiation on the mechanical properties of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi-2212) superconductor was studied by exposing the Bi-2212 superconductor with different doses of electron irradiation. Bi-2212 samples were prepared by using co-precipitation method. Irradiation was performed with irradiation dose of 100 kGray and 200 kGray, respectively. Characterization of the samples was performed by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Instron Universal Testing machine was used to measure the strength of the samples. The XRD patterns for the non-irradiated and irradiated samples show well-defined peaks of which could be indexed on the basis of a Bi-2212 phase structure. XRD patterns also indicate that electron irradiation did not affect the Bi-2212 superconducting phase. SEM micrographs show disorientation in the texture of the microstructure for irradiated samples. Sample exposed to 200 kGray electron irradiation dose shows enhancement of grain size. Their grain growth and texture improved slightly compared to other sample. The results also show that enlargement of grain size resulted in higher mechanical strength.
We perform theoretical studies of the iron-based superconductor La{sub 0.5−x}Na{sub 0.5 + x}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2}. Using density functional calculation with virtual crystal approximation, band structures, density of states, and Fermi surfaces are obtained for different La/Na composition by varying x value. Furthermore, the nesting property is also investigated using the Linhard function. Our main findings are as follows: For undoped (x = 0.0) case, the magnetic and electronic structure share great similarities with extensively studied BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2}. Upon hole doping (x = 0.3), the Q = (π,π) nesting property are preserved. However, upon electron doping (x = -0.3), the Fermi surfaces undergo a dramastic change into 3D and complex structure. We find this change is attributed to the comprehensive influence of band filling and chemical pressure of La{sup 3+}. We propose the asymmetric change of Fermi surfaces upon doping may in some sense explain the electron-hole asymmetry in phase diagram.
Understanding the electron pairing in hole-doped cuprate superconductors has been a challenge, in particular because the “normal” state from which it evolves is unprecedented. Now, after three and a half decades of research, involving a wide range of experimental characterizations, it is possible to delineate a clear and consistent cuprate story. It starts with doping holes into a charge-transfer insulator, resulting in in-gap states. Furthermore, these states exhibit a pseudogap resulting from the competition between antiferromagnetic superexchange J between nearest-neighbor Cu atoms (a real-space interaction) and the kinetic energy of the doped holes, which, in the absence of interactions, would lead to extended Bloch-wave states whose occupancy is characterized in reciprocal space. To develop some degree of coherence on cooling, the spin and charge correlations must self-organize in a cooperative fashion.
Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 is a superconductor that is a potential candidate for topological superconductors. We report our laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurement on the electronic structure of the Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 superconductor, and a detailed magneto-resistance measurement in both normal and superconducting states. We find that the topological surface state of the pristine Bi 2 Se 3 topological insulator remains robust after the Cu-intercalation, while the Dirac cone location moves downward due to electron doping. Detailed measurements on the magnetic field-dependence of the resistance in the superconducting state establishes an irreversibility line and gives a value of the upper critical field at zero temperature of ~4000 Oe for the Cu 0.3 Bi 2 Se 3 superconductor with a middle point T c of 1.9K. The relation between the upper critical field Hc2 and temperature T is different from the usual scaling relation found in cuprates and in other kinds of superconductors. Small positive magneto-resistance is observed in Cu 0.3 Bi 2 Se 3 superconductors up to room temperature. As a result, these observations provide useful information for further study of this possible candidate for topological superconductors.
We use tunable laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the electronic structure of the multiband superconductor MgB 2 . These results form the baseline for detailed studies of superconductivity in multiband systems. We find that the magnitude of the superconducting gap on both σ bands follows a BCS-like variation with temperature with Δ 0 ~ 7meV. Furthermore, the value of the gap is isotropic within experimental uncertainty and in agreement with a pure s-wave pairing symmetry. We observe in-gap states confined to k F of the σ band that occur at some locations of the sample surface. As a result, the energy of this excitation, ~ 3 meV, was found to be somewhat larger than the previously reported gap on π Fermi sheet and therefore we cannot exclude the possibility of interband scattering as its origin.
Recently, topological superconducting states have attracted much interest. In this work, we consider a topological superconductor with Z 2 topological mirror order [Y.-Y. Tai et al., Phys. Rev. B 91, 041111(R) (2015)] and s ± -wave superconducting pairing symmetry, within a two-orbital model originally designed for iron-based superconductivity [Y.-Y. Tai et al., Europhys. Lett. 103, 67001 (2013)]. We predict the existence of gapless edge states. We also study the local electronic structure around an adsorbed interstitial magnetic impurity in the system, and find the existence of low-energy in-gap bound states even with a weak spin polarization on the impurity. We also discuss the relevance of our results to a recent scanning tunneling microscopy experiment on a Fe(Te,Se) compound with an adsorbed Fe impurity [J.-X. Yin et al., Nat. Phys. 11, 543 (2015)], for which our density functional calculations show the Fe impurity is spin polarized.
Iron-based superconductor family FeX (X = S, Se, Te) has been one of the research foci in physics and material science due to their record-breaking superconducting temperature (FeSe film) and rich physical phenomena. Recently, FeS, the least studied FeX compound (due to the difficulty in synthesizing high quality macroscopic crystals) attracted much attention because of its puzzling superconducting pairing symmetry. In this work, combining scanning tunneling microscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) with sub-micron spatial resolution, we investigate the intrinsic electronic structures of superconducting FeS from individual single crystalline domains. Unlike FeTe or FeSe, FeS remains identical tetragonal structure from room temperature down to 5 K, and the band structures observed can be well reproduced by our ab-initio calculations. Remarkably, mixed with the 1 × 1 tetragonal metallic phase, we also observe the coexistence of √5 x √5 reconstructed insulating phase in the crystal, which not only helps explain the unusual properties of FeS, but also demonstrates the importance of using spatially resolved experimental tools in the study of this compound.
Most parent compounds of iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) exhibit a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic lattice distortion below T s associated with an electronic nematic phase that breaks the four-fold (C 4 ) rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice, and then forms collinear antiferromagnetic (AF) order below T N (T N ≤ T s ). Optimal superconductivity emerges upon suppression of the nematic and AF phases. FeSe, which also exhibits a nematic phase transition below T s but becomes superconducting in the nematic phase without AF order, provides a unique platform to study the interplay amongst the nematic phase and superconductivity. In this review, we focus on the experiments done on uniaxial pressure detwinned single crystals of FeSe compared to other FeSCs and highlight the importance of understanding the electronic and magnetic anisotropy in elucidating the nature of unconventional superconductivity.
A notorious problem in high-resolution biological electron microscopy is radiation damage caused by probe electrons. Hence, acquisition of data with minimal number of electrons is of critical importance. Quantum approaches may represent the only way to improve the resolution in this context, but all proposed schemes to date demand delicate control of the electron beam in highly unconventional electron optics. Here we propose a scheme that involves a flux qubit based on a radio-frequency superconducting quantum interference device, inserted in a transmission electron microscope. The scheme significantly improves the prospect of realizing a quantum-enhanced electron microscope for radiation-sensitive specimens.
Applying the generalized Bose-Einstein condensation (GBEC) formalism, we extend the BCS-Bose crossover theory by explicitly including hole Cooper pairs (2hCPs). From this, follows a phase diagram with two pure phases, one with 2hCPs and the other with electron Cooper pairs (2eCPs), plus a mixed phase with arbitrary proportions of 2eCPs and 2hCPs. The special-case phase when there is perfect symmetry, i.e., with ideal 50-50 proportions between 2eCPs and 2hCPs, corresponds to the usual BCS-Bose crossover. Explicitly including 2hCPs yields an extended BCS-Bose crossover which predicts improved T{sub c}/T{sub F} values for some conventional superconductors (i.e., with electron-phonon dynamics) when compared with experiment. To do this, we employ the BCS dimensionless coupling constant λ{sub BCS} via the BCS gap equation and compare with the Bogoliubov et al. upper limit λ{sub BCS} ≤ 1/2. Another phase diagram presented exhibits experimental T{sub c}/T{sub F} values for some conventional superconductors for arbitrary proportions between 2eCPs and 2hCPs as function of Δn = n/n{sub f} − 1, where n is the electron concentration and n{sub f} that of unbound electrons at T = 0. The extended crossover is compared with experimental T{sub c}/T{sub F} values as well as to the gap-to- T{sub c} ratio.
The interactions between electrons and antiferromagnetic magnons (AFMMs) are important for a large class of correlated materials. For example, they are the most plausible pairing glues in high-temperature superconductors, such as cuprates and iron-based superconductors. However, unlike electron-phonon interactions (EPIs), clear-cut observations regarding how electron-AFMM interactions (EAIs) affect the band structure are still lacking. Consequently, critical information on the EAIs, such as its strength and doping dependence, remains elusive. Here we directly observe that EAIs induce a kink structure in the band dispersion of Ba 1–x K x Mn 2 As 2 , and subsequently unveil several key characteristics of EAIs. We found that the coupling constant of EAIs can be as large as 5.4, and it shows strong doping dependence and temperature dependence, all in stark contrast to the behaviors of EPIs. The colossal renormalization of electron bands by EAIs enhances the density of states at Fermi energy, which is likely driving the emergent ferromagnetic state in Ba 1–x K x Mn 2 As 2 through a Stoner-like mechanism with mixed itinerant-local character. Our results expand the current knowledge of EAIs, which may facilitate the further understanding of many correlated materials where EAIs play a critical role.