Physics Commons^™

Superconductivity In La₂Ni₂In, Jannis Maiwald, Igor I. Mazin, Alex Gurevich, Meigan Aronson

Physics Faculty Publications

We report here the properties of single crystals of La₂Ni₂In. Electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements concur with the results of density functional theory calculations, finding that La₂Ni₂In is a weakly correlated metal, where the Ni magnetism is almost completely quenched, leaving only a weak Stoner enhancement of the density of states. Superconductivity is observed at temperatures below 0.9 K. A detailed analysis of the field and temperature dependencies of the resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat at the lowest temperatures reveals that La₂Ni₂In is a dirty type-II …

Dynamic Pair-Breaking Current, Critical Superfluid Velocity, And Nonlinear Electromagnetic Response Of Nonequilibrium Superconductors, Ahmad Sheikhzada, Alex Gurevich

Physics Faculty Publications

We report numerical calculations of a dynamic pair-breaking current density J_d and a critical superfluid velocity v_d in a nonequilibrium superconductor carrying a uniform, large-amplitude AC current density J(t)=J_asinΩt with Ω well below the gap frequency Ω ≪ Δ₀/h. The dependencies J_d(Ω,T) and v_d(Ω,T) near the critical temperature T_cwere calculated from either the full time-dependent nonequilibrium equations for a dirty s-wave superconductor or the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equations for a gapped superconductor, taking into account the GL relaxation time of the order parameter GL …

Observation Of In-Plane Magnetic Field Induced Phase Transitions In Fese, Jong Mok Ok, Chang Il Kwon, Yoshimitsu Kohama, Jung Sang You, Sun Kyu Park, Ji-Hye Kim, Y.J. Jo, E.S. Choi, Koichi Kindo, Woun Kang, Ki-Seok Kim, E. G. Moon, Alex Gurevich, Jun Sung Kim

Physics Faculty Publications

We investigate thermodynamic properties of FeSe under in-plane magnetic fields using torque magnetometry, specific heat, and magnetocaloric measurements. Below the upper critical field H_c2, we observed the field induced anomalies at H₁ ∼ 15 T and H₂ ∼ 22 T near H ∥ ab and below a characteristic temperature T* ∼ 2 K. The transition magnetic fields H₁ and H₂ exhibit negligible dependence on both temperature and field orientation. This contrasts to the strong temperature and angle dependence of H_c2, suggesting that these anomalies are attributed to the field induced phase transitions, …

The Synthesis Of Pb2sr2sm1-Xcaxcu3o8 And Characterization Of Its Structural And Superconducting Properties., Deblina Das

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Superconducting lead-based cuprate materials of the 2213 structural type, Pb2Sr2MCu3O8 (M=Sm1-xCax, Y1-xCax, Er1-xCax and Yb1-xCax), were synthesized and characterized using x-ray powder diffraction and the Rietveld structural refinements method. Pb2Sr2Sm1-xCaxCu3O8 single crystals were grown by an optimized flux method using various combinations of PbO/PbF2 solvents. Samples with different Sm/Ca ratios were investigated for their superconducting properties. Magnetic measurements reveal the presence of a transition at 120K. Preliminary x-ray diffuse scattering experiment at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory demonstrates the high quality of one of our crystals and the presence of rod-like diffuse scattering connecting the Bragg peaks …

Ternary Inorganic Electrides With Mixed Bonding, Junjie Wang, Qiang Zhu, Zhenhai Wang, Hideo Hosono

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

A high-throughput screening based on first-principles calculations was performed to search for new ternary inorganic electrides. From the available materials database, we identified three new thermodynamically stable materials (Li12Mg3Si4, NaBa2O, and Ca5Ga2N4) as potential electrides made by main group elements, in addition to the well known mayenite based electride (C12A7:e−). Different from those conventional inorganic electrides in which the excess electrons play only the role of anions, the three new materials, resembling the electrides found in simple metals under high pressure, possess mixed ionic and metallic bonding. The interplay between two competing mechanisms, together with the different crystal packing motifs, …

Argon Metastable And Resonant Level Densities In Ar And Ar/Cl² Discharges Used For The Processing Of Bulk Niobium, Jeremy Peshl, Roderick Mcneill, Charles I. Sukenik, Milka Nikolić, Svetozar Popović, Leposava Vŭsković

Physics Faculty Publications

A comparative analysis of two popular spectroscopy techniques is conducted in a coaxial cylindrical capacitively coupled discharge designed for the plasma processing of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. The density of the metastable and resonant levels in Ar is measured in both Ar and Ar/Cl₂ discharges to properly characterize the unique discharge system and aid in the development of a cavity etching routine. The first method, deemed the “branching fraction method,” utilizes the sensitivity of photon reabsorption of radiative decay to measure the lower state (metastable and resonant) densities by taking ratios of spectral lines with a common upper …

Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy Investigations Of Superconducting-Doped Topological Insulators: Experimental Pitfalls And Results, Stefan Wilfert, Paolo Sessi, Zhiwei Wang, Henrik Schmidt, M. Carmen Martínez-Velarte, Seng Huat Lee, Yew San Hor, Alexander F. Otte, Yoichi Ando, Weida Wu, Matthias Bode

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recently, the doping of topological insulators has attracted significant interest as a potential route towards topological superconductivity. Because many experimental techniques lack sufficient surface sensitivity, however, definite proof of the coexistence of topological surface states and surface superconductivity is still outstanding. Here we report on highly surface sensitive scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy experiments performed on Tl-doped Bi₂Te₃, a three-dimensional topological insulator which becomes superconducting in the bulk at T_C=2.3 K. Landau level spectroscopy as well as quasiparticle interference mapping clearly demonstrated the presence of a topological surface state with a Dirac point energy …

Magnetic-Field-Induced 1st Order Transition To Fflo State At Paramagnetic Limit In 2d Superconductors, N. A. Fortune, C. C. Agosta, S. T. Hannahs, J. A. Schleuter

Physics

We have recently reported the first direct calorimetric observation of a magnetic-field-induced first-order phase transition into a high-field FFLO superconducting state at the Clogston-Chandrasekar 'Pauli' paramagnetic limitHp in a 2D superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu(NCS)2. The high-field state is both higher entropy and strongly paramagnetic, as thermodynamically required for the FFLO state. Here we compare our results with theoretical predictions for the field dependence of the high-field FFLO state in the 2D limit, revealing tentative evidence for transitions between FFLO states of differing order parameter. We also present calorimetric evidence for a 1st order phase transition into the FFLO state for a second …

Current Induced Depairing And Mixed State Behavior In The Bite/Fete Interfacial Superconductor, Charles Louis Dean Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The Bi2Te3/FeTe heterostructure intersects several phenomena and key classes of materials in condensed matter physics: topological insulators, superconductivity, magnetism, and the physics of interfaces. While neither the topological insulator (BiTe) nor the iron chalcogenide (FeTe) are themselves superconductors, superconductivity forms in a thin 7nm interfacial layer between the two. The restricted dimensionality and the extraordinarily conductive normal state, possibly sourced by the topologically protected surface states, have led to the observation of novel phenomena such as the Likharev vortex explosion and transitions in behavior resulting from the interplay between current induced depairing and the Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless regime. The measured depairing current …

Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductivity And Magnetism In The Presence Of Broken Symmetries, Mojammel Alam Khan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Non-centrosymmetric (NC) superconducting and magnetic compounds have been synthesized and investigated using magnetic, specific heat, and transport measurements, as well as by neutron scattering and quantum oscillations. The crystal structures of NC compounds are defined by the lack of an inversion center. In NC superconductors, a finite antisymmetric spin orbit coupling originating from broken inversion symmetry results in unconventional Cooper pairing. Instead of a single spin channel, the order parameter is a mixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet states. For NC magnetic compounds, the antisymmetric and isotropic spin interactions compete, leading to a helical ground state.

We have studied the NC …

Calorimetric Measurements Of Magnetic-Field-Induced Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Above The Paramagnetic Limit, Charles C. Agosta, Nathanael Alexander Fortune, Scott T. Hannahs, Shuyao Gu, Lucy Liang, Ju-Hyun Park, John A. Schleuter

Physics: Faculty Publications

We report the first magnetocaloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state, first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor κ−(BEDT−TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit Hp is a transition to a higher-entropy superconducting phase, uniquely characteristic of the FFLO state. We also establish that this high-field superconducting state displays the bulk …

Crabbing System For An Electron-Ion Collider, Alejandro Castilla

Physics Theses & Dissertations

As high energy and nuclear physicists continue to push further the boundaries of knowledge using colliders, there is an imperative need, not only to increase the colliding beams’ energies, but also to improve the accuracy of the experiments, and to collect a large quantity of events with good statistical sensitivity. To achieve the latter, it is necessary to collect more data by increasing the rate at which these pro- cesses are being produced and detected in the machine. This rate of events depends directly on the machine’s luminosity. The luminosity itself is proportional to the frequency at which the beams …

Nonlinear Dynamics Of Vortices In Different Types Of Grain Boundaries, Ahmad K. Sheikhzada

Physics Theses & Dissertations

As a major component of linear particle accelerators, superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) resonator cavities are required to operate with lowest energy dissipation and highest accelerating gradient. SRF cavities are made of polycrystalline materials in which grain boundaries can limit maximum RF currents and produce additional power dissipation sources due to local penetration of Josephson vortices. The essential physics of vortex penetration and mechanisms of dissipation of vortices driven by strong RF currents along networks of grain boundaries and their contribution to the residual surface resistance have not been well understood. To evaluate how GBs can limit the performance of SRF materials, …

Rotational Symmetry Breaking In A Trigonal Superconductor Nb-Doped Bi₂Se₃, T. Asaba, B. J. Lawson, C. Tinsman, L. Chen, P. Corbae, G. Li, Y. Qiu, Yew San Hor, L. Fu, L. Li

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The search for unconventional superconductivity has been focused on materials with strong spin-orbit coupling and unique crystal lattices. Doped bismuth selenide (Bi₂Se₃) is a strong candidate, given the topological insulator nature of the parent compound and its triangular lattice. The coupling between the physical properties in the superconducting state and its underlying crystal symmetry is a crucial test for unconventional superconductivity. In this paper, we report direct evidence that the superconducting magnetic response couples strongly to the underlying trigonal crystal symmetry in the recently discovered superconductor with trigonal crystal structure, niobium (Nb)-doped Bi₂Se_{3 …}

Power Distribution Of Terahertz Emission From Hexagonal Bscco Microstrip Antennas, Andrew E. Davis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

We analyze the distribution of coherent terahertz radiation from a regular hexagonal microstrip antenna (MSA) made from the high-T_c superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x (BSCCO). We discuss the C_6v symmetry of the solutions of the wave equation on a hexagonal domain and distinguish between the closed-form and non-closed-form solutions. The closed-form wavefunctions of the transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic cavity modes are presented and formulas for the radiated power arising from the uniform part of the AC Josephson current and from the resonant cavity modes are derived. The wavefunctions and angular distribution of radiation from …

Cryogenic Rf Test Of The First Srf Cavity Etched In An Rf Ar/Cl2 Plasma, J. Upadhyay, A. Palczewski, S. Popovic, A.-M. Valente-Feliciano, Do Im, H. L. Phillips, L. Vuskovic

Physics Faculty Publications

An apparatus and a method for etching of the inner surfaces of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerator cavities are described. The apparatus is based on the reactive ion etching performed in an Ar/Cl₂ cylindrical capacitive discharge with reversed asymmetry. To test the effect of the plasma etching on the cavity rf performance, a 1497 MHz single cell SRF cavity was used. The single cell cavity was mechanically polished and buffer chemically etched and then rf tested at cryogenic temperatures to provide a baseline characterization. The cavity's inner wall was then exposed to the capacitive discharge in a mixture of …

Exact Solution Of Quadratic Fermionic Hamiltonians For Arbitrary Boundary Conditions, Abhijeet Alase, Emilio Cobanera, Gerardo Ortiz, Lorenza Viola

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present a procedure for exactly diagonalizing finite-range quadratic fermionic Hamiltonians with arbitrary boundary conditions in one of D dimensions, and periodic in the remaining D−1. The key is a Hamiltonian-dependent separation of the bulk from the boundary. By combining information from the two, we identify a matrix function that fully characterizes the solutions, and may be used to construct an efficiently computable indicator of bulk-boundary correspondence. As an illustration, we show how our approach correctly describes the zero-energy Majorana modes of a time-reversal-invariant s-wave two-band superconductor in a Josephson ring configuration, and predicts that a fractional 4π-periodic Josephson effect …

The Effect Of Impurities On The Superconductivity Of Bscco-2212, John Vastola

Honors Undergraduate Theses

BSCCO-2212 is a high-temperature cuprate superconductor whose microscopic behavior is currently poorly understood. In particular, it is unclear whether its order parameter is consistent with s-wave or d-wave symmetry. It has been suggested that its order parameter might take one of several forms that are consistent with d-wave behavior. We present some calculations using the many-body theory approach to superconductivity that suggest that such order parameters would lead to a suppression of the critical temperature in the presence of impurities. Because some experiments have suggested the critical temperature of BSCCO-2212 is relatively independent of the concentration of impurities, this lends …

Anisotropic Thermodynamic And Transport Properties Of Single-Crystalline Cakfe4As4, W. R. Meier, T. Kong, U. S. Kaluarachchi, V. Taufour, N. H. Jo, G. Drachuck, A. E. Böhmer, S. M. Saunders, A. Sapkota, A. Kreyssig, M. A. Tanatar, R. Prozorov, A. I. Goldman, Fedor F. Balakirev, Alex Gurevich, S. L. Bud'ko, P. C. Canfield

Physics Faculty Publications

Single-crystalline, single-phase CaKFe₄As₄ has been grown out of a high-temperature, quaternary melt. Temperature-dependent measurements of x-ray diffraction, anisotropic electrical resistivity, elastoresistivity, thermoelectric power, Hall effect, magnetization, and specific heat, combined with field-dependent measurements of electrical resistivity and field and pressure-dependent measurements of magnetization indicate that CaKFe₄As₄ is an ordered, stoichiometric, Fe-based superconductor with a superconducting critical temperature, T_c = 35.0 ± 0.2 K. Other than superconductivity, there is no indication of any other phase transition for 1.8K ≤ T ≤ 300 K. All of these thermodynamic and transport data reveal striking similarities to …

Wavelet Transform Of Optical Conductivity Of Bi2sr2cacu2o8+X In The Normal And Superconducting State, Patrick Janovick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper compares the wavelet transform of the optical conductivity of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x in both the normal and the superconducting state. The wavelet transforms of the normal and superconducting state are also compared with wavelet transforms of the Drude model as well as the Lorentz model. The wavelet transform of the collected data for Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x is similar in shape to the Drude model. The wavelet transform of the collected data in the normal state corresponds to the Drude model with a high scattering rate and the collected …

Enhanced Magnetism In Dy And Tb At Extreme Pressure, Jinhyuk Lim

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

At ambient pressure all lanthanide metals order magnetically at temperatures at or below ambient. The magnetic ordering is known to result from the indirect exchange interaction between localized 4f magnetic moments mediated by the surrounding conduction electrons, the so-called Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction. With the RKKY interaction the magnetic ordering temperature To is expected to be proportional to the de Gennes factor which is a function of the Landé g factor gJ and the total angular momentum J. For example, Gd has the highest value of To, 292 K, at ambient pressure as it has the largest de Gennes factor of …

Prospective Solid-State Photonic Cryocooler Based On The “Phonon-Deficit Effect”, Gurgen Melkonyan, Armen Gulian

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this design microwave photons are propagating in a sapphire rod, and are being absorbed by a superconductor deposited on the surface of the rod. The frequency of the radiation is tuned to be less than the energy gap in the superconductor, so that the pair breaking is not taking place. This photon pumping redistributes the electron-hole quasiparticles: their distribution function is non-equilibrium, and the “phonon-deficit effect” takes place. There is a dielectric material deposited on top of superconductor, which serves asthe “cold finger” of the cooler. Its “acoustical density” is supposed to be smaller than that of the superconducting …

Dynamical Generation Of Floquet Majorana Flat Bands In S-Wave Superconductors, A. Poudel, G. Ortiz, L. Viola

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present quantum control techniques to engineer flat bands of symmetry-protected Majorana edge modes in s -wave superconductors. Specifically, we show how periodic control may be employed for designing time-independent effective Hamiltonians, which support Floquet Majorana flat bands, starting from equilibrium conditions that are either topologically trivial or only support individual Majorana pairs. In the first approach, a suitable modulation of the chemical potential simultaneously induces Majorana flat bands and dynamically activates a pre-existing chiral symmetry which is responsible for their protection. In the second approach, the application of effective parity kicks dynamically generates a desired chiral symmetry by suppressing …

Microscopic Theory Of The Knight Shift, Bianca Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is the beginning of the development of a microscopic theory of the Knight shift. The Knight shift experiment has been used in superconductivity research throughout history, however, a complete understanding of the Knight shift in conventional as well as unconventional superconductors does not yet exist. Motivated by the results of a literature review, which discusses Knight shift anomalies in multiple superconducting materials, this research studies a new model of the Knight shift, which involves the processes involved in nuclear magnetic resonance measurements in metals. The result of this study is a microscopic model of nuclear magnetic resonance in …

Anisotropy Reversal Of The Upper Critical Field At Low Temperatures And Spin-Locked Superconductivity In K₂Cr₃As₃, F. F. Balakirev, T. Kong, M. Jaime, R. D. Mcdonald, C. H. Mielke, A. Gurevich, P. C. Canfield, S. L. Bud'ko

Physics Faculty Publications

We report measurements of the anisotropic upper critical field H_c2(T) for K₂Cr₃As₃ single crystals up to 60 T and T > 0.6K. Our results show that the upper critical field parallel to the Cr chains, H^∥_c2(T), exhibits a paramagnetically limited behavior, whereas the shape of the H^⊥_c2(T) curve (perpendicular to the Cr chains) has no evidence of paramagnetic effects. As a result, the curves H^⊥_c2(T) and H^∥_c2(T) cross at T ≈ 4K, so that the anisotropy parameter _H(T)=H …

Current-Induced Depairing In The Bi₂Te₃/Fete Interfacial Superconductor, M. N. Kunchur, C. L. Dean, N. Shayesteh Moghadam, J. M. Knight, Q. L. He, H. Liu, J. Wang, R. Lortz, I. K. Sou, Alex Gurevich

Physics Faculty Publications

We investigated current induced depairing in the Bi₂Te₃/FeTe topological insulator-chalcogenide interface superconductor. The measured depairing current density provides information on the magnetic penetration depth and superfluid density, which in turn shed light on the nature of the normal state that underlies the interfacial superconductivity.

Investigation And Optimization Of A New Compact Superconducting Cavity For Deflecting And Crabbing Applications, Subashini Uddika De Silva

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Deflecting and crabbing structures have many applications in current accelerator systems. The primary use of a deflecting cavity is to separate a single beam into multiple beams. A crabbing cavity enables the head-on collision at the interaction point in particle colliders in order to increase the luminosity. The early uses of the deflecting structures have been in the early 1960s: these structures were disk loaded structures operating at room temperature. The crabbing structure which was installed at the NEK electron-positron collider was the first and only operational superconducting cavity of that kind. The most common design of superconducting deflecting and …

Reconstructions At The Interface In Complex Oxide Heterostructures With Strongly Correlated Electrons, Benjamin Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Strongly correlated oxides exhibit a rich spectrum of closely competing orders near the localized-itinerant Mott insulator transition leaving their ground states ripe with instabilities susceptible to small perturbations such as lattice distortions, variation in stoichiometry, magnetic and electric fields, etc. As the field of interfacial engineering has matured, these underlying instabilities in the electronic structure of correlated oxides continue to be leveraged to manipulate existing phases or search for emergent ones. The central theme is matching materials across the interface with disparate physical, chemical, electronic, or magnetic structure to harness interfacial reconstructions in the strongly coupled charge, spin, orbital, and …

Majorana Flat Bands In S -Wave Gapless Topological Superconductors, Shusa Deng, Gerardo Ortiz, Amrit Poudel, Lorenza Viola

Dartmouth Scholarship

We demonstrate how the nontrivial interplay between spin-orbit coupling and nodeless s-wave superconductivity can drive a fully gapped two-band topological insulator into a time-reversal invariant gapless topological superconductor supporting symmetry-protected Majorana flat bands. We characterize topological phase diagrams by a Z2×Z2 partial Berry-phase invariant, and show that, despite the trivial crystal geometry, no unique bulk-boundary correspondence exists. We trace this behavior to the anisotropic quasiparticle bulk gap closing, linear vs quadratic, and argue that this provides a unifying principle for gapless topological superconductivity. Experimental implications for tunneling conductance measurements are addressed, relevant for lead chalcogenide materials.

Equations Of State In A Strongly Interacting Relativistic System, Jason Paul Keith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It has long been understood that the ground state of a superdense quark system, a Fermi liquid of weakly interacting quarks, is unstable with respect to the formation of diquark condensates. This nonperturbative phenomenon is essentially equivalent to the Cooper in-stability of conventional BCS superconductivity. As the quark pairs have nonzero color charge, this kind of superconductivity breaks the SU(3) color gauge symmetry, thus the phe-nomenon is called color superconductivity. However, not much is known about the behavior of quark systems at moderate densities between the formation of baryons and asymptotic freedom. Strong theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that there …