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2009-11-19
Comparison of Ab initio Low-Energy Models for LaFePO, LaFeAsO, BaFe2As2, LiFeAs, FeSe and FeTe: Electron Correlation and Covalency
Effective low-energy Hamiltonians for several different families of iron-based superconductors are compared after deriving them from the downfolding scheme based on first-principles calculations. Systematic dependences of the derived model parameters on the families are elucidated, many of which are understood from the systematic variation of the covalency between Fe-3d and pnictogen-/chalcogen-p orbitals.
0911.3705v2
2009-11-19
Metallicity gradients in the Milky Way
Radial metallicity gradients are observed in the disks of the Milky Way and in several other spiral galaxies. In the case of the Milky Way, many objects can be used to determine the gradients, such as HII regions, B stars, Cepheids, open clusters and planetary nebulae. Several elements can be studied, such as oxygen, sulphur, neon, and argon in photoionized nebulae, and iron and other elements in cepheids, open clusters and stars. As a consequence, the number of observational characteristics inferred from the study of abundance gradients is very large, so that in the past few years they have become one of the main observational constraints of chemical evolution models. In this paper, we present some recent observational evidences of abundance gradients based on several classes of objects. We will focus on (i) the magnitude of the gradients, (ii) the space variations, and (iii) the evidences of a time variation of the abundance gradients. Some comments on recent theoretical models are also given, in an effort to highlight their predictions concerning abundance gradients and their variations.
0911.3763v1
2009-11-19
Magnetic Anistropy due to the Casimir Effect
We consider the Casimir interaction between a ferromagnetic and a non-magnetic mirror, and show how the Casimir effect gives rise to a magnetic anisotropy in the ferromagnetic layer. The anisotropy is out-of-plane if the non-magnetic plate is optically isotropic. If the non-magnetic plate shows a uniaxial optical anisotropy (with optical axis in the plate plane), we find an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. In both cases, the energetically most favorable magnetization orientation is given by the competition between polar, longitudinal and transverse contributions to the magneto-optical Kerr effect, and will therefore depend on the interplate distance. Numerical results will be presented for a magnetic plate made out of iron, and non-magnetic plates of gold (optically isotropic), quartz, calcite and barium titanate (all uniaxially birefringent).
0911.3854v1
2009-11-19
In-plane electronic anisotropy in underdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ revealed by detwinning in a magnetic field
We present results of angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements and direct optical images of underdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ which reveal partial detwinning by action of a 14T magnetic field. Driven by a substantial magneto-elastic coupling, this result provides evidence for an electronic origin of the lattice distortion in underdoped iron pnictides. The observed anisotropy in these partially detwinned samples implies a substantial in-plane electronic anisotropy in the broken symmetry state, with a smaller resistivity along the antiferromagnetic ordering direction.
0911.3878v1
2009-11-21
Spectroscopic Study of $^{75}$As and $^{139}$La NMR on Layered Structure Ferromagnet LaCoAsO
$^{75}$As and $^{139}$La field-swept NMR spectra were obtained for the novel weakly itinerant ferromagnet LaCoAsO with 2D layered structure above the Curie temperature of 55 K. By analyzing NMR spectra, temperature dependences of Knight shift $K$ and nuclear quadrupole resonance frequency $\nu_Q$ were obtained successfully for each nucleus. We confirmed from the so-called $K$-$\chi$ plots that the macroscopic magnetization of our {LaCoAsO} powder sample is intrinsic and does not contain the contribution from impurity phases. We estimated hyperfine coupling constants from the slope of $K$-$\chi$ plots and compared to that of iron-arsenide superconductor.
0911.4166v2
2009-11-24
Incommensurate itinerant antiferromagnetic excitations and spin resonance in the FeTe$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$ superconductor
We report on inelastic neutron scattering measurements that find incommensurate itinerant like magnetic excitations in the normal state of superconducting FeTe$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$ (\Tc=14K) at wave-vector $\mathbf{Q}_{inc}=(1/2\pm\epsilon,1/2\mp\epsilon)$ with $\epsilon$=0.09(1). In the superconducting state only the lower energy part of the spectrum shows significant changes by the formation of a gap and a magnetic resonance that follows the dispersion of the normal state excitations. We use a four band model to describe the Fermi surface topology of iron-based superconductors with the extended $s(\pm)$ symmetry and find that it qualitatively captures the salient features of these data.
0911.4713v1
2009-11-24
Stellar Parameters for a Sample of Stars with Planets
The study of chemical abundances in stars with planets is an important ingredient for the models of formation and evolution of planetary systems. In order to determine accurate abundances, it is crucial to have a reliable set of atmospheric parameters. In this work, we describe the homogeneous determination of effective temperatures, surface gravities and iron abundances for a large sample of stars with planets as well as a control sample of stars without giant planets. Our results indicate that the metallicity distribution of the stars with planets is more metal rich by ~ 0.13 dex than the control sample stars.
0911.4723v1
2009-11-30
Disorder Induced Effects on the Critical Current Density of Iron Pnictide BaFe_1.8 Co_0.2 As_2 single crystals
Investigating the role of disorder in superconductors is an essential part of characterizing the fundamental superconducting properties as well as assessing potential applications of the material. In most cases, the information available on the defect matrix is poor, making such studies difficult, but the situation can be improved by introducing defects in a controlled way, as provided by neutron irradiation. In this work, we analyze the effects of neutron irradiation on a Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystal. We mainly concentrate on the magnetic properties which were determined by magnetometry. Introducing disorder by neutron irradiation leads to significant effects on both the reversible and the irreversible magnetic properties, such as the transition temperature, the upper critical field, the anisotropy, and the critical current density. The results are discussed in detail by comparing them with the properties in the unirradiated state.
0911.5582v1
2009-12-07
Direct observation of a nodeless superconducting energy gap in the optical conductivity of iron-pnictides
The temperature-dependent optical reflectivity and complex transmissivity of an epitaxially grown Ba(Fe$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$)$_2$As$_2$ thin film were measured and the optical conductivity and permittivity evaluated over a wide frequency range. The opening of the superconducting gap $2\Delta_0 = 3.7$ meV below $T_c\approx 20$ K is {\em directly} observed by a completely vanishing optical conductivity. The temperature and frequency dependent electrodynamic properties of Ba(Fe$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$)$_2$As$_2$ in the superconducting state agree well with the BCS predictions with no nodes in the order parameter. The spectral weight of the condensate $1.94\times 10^7 {\rm cm}^{-2}$ corresponds to a London penetration depth $\lambda_L=3600$ \AA.
0912.1256v1
2009-12-08
The possible feature of the energy spectrum of the primary cosmic rays at ultra-high energies
The energies of the most energetic extensive air showers observed at the Yakutsk array have been estimated with help of the all detectors readings instead of using of the standard procedure with a parameter s(600). The energy of the most energetic extensive air shower observed at the Yakutsk array happened to be 200, 200, 180 and 165 EeV with the values of the Xi**2 function per one degree of freedom 0.9, 1., 0.9 and 1.1 for the primary protons and helium, oxygen and iron nuclei accordingly.
0912.1473v1
2009-12-10
Interplay between charge-order, ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity: tungsten bronze structures as a playground for multiferroicity
Large electron-electron Coulomb-interactions in correlated systems can lead to a periodic arrangement of localized electrons, the so called "charge-order". The latter is here proposed as a driving force behind ferroelectricity in iron fluoride K0.6FeF3. By means of density functional theory, we propose different non-centrosymmetric d5/d6 charge-ordering patterns, each giving rise to polarization along different crystallographic axes and with different magnitudes. Accordingly, we introduce the concept of "ferroelectric anistropy" (peculiar to improper ferroelectrics with polarization induced by electronic degrees of freedom), denoting the small energy difference between competing charge-ordered states that might be stabilized upon electrical field-cooling. Moreover, we suggest a novel type of charge-order-induced ferroelasticity: first-principles simulations predict a monoclinic distortion to be driven by a specific charge-ordering pattern, which, in turn, unambiguously determines the direction of ferroelectric polarization. K0.6FeF3 therefore emerges as a prototypical compound, in which the intimately coupled electronic and structural degrees of freedom result in a manifest and peculiar multiferroicity.
0912.1960v1
2009-12-10
Superconductivity at 31 K in 111 type iron arsenide superconductor NaxFeAs induced by pressure
The effect of pressure on superconductivity of 111 type NaxFeAs is investigated through temperature dependent electrical resistance measurement in a diamond anvil cell. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) increases from 26 K to a maximum 31 K as the pressure increases from ambient to 3 GPa. Further increasing pressure suppresses Tc drastically. The behavior of pressure tuned Tc in NaxFeAs is much different from that in LixFeAs, although they have the same Cu2Sb type structure
0912.2025v1
2009-12-10
Towards a consistent picture for quasi-1D organic superconductors
The electrical resistivity of the quasi-1D organic superconductor (TMTSF)2PF6 was recently measured at low temperature from the critical pressure needed to suppress the spin-density-wave state up to a pressure where superconductivity has almost disappeared. This data revealed a direct correlation between the onset of superconductivity at Tc and the strength of a non-Fermi-liquid linear term in the normal-state resistivity, going as r(T) = r0 + AT + BT2 at low temperature, so that A goes to 0 as Tc goes to 0. Here we show that the contribution of low-frequency antiferromagnetic fluctuations to the spin-lattice relaxation rate is also correlated with this non-Fermi-liquid term AT in the resistivity. These correlations suggest that anomalous scattering and pairing have a common origin, both rooted in the low-frequency antiferromagnetic fluctuations measured by NMR. A similar situation may also prevail in the recently-discovered iron-pnictide superconductors.
0912.2049v1
2009-12-12
Two types of s-wave pairing due to magnetic and orbital fluctuations in the two-dimensional 16-band d-p model for iron-based superconductors
We study superconductivity in the two-dimensional 16-band d-p model extracted from a tight-binding fit to the band structure of LaFeAsO, using the random phase approximation. When the intraorbital repulsion U is larger than the interorbital one U', an extended s-wave (s+--wave) pairing with sign reversal of order parameter is mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, while when U<U' another kind of s-wave (s++-wave) pairing without sign reversal is mediated by ferro-orbital fluctuations. The s++-wave pairing is enhanced due to the electron-phonon coupling and then can be expanded over the realistic parameter region with U>U'.
0912.2392v4
2009-12-15
Superconductivity at 23 K in Pt doped BaFe2As2 single crystals
We report superconductivity in single crystals of the new iron-pnictide system BaFe1.9Pt0.1As2 grown by a self-flux solution method and characterized via x-ray, transport, magnetic and thermodynamic measurements. The magnetic ordering associated with a structural transition at 140 K present in BaFe2As2 is completely suppressed by substitution of 5% Fe with Pt and superconductivity is induced at a critical temperature Tc=23 K. Full diamagnetic screening in the magnetic susceptibility and a jump in the specific heat at Tc confirm the bulk nature of the superconducting phase. All properties of the superconducting state including transition temperature Tc, the lower critical field Hc1=200 mT, upper critical field Hc2~65 T, and the slope dHc2/dT are comparable in value to the those found in other transition-metal-substituted BaFe2As2 series, indicating the robust nature of superconductivity induced by substitution of Group VIII elements.
0912.2752v2
2009-12-15
Quadratic X-ray magneto-optical effect in reflection at the M-edges of 3d transition metals
We have observed a quadratic x-ray magneto-optical effect in near-normal incidence reflection at the M-edges of iron. The effect appears as the magnetically induced rotation of ca. 0.1$ degrees of the polarization plane of linearly polarized x-ray radiation upon reflection. A comparison of the measured rotation spectrum with results from x-ray magnetic linear dichroism data demonstrates that this is the first observation of the Schaefer-Hubert effect in the x-ray regime. Ab initio density-functional theory calculations reveal that hybridization effects of the 3p core states necessarely need to be considered when interpreting experimental data. The discovered magneto-x-ray effect holds promise for future ultrafast and element-selective studies of ferromagnetic as well as antiferromagnetic materials.
0912.2867v1
2009-12-16
Coupling of spin and orbital excitations in the iron-based superconductor FeSe(0.5)Te(0.5)
We present a combined analysis of neutron scattering and photoemission measurements on superconducting FeSe(0.5)Te(0.5). The low-energy magnetic excitations disperse only in the direction transverse to the characteristic wave vector (1/2,0,0), whereas the electronic Fermi surface near (1/2,0,0) appears to consist of four incommensurate pockets. While the spin resonance occurs at an incommensurate wave vector compatible with nesting, neither spin-wave nor Fermi-surface-nesting models can describe the magnetic dispersion. We propose that a coupling of spin and orbital correlations is key to explaining this behavior. If correct, it follows that these nematic fluctuations are involved in the resonance and could be relevant to the pairing mechanism.
0912.3205v2
2009-12-17
Droplet-like Fermi surfaces in the anti-ferromagnetic phase of EuFe$_2$As$_2$, an Fe-pnictide superconductor parent compound
Using angle resolved photoemission it is shown that the low lying electronic states of the iron pnictide parent compound EuFe$_2$As$_2$ are strongly modified in the magnetically ordered, low temperature, orthorhombic state compared to the tetragonal, paramagnetic case above the spin density wave transition temperature. Back-folded bands, reflected in the orthorhombic/ anti-ferromagnetic Brillouin zone boundary hybridize strongly with the non-folded states, leading to the opening of energy gaps. As a direct consequence, the large Fermi surfaces of the tetragonal phase fragment, the low temperature Fermi surface being comprised of small droplets, built up of electron and hole-like sections. These high resolution ARPES data are therefore in keeping with quantum oscillation and optical data from other undoped pnictide parent compounds.
0912.3434v1
2009-12-18
Elastic isotropy of hcp-Fe under Earth core conditions
Our first-principles calculations show that both the compressional and shear waves of hcp-Fe become elastically isotropic under the high temperatures of Earth inner core conditions, with the variation in sound velocities along different angles from the c axis within 1%. We computed the thermoelasticity at high pressures and temperatures from quasiharmonic linear response linear-muffin-tin-orbital calculations in the generalized-gradient approximation. The calculated anisotropic shape and magnitude in hcp-Fe at ambient temperature agree well with previous first-principles predictions, and the anisotropic effects show strong temperature dependences. This implies that other mechanisms, rather than the preferential alignment of the hcp-Fe crystal along the Earth rotation axis, account for the seismic P-wave travel time anomalies. Either the inner core is not hcp iron, and/or the seismologically observed anisotropy is caused by inhomogeneity, i.e. multiple phases.
0912.3587v1
2009-12-18
The crystal structure of FeSe0.44Te0.56
The crystal structure of the superconductor FeSe0.44Te0.56 was redetermined by high-resolution X-ray single crystal diffraction at 173 K (anti-PbO-type, P4/nmm, a=3.7996(2), c=5.9895(6) A, R1=0.022, wR2=0.041, 173 F^2). Significantly different z-coordinates of tellurium and selenium at the 2c site are clearly discernible and were refined to z_Te=0.2868(3) and z_Se=0.2468(7). Thus the chalcogen heights differ by 0.24 A and the Fe-Se bonds are by 0.154 A shorter than the Fe-Te bonds, while three independent (Te,Se)-Fe-(Te,Se) bond angles occur. An elevated U33 displacement parameter of the iron atom is suggestive of a slightly puckered Fe layer resulting from different combinations of Se or Te neighbors. Such strong disorder underlines the robustness of superconductivity against structural randomness and has not yet been considered in theoretical studies of this system.
0912.3706v2
2009-12-21
Electronic Ferroelectricity and Frustration
Beyond a conventional classification of ferroelectricity, there is a class of materials where electronic degrees of freedom and electronic interactions are directly responsible for electric polarization and ferroelectric transition. This is termed electronic ferroelectricity. In this article, we review electronic ferroelectricity from a view point of frustration. Experimental and theoretical examinations in spin driven ferroelectric materials, recently termed multiferroics, are introduced. Spin frustration caused by competing magnetic interactions is of prime importance for this type of ferroelectricity. Charge driven ferroelectricity where electronic charge order induces electric polarization is reviewed. In particular, exotic dielectric and magneto-dielectric properties in layered iron oxides are focused on. Through a number of recent experimental and theoretical researches, charge fluctuation due to frustrated geometry plays essential roles on electronic ferroelectricity in this compound.
0912.4083v1
2009-12-28
Volovik effect in the $\pm$s-wave state for the iron-based superconductors
We studied the field dependencies of specific heat coefficient $\gamma(H) = \lim_{T \rightarrow 0} C(T,H)/T $ and thermal conductivity coefficient $\lim_{T \rightarrow 0} \kappa(T ,H)/T$ of the $\pm$s-wave state in the mixed state. We found that it is a generic feature of the two band s-wave state with the unequal sizes of gaps, small $\Delta_S$ and large $\Delta_L$, that Doppler shift of the quasiparticle excitations (Volovik effect) creates a finite density of states, on the extended states outside of vortex cores, proportional to $H$ in contrast to the $\sqrt{H}$ dependence of the d-wave state. Impurity scattering effect on the $\pm$s-wave state, however, makes this generic $H$-linear dependence sublinear approaching to the $\sqrt{H}$ behavior. Our calculations of $\lim_{T \rightarrow 0} \kappa(T ,H)/T$ successfully fit the experimental data of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x )_2$ As$_2$ with different Co-doping $x$ by systematically varying the gap size ratio $R= |\Delta_S | / |\Delta_L |$. We also resolve the dilemma of a substantial value of $\gamma(H \rightarrow 0)$ but almost zero value of $\lim_{T \rightarrow 0} \kappa(T ,H \rightarrow 0)/T$, observed in experiments.
0912.5049v2
2009-12-27
Observation of intertwined Fermi surface topology, orbital parity symmetries and electronic interactions in iron arsenide superconductors
We present a polarization and topology resolved study of the low energy band structure in optimally doped superconducting Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Polarization-contrasted measurements allow us to identify and trace all low energy bands expected in models, revealing unexpected symmetry breaking and a surprisingly intertwined Fermi surface topology of hole-like bands near the Brillouin zone center. Band structure correlations across the Gamma-M spin fluctuation wavevector are compared with the superconducting gap anisotropy which suggest a partial scenario for spin-mediated interband instability contributing to superconductivity in the hole doped regime.
0912.5089v1
2009-12-29
The quite complex "Simple Stellar Populations" of Globular Clusters
There is compelling observational evidence that globular clusters (GCs) are quite complex objects. A growing body of photometric results indicate that the evolutionary sequences are not simply isochrones in the observational plane -as believed until a few years ago- from the main sequence, to the subgiant, giant, and horizontal branches. The strongest indication of complexity comes however from the chemistry, from internal dispersion in iron abundance in a few cases, and in light elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, etc.) in all GCs. This universality means that the complexity is intrinsic to the GCs and is most probably related to their formation mechanisms. The extent of the variations in light elements abundances is dependent on the GC mass, but mass is not the only modulating factor; metallicity, age, and possibly orbit can play a role. Finally, one of the many consequences of this new way of looking at GCs is that their stars may show different He contents.
0912.5280v1
2010-01-05
Magnetic frustration in an iron based Cairo pentagonal lattice
The Fe3+ lattice in the Bi2Fe4O9 compound is found to materialize the first analogue of a magnetic pentagonal lattice. Due to its odd number of bonds per elemental brick, this lattice, subject to first neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions, is prone to geometric frustration. The Bi2Fe4O9 magnetic properties have been investigated by macroscopic magnetic measurements and neutron diffraction. The observed non-collinear magnetic arrangement is related to the one stabilized on a perfect tiling as obtained from a mean field analysis with direct space magnetic configurations calculations. The peculiarity of this structure arises from the complex connectivity of the pentagonal lattice, a novel feature compared to the well-known case of triangle-based lattices.
1001.0710v1
2010-01-10
Chemical composition of stellar populations in Omega Centauri
We derive abundances of Fe, Na, O, and s-elements from GIRAFFE@VLT spectra for more than 200 red giant stars in the Milky Way satellite Omega Centauri. Our preliminary results are that: (i) we confirm that Omega Centauri exibiths large star-to-star metallicity variations ($\sim$ 1.4 dex); (ii) the metallicity distribution reveals the presence of at least five stellar populations with different [Fe/H]; (iii) a clear Na-O anticorrelation is clearly observed for the metal-poor and metal-intermediate populations while apparently the anticorrelation disappears for the most metal-rich populations. Interestingly the Na level grows with iron.
1001.1500v1
2010-01-11
Measurement of neutron star parameters: a review of methods for low-mass X-ray binaries
Measurement of at least three independent parameters, for example, mass, radius and spin frequency, of a neutron star is probably the only way to understand the nature of its supranuclear core matter. Such a measurement is extremely difficult because of various systematic uncertainties. The lack of knowledge of several system parameter values gives rise to such systematics. Low-mass X-ray binaries, which contain neutron stars, provide a number of methods to constrain the stellar parameters. Joint application of these methods has a great potential to significantly reduce the systematic uncertainties, and hence to measure three independent neutron star parameters accurately. Here we review the methods based on (1) thermonuclear X-ray bursts; (2) accretion-powered millisecond-period pulsations; (3) kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations; (4) broad relativistic iron lines; (5) quiescent emissions; and (6) binary orbital motions.
1001.1642v1
2010-01-17
The Interior Dynamics of Water Planets
The ever-expanding catalog of detected super-Earths calls for theoretical studies of their properties in the case of a substantial water layer. This work considers such water planets with a range of masses and water mass fractions (2 to 5 M_Earth, 0.02% to 50% H2 O). First, we model the thermal and dynamical structure of the near-surface for icy and oceanic surfaces, finding separate regimes where the planet is expected to maintain a subsurface liquid ocean and where it is expected to exhibit ice tectonics. Newly discovered exoplanets may be placed into one of these regimes given estimates of surface temperature, heat flux, and gravity. Second, we construct a parameterized convection model for the underlying ice mantle of higher ice phases, finding that materials released from the silicate iron core should traverse the ice mantle on the timescale of 0.1 to 100 megayears. We present the dependence of the overturn times of the ice mantle and the planetary radius on total mass and water mass fraction. Finally, we discuss the implications of these internal processes on atmospheric observables.
1001.2890v1
2010-01-18
The metal-insulator transition and lattice distortion in semiconductors
A relation between the energy of an elementary `insulating' excitation corresponding to the metal-insulator transition and the bandgap width in a semiconductor is obtained. An effect of atomic relaxation on the temperature and pressure dependence of the bandgap width is considered. It is shown that the metal-insulator transition in a semiconductor causes a weak rhombohedral or monoclinic distortion in the case of a diamond and zincblende structure and a weak tetragonal or orthorhombic distortion in the case of a rocksalt structure. A change in the bandgap associated with a ferroelectric (antiferroelectric) transition in a semiconductor is also obtained.
1001.3061v3
2010-01-19
Theory of Normal State Pseudogap Behavior in FeSe(1-x)$Te(x)
The normal state of the recently discovered Iron Selenide (FeSe)-based superconductors shows a range of inexplicable features. Along with bad-metallic resistivity, characteristic pseudogap features and proximity to insulating states, reminiscent of the underdoped high-Tc cuprates, mark these systems as strongly correlated non-Fermi Liquid metals. Here, using the first-principles LDA+DMFT method, we show how strong multi-orbital correlation-induced orbital-selective Mott-like physics leads to an orthogonality catastrophe underpinning these inexplicable incoherent features. Excellent agreement with a range of resistivity and Seebeck data strongly support our proposal. We discuss pseudogap regime microscopically, along with implications for the nature of the instability at lower T, and propose that related systems could be of use in thermoelectric devices.
1001.3273v1
2010-01-20
Fermi surface and mass enhancement in KFe$_2$As$_2$ from de Haas-van Alphen effect measurements
We report on a band structure calculation and de Haas-van Alphen measurements of KFe$_2$As$_2$. Three cylindrical Fermi surfaces are found. Effective masses of electrons range from 6 to 18$m_e$, $m_e$ being the free electron mass. Remarkable discrepancies between the calculated and observed Fermi surface areas and the large mass enhancement ($\gtrsim 3$) highlight the importance of electronic correlations in determining the electronic structures of iron pnicitide superconductors.
1001.3441v2
2010-01-26
Gap structure in the electron-doped Iron-Arsenide Superconductor Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2: low-temperature specific heat study
We report the field and temperature dependence of the low-temperature specific heat down to 400 mK and in magnetic fields up to 9 T of the electron-doped Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 superconductor. Using the phonon specific heat obtained from pure BaFe2As2 we find the normal state Sommerfeld coefficient to be 18 mJ/mol.K^2 and a condensation energy of 1.27 J/mol. The temperature dependence of the electronic specific heat clearly indicate the presence of the low-energy excitations in the system. The magnetic field variation of field-induced specific heat cannot be described by single clean s- or d-wave models. Rather, the data require an anisotropic gap scenario which may or may not have nodes. We discuss the implications of these results.
1001.4564v1
2010-01-27
Coupled structural and magnetic properties of ferric fluoride nanostructures: part II, a Monte-Carlo Heisenberg study
We present a numerical study of the magnetic structure of nanostructured iron fluoride, using the Monte-Carlo-Metropolis simulated annealing technique and a classical Heisenberg Hamiltonian with a superexchange angle dependence. The parameters are adjusted on experimental results, and the atomic structure and topology taken from a previous atomistic model of grain boundaries in the same system. We find perfect antiferromagnetic crystalline grains and a disordered magnetic configuration (speromagnetic like) at the grain boundary, in agreement with experimental findings. Both the lowest magnetic energy and the rate of magnetic frustration are found to be dependent on the relative disorientation of crystalline grains, i.e. on the cationic topology. By simulating hysteresis loops, we find that the magnetization rotation is not spatially uniform. We conclude on possible extensions of the model.
1001.4959v1
2010-01-27
Coupled structural and magnetic properties of ferric fluoride nanostructures part I: a Metropolis atomistic study
A modified Metropolis atomistic simulation is proposed to model the structure of grain boundaries (GBs) and interfaces in ionic nanostructured systems and is applied to the magnetically interesting case of iron trifluoride (FeF3). We chose long-range interatomic potentials adjusted on experimental results, and adapted a previously established Monte Carlo scheme consisting of various modifications of the simulated annealing/ Metropolis algorithm. Atomic structures of twisted and tilted GBs as a function of the relative disorientation of the grains have been achieved yielding close to experimentally measured properties. This approach takes into account the structure of the grains far from the interface in order to constrain the relative orientation of the grains, without any periodic boundary conditions. One concludes that a long-range coulombic falloff of the interatomic potentials is necessary to obtain GB structures presenting a correct local topology but with a smooth transition from crystalline to amorphous states. The structural features are finally discussed in terms of topological aspects and local magnetic structure.
1001.4971v2
2010-01-27
A real-space effective c-axis lattice constant theory of superconductivity
Based on the recent developed real-space picture of superconductivity, we study the stability of the superconducting vortex lattices in layered superconductors. It is shown that the effective c-axis lattice constant play a significant role in promoting the superconducting transition temperature in these materials. An unified expression Tc(max)=10c*-28 can be applied to estimate the highest possible Tc(max) for a given layered superconductor with an effective c-axis lattice constant c*. For the newly discovered iron-based superconductors, our results suggest that their Tc cannot exceed 60K, 50K and 40K for the 1111, 21311 and 122 series, respectively. In the case of copper-based oxide superconductors, it seems that the highest Tc can reach about 161K without applying of the external pressure. In our theoretical framework, we could interpret the experimental results of the completely different superconducting transition temperatures obtained in two very similar cuprate superconductors (La{2-x}Ba{x}CuO{4} of 40K and Sr{2-x}Ba{x}CuO{3+\delta} of 98K). In addition, the physical reason why the superconductivity does not occur in noble metals (like gold, silver and copper) is discussed. Finally, we argue that the metallic hydrogen cannot exhibit superconductivity at room temperature, it even cannot be a superconductor at any low temperature.
1001.5067v1
2010-01-28
EC 11481-2303 - A Peculiar Subdwarf OB Star Revisited
EC 11481-2303 is a peculiar, hot, high-gravity pre-white dwarf. Previous optical spectroscopy revealed that it is a sdOB star with an effective temperature (Teff) of 41790 K, a surface gravity log(g)= 5.84, and He/H = 0.014 by number. We present an on-going spectral analysis by means of non-LTE model-atmosphere techniques based on high-resolution, high-S/N optical (VLT-UVES) and ultraviolet (FUSE, IUE) observations. We are able to reproduce the optical and UV observations simultaneously with a chemically homogeneous NLTE model atmosphere with a significantly higher effective temperature and lower He abundance (Teff = 55000 K, log (g) = 5.8, and He / H = 0.0025 by number). While C, N, and O appear less than 0.15 times solar, the iron-group abundance is strongly enhanced by at least a factor of ten.
1001.5115v1
2010-01-29
Strong correlation and massive spectral-weight redistribution induced spin density wave in a-Fe1.06Te
The electronic structure of a-Fe1.06Te is studied with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We show that there is substantial spectral weight around Gamma and X, and lineshapes are intrinsically incoherent in the paramagnetic state. The magnetic transition is characterized by a massive spectral-weight transfer over an energy range as large as the band width, which even exhibits a hysteresis loop that marks the strong first order transition. Coherent quasiparticles emerge in the magnetically ordered state due to decreased spin fluctuations, which account for the change of transport properties from insulating behavior to metallic behavior. Our observation demonstrates that Fe1.06Te distinguishes itself from other iron-based systems with more local characters and much stronger interactions among different degrees of freedom, and how a spin density wave is formed in the presence of strong correlation.
1001.5327v1
2010-02-01
Statistics of subgap states in $s_\pm$ superconductors
There is strong support in favor of an unusual $s_{\pm}$ superconducting state in the new iron-based superconductors, in which the gap parameter has opposite signs in different bands. In this case scattering between different bands by impurities has a pair-breaking effect and introduces states inside the gap. We studied the statistics of disorder-induced subgap states in $s_{\pm}$ superconductors due to collective effects of impurities. Numerically solving the two-band Bogolyubov equations, we explored the behavior of the density of states and localization length. We located the mobility edge separating the localized and delocalized states for the 3D case and the crossover between the weak and strong localization regimes for the 2D case. We found that the widely used self-consistent T-matrix approximation is not very accurate in describing subgap states.
1002.0363v1
2010-02-02
Structural and Magnetic Properties of Co1-xFexSr2YCu2O7 compounds
Here we study the structural and magnetic properties of the CoFeSr2YCu2O7 compound with x = 0.0 to 1.0. X-ray diffraction patterns and simulated data obtained from Rietveld refinement of the same indicate that the iron ion replacement in CoFeSr2YCu2O7 induces a change in crystal structure. The orthorhombic Ima2 space group structure of Co-1212 changes to tetragonal P4/mmm with increasing Fe ion. The XPS studies reveal that both Co and Fe ions are in mixed states for the former and in case of later.Although none of the studied as synthesized samples in CoFeSr2YCu2O7 are superconducting, the interesting structural changes in terms of their crystallisation space groups and the weak magnetism highlights the rich solid state chemistry of this class of materials.
1002.0402v2
2010-02-02
Comparative study on the thermoelectric effect of parent oxypnictides La$T$AsO ($T$ = Fe, Ni)
The thermopower and Nernst effect were investigated for undoped parent compounds LaFeAsO and LaNiAsO. Both thermopower and Nernst signal in iron-based LaFeAsO are significantly larger than those in nickel-based LaNiAsO. Furthermore, abrupt changes in both thermopower and Nernst effect are observed below the structural phase transition temperature and spin-density wave (SDW) type antiferromagnetic (AFM) order temperature in Fe-based LaFeAsO. On the other hand, Nernst effect is very small in the Ni-based LaNiAsO and it is weakly temperature-dependent, reminiscent of the case in normal metals. We suggest that the effect of SDW order on the spin scattering rate should play an important role in the anomalous temperature dependence of Hall effect and Nernst effect in LaFeAsO. The contrast behavior between the LaFeAsO and LaNiAsO systems implies that the LaFeAsO system is fundamentally different from the LaNiAsO system and this may provide clues to the mechanism of high $T_c$ superconductivity in the Fe-based systems.
1002.0417v1
2010-02-03
Orbital Symmetry of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 Superconductors Probed with X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
The orbital symmetries of electron doped iron-arsenide superconductors Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 have been measured with x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The data reveal signatures of Fe d electron itinerancy, weak electronic correlations, and a high degree of Fe-As hybridization related to the bonding topology of the Fe dxz+yz states, which are found to contribute substantially at the Fermi level. The energies and detailed orbital character of Fe and As derived unoccupied s and d states are found to be in remarkably good agreement with the predictions of standard density functional theory.
1002.0769v2
2010-02-04
Magnetic excitations in ferro-pnictide materials controlled by a quantum critical point into hidden order
The two-orbital J1-J2 model that describes a square lattice of frustrated spin-1 iron atoms is analyzed within the linear spin-wave approximation and by exact diagonalization over a 4x4 cluster. A quantum critical point (QCP) is identified that separates hidden magnetic order at weak Hund's rule coupling from a commensurate spins density wave (cSDW) at strong Hund's rule coupling. Although the moment for cSDW order is small at the QCP, the critical linear spin-wave spectrum shows strong low-energy excitations centered at the wavenumbers that correspond to cSDW order. These disperse anisotropically. A fit to the magnetic excitation spectrum of ferro-pnictide materials obtained recently by inelastic neutron scattering measurements notably accounts for the absence of softening at the wavenumber that corresponds to Neel order.
1002.0891v3
2010-02-05
Incommensurate spin-density wave and magnetic lock-in transition in CaFe4As3
The magnetic structure for the newly discovered iron-arsenide compound \CaFeAs has been studied by neutron powder diffraction. Long-range magnetic order is detected below 85K, with an incommensurate modulation described by the propagation vector k=(0,$\delta$,0), $\delta\sim$ 0.39. Below $\sim$ 25K, our measurements detect a first-order phase transition where $\delta$ locks into the commensurate value 3/8. A model of the magnetic structure is proposed for both temperature regimes, based on Rietveld refinements of the powder data and symmetry considerations. The structures correspond to longitudinal spin-density-waves with magnetic moments directed along the \textit{b}-axis. A Landau analysis captures the change in thermodynamic quantities observed at the two magnetic transitions, in particular the drop in resistivity at the lock-in transition.
1002.1336v1
2010-02-07
Proposal to determine the Fermi-surface topology of a doped iron-based superconductor using bulk-sensitive Fourier-transform Compton scattering
We have carried out first-principles calculations of the Compton scattering spectra to demonstrate that the filling of the hole Fermi surface in LaO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$FeAs produces a distinct signature in the Fourier transformed Compton spectrum when the momentum transfer vector lies along the [100] direction. We thus show how the critical concentration $x_c$, where hole Fermi surface pieces are filled up and the superconductivity mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations is expected to be suppressed, can be obtained in a bulk-sensitive manner.
1002.1483v1
2010-02-08
A Triplet Resonance in Superconducting FeSe0.4Te0.6
From heavy fermions to cuprates and iron pnictides, a spin resonance is a staple of nearly magnetic superconductors. Possible explanations include a two-particle bound state or loss of magnon damping in the superconductor. While both scenarios suggest a central role for magnetic fluctuations, distinguishing them is important to identify the right theoretical framework and to guide the search for higher temperature superconductors. Using inelastic neutron scattering technique, we show that the spin resonance in optimally doped Fe(Se,Te) splits into three peaks in a high magnetic field, a signature of a two-particle triplet bound state
1002.1617v2
2010-02-08
Determination of the Nature of the Tetragonal to Orthorhombic Phase Transition in SrFe_2As_2 by Measurement of the Local Order Parameter
SrFe2As2 is the end-member for a series of iron-pnictide superconductors and has a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic phase transition near 200 K. Previous macroscopic measurements to determine the nature of the transition gave seemingly inconsistent results so we use electron microscopy to monitor the local order parameter showing that the transformation is first order and that the orthorhombic phase grows as needle domains. This suggests the transition occurs via the passage of transformation dislocations, explaining the apparent inconsistencies. This mechanism may be common to similar transitions.
1002.1639v2
2010-02-09
High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of SN 1987A: Monitoring with XMM-Newton
We report the results of our XMM-Newton monitoring of SN 1987A. The ongoing propagation of the supernova blast wave through the inner circumstellar ring caused a drastic increase in X-ray luminosity during the last years, enabling detailed high resolution X-ray spectroscopy with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer. The observations can be used to follow the detailed evolution of the arising supernova remnant. The fluxes and broadening of the numerous emission lines seen in the dispersed spectra provide information on the evolution of the X-ray emitting plasma and its dynamics. These were analyzed in combination with the EPIC-pn spectra, which allow a precise determination of the higher temperature plasma. We modeled individual emission lines and fitted plasma emission models. Especially from the observations between 2003 and 2007 we can see a significant evolution of the plasma parameters and a deceleration of the radial velocity of the lower temperature plasma regions. We found an indication (3-sigma-level) of an iron K feature in the co-added EPIC-pn spectra. The comparison with Chandra grating observations in 2004 yields a clear temporal coherence of the spectral evolution and the sudden deceleration of the expansion velocity seen in X-ray images ~6100 days after the explosion.
1002.1865v1
2010-02-11
Numerical Forecast of the Melting and Thermal Histories of Particles Injected in a Plasma Jet
This work presents the numerical simulation of the melting process of a particle injected in a plasma jet. The plasma process is nowadays applied to produce thin coatings on metal mechanical components with the aim of improving the surface resistance to different phenomena such as corrosion, temperature or wear. In this work we studied the heat transfer including phase-change of a bi-layer particle composed of a metallic iron core coated with ceramic alumina, inside a plasma jet. The model accounted for the environmental conditions along the particle path. The numerical simulation of this problem was performed via a temperature-based phase-change finite element formulation. The results obtained with this methodology satisfactorily described the melting process of the particle. Particularly, the results of the present work illustrate the phase change evolution in a bi-layer particle during its motion in the plasma jet. Moreover, the numerical trends agreed with those previously reported in the literature and computed with a finite volume enthalpy based formulation.
1002.2370v1
2010-02-12
Electron-phonon coupling and charge gap in spin-density-wave iron-pnictides from quasiparticle relaxation dynamics
We investigate the quasiparticle relaxation and low-energy electronic structure in undoped SrFe_2As_2 exhibiting spin-density wave (SDW) ordering using optical pump-probe femtosecond spectroscopy. A remarkable critical slowing down of the quasiparticle relaxation dynamics at the SDW transition temperature T_SDW = 200K is observed. From temperature dependence of the transient reflectivity amplitude we determine the SDW-state charge gap magnitude, 2Delta_SDW/k_BT_SDW=7.2+-1. The second moment of the Eliashberg function, lambda<(hbar omega)^2>=110+-10meV^2, determined from the relaxation time above T_SDW, is similar to SmFeAsO and BaFe_2As_2 indicating a rather small electron phonon coupling constant unless the electron-phonon spectral function (alpha^2F(omega) is strongly enhanced in the low-energy phonon region.
1002.2582v1
2010-02-17
Scaling relations in anisotropic superconductors with strong pair-breaking
Following the work of Abrikosov and Gor'kov on the pair-breaking effects, one can derive the temperature dependencies of the electronic specific heat $C_s/T=\gamma^\prime+\mu T^2$ (with the jump at the superconducting transition $\Delta C \propto T_c^3$) for materials with zero Fermi surface average of the order parameter $<\Delta>=0$ (e.g. d-wave) or for those with $<\Delta> \ll \Delta_{max}$ (e.g., $\pm s$ of iron-pnictides) in the presence of strong pair-breaking. Moreover, the London penetration depth satisfies $\lambda^{-2}=\lambda_0^{-2}(1-T^2/T_c^2)$ (or $\lambda -\lambda_0=\beta T^2 $ at low temperatures) and the slope of the upper critical field near $T_c$ is $H_{c2}^\prime \propto T_c$. Remarkably simple relations between these at first sight unrelated quantities take place: $\mu \lambda_0^2 T_c^3/|H_{c2}^\prime|=3\phi_0/8\pi^2$ and $\Delta C \beta^2 T_c^4/|H_{c2,c}^\prime| = \phi_0/16\pi^2 $ are universal constants. The prediction is checked on two samples of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_2$As$_2$ and on CeCoIn$_5$ for which the data needed are available.
1002.3390v1
2010-02-19
Dielectronic recombination data for astrophysical applications: Plasma rate-coefficients for Fe^q+ (q=7-10, 13-22) and Ni^25+ ions from storage-ring experiments
This review summarizes the present status of an ongoing experimental effort to provide reliable rate coefficients for dielectronic recombination of highly charged iron ions for the modeling of astrophysical and other plasmas. The experimental work has been carried out over more than a decade at the heavy-ion storage-ring TSR of the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. The experimental and data reduction procedures are outlined. The role of previously disregarded processes such as fine-structure core excitations and trielectronic recombination is highlighted. Plasma rate coefficients for dielectronic recombination of Fe^q+ ions (q=7-10, 13-22) and Ni^25+ are presented graphically and in a simple parameterized form allowing for easy use in plasma modeling codes. It is concluded that storage-ring experiments are presently the only source for reliable low-temperature dielectronic recombination rate-coefficients of complex ions.
1002.3678v1
2010-02-25
Signatures of pressure induced superconductivity in insulating Bi2212
We have performed several high pressure electrical resistance experiments on Bi1.98Sr2.06Y0.68Cu2O8, an insulating parent compound of the high-Tc Bi2212 family of copper oxide superconductors. We find a resistive anomaly, a downturn at low temperature, that onsets with applied pressure in the 20-40 kbar range. Through both resistance and magnetoresistance measurements, we identify this anomaly as a signature of induced superconductivity. Resistance to higher pressures decreases Tc, giving a maximum of 10 K. The higher pressure measurements exhibit a strong sensitivity to the hydrostaticity of the pressure environment. We make comparisons to the pressure induced superconductivity now ubiquitous in the iron arsenides.
1002.4672v1
2010-02-26
Significant reduction of electronic correlations upon isovalent Ru substitution of BaFe2As2
We present a detailed investigation of Ba(Fe0.65Ru0.35)2As2 by transport measurements and Angle Resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We observe that Fe and Ru orbitals hybridize to form a coherent electronic structure and that Ru does not induce doping. The number of holes and electrons, deduced from the area of the Fermi Surface pockets, are both about twice larger than in BaFe2As2. The contribution of both carriers to the transport is evidenced by a change of sign of the Hall coefficient with decreasing temperature. Fermi velocities increase significantly with respect to BaFe2As2, suggesting a significant reduction of correlation effects. This may be a key to understand the appearance of superconductivity at the expense of magnetism in undoped iron pnictides.
1002.4952v2
2010-02-28
Low-temperature synthesis of SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 wires with high transport critical current density
Ag-sheathed SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 (Sm-1111) superconducting wires were prepared by a one-step solid state reaction at temperatures as low as 850~900C, instead of commonly used temperatures of 1150~1250C. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the as-sintered samples is well indexed on the basis of tetragonal ZrCuSiAs-type structure. We characterized transport critical current density Jc of the SmFeAsO0.7F0.3 wires in increasing and subsequently decreasing fields, by a resistive four-probe method. A transport Jc as high as ~1300 A/cm^2 at 4.2 K and self field has been observed for the first time in Sm-1111 type polycrystalline superconductors. The Jc also shows a rapid depression in small applied fields as well as a magnetic-history dependence, indicating weak-linked grain boundaries. The low-temperature synthesis method can be very beneficial to fabricating the RE-1111 iron oxynictides in a convenient and safe way.
1003.0153v1
2010-03-04
Medium Modifications of the Rho Meson in Nuclear Photoproduction
We extend our recent study of dilepton invariant-mass spectra from the decays of rho mesons produced by photon reactions off nuclei. We specifically focus on experimental spectra as recently measured by the CLAS Collaboration at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility using carbon and iron nuclei. Building on our earlier work we broaden our description to a larger set of observables in order to identify sensitivities to the medium effects predicted by microscopic calculations of the rho spectral function. We compute mass spectra for several target nuclei and study the spectral shape as a function of the 3-momentum of the outgoing lepton pair. We also compute the so-called nuclear transparency ratio which provides an alternative means (and thus consistency check) of estimating the inelastic rho width in the cold nuclear medium.
1003.0910v2
2010-03-04
Comparative study of transport and magnetic Jc in the polycrystalline iron-based superconductor NdFeAsO{0.88}F{0.12}
Polycrystalline NdFeAsO0.88F0.12 superconductors prepared by high pressure (HP) and ambient pressure (AP) method were comparatively studied by magnetization and transport measurements. Upper critical field (Hc2), irreversibility field (Hirr) and the anisotropy parameter were estimated from resistance transition curves. The broadening of transition width was observed, and ascribed to both Hc2 anisotropy and superconductivity inhomogeneity of samples. Magnetic hysteresis loops (MHLs) in low fields were measured to detect the trace of weak-link behavior. The reclosed hysteresis loops in low fields manifest that there are weak-links in both samples. Magnetization critical current density Jcm were derived from MHLs. High-pressure synthesized sample shows higher Jcm. However, by means of direct transport I-V measurements, transport critical current density Jct was very low. The Jct values for two samples are comparable. Large discrepancies between Jcm and Jct also indicate that there are weak-links in both samples. The relative mechanism is discussed in detail.
1003.0946v2
2010-03-11
Superconductivity and spin-density-waves in multi-band metals
We present a detailed description of two-band quasi-2D metals with s-wave superconducting (SC) and antiferromagnetic spin-density wave (SDW) correlations. We present a general approach and use it to investigate the influence of the difference between the shapes and the areas of the two Fermi surfaces on the phase diagram. In particular, we determine the conditions for the co-existence of SC and SDW orders at different temperatures and dopings. We argue that a conventional s-wave SC order co-exists with SDW order only at very low $T$ and in a very tiny range of parameters. An extended s-wave superconductivity, for which SC gap changes sign between the two bands, co-exists with antiferromagnetic SDW over a much wider range of parameters and temperatures, but even for this SC order the regions of SDW and SC can still be separated by a first order transition. We show that the co-existence range becomes larger if SDW order is incommensurate. We apply our results to iron-based pnictide materials, in some of which co-existence of SDW and SC orders has been detected.
1003.2389v2
2010-03-14
Site-dependent NMR Spin-lattice Relaxation in the Superconducting State of an Iron Pnictide Superconductor
In a conventional superconductor, the spin-lattice relaxation rate on all nuclei should have the same temperature dependence below Tc. We performed $^{23}$Na, $^{75}$As, and $^{59}$Co NMR studies on single crystals of NaFe0.95Co0.05As, and found that spin-lattice relaxation rates show very different temperature dependent power-law behavior on three sites. We propose that such site-dependent behavior is due to the facts that the superconductor has two gaps of very different sizes. The power-law exponent of each nucleus is affected by the strength of the hyperfine coupling to the small gap. We also found that the large superconducting gap on the cobalt site is smaller than on other two sites. It suggests a local suppression of the superconducting gap on the dopant site.
1003.2775v1
2010-03-19
Leaving the ISCO: the inner edge of a black-hole accretion disk at various luminosities
The "radiation inner edge" of an accretion disk is defined as the inner boundary of the region from which most of the luminosity emerges. Similarly, the "reflection edge" is the smallest radius capable of producing a significant X-ray reflection of the fluorescent iron line. For black hole accretion disks with very sub-Eddington luminosities these and all other "inner edges" locate at ISCO. Thus, in this case, one may rightly consider ISCO as the unique inner edge of the black hole accretion disk. However, even for moderate luminosities, there is no such unique inner edge as differently defined edges locate at different places. Several of them are significantly closer to the black hole than ISCO. The differences grow with the increasing luminosity. For nearly Eddington luminosities, they are so huge that the notion of the inner edge losses all practical significance.
1003.3887v1
2010-03-24
Broad Balmer-line Absorption in SDSS J172341.10+555340.5
I present the discovery of Balmer-line absorption from H alpha to H9 in iron low-ionizaton broad absorption line (FeLoBAL) quasar, SDSS~J172341.10+555340.5 by near-infrared spectroscopy with the Cooled Infrared Spectrograph and Camera for OHS (CISCO) attached to the Subaru telescope. The redshift of the Balmer-line absorption troughs is 2.0530 +/- 0.0003, and it is blueshifted by 5370 km s^{-1} from the Balmer emission lines. It is more than $4000$ km s^{-1} blueshifted from the previously known UV absorption lines. I detect relatively strong (EW_rest=20A) [O III] emission lines which are similar to those found in other broad absorption line quasars with Balmer-line absorption. I derived a column density of neutral hydrogen of 5.2x10^{17} cm^{-2} by using the curve of growth and taking account of Ly alpha trapping. I searched for UV absorption lines which have the same redshift with Balmer-line absorption. I found Al II} and Fe III absorption lines at z=2.053 which correspond to previously unidentified absorption lines, and the presence of other blended troughs that were difficult to identify.
1003.4622v2
2010-03-26
Evolution of the optical spectrum with doping in iron pnictides Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2
We investigated the optical spectrum of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals with various doping levels. It is found that the low-energy optical conductivity spectrum of this system can be decomposed into two components: a sharp Drude term and a broad "incoherent" term. For the compounds showing magnetic order, a gap appears predominantly in the "incoherent" component, while an s-wave like superconducting gap opens in both components for highly doped compounds. The Drude weight steadily increases as doping proceeds, consistent with electron doping in this system. On the other hand, the "incoherent" spectral weight is almost doping independent, but its spectral feature is intimately connected with the magnetism. We demonstrate that the presence of two distinct components in the optical spectrum well explains the doping and temperature dependences of the dc resistivity.
1003.5038v1
2010-03-27
Weak-Coupling Theory for Multiband Superconductivity Induced by Jahn-Teller Phonons
Emergence of superconductivity in a two-band system coupled with breathing and Jahn-Teller phonons is discussed in a weak-coupling limit. With the use of a standard quantum mechanical procedure, the phonon-mediated attraction is derived. From the analysis of the model including such attraction, a BCS-like formula for a superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ is obtained. When only the breathing phonon is considered, $T_{\rm c}$ is the same as that of the one-band model. On the other hand, when Jahn-Teller phonons are active, $T_{\rm c}$ is significantly enhanced by the interband attraction even within the weak-coupling limit. Relevance of the present result to actual materials such as iron pnictides is briefly commented.
1003.5274v1
2010-03-30
Influence of magnetism on the superconducting properties of iron-based superconductor NdFeAsO0.88F0.12
Both DC and AC magnetization measurements were performed on the NdFeAsO0.88F0.12 superconductor to investigate the influence of magnetism on the superconducting properties of this system. The crossover of the ZFC and FC magnetic susceptibility curves under 7.5KOe was observed. The imaginary component of the first harmonics of the AC magnetic susceptibility, increases with the increasing DC field below 10K and shows frequency dependency under 7.5KOe at low temperature. The paramagnetism of Nd3+ ions tilts the magnetic hysteresis loops and broadens the hysteresis width. After correction for the paramagnetism, the field and temperature dependence of intrinsic Jcm was obtained and compared with the experimentally obtained total Jcm. The origin of the abnormal behavior of magnetization was investigated and attributed to a magnetic background, which was speculated to be caused by the spin-glass state. However, this magnetic background does not affect the flux pinning properties in this sample. The related mechanism was discussed.
1003.5807v2
2010-03-31
Evidence for superconducting gap nodes in the zone-centered hole bands of KFe2As2 from magnetic penetration-depth measurements
Among the iron-based pnictide superconductors the material KFe$_2$As$_2$ is unusual in that its Fermi surface does not consist of quasi-nested electron and hole pockets. Here we report measurements of the temperature dependent London penetration depth of very clean crystals of this compound with residual resistivity ratio $>1200$. We show that the superfluid density at low temperatures exhibits a strong linear-in-temperature dependence which implies that there are line nodes in the energy gap on the large zone-centered hole sheets. The results indicate that KFe$_2$As$_2$ is an unconventional superconductor with strong electron correlations.
1003.6022v2
2010-04-02
Performance of the MIND detector at a Neutrino Factory using realistic muon reconstruction
A Neutrino Factory producing an intense beam composed of nu_e(nubar_e) and nubar_mu(nu_mu) from muon decays has been shown to have the greatest sensitivity to the two currently unmeasured neutrino mixing parameters, theta_13 and delta_CP . Using the `wrong-sign muon' signal to measure nu_e to nu_mu(nubar_e to nubar_mu) oscillations in a 50 ktonne Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND) sensitivity to delta_CP could be maintained down to small values of theta_13. However, the detector efficiencies used in previous studies were calculated assuming perfect pattern recognition. In this paper, MIND is re-assessed taking into account, for the first time, a realistic pattern recognition for the muon candidate. Reoptimisation of the analysis utilises a combination of methods, including a multivariate analysis similar to the one used in MINOS, to maintain high efficiency while suppressing backgrounds, ensuring that the signal selection efficiency and the background levels are comparable or better than the ones in previous analyses.
1004.0358v1
2010-04-09
No anomalous spin fluctuation in optimally doped and overdoped iron-based oxypnictide superconductors LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ probed by muon spin relaxation
Zero field and longitudinal field muon spin relaxation measurements have been performed in optimally doped and overdoped superconductors LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ in order to investigate the magnetic fluctuation over a wide range of temperature and longitudinal field. We have observed no sign of magnetic fluctuation against temperature in the muons' time window (10$^{-5}\sim$ 10$^{-9}$s). Considering the current results and other results, i.e., spin fluctuation observed by neutron scattering, pseudogap-like behaviors by NMR and photoemission spectroscopy, it is suggested that not only the spin fluctuation but also the multiband character with several different orbital contributions at the Fermi surface may play an important role in the superconducting pairing mechanism of LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$.
1004.1589v1
2010-04-12
Density of Phonon States in Superconducting FeSe as a Function of Temperature and Pressure
The temperature and pressure dependence of the partial density of phonon states of iron atoms in superconducting Fe1.01Se was studied by 57Fe nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS). The high energy resolution allows for a detailed observation of spectral properties. A sharpening of the optical phonon modes and shift of all spectral features towards higher energies by ~4% with decreasing temperature from 296 K to 10 K was found. However, no detectable change at the tetragonal - orthorhombic phase transition around 100 K was observed. Application of a pressure of 6.7 GPa, connected with an increase of the superconducting temperature from 8 K to 34 K, results in an increase of the optical phonon mode energies at 296 K by ~12%, and an even more pronounced increase for the lowest-lying transversal acoustic mode. Despite these strong pressure-induced modifications of the phonon-DOS we conclude that the pronounced increase of Tc in Fe1.01Se with pressure cannot be described in the framework of classical electron-phonon coupling. This result suggests the importance of spin fluctuations to the observed superconductivity.
1004.2007v1
2010-04-13
Dissipationless Anomalous Hall Current in $Fe_{100-x}(SiO_2)_x$ Films
The observation of dissipationless anomalous Hall current is one of the experimental evidences to confirm the intrinsic origin of anomalous Hall effect. To study the origin of anomalous Hall effect in iron, Fe$_{100-x}$(SiO$_{2}$)$_{x}$ granular films with volume fraction of SiO$_{2}$ 0\le x \le 40.51 were fabricated using co-sputtering. Hall and longitudinal resistivities were measured in the temperature range 5 to 350 K with magnetic fields up to 5 Tesla. As x increased from 0 to 40.51, the anomalous Hall resistivity and longitudinal resistivity increased about 4 and 3 orders in magnitude, respectively. Analysis of the results revealed that the normalized anomalous Hall conductivity is a constant for all the samples, the evidence of dissipationless anomalous Hall current in Fe.
1004.2105v1
2010-04-13
Heat treatment effects on the superconducting properties of Ag-doped SrKFeAs compound
The superconducting properties of polycrystalline Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 were strongly influenced by Ag doping (Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 025027). Ag addition is mainly dominated by silver diffusing, so the annealing process is one of the essential factors to achieve high quality Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2. In this paper, the optimal annealing conditions were studied for Ag doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 bulks prepared by a one-step solid reaction method. It is found that the annealing temperature has a strong influence on the superconducting properties, especially on the critical current density Jc. As a result, higher heat treatment temperature (~900C) is helpful in diffusing Ag and reducing the impurity phase gathered together to improve the grain connectivity. In contrast, low-temperature sintering is counterproductive for Ag doped samples. These results clearly suggest that annealing at ~900C is necessary for obtaining high Jc Ag-doped samples.
1004.2137v2
2010-04-17
Structural and superconducting properties in LaFeAs1-xSbxO1-yFy
We report the antimony (Sb) doping effect in a prototype system of iron-based supercon-ductors LaFeAsO1-yFy (y=0, 0.1, 0.15). X-ray powder diffraction indicates that the lattice pa-rameters increase with Sb content within the doping limit. Rietveld structural refinements show that, with the partial substitution of Sb for As, while the thickness of the Fe2As2 layers increases significantly, that of the La2O2 layers shrinks simultaneously. So a negative chemical pressure is indeed "applied" to the superconducting-active Fe2As2 layers, in con-trast to the effect of positive chemical pressure by the phosphorus doping. Electrical resis-tance and magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that, while the Sb doping hardly influences the SDW anomaly in LaFeAsO, it recovers SDW order for the optimally-doped sample of y=0.1. In the meantime, the superconducting transition temperature can be raised up to 30 K in LaFeAs1-xSbxO1-yFy with x=0.1 and y=0.15. The Sb doping effects are discussed in term of both J1-J2 model and Fermi Surface (FS) nesting scenario.
1004.2940v1
2010-04-21
Precise determination of muon and electromagnetic shower contents from shower universality property
We consider two new aspects of Extensive Air Shower development universality allowing to make accurate estimation of muon and electromagnetic (EM) shower contents in two independent ways. In the first case, to get muon (or EM) signal in water Cherenkov tanks or in scintillator detectors it is enough to know the vertical depth of shower maximum and the total signal in the ground detector. In the second case, the EM signal can be calculated from the primary particle energy and the zenith angle. In both cases the parametrizations of muon and EM signals are almost independent on primary particle nature, energy and zenith angle. Implications of the considered properties for mass composition and hadronic interaction studies are briefly discussed. The present study is performed on 28000 of proton, oxygen and iron showers, generated with CORSIKA 6.735 for $E^{-1}$ spectrum in the energy range log(E/eV)=18.5-20.0 and uniformly distributed in cos^2(theta) in zenith angle interval theta=0-65 degrees for QGSJET II/Fluka interaction models.
1004.3673v1
2010-04-21
A minimal Beta Beam with high-Q ions to address CP violation in the leptonic sector
In this paper we consider a Beta Beam setup that tries to leverage at most existing European facilities: i.e. a setup that takes advantage of facilities at CERN to boost high-Q ions (8Li and 8B) aiming at a far detector located at L = 732 Km in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory. The average neutrino energy for 8Li and 8B ions boosted at \gamma ~ 100 is in the range E_\nu = [1,2] GeV, high enough to use a large iron detector of the MINOS type at the far site. We perform, then, a study of the neutrino and antineutrino fluxes needed to measure a CP-violating phase delta in a significant part of the parameter space. In particular, for theta_13 > 3 deg, if an antineutrino flux of 3 10^19 useful 8Li decays per year is achievable, we find that delta can be measured in 60% of the parameter space with 6 10^18 useful 8B decays per year.
1004.3773v2
2010-04-27
Orbital-weight redistribution triggered by spin order in the pnictides
The one-particle spectral function and its orbital composition are investigated in a three-orbital model for the undoped parent compounds of the iron-based superconductors. In the realistic parameter regime, where results best fit experimental data, it is observed that the magnetization in the xz and yz orbitals are markedly different and the Fermi surface presents mostly xz character, as recently observed in photoemission experiments [T. Shimojima et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 057002 (2010)]. Since the ferro-orbital order in this regime is at most a few percent, these results are mainly driven by the magnetic order. An analogous analysis for a five-orbital model leads to similar conclusions.
1004.4803v2
2010-05-03
Collective spin mode in a multi-component system of coupled itinerant and localized electrons
We study collective spin excitations of a magnetically ordered state in a multi-component system composed of both itinerant electrons and local moments. Here the induced spin-density-wave (SDW) ordering of itinerant electrons and the collinear antiferromangetic (AF) ordering of local moments are locked together via a Hund's rule coupling. We show that the Goldstone theorem still holds at the RPA level with the gapless spin wave protected inside the small SDW gap of itinerant electrons, which, however, is fragile in the presence of ion-anisotropy. A gapped out-of-phase spin mode extending over a much wider energy scale above the SDW gap is found to be more robust against the ion-anisotropy, which is mainly contributed by the local moment fluctuations. While the scattering between the Goldstone mode and itinerant electrons diminishes within the SDW gap, the out-of-phase mode will strongly interact with itinerant electrons and thus dominate the spin and charge dynamics in such an ordered phase. Possible relevance of such a model to the iron-pnictides will be also discussed.
1005.0421v1
2010-05-04
Competition between Ferrimagnetism and Magnetic Frustration in Zinc Substituted YBaFe4O7
The substitution of zinc for iron in YBaFe4O7 has allowed the oxide series YBaFe4-xZnxO7, with 0.40 < x < 1.50, belonging to the "114" structural family to be synthesized. These oxides crystallize in the hexagonal symmetry (P63mc), as opposed to the cubic symmetry (F-43m) of YBaFe4O7. Importantly, the d.c. magnetization shows that the zinc substitution induces ferrimagnetism, in contrast to the spin glass behaviour of YBaFe4O7. Moreover, a.c. susceptibility measurements demonstrate that concomitantly these oxides exhibit a spin glass or a cluster glass behaviour, which increases at the expense of ferrimagnetism, as the zinc content is increased. This competition between ferrimagnetism and magnetic frustration is interpreted in terms of lifting of the geometric frustration, inducing the magnetic ordering, and of cationic disordering, which favours the glassy state.
1005.0480v1
2010-05-04
Magnetic ordering and dense Kondo behaviour in EuFe$_{2}$P$_{2}$
Ternary iron phosphide EuFe$_2$P$_2$ with ThCr$_2$Si$_2$-type structure has been systematically studied by the measurements of crystal structure, magnetization, M\"{o}ssbauer effect, transport properties and specific heat. The structural refinement result confirms no direct P-P covalent bonding. The M\"{o}ssbauer spectra indicate no magnetic moment for the Fe atoms and, that the Eu ions are divalent in the whole temperatures, carrying local moments of $S$=7/2. The Eu$^{2+}$ spins order ferromagnetically at $T_C$=29.5 K, followed by a possible helimagnetic ordering below $T_{HM}$=26 K, where the Eu$^{2+}$ moments tilt a little from the c-axis. External magnetic field increases $T_C$ gradually, but suppresses $T_{HM}$ rapidly. (Magneto)resistivity data indicate characteristic dense Kondo behaviour above the Curie temperature. The result is discussed in terms of the interplay between intersite RKKY and intrasite Kondo interactions.
1005.0516v2
2010-05-06
Chemical composition of the old globular clusters NGC 1786, NGC 2210 and NGC 2257 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
This paper presents the chemical abundance analysis of a sample of 18 giant stars in 3 old globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud, namely NGC 1786, NGC 2210 and NGC 2257. The derived iron content is [Fe/H]= --1.75+-0.01 dex (sigma= 0.02 dex), --1.65+-0.02 dex (sigma= 0.04 dex) and --1.95+-0.02 dex (sigma= 0.04 dex) for NGC 1786, NGC 2210 and NGC 2257, respectively. All the clusters exhibit similar abundance ratios, with enhanced values (+0.30 dex) of [alpha/Fe], consistent with the Galactic Halo stars, thus indicating that these clusters have formed from a gas enriched by Type II SNe. We also found evidence that r-process are the main channel of production of the measured neutron capture elements (Y, Ba, La, Nd, Ce and Eu). In particular the quite large enhancement of [Eu/Fe] (+0.70 dex) found in these old clusters clearly indicates a relevant efficiency of the r-process mechanism in the LMC environment.
1005.0964v1
2010-05-10
23Na and 75As NMR Studies on NaFeAs0.8P0.2 Single Crystals
We report our $^{23}$Na and $^{75}$As NMR studies on isovalent phosphorus-doped NaFeAs$_{0.8}$P$_{0.2}$ ($T_c=$ 33 K) single crystals. Our data suggest a dramatic enhancement of the electron density of states on the Fermi surface, and a large residual electron density of state below $T_c$. However, evidence of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations is shown by the spin-lattice relaxation rate. The penetration depth, revealed from $^{23}$Na NMR linewidth, follows the universal Uemura relation in iron pnictides. These observations suggest that the correlation effects are still important for the superconductivity in the phosphorus doped sample, although the Fermi surface is probably significantly changed upon doping.
1005.1448v2
2010-05-12
Transfer of optical spectral weight in magnetically ordered superconductors
We show that, in antiferromagnetic superconductors, the optical spectral weight transferred to low frequencies below the superconducting transition temperature originates from energies that can be much larger than twice the superconducting gap $\Delta$. This contrasts to non-magnetic superconductors, where the optical spectrum is suppressed only for frequencies below $2\Delta$. In particular, we demonstrate that the superfluid condensate of the magnetically ordered superconductor is not only due to states of the magnetically reconstructed Fermi surface, but is enhanced by transfer of spectral weight from the mid infrared peak generated by the spin density wave gap. We apply our results to the iron arsenide superconductors, addressing the decrease of the zero-temperature superfluid density in the doping regime where magnetism coexists with unconventional superconductivity.
1005.2174v3
2010-05-17
Cooperative effects of Coulomb and electron-phonon interactions in the two-dimensional 16-band d-p model for iron-based superconductors
We study the electronic states and the superconductivity in the two-dimensional 16-band d-p model coupled with A1g, B1g and Eg local phonons and obtain the rich phase diagram including the magnetic, charge and orbital ordered phases on the parameter plane of the Coulomb and electron-phonon interactions. When the electron-phonon interaction is dominant, the charge fluctuations induce the s++ wave superconductivity, while when the Coulomb interaction is dominant, the magnetic fluctuations induce the s+- wave superconductivity. Remarkably, the orbital fluctuations are enhanced due to the cooperative effects of the Coulomb and electron-phonon interactions and induce the s++ wave and the nodal s+- wave superconductivities.
1005.2814v2
2010-05-17
Electron-Hole Asymmetry in Superconductivity of Pnictides Originated from the Observed Rigid Chemical Potential Shift
We have performed a systematic photoemission study of the chemical potential shift as a function of carrier doping in a pnictide system based on BaFe$_2$As$_2$. The experimentally determined chemical potential shift is consistent with the prediction of a rigid band shift picture by the renormalized first-principle band calculations. This leads to an electron-hole asymmetry (EHA) in the Fermi surface (FS) nesting condition due to different effective masses for different FS sheets, which can be calculated from the Lindhard function of susceptibility. This built-in EHA from the band structure, which matches well with observed asymmetric superconducting domes in the phase diagram, strongly supports FS near-nesting driven superconductivity in the iron pnictides.
1005.2966v1
2010-05-18
Superconductivity induced by doping Rh in CaFe2-xRhxAs2
In this paper we report the synthesis of iron-based superconductors CaFe2-xRhxAs2 using one-step solid state reaction method, which crystallizes in the ThCr2Si2-type structure with a space group I4/mmm. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants demonstrates that the Fe ions are successfully replaced by the Rh. By increasing the doping content of Rh, the spin-density-wave (SDW) transition in the parent compound is suppressed and superconductivity emerges. The maximum superconducting transition temperature is found at 18.5 K with the doping level of x = 0.15. The temperature dependence of DC magnetization confirms superconducting transitions at around 15 K. The general phase diagram was obtained and found to be similar to the case of Rh-doping Sr122 system. Our results explicitly demonstrate the feasibility of inducing superconductivity in Ca122 compounds by higher d-orbital electrons doping, however, different Rh-doping effect between FeAs122 compounds and FeAs1111 systems still remains an open question.
1005.3172v2
2010-05-20
Distinct high-T transitions in underdoped Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$
In contrast to the simultaneous structural and magnetic first order phase transition $T_{0}$ previously reported, our detailed investigation on an underdoped Ba$_{0.84}$K$_{0.16}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ single crystal unambiguously revealed that the transitions are not concomitant. The tetragonal ($\tau$: I4/mmm) - orthorhombic ($\vartheta$: Fmmm) structural transition occurs at $T_{S}\simeq$ 110 K, followed by an adjacent antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at $T_{N}\simeq$ 102 K. Hysteresis and coexistence of the $\tau$ and $\vartheta$ phases over a finite temperature range observed in our NMR experiments confirm the first order character of the structural transition and provide evidence that both $T_{S}$ and $T_{N}$ are strongly correlated. Our data also show that superconductivity (SC) develops in the $\vartheta$ phase below $T_{c}$ = 20 K and coexists with long range AFM. This new observation, $T_{S}\neq T_{N}$, firmly establishes another similarity between the hole-doped BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ via K substitution and the electron-doped iron-arsenide superconductors.
1005.3718v1
2010-05-21
Microscopic Study of the Superconducting State of the Iron Pnictide RbFe_2As_2
A study of the temperature and field dependence of the penetration depth \lambda of the superconductor RbFe_2As_2 (T_c=2.52 K) was carried out by means of muon-spin rotation measurements. In addition to the zero temperature value of the penetration depth \lambda(0)=267(5) nm, a determination of the upper critical field B_c2(0)=2.6(2) T was obtained. The temperature dependence of the superconducting carrier concentration is discussed within the framework of a multi-gap scenario. Compared to the other "122" systems which exhibit much higher Fermi level, a strong reduction of the large gap BCS ratio 2\Delta/k_B T_c is observed. This is interpreted as a consequence of the absence of interband processes. Indications of possible pair-breaking effect are also discussed.
1005.3989v3
2010-05-23
Inelastic x-ray scattering investigations of lattice dynamics in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ superconductors
We report measurements of the phonon density of states as measured with inelastic x-ray scattering in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ powders. An unexpected strong renormalization of phonon branches around 23 meV is observed as fluorine is substituted for oxygen. Phonon dispersion measurements on SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ single crystals allow us to identify the 21 meV A$_{1g}$ in-phase (Sm,As) and the 26 meV B$_{1g}$ (Fe,O) modes to be responsible for this renormalization, and may reveal unusual electron-phonon coupling through the spin channel in iron-based superconductors.
1005.4165v1
2010-05-24
The Puzzle of High Temperature Superconductivity in Layered Iron Pnictides and Chalcogenides
The response of the worldwide scientific community to the discovery in 2008 of superconductivity at Tc = 26 K in the Fe-based compound LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_x has been very enthusiastic. In short order, other Fe-based superconductors with the same or related crystal structures were discovered with Tc up to 56 K. Many experiments were carried out and theories formulated to try to understand the basic properties of these new materials and the mechanism for Tc. In this selective critical review of the experimental literature, we distill some of this extensive body of work, and discuss relationships between different types of experiments on these materials with reference to theoretical concepts and models. The experimental normal-state properties are emphasized, and within these the electronic and magnetic properties because of the likelihood of an electronic/magnetic mechanism for superconductivity in these materials.
1005.4392v2
2010-05-26
RXTE observations of the 1A 1118-61 in an outburst, and the discovery of a cyclotron line
We present the analysis of RXTE monitoring data obtained during the January 2009 outburst of the hard X-ray transient 1A 1118-61. Using these observations the broadband (3.5-120 keV) spectrum of the source was measured for the first time ever. We have found that the broadband continuum spectrum of the source is similar to other accreting pulsars and is well described by several conventionally used phenomenological models. We have discovered that regardless of the applied continuum model, a prominent broad absorption feature at ~55 keV is observed. We interpret this feature as a cyclotron resonance scattering feature (CRSF). The observed CRSF energy is one of the highest known and corresponds to a magnetic field of B~4.8 x 10^12 G in the scattering region. Our data also indicate the presence of an iron emission line presence that has not been previously reported for 1A 1118-61. Timing properties of the source, including a strong spin-up, were found to be similar to those observed by CGRO/BATSE during the previous outburst, but the broadband capabilities of RXTE reveal a more complicated energy dependency of the pulse-profile.
1005.4782v1
2010-05-26
Probing CPT violation in neutrino oscillation: A three flavor analysis
We have studied $CPT$ violation in neutrino oscillation considering three flavor framework with matter effect. We have constructed a new way to find the oscillation probability incorporating $CPT$ violating terms without any approximation. Then $CPT$ violation with atmospheric neutrinos for a magnetized iron calorimeter detector considering the muons (directly measurable with high resolution) of the charge current events has been studied for zero and nonzero $\theta_{13}$ values. It is found that a potential bound of $\delta b_{32} \lapp 6\times 10^{-24}$ GeV at 99% CL can be obtained with 1 Mton.year exposure of this detector; and unlike neutrino beam experiments, there is no possibility to generate `fake' $CPT$ violation due to matter effect with atmospheric neutrinos. The advantages of atmospheric neutrinos to discriminate $CPT$ violation from CP violation and nonstandard interactions are also discussed.
1005.4851v3
2010-05-27
Milne-Eddington inversion of the Fe I line pair at 630~nm
The iron lines at 630.15 and 630.25 nm are often used to determine the physical conditions of the solar photosphere. A common approach is to invert them simultaneously under the Milne-Eddington approximation. The same thermodynamic parameters are employed for the two lines, except for their opacities, which are assumed to have a constant ratio. We aim at investigating the validity of this assumption, since the two lines are not exactly the same. We use magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the quiet Sun to examine the behavior of the ME thermodynamic parameters and their influence on the retrieval of vector magnetic fields and flow velocities. Our analysis shows that the two lines can be coupled and inverted simultaneously using the same thermodynamic parameters and a constant opacity ratio. The inversion of two lines is significantly more accurate than single-line inversions because of the larger number of observables.
1005.5013v2
2010-05-29
{\it Ab initio} calculations of magnetic structure and lattice dynamics of Fe/Pt multilayers
The magnetization distribution, its energetic characterization by the interlayer coupling constants and lattice dynamics of (001)-oriented Fe/Pt multilayers are investigated using density functional theory combined with the direct method to determine phonon frequencies. It is found that ferromagnetic order between consecutive Fe layers is favoured, with the enhanced magnetic moments at the interface. The bilinear and biquadratic coupling coefficients between Fe layers are shown to saturate fast with increasing thickness of nonmagnetic Pt layers which separate them. The phonon calculations demonstrate a rather strong dependence of partial iron phonon densities of states on the actual position of Fe monolayer in the multilayer structure.
1005.5454v1
2010-06-02
X-ray reflected spectra from accretion disk models. I. Constant density atmospheres
We present new models for illuminated accretion disks, their structure and reprocessed emission. We consider the effects of incident X-rays on the surface of an accretion disk by solving simultaneously the equations of radiative transfer, energy balance and ionization equilibrium over a large range of column densities. We assume plane-parallel geometry and azimuthal symmetry, such that each calculation corresponds to a ring at a given distance from the central object. Our models include recent and complete atomic data for K-shell processes of the iron and oxygen isonuclear sequences. We examine the effect on the spectrum of fluorescent K$\alpha$ line emission and absorption in the emitted spectrum. We also explore the dependence of the spectrum on the strength of the incident X-rays and other input parameters, and discuss the importance of Comptonization on the emitted spectrum.
1006.0485v1
2010-06-03
Unusual Nernst effect and spin density wave precursors in superconducting $\rm\bf LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_x$
The Nernst effect has recently proven as a sensitive probe for detecting unusual normal state properties of unconventional superconductors. Here we present a systematic study of the Nernst effect of the iron pnictide superconductor \laf with a particular focus on its evolution upon doping. For the parent compound we observe a huge negative Nernst coefficient accompanied with a severe violation of the Sondheimer cancellation in the spin density wave (SDW) ordered state. Surprisingly, an unusual and enhanced Nernst signal is also found at underdoping ($x=0.05$) despite the presence of bulk superconductivity and the absence of static magnetic order, strongly suggestive of SDW precursors at $T\lesssim150$ K. A more conventional normal state Nernst response is observed at optimal doping ($x=0.1$) where it is rather featureless with a more complete Sondheimer cancellation.
1006.0715v1
2010-06-04
Surface-driven electronic structure in LaFeAsO studied by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy
We measured the electronic structure of an iron arsenic parent compound LaFeAsO using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). By comparing with a full-potential Linear Augmented PlaneWave calculation we show that the extra large Gamma hole pocket measured via ARPES comes from electronic structure at the sample surface. Based on this we discuss the strong polarization dependence of the band structure and a temperature-dependent hole-like band around the M point. The two phenomena give additional evidences for the existence of the surface-driven electronic structure.
1006.0929v1
2010-06-09
Comment on "Symmetries and Interaction Coefficients of Kelvin waves" [arXiv:1005.4575] by Lebedev and L'vov
We comment on the claim by Lebedev and L'vov [arXiv:1005.4575] that the symmetry with respect to a tilt of a quantized vortex line does not yet prohibit coupling between Kelvin waves and the large-scale slope of the line. Ironically, the counterexample of an effective scattering vertex in the local induction approximation (LIA) attempted by Lebedev and L'vov invalidates their logic all by itself being a notoriously known example of how symmetries impose stringent constraints on kelvon kinetics---not only the coupling in question but the kinetics in general are absent within LIA. We further explain that the mistake arises from confusing symmetry properties of a specific mathematical representation in terms of the canonical vortex position field w(z) = x(z) + iy(z), which explicitly breaks the tilt symmetry due to an arbitrary choice of the z-axis, with those of the real physical system recovered in final expressions.
1006.1789v2
2010-06-11
Thermal nuclear pairing within the self-consistent quasiparticle RPA
The self-consistent quasiparticle RPA (SCQRPA) is constructed to study the effects of fluctuations on pairing properties in nuclei at finite temperature and z-projection M of angular momentum. Particle-number projection (PNP) is taken into account within the Lipkin-Nogami method. Several issues such as the smoothing of superfluid-normal phase transition, thermally assisted pairing in hot rotating nuclei, extraction of the nuclear pairing gap using an improved odd-even mass difference are discussed. A novel approach of embedding the PNP SCQRPA eigenvalues in the canonical and microcanonical ensembles is proposed and applied to describe the recent empirical thermodynamic quantities for iron, molybdenum, dysprosium, and ytterbium isotopes.
1006.2201v1
2010-06-15
Angular resolved specific heat in iron-based superconductors: the case for nodeless extended $s$-wave gap
We consider the variation of the field-induced component of the specific heat $C({\bf H})$ with the direction of the applied field in $Fe-$pnictides within quasi-classical Doppler-shift approximation, with special emphasis to recent experiments on FeSe$_{0.4}$Te$_{0.6}$ [Zheng et al., arXiv:1004.2236]. We show that for extended $s-$wave gap with no nodes, $C({\bf H})$ has $\cos 4 \phi$ component, where $\phi$ is the angle between ${\bf H}$ and the direction between hole and electron Fermi surfaces. The maxima of $C({\bf H})$ are at $\pi/4$, $3\pi/4$, etc. if the applied field is smaller than $H_0 \leq 1T$, and at $\phi =0, \pi/2$, etc. if the applied field is larger than $H_0$. The angle-dependence of $C({\bf H})$, the positions of the maxima, and the relative magnitude of the oscillating component are consistent with the experiments performed in the field of $9T >> H_0$. We show that the observed $\cos 4 \phi$ variation does not hold if the $s-$wave gap has accidental nodes along the two electron Fermi surfaces.
1006.3091v1
2010-06-17
Homogeneous Cu-Fe super saturated solid solutions prepared by severe plastic deformation
A Cu-Fe nanocomposite containing 50 nm thick iron filaments dispersed in a copper matrix was processed by torsion under high pressure at various strain rates and temperatures. The resulting nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography and M\"ossbauer spectrometry. It is shown that alpha-Fe filaments are dissolved during severe plastic deformation leading to the formation of a homogeneous supersaturated solid solution of about 12 at.% Fe in fcc Cu. The dissolution rate is proportional to the total plastic strain but is not very sensitive to the strain rate. Similar results were found for samples processed at liquid nitrogen temperature. APT data revealed asymmetric composition gradients resulting from the deformation induced intermixing. On the basis of these experimental data, the formation of the supersaturated solid solutions is discussed
1006.3433v1
2010-06-17
Competition of local-moment ferromagnetism and superconductivity in Co-substituted EuFe2As2
In contrast to SrFe2As2, where only the iron possesses a magnetic moment, in EuFe2As2 an additional large, local magnetic moment is carried by Eu2+. Like SrFe2As2, EuFe2As2 exhibits a spin-density wave transition at high temperatures, but in addition the magnetic moments of the Eu2+ order at around 20 K. The interplay of pressure-induced superconductivity and the Eu2+ order leads to a behavior which is reminiscent of re-entrant superconductivity as it was observed, for example, in the ternary Chevrel phases or in the rare-earth nickel borocarbides. Here, we study the delicate interplay of the ordering of the Eu2+ moments and superconductivity in EuFe1.9Co0.1As2, where application of external pressure makes it possible to sensitively tune the ratio of the magnetic (T_C) and the superconducting (T_{c,onset}) critical temperatures. We find that superconductivity disappears once T_C > T_{c,onset}.
1006.3471v1
2010-06-17
Ultrafast transient response and electron-phonon coupling in the iron-pnictide superconductor Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))2As2
The transient response of Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))2As2, x=0.08 was studied by pump-probe optical reflectivity. After ultrafast photoexcitation, hot electrons were found to relax with two different characteristic times, indicating the presence of two distinct decay channels: a faster one, of less than 1 ps in the considered pump fluence range, and a slower one, corresponding to lattice thermalization and lasting ~6 ps. Our analysis indicates that the fast relaxation should be attributed to preferential scattering of the electrons with only a subset of the lattice vibration modes, with a second moment of the Eliashberg function lambda(omega^2)~64 meV^2. The simultaneous excitation of a strong fully symmetric A(1g) optical phonon corroborates this conclusion and makes it possible to deduce the value of lambda~0.12. This small value for the electron-phonon coupling confirms that a phonon mediated process cannot be the only mechanism leading to the formation of superconducting pairs in this family of pnictides.
1006.3490v2
2010-06-20
Out-of-plane momentum and symmetry dependent superconducting gap in Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2
The three-dimensional band structure and superconducting gap of Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 are studied with high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In contrast to previous results, we have identified three hole-like Fermi surfaces near the zone center with sizable out-of-plane or kz dispersion. The superconducting gap on certain Fermi surface shows significant kz-dependence. Moreover, we found that the superconducting gap sizes are different at the same Fermi momentum for two bands with different spatial symmetries (one odd, one even). Our results provide further information on the rich superconducting gap structure in iron pnictides, and a distinct test for theories.
1006.3936v1