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2011-03-30
Biaxially textured cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 films with high critical current density over 1 MA/cm2 on MgO-buffered metal-tape flexible substrates
High critical current densities (Jc) > 1 MA/cm2 were realized in cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 (BaFe2As2:Co) films on flexible metal substrates with biaxially-textured MgO base-layers fabricated by an ion-beam assisted deposition technique. The BaFe2As2:Co films showed small in-plane crystalline misorientations (delta fai BaFe2As2:Co) of ~3o regardless of doubly larger misorientaions of the MgO base-layers (delta fai MgO = 7.3o), and exhibited high self-field Jc up to 3.5 MA/cm2 at 2 K. These values are comparable to that on MgO single crystals and the highest Jc among iron pnictide superconducting tapes and wires ever reported. High in-field Jc suggests the existence of c-axis correlated vortex pinning centers.
1103.5815v2
2011-04-04
Epitaxial growth of FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin films on CaF$_2$ substrates with high critical current density
In-situ epitaxial growth of FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin films is demonstrated on a non-oxide substrate CaF$_2$. Structural analysis reveals that compressive stress is moderately added to 36-nm thick FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$, which pushes up the critical temperature above 15 K, showing higher values than that of bulk crystals. Critical current density at $T$ = 4.5 K reaches 5.9 x 10$^4$ Acm$^{-2}$ at $\mu_0H$ = 10 T, and 4.2 x 10$^4$ Acm$^{-2}$ at $\mu_0H$ = 14 T. These results indicate that fluoride substrates have high potential for the growth of iron-based superconductors in comparison with popular oxide substrates.
1104.0477v2
2011-04-04
The NLTE Barium Abundance in Dwarf Stars in the Metallicity Range of -1 < [Fe/H] < +0.3
We present the results of determination of the barium abundance considering the non-LTE (NLTE) effects in 172 dwarf stars in the metallicity range of -1< [Fe/H] <+0.3, assigned to different Galactic substructures by kinematic criteria. We used a model of the Ba atom with 31 levels of Ba I and 101 levels of Ba II. The atmosphere models for the investigated stars were computed using the ATLAS9 code modified by new opacity distribution functions. The NLTE profiles of the unblended Ba II (4554 A, 5853 A, 6496 A) were computed and then compared to those observed. The line 6141 A was also used, but with an allowance for its correlation with the iron line. The average barium abundances in the thin and thick discs are 0.01 +/- 0.08 and -0.03 +/- 0.07, respectively. The comparison to the calculations of the Galactic chemical evolution by Serminato et al. (2009) was conducted. The trend obtained for the Ba abundance versus [Fe/H] suggests a complex barium production process in the thin and thick discs.
1104.0534v1
2011-04-05
Incommensurate spin-density wave order in electron-doped BaFe2As2 superconductors
Neutron diffraction studies of Ba(Fe[1-x]Co[x])2As2 reveal that commensurate antiferromagnetic order gives way to incommensurate magnetic order for Co compositions between 0.056 < x < 0.06. The incommensurability has the form of a small transverse splitting (0, +-e, 0) from the nominal commensurate antiferromagnetic propagation vector Q[AFM] = (1, 0, 1) (in orthorhombic notation) where e = 0.02-0.03 and is composition dependent. The results are consistent with the formation of a spin-density wave driven by Fermi surface nesting of electron and hole pockets and confirm the itinerant nature of magnetism in the iron arsenide superconductors.
1104.0717v1
2011-04-08
Magnetic nanocomposites at microwave frequencies
Most conventional magnetic materials used in the electronic devices are ferrites, which are composed of micrometer-size grains. But ferrites have small saturation magnetization, therefore the performance at GHz frequencies is rather poor. That is why functionalized nanocomposites comprising magnetic nanoparticles (e.g. Fe, Co) with dimensions ranging from a few nm to 100 nm, and embedded in dielectric matrices (e.g. silicon oxide, aluminium oxide) have a significant potential for the electronics industry. When the size of the nanoparticles is smaller than the critical size for multidomain formation, these nanocomposites can be regarded as an ensemble of particles in single-domain states and the losses (due for example to eddy currents) are expected to be relatively small. Here we review the theory of magnetism in such materials, and we present a novel measurement method used for the characterization of the electromagnetic properties of composites with nanomagnetic insertions. We also present a few experimental results obtained on composites consisting of iron nanoparticles in a dielectric matrix.
1104.1535v1
2011-04-11
Collinear to Anti-collinear Quantum Phase Transition by Vacancies
We study static vacancies in the collinear magnetic phase of a frustrated Heisenberg $J_1$-$J_2$ model. It is found that vacancies can rapidly suppress the collinear antiferromagnetic state (CAFM)and generate a new magnetic phase, an anti-collinear magnetic phase (A-CAFM), due to magnetic frustration. We investigate the quantum phase transition between these two states by studying a variety of vacancy superlattices. We argue that the anti-collinear magnetic phase can exist in iron-based superconductors in the absence of any preceding structural transitions and an observation of this novel phase will unambiguously resolve the relation between the magnetic and structural transitions in these materials.
1104.1848v2
2011-04-12
Reply to "Comment on 'Isotope effect in multi-band and multi-channel attractive systems and inverse isotope effect in iron-based superconductors'"
The Comment insists on the following: in our model it is assumed that the effective interactions have specific energy ranges within the single band with a cutoff at \omega_1 for the phononic part and a range from \omega_1 to \omega_2 in the AF channel. Our reply is that we assume that V_i(k,k')\neq 0 if |\xi_k|<\omega_i and |\xi_{k'}|<\omega_i, and otherwise V_i(k,k')= 0 (i=1,2), as stated in our paper. This is the model of BCS type with two attractive interactions, and this assumption is the characteristic of the BCS approximation. The claim "the integration limits have been modified such that the AF channel mediated pairing sets in where the ph-channel pairing terminates and is limited at an energy given by \omega_j=\omega_{AF}" in the Comment is wrong. We describe the model and the method to solve the gap equation in more detail.
1104.2146v1
2011-03-26
Parametrization for Cherenkov light lateral distribution function in Extensive Air Showers
The simulation of the Cherenkov light lateral distribution function (LDF) in Extensive Air Showers (EAS) was perfomed with the CORSIKA code in the energy range 10^13-10^16 eV for configuration of the Tunka-25 EAS array. On the basis of this simulation we obtained sets of approximating functions for primary protons, iron nuclei and gamma-quanta for zenith angles Theta<=20. The comparison of the calculated Cherenkov light LDF with that measured with the Tunka-25 array has shown an opportunity of primary particle identification and definition of its energy around the "knee".
1104.2510v1
2011-04-15
The effect of hydrogen on the magnetic properties of FeV superlattice
The electronic and magnetic structures of a hydrogenated and hydrogen free superlattice of 3 iron monolayers and 9 vanadium monolayers are studied using the first principle full-potential augmented-plane-wave method as implemented in WIEN2k package. The volume, the total energy and the magnetic moments of the system are studied versus the hydrogen positions at the octahedral sites within the superlattice and also versus the filling of the vanadium octahedral location by hydrogen atoms. It is found that the hydrogen locations at the interior of vanadium layer are energetically more favourable. The local Fe magnetic moment and the average magnetic moment per supercell are found to increase as the H position moves towards the Fe-V interface. On the other hand, the average magnetic moment per supercell is found to initially decrease up to filling by 3 H atoms and then increases afterwards. To our knowledge, this is the first reporting on the increase in the computed magnetic moment with hydrogenation. These trends of magnetic moments are attributed to the volume changes resulting from hydrogenation and not to electronic hydrogen-metal interaction.
1104.2965v1
2011-04-18
A new composition-sensitive parameter for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays
A new family of parameters intended for composition studies in cosmic ray surface array detectors is proposed. The application of this technique to different array layout designs has been analyzed. The parameters make exclusive use of surface data combining the information from the total signal at each triggered detector and the array geometry. They are sensitive to the combined effects of the different muon and electromagnetic components on the lateral distribution function of proton and iron initiated showers at any given primary energy. Analytical and numerical studies have been performed in order to assess the reliability, stability and optimization of these parameters. Experimental uncertainties, the underestimation of the muon component in the shower simulation codes, intrinsic fluctuations and reconstruction errors are considered and discussed in a quantitative way. The potential discrimination power of these parameters, under realistic experimental conditions, is compared on a simplified, albeit quantitative way, with that expected from other surface and fluorescence estimators.
1104.3399v1
2011-04-22
Modelling the Broad-band Spectra of MCG-6-30-15 with a Relativistic Reflection Model
The spectrum of the bright Seyfert I galaxy MCG-6-30-15 shows a broad Fe K-alpha emission line, generally interpreted to originate very close to the central black hole which must then have a high spin. The observed X-ray variability is driven by a powerlaw component, with little variability found in the iron line energy band. The disconnection of continuum and line variability may be a consequence of strong gravitational light bending. The X-ray spectrum of MCG-6-30-15 is however complex, strongly modified at soft X-ray energies by warm absorbers, which some workers have extended to build an absorption-dominated model of the whole source behaviour. The absorption model interprets the whole X-ray spectrum without a relativistic reflection component and attributes most variability to the warm absorbers. We re-examine the XMM-Newton, Chandra and Suzaku data taken in 2001, 2004 and 2006, respectively, and construct a model consisting of several warm absorbers confirmed by spectral analysis, together with a relativistically blurred reflection component that explains both the soft and hard excesses as well. The model works well on data from all epochs, demonstrating that the reflection model provides a consistent interpretation of the broadband spectrum of MCG-6-30-15.
1104.4483v1
2011-04-27
Study of the X-ray/gamma source AX J1910.7+0917 and three newly discovered INTEGRAL sources
AX J1910.7+0917 is a still unidentified source discovered with ASCA and observed more recently with IBIS/ISGRI, mainly noticeable for its rather hard spectrum. We analyzed all the public available data on this source, and we took advantage of the recent improvements performed in the INTEGRAL data analysis software to fully exploit the IBIS/ISGRI data. In the data collected from INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, Chandra and ASCA the source is clearly variable. The spectrum can be modelled as an absorbed powerlaw (NH~6x10^22 cm^-2, Gamma=1.5) with an iron line at 6.4 keV. The present data still do not allow for a unique classification of the source. In the IBIS/ISGRI field of view around AX J1910.7+0917, we discovered three new sources: IGR J19173+0747, IGR J19294+1327 and IGR J19149+1036, where the latter is positionally coincident with the Einstein source 2E 1912.5+1031. For the first two sources we report results obtained from follow-up observations carried out with Swift/XRT.
1104.5102v1
2011-04-28
Electronic inhomogeneity in a Kondo lattice
Inhomogeneous electronic states resulting from entangled spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom are hallmarks of strongly correlated electron materials; such behavior has been observed in many classes of d-electron materials, including the high-Tc copper-oxide superconductors, manganites, and most recently the iron-pnictide superconductors. The complexity generated by competing phases in these materials constitutes a considerable theoretical challenge-one that still defies a complete description. Here, we report a new manifestation of electronic inhomogeneity in a strongly correlated f-electron system, using CeCoIn5 as an example. A thermodynamic analysis of its superconductivity, combined with nuclear quadrupole resonance measurements, shows that nonmagnetic impurities (Y, La, Yb, Th, Hg and Sn) locally suppress unconventional superconductivity, generating an inhomogeneous electronic "Swiss cheese" due to disrupted periodicity of the Kondo lattice. Our analysis may be generalized to include related systems, suggesting that electronic inhomogeneity should be considered broadly in Kondo lattice materials.
1104.5457v1
2011-04-29
Evolution of correlation strength in KxFe(2-y)Se2 superconductor doped with S
We report the evolution of thermal transport properties of iron-based superconductor K$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ with sulfur substitution at Se sites. Sulfur doping suppresses the superconducting $T_c$ as well as the Seebeck coefficient. The Seebeck coefficient of all crystals in the low temperature range can be described very well by diffusive thermoelectric response model. The zero-temperature extrapolated value of Seebeck coefficient divided by temperature $S/T$ gradually decreases from $-0.48 \mu V/K^2$ to a very small value $\sim$ 0.03 $\mu$V/K$^2$ where $T_c$ is completely suppressed. The normal state electron Sommerfeld term ($\gamma_n$) of specific heat also decreases with the increase of sulfur content. The dcrease of $S/T$ and $\gamma_n$ reflects a suppression of the density of states at the Fermi energy, or a change in the Fermi surface that would induce the suppression of correlation strength.
1104.5711v1
2011-04-30
Magnetic hydrogels derived from polysaccharides with improved specific power absorption: potential devices for remotely triggered drug delivery
We report on novel ferrogels derived from polysaccharides (sodium alginate and chitosan) with embedded iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized in situ and their combination with thermally responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) for externally-driven drug release using AC magnetic fields. Samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetic measurements. The obtained nanoparticles were found to be of ca. 10 nm average size, showing magnetic properties very close to those of the bulk material. The thermal response was measured by power absorption experiments, finding specific power absorption (SPA) values between 100-300 W/g, which was enough for attaining the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymeric matrix within few minutes. This fast response makes these materials good candidates for externally controlled drug release.
1105.0075v1
2011-05-11
Systematics of the temperature-dependent inter-plane resistivity in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ with T= Rh, Ni, and Pd
Temperature-dependent inter-plane resistivity, $\rho_c(T)$, was measured systematically as a function of transition metal substitution in the iron-arsenide superconductors Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$T$_x$)$_2$As$_2$, $T$= Ni, Pd, Rh. The data are compared with the behavior found in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$, revealing resistive signatures of pseudogap. In all compounds we find resistivity crossover at a characteristic pseudogap temperature $T^*$ from non-metallic to metallic temperature dependence on cooling. Suppression of $T^*$ proceeds very similar in cases of Ni and Pd doping and much faster than in similar cases of Co and Rh doping. In cases of Co and Rh doping an additional minimum in the temperature-dependent $\rho_c$ emerges for high dopings, when superconductivity is completely suppressed. These features are consistent with the existence of a charge gap covering part of the Fermi surface. The part of the Fermi surface affected by this gap is notably larger for Ni and Pd doped compositions than in Co and Rh doped compounds.
1105.2277v1
2011-05-13
Scaling of nascent nodes in extended s-wave superconductors
We analyze the low-energy properties of superconductors near the onset of accidental nodes, i.e. zeroes of the gap function not enforced by symmetry. The existence of such nodes has been motivated by recent experiments suggesting a transition between nodeless and nodal superconductivity in iron-based compounds. We find that the low-temperature behavior of the penetration depth, the specific heat, and the NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate are determined by the scaling properties of a quantum critical point associated with the nascent nodes. Although the power-law exponents are insensitive to weak short-range electronic interactions, they can be significantly altered by the curvature of the Fermi surface or by the three-dimensional character of the gap. Consequently, the behavior of macroscopic quantities near the onset of nodes can be used as a criterion to determine the nodal structure of the gap function.
1105.2785v2
2011-05-17
Superconductivity and ferromagnetism in EuFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$
Superconductivity and ferromagnetism are two antagonistic cooperative phenomena, which makes it difficult for them to coexist. Here we demonstrate experimentally that they do coexist in EuFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$ with $0.2\leq x\leq0.4$, in which superconductivity is associated with Fe-3$d$ electrons and ferromagnetism comes from the long-range ordering of Eu-4$f$ moments via Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions. The coexistence is featured by large saturated ferromagnetic moments, high and comparable superconducting and magnetic transition temperatures, and broad coexistence ranges in temperature and field. We ascribe this unusual phenomenon to the robustness of superconductivity as well as the multi-orbital characters of iron pnictides.
1105.3255v1
2011-05-17
Effective Ex-Situ Fabrication of F-Doped SmFeAsO Wire for High Transport Critical Current Density
We demonstrate the fabrication of superconducting SmFeAsO1-xFx (Sm-1111) wires by using the ex-situ powder-in-tube technique. Sm-1111 powder and a binder composed of SmF3, samarium arsenide, and iron arsenide were used to synthesize the superconducting core. Although the F content of Sm-1111 is reduced in the process of ex-situ fabrication, the binder compensates by sufficiently supplementing the F content, thereby preventing a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature and a shrinkage of the superconducting volume fraction. Thus, in the superconducting Sm-1111 wire with the binder, the transport critical current density reaches the highest value of ~4 kA/cm2 at 4.2 K.
1105.3342v2
2011-05-19
High energy pseudogap and its evolution with doping in Fe-based superconductors as revealed by optical spectroscopy
We report optical spectroscopic measurements on electron- and hole-doped BaFe2As2. We show that the compounds in the normal state are not simple metals. The optical conductivity spectra contain, in addition to the free carrier response at low frequency, a temperature-dependent gap-like suppression at rather high energy scale near 0.6 eV. This suppression evolves with the As-Fe-As bond angle induced by electron- or hole-doping. Furthermore, the feature becomes much weaker in the Fe-chalcogenide compounds. We elaborate that the feature is caused by the strong Hund's rule coupling effect between the itinerant electrons and localized electron moment arising from the multiple Fe 3d orbitals. Our experiments demonstrate the coexistence of itinerant and localized electrons in iron-based compounds, which would then lead to a more comprehensive picture about the metallic magnetism in the materials.
1105.3939v1
2011-05-20
Neutrino Probes of the Nature of Light Dark Matter
Dark matter particles gravitationally trapped inside the Sun may annihilate into Standard Model particles, producing a flux of neutrinos. The prospects of detecting these neutrinos in future multi-\kton{} neutrino detectors designed for other physics searches are explored here. We study the capabilities of a 34/100 \kton{} liquid argon detector and a 100 \kton{} magnetized iron calorimeter detector. These detectors are expected to determine the energy and the direction of the incoming neutrino with unprecedented precision allowing for tests of the dark matter nature at very low dark matter masses, in the range of 5-50 GeV. By suppressing the atmospheric background with angular cuts, these techniques would be sensitive to dark matter - nucleon spin dependent cross sections at the fb level, reaching down to a few ab for the most favorable annihilation channels and detector technology.
1105.4077v2
2011-05-26
Phosphor induced significant hole-doping in ferropnictide superconductor BaFe2(As(1-x)Px)2
The superconductivity in high temperature superconductors ordinarily arises when doped with hetero-valent ions that introduce charge carriers. However, in ferropnictides, "iso-valent" doping, which is generally believed not to introduce charge carriers, can induce superconductivity as well. Moreover, unlike other ferropnictides, the superconducting gap in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 has been found to contain nodal lines. The exact nature of the "iso-valent" doping and nodal gap here are key open issues in building a comprehensive picture of the iron-based high temperature superconductors. With angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we found that the phosphor substitution in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 induces sizable amount of holes into the hole Fermi surfaces, while the dxy-originated band is relatively intact. This overturns the previous common belief of "iso-valent" doping, explains why the phase diagram of BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 is similar to those of the holedoped compounds, and rules out theories that explain the nodal gap based on vanishing dxy hole pocket.
1105.5242v1
2011-05-27
Orbitally resolved lifetimes in Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 measured by ARPES
Despite many ARPES investigations of iron pnictides, the structure of the electron pockets is still poorly understood. By combining ARPES measurements in different experimental configurations, we clearly resolve their elliptic shape. Comparison with band calculation identify a deep electron band with the dxy orbital and a shallow electron band along the perpendicular ellipse axis with the dxz/dyz orbitals. We find that, for both electron and hole bands, the lifetimes associated with dxy are longer than for dxz/dyz. This suggests that the two types of orbitals play different roles in the electronic properties and that their relative weight is a key parameter to determine the ground state.
1105.5604v2
2011-05-31
Micromagnetic study of flux-closure states in Fe dots using quantitative Lorentz Microscopy
A micromagnetic study of epitaxial micron-sized iron dots is reported through the analysis of Fresnel contrast in Lorentz Microscopy. Their use is reviewed and developed through analysis of various magnetic structures in such dots. Simple Landau configuration is used to investigate various aspects of asymmetric Bloch domain walls. The experimental width of such a complex wall is first derived and its value is discussed with the help of micromagnetic simulations. Combination of these two approaches enables us to define what is really extracted when estimating asymmetric wall width in Lorentz Microscopy. Moreover, quantitative data on the magnetization inside the dot is retrieved using phase retrieval as well as new informations on the degrees of freedom of such walls. Finally, it is shown how the existence and the propagation of a surface vortex can be characterized and monitored. This demonstrates the ability to reach a magnetic sensitivity a priori hidden in Fresnel contrast, based on an original image treatment and backed-up by the evaluation of contrasts obtained from micromagnetic simulations.
1105.6295v2
2011-06-05
Novel Insulating Magnetism in Vacancy-Ordered K2Fe4Se5
We unveil the novel physical origin of the insulating block checkerboard antiferromagnetism in vacancy-ordered K2Fe4Se5. Our first-principles electronic structure analysis reveals its incompatibility with a simple Fermi-surface nesting or Mott insulator scenario, and suggests the picture of coexisting itinerant and localized electronic states. Consistently, we demonstrate that it can be unified with the metallic collinear or bicollinear antiferromagnetism of the vacancy-free parent compounds LaOFeAs, BaFe2As2, or FeTe in the spin-fermion model. These results indicate that the blocking effects of Hund's rule coupling and the resulting electron correlation are crucial to the electronic and magnetic structures of iron-based superconductors.
1106.0881v2
2011-06-06
Correlation of high temperature X-ray photoemission spectral features and conductivity of epitaxially strained (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95Ni0.2Fe0.8O3/SrTiO3(110)
Reversible and irreversible discontinuities at around 573 K and 823 K in the electric conductivity of a strained 175 nm thin film of (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95Ni0.2Fe0.8O3-{\delta} grown by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO3 (110) are reflected by valence band changes as monitored in photoemission and oxygen K-edge x-ray absorption spectra. The irreversible jump at 823 K is attributed to depletion of doped electron holes and reduction of Fe4+ to Fe3+, as evidenced by oxygen and iron core level soft x-ray spectroscopy, and possibly of a chemical origin, whereas the reversible jump at 573 K possibly originates from structural changes.
1106.1024v1
2011-06-06
Fe-resonant valence band photoemission and oxygen NEXAFS study on La1-xSrxFe0.75Ni0.25O3-δ
Iron resonant valance band photoemission spectra of Sr substituted LaFe0.75Ni0.25 O3-{\delta} have been recorded across the Fe 2p - 3d absorption threshold to obtain Fe specific spectral information on the 3d projected partial density of states. Comparison with La1-xSrxFeO3 resonant VB PES literature data suggests that substitution of Fe by Ni forms electron holes which are mainly O 2p character. Substitution of La by Sr increases the hole concentration to an extent that the eg structure vanishes. The variation of the eg and t2g structures is paralleled by the changes in the electrical conductivity.
1106.1086v1
2011-06-07
Analysis of interdiffusion between SmFeAsO0.92F0.08 and metals for ex situ fabrication of superconducting wire
We demonstrate the fabrication of superconducting SmFeAsO1-xFx (Sm-1111) wires by using the ex-situ powder-in-tube technique. Sm-1111 powder and a binder composed of SmF3, samarium arsenide, and iron arsenide were used to synthesize the superconducting core. Although the F content of Sm-1111 is reduced in the process of ex-situ fabrication, the binder compensates by sufficiently supplementing the F content, thereby preventing a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature and a shrinking of the superconducting volume fraction. Thus, in the superconducting Sm-1111 wire with the binder, the transport critical current density reaches the highest value of ~4000 A/cm2 at 4.2 K.
1106.1328v2
2011-06-11
Fish-tail and vortex dynamics in Ni doped iron-pnictide BaFe{1.82}Ni_{0.18}As_2
We study the vortex-dynamics of a BaFe{1.82}Ni_{0.18}As_2 crystal with Tc = 8 K, by measuring flux-creep over the second magnetisation (or fish-tail) peak for both H//c-axis and H//ab planes. Magnetic relaxation data show an anomalously long initial stage of relaxation, lasting approximately10 minutes for H//c-axis and 2-3 min for H//ab, resembling a transient effect with a lower relaxation rate, which is followed by the usual log(time) relaxation. Interestingly, study of the relaxation rate R vs H for both stages of relaxation and for both field directions, are featureless over the field range associated with the fish-tail. The same trend was confirmed by plotting R vs T obtained from flux-creep data measured as a function of temperature for a fixed field (H//$c-axis). A plot of the activation energy U(M,T) calculated from the time relaxation of the magnetisation at a fixed field also shows a smooth behavior further supporting the view that the fish-tail peak is not associated with a crossover in vortex pinning regime within the collective pinning scenario.
1106.2248v2
2011-06-17
A Three-Dimensional Tight-Binding Model and Magnetic Instability of KFe2e2
For a newly discovered iron-based high T_c superconducting parent material KFe2Se2, we present an effective three-dimensional five-orbital tight-binding model by fitting the band structures. The three t2g-symmetry orbitals of the five Fe 3d orbitals mainly contribute to the electron-like Fermi surface, in agreement with recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments. To understand the groundstate magnetic structure, the two- and three-dimensional dynamical spin susceptibilities within the random phase approximation are investigated. It obviously shows a sharp peak at wave vector $\mathbf{Q}$ $\thicksim$ ($\pi$, $\pi$), indicating the magnetic instability of {\it N$\acute{e}$el}-type antiferromagnetic rather than ($\pi$/2, $\pi$/2)-type antiferromagnetic ordering. While along $\emph{c}$ axis, it exhibits a ferromagnetic coupling between the nearest neighboring FeSe layers. The difference between the present results and the experimental observation in KxFe2-ySe2 is attributed to the presence of Fe vacancy in the latter.
1106.3485v1
2011-06-21
Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations and Unconventional Nodeless Superconductivity in an Iron-based New Superconductor (Ca_4Al_2O_{6-y})(Fe_2As_2):75As-NQR Study
We report 75As-nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies on (Ca_4Al_2O_{6-y})(Fe_2As_2) with Tc=27K, which unravel unique normal-state properties and point to unconventional nodeless superconductivity (SC). Measurement of nuclear-spin-relaxation rate 1/T_1 has revealed a significant development of two dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin fluctuations down to Tc, in association with the fact that FeAs layers with the smallest As-Fe-As bond angle are well separated by thick perovskite-type blocking layer. Below Tc, the temperature dependence of 1/T_1 without any trace of the coherence peak is well accounted for by an s(+-)-wave multiple gaps model. From the fact that Tc=27K in this compound is comparable to Tc=28K in the optimally-doped LaFeAsO_{1-y} in which AFM spin fluctuations are not dominant, we remark that AFM spin fluctuations are not a unique factor for enhancing Tc among existing Fe-based superconductors, but a condition for optimizing SC should be addressed from the lattice structure point of view.
1106.4105v1
2011-06-22
Evidence for conventional superconductivity in SrPd2Ge2
Electronic structure of SrPd2Ge2 single crystals is studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and band-structure calculations within the local-density approximation (LDA). The STS measurements show single s-wave superconducting energy gap \Delta(0) = 0.5 meV. Photon-energy dependence of the observed Fermi surface reveals a strongly three-dimensional character of the corresponding electronic bands. By comparing the experimentally measured and calculated Fermi velocities a renormalization factor of 0.95 is obtained, which is much smaller than typical values reported in Fe-based superconductors. We ascribe such an unusually low band renormalization to the different orbital character of the conduction electrons and using ARPES and STS data argue that SrPd2Ge2 is likely to be a conventional superconductor, which makes it clearly distinct from isostructural iron pnictide superconductors of the "122" family.
1106.4585v1
2011-06-26
Anisotropic two-orbital Hubbard model: single-site versus cluster dynamical mean-field theory
The anisotropic two-orbital Hubbard model with different bandwidths and degrees of frustration in each orbital is investigated in the framework of both single-site dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) as well as its cluster extension (DCA) for clusters up to four sites combined with a continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo algorithm. This model shows a rich phase diagram which includes the appearance of orbital selective phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid behavior as well as antiferromagnetic metallic states. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of employing the single-site DMFT with respect to DCA and the consequences for the physical picture obtained out of these calculations. Finally, we argue that such a minimal model may be of relevance to understand the nature of the antiferromagnetic metallic state in the iron-pnictide superconductors as well as the origin of the small staggered magnetization observed in these systems.
1106.5255v1
2011-06-27
Comment on "Infrared signature of the superconducting gap symmetry in iron-arsenide superconductors", Y. M. Dai et al. arXiv:1106.4430
Y. M. Dai et al. in their recent work arXiv:1106.4430 presented a reflectivity study of the in-plance optical conductivity of a $\textrm{Ba}_{0.6}\textrm{K}_{0.4}\textrm{Fe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ (BKFA) superconductor with $T_{\textrm{c}}\approx39K$. The single crystals used in this study are of high quality and the measurements are rather accurate. The authors analyzed the optical conductivity of BKFA in the framework of the Mattis-Bardeen theory and the BCS theory of superconductivity. This analysis, however, generates a series of severe contradictions with a large body of experimental data obtained with multiple probes as well as misuses both the Mattis-Bardeen and the BCS theories of superconductivity beyond their approximation regions.
1106.5343v1
2011-06-27
Nodal superconductivity in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ru$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ induced by isovalent Ru substitution
We present the ultra-low-temperature heat transport study of an iron-based superconductor Ba(Fe$_{0.64}$Ru$_{0.36}$)$_2$As$_2$ ($T_c$ = 20.2 K), in which the superconductivity is induced by isovalent Ru substitution. In zero field we find a large residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$, more than 40% of the normal-state value. At low field, the $\kappa_0/T$ shows an $H^{1/2}$ dependence. These provide strong evidences for nodes in the superconducting gap of Ba(Fe$_{0.64}$Ru$_{0.36}$)$_2$As$_2$, which mimics that in another isovalently substituted superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$. Our results show that the isovalent Ru substitution can also induce nodal superconductivity in BaFe$_2$As$_2$, as P does, and they may have the same origin. We further compare them with other two nodal superconductors LaFePO and LiFeP.
1106.5417v2
2011-06-29
Suzaku Discovery of a Hard Component Varying Independently of the Power-Law Emission in MCG-6-30-15
Focusing on hard X-ray variability, we reanalyzed Suzaku data of Type I Seyfert galaxy MCG-6-30-15 obtained in 2006. Intensity-sorted spectroscopy and a principal component analysis consistently revealed a very hard component that varies independently of the dominant power-law emission. Although the exact nature of this hard component is not yet identified, it can be modeled as a power-law with a photon index ~2 affected by a partial covering absorption, or as a thermal Comptonization emission with a relatively large optical depth. When this component is included in the fitting model, the time-averaged 2.5-55 keV spectrum of MCG-6-30-15 can be reproduced successfully by invoking a mildly broadened iron line with its emission region located at > 8 times the gravitational radii from the central black hole, and a moderate reflection with a covering fraction of ~3.4. This result implies that the solution of a highly spinning black hole in MCG-6-30-15, obtained by Miniutti et al. (2007, PASJ, 59, S315) using the same Suzaku data, is a model dependent result.
1106.5872v1
2011-07-02
Nanoscale phase separation in the iron chalcogenide superconductor K0.8Fe1.6Se2 as seen via scanning nanofocused x-ray diffraction
Advanced synchrotron radiation focusing down to a size of 300 nm has been used to visualize nanoscale phase separation in the K0.8Fe1.6Se2 superconducting system using scanning nanofocus single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The results show an intrinsic phase separation in K0.8Fe1.6Se2 single crystals at T< 520 K, revealing coexistence of i) a magnetic phase characterized by an expanded lattice with superstructures due to Fe vacancy ordering and ii) a non-magnetic phase with an in-plane compressed lattice. The spatial distribution of the two phases at 300 K shows a frustrated or arrested nature of the phase separation. The space-resolved imaging of the phase separation permitted us to provide a direct evidence of nanophase domains smaller than 300 nm and different micrometer-sized regions with percolating magnetic or nonmagnetic domains forming a multiscale complex network of the two phases.
1107.0412v2
2011-07-03
Linear decrease of critical temperature with increasing Zn substitution in the iron-based superconductor BaFe1.89-2xZn2xCo0.11As2
The nonmagnetic impurity effect is studied on the Fe-based BaFe1.89Co0.11As2 superconductor (Tc = 25 K) with Zn substitution for Fe up to 8 at. %, which is achieved by means of high-pressure and high-temperature heating. Tc decreases almost linearly with increasing the Zn content and disappears at ~8 atomic %, being different in the shared phenomenology of the early Zn doping studies, where Tc decreases little. The Tc decreasing rate, however, remains much lower (3.63 K/%) than what is expected for the s(+-)-wave model, implying the model is unlikely. Another symmetry model such as the non-sign reversal s-wave model may better account for the result.
1107.0423v1
2011-07-04
London Penetration Depth in Iron - based Superconductors
Measurements of London penetration depth are a sensitive tool to study multi-band superconductivity and it has provided several important insights to the behavior of Fe-based superconductors. We first briefly review the "experimentalist - friendly" self-consistent Eilenberger model that relates the measurable superfluid density and structure of superconducting gaps. Then we focus on the \BaFe -derived materials, for which the results are consistent with 1) two distinct superconducting gaps; 2) development of strong in-plane gap anisotropy with the departure from the optimal doping; 3) appearance of gap nodes along the $c-$direction in a highly overdoped regime; 4) significant pair-breaking, presumably due to charge doping; 5) fully gapped (exponential) intrinsic behavior at the optimal doping if scattering is removed (probed in the "self-doped" stoichiometric LiFeAs); 6) competition between magnetically ordered state and superconductivity, which do coexist in the underdoped compounds. Overall, it appears that while there are common trends in the behavior of Fe-based superconductors, the gap structure is non-universal and is sensitive to the doping level. It is plausible that the rich variety of possible gap structures within the general $s_{\pm}$ framework is responsible for the observed behavior.
1107.0675v1
2011-07-04
Enhancement of the Superconducting Transition Temperature under Pressure in Rare-Earth Doped Ca$_{1-x}$La$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ (x=0.27)
We report measurements of the pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature T_c in single crystal samples of the rare-earth doped superconductor Ca$_{0.73}$La$_{0.27}$Fe$_2$As$_2$. We track T_c with two techniques, via in-plane resistivity measurements and with a resonant tunnel diode oscillator circuit which is sensitive to the skin depth. We show that initially T_c rises steeply with pressure, forming a superconducting dome with a maximum T_c of ~44 K at 20 kbar. We discuss this observation in the context of other electron-doped iron pnictide superconductors, and conclude that the application of pressure offers an independent way to tune T_c in this system.
1107.0689v1
2011-07-05
Massless Leggett Mode in Three-band Superconductors with Time-Reversal-Symmetry Breaking
The Leggett mode associated with out-of-phase oscillations of superconducting phase in multi-band superconductors usually is heavy due to the interband coupling, which makes its excitation and detection difficult. We report on the existence of a massless Leggett mode in three-band superconductors with time-reversal-symmetry-breaking (TRSB). The mass of the Leggett mode is small close to the TRSB transition and vanishes at the transition point, and thus locates within the smallest superconducting energy gap, which makes it stable and detectable. The mass of the Leggett mode can be measured by Raman spectroscopy. The thermodynamic consequences of this massless mode and possible realization in iron-based superconductors are also discussed.
1107.0814v2
2011-07-05
Evidence for filamentary superconductivity nucleated at antiphase domain walls in antiferromagnetic CaFe$_2$As$_2$
Resistivity, magnetization and microscopic $^{75}$As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements in the antiferromagnetically ordered state of the iron-based superconductor parent material CaFe$_2$As$_2$ exhibit anomalous features that are consistent with the collective freezing of domain walls. Below $T^*\approx 10$ K, the resistivity exhibits a peak and downturn, the bulk magnetization exhibits a sharp increase, and $^{75}$As NMR measurements reveal the presence of slow fluctuations of the hyperfine field. These features in both the charge and spin response are strongly field dependent, are fully suppressed by $H^*\approx 15$ T, and suggest the presence of filamentary superconductivity nucleated at the antiphase domain walls in this material.
1107.0904v2
2011-07-07
56Ni, Explosive Nucleosynthesis, and SNe Ia Diversity
The origin of the iron-group elements titanium to zinc in nature is understood to occur under explosive burning conditions in both Type Ia (thermonuclear) and Type II (core collapse) supernovae. In these dynamic environments, the most abundant product is found to be 56Ni ({\tau} = 8.5 days) that decays through 56Co ({\tau} = 111.5 days) to 56Fe. For the case of SNe Ia, the peak luminosities are proportional to the mass ejected in the form of 56Ni. It follows that the diversity of SNe Ia reflected in the range of peak luminosity provides a direct measure of the mass of 56Ni ejected. In this contribution, we identify and briefly discuss the factors that can influence the 56Ni mass and use both observations and theory to quantify their impact. We address specifically the variations in different stellar populations and possible distinctions with respect to SNe Ia progenitors.
1107.1278v1
2011-07-07
Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetism of beta-Fe1.00(2)Se1.00(3) single crystals
Understanding iron based superconductors requires high quality impurity free single crystals. So far they have been elusive for beta-FeSe and extraction of intrinsic materials properties has been compromised by several magnetic impurity phases. Herein we report synchrotron - clean beta-FeSe superconducting single crystals grown via LiCl/CsCl flux method. Phase purity yields evidence for a defect induced weak ferromagnetism that coexists with superconductivity below Tc. In contrast to Fe1+yTe - based superconductors, our results reveal that the interstitial Fe(2) site is not occupied and that all contribution to density of states at the Fermi level must come from in-plane Fe(1).
1107.1496v1
2011-07-09
Pairing mechanism in multiband superconductors
We investigate pairing mechanism in multiband superconductors. To put our feet on firm ground, unbiased renormalization group analysis is carried out for iron-based superconductors. It is quite remarkable that, after integrating out quantum fluctuations, the renormalization-group flows agree exceedingly well with a mean-field Hamiltonian where interband pair hopping plays an essential role. Through interband pair hopping, electrons can overcome the repulsive interaction between them and form resonating Cooper pairs between different bands. Unlike the conventional superconductors, the pairing mechanism in multiband superconductors is resonating pair hopping between different bands, just like the resonating chemical bonds in benzene. The effective mean-field Hamiltonian spots a small parameter dictating the critical temperature and also explains how interband pair hopping always enahnces spin fluctuations at the nesting momentum connecting the Fermi surfaces. In short, no attractive glue is needed and resonating interband pair hopping is the key to Cooper pair formation in unconventional superconductors. Implications to cuprates and related issues are also discussed at the end.
1107.1796v2
2011-07-11
Fermi-surface reconstruction involving two Van Hove singularities across the antiferromagnetic transition in BaFe2As2
We report an angle-resolved photoemission study of BaFe2As2, a parent compound of iron-based superconductors. Low-energy tunable excitation photons have allowed the first observation of a saddle-point singularity at the Z point, as well as the Gamma point. With antiferromagnetic ordering, both of these two van Hove singularities come down below the Fermi energy, leading to a topological change in the innermost Fermi surface around the kz axis from cylindrical to tear-shaped, as expected from first-principles calculation. These singularities may provide an additional instability for the Fermi surface of the superconductors derived from BaFe2As2.
1107.1960v2
2011-07-11
The need for a local source of UHE CR nuclei
Recent results of the Pierre Auger (Auger) fluorescence detectors indicate an increasingly heavy composition of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays (CRs). Assuming that this trend continues up to the highest energies observed by the Auger surface detectors we derive the constraints this places on the local source distribution of UHE CR nuclei. Utilizing an analytic description of UHE CR propagation we derive the expected spectra and composition for a wide range of source emission spectra. We find that sources of intermediate-to-heavy nuclei are consistent with the observed spectra and composition data above the ankle. This consistency requires the presence of nearby sources within 60 Mpc and 80 Mpc for silicon and iron only sources, respectively. The necessity of these local sources becomes even more compelling in the presence nano-Gauss local extragalactic magnetic fields.
1107.2055v2
2011-07-11
New Indivisible Geoscience Paradigm
Earth's interior, I posit, is like one of the rare, oxygen-starved "enstatite chondrite" meteorites (and unlike a more-oxidized "ordinary chondrite" as has been believed for seventy years). Laboratory-analyzed enstatite-chondrite samples are comparable to having-in-hand impossibleto- gather deep-Earth samples. Enstatite-chondrite formation in oxygen-starved conditions caused oxygen-loving elements to occur, in part, as non-oxides in their iron-alloy. Observations, consistent with solar abundance and behavior of chemical elements, lead me to a new interpretation of: (1) Earth's early formation as a Jupiter-like gas-giant, (2) its decompressionpowered surface geology, (3) Earth's internal composition, and (4) a natural, planetocentric nuclear-fission reactor as source of both the geomagnetic field and energy channeled to surface "hot-spots". I present a unified vision of Earth formation and concomitant dynamics that explains in a logical and causally related way: (1) fluid Earth-core formation without wholeplanet melting, and (2) the myriad measurements and observations, previously attributed to "plate tectonics", but without necessitating mantle convection.
1107.2149v1
2011-07-13
The MOLDY short-range molecular dynamics package
We describe a parallelised version of the MOLDY molecular dynamics program. This Fortran code is aimed at systems which may be described by short-range potentials and specifically those which may be addressed with the embedded atom method. This includes a wide range of transition metals and alloys. MOLDY provides a range of options in terms of the molecular dynamics ensemble used and the boundary conditions which may be applied. A number of standard potentials are provided, and the modular structure of the code allows new potentials to be added easily. The code is parallelised using OpenMP and can therefore be run on shared memory systems, including modern multicore processors. Particular attention is paid to the updates required in the main force loop, where synchronisation is often required in OpenMP implementations of molecular dynamics. We examine the performance of the parallel code in detail and give some examples of applications to realistic problems, including the dynamic compression of copper and carbon migration in an iron-carbon alloy.
1107.2619v1
2011-07-14
Successive transition from superconducting to antiferromagnetic phase in (Ca_6(Al, Ti)_4O_y)Fe_2As_2 studied via ^{75}As and ^{27}Al NMR
An unusual successive phase transition from superconducting (SC) to antiferromagnetic (AF) phases was discovered via ^{75}As and ^{27}Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in (Fe_2As_2)(Ca_6(Al, Ti)_4O_y) with four (Al, Ti)O layers intercalated between FeAs planes. Although the spatially-uniform AF ordering is clearly visible from ^{27}Al spectra, the ordered moments are very small and the low-frequency fluctuation is much suppressed, contrary to existing pnictides with localized magnetic elements. Furthermore, the temperature (T) dependence of the fluctuation at both nuclei is very similar throughout the entire temperature range. These facts suggest that some hybridization between Ti and Fe orbitals induces a uniform electronic state within FeAs and (Al, Ti)O layers accompanied by the SC and AF transitions. The iron-based pnictide with Ti-doped blocking layers is the first high-T_c compound having metallic blocking layers.
1107.2765v2
2011-07-15
Satellites and large doping- and temperature-dependence of electronic properties in hole-doped BaFe2As2
Over the last years, superconductivity has been discovered in several families of iron-based compounds. Despite intense research, even basic electronic properties of these materials, such as Fermi surfaces, effective electron masses, or orbital characters are still subject to debate. Here, we address an issue that has not been considered before, namely the consequences of dynamical screening of the Coulomb interactions among Fe-d electrons. We demonstrate its importance not only for correlation satellites seen in photoemission spectroscopy, but also for the low-energy electronic structure. From our analysis of the normal phase of BaFe2As2 emerges the picture of a strongly correlated compound with strongly doping- and temperature-dependent properties. In the hole overdoped regime, an incoherent metal is found, while Fermi-liquid behavior is recovered in the undoped compound. At optimal doping, the self-energy exhibits an unusual square-root energy dependence which leads to strong band renormalizations near the Fermi level.
1107.3128v1
2011-07-21
A de Haas-van Alphen study of the Fermi surfaces of superconducting LiFeP and LiFeAs
We report a de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillation study of the 111 iron pnictide superconductors LiFeAs with T_c ~18K and LiFeP with T_c~5K. We find that for both compounds the Fermi surface topology is in good agreement with density functional band-structure calculations and shows quasi-nested electron and hole bands. The effective masses generally show significant enhancement, up to ~3 for LiFeP and ~5 for LiFeAs. However, one hole Fermi surface in LiFeP shows a very small enhancement, as compared with its other sheets. This difference probably results from k-dependent coupling to spin fluctuations and may be the origin of the different nodal and nodeless superconducting gap structures in LiFeP and LiFeAs respectively.
1107.4375v2
2011-07-22
The Chemical and Dynamical Evolution of Isolated Dwarf Galaxies
Using a suite of simulations (Governato et al. 2010) which successfully produce bulgeless (dwarf) disk galaxies, we provide an analysis of their associated cold interstellar media (ISM) and stellar chemical abundance patterns. A preliminary comparison with observations is undertaken, in order to assess whether the properties of the cold gas and chemistry of the stellar components are recovered successfully. To this end, we have extracted the radial and vertical gas density profiles, neutral hydrogen velocity dispersion, and the power spectrum of structure within the ISM. We complement this analysis of the cold gas with a brief examination of the simulations' metallicity distribution functions and the distribution of alpha-elements-to-iron.
1107.4538v1
2011-07-25
Uncertainties in modeling low-energy neutrino induced reactions on iron group nuclei
Charged-current neutrino-nucleus cross sections for 54,56Fe and 58,60Ni are calculated and compared using frameworks based on relativistic and Skyrme energy density functionals, and the shell model. The current theoretical uncertainties in modeling neutrino-nucleus cross sections are assessed in relation to the predicted Gamow-Teller transition strength and available data, multipole decomposition of the cross sections, and cross sections averaged over the Michel flux and Fermi-Dirac distribution. Employing different microscopic approaches and models, the DAR neutrino-56Fe cross section and its theoretical uncertainty are estimated: <sigma>_th=(258+-57) 10^{-42} cm^2, in very good agreement with the experimental value: <sigma>_exp=(256+-108+-43) 10^{-42} cm^2.
1107.4872v2
2011-08-01
Propagation of Ultrahigh Energy Nuclei in the Magnetic Field of our Galaxy
In this work, we present detailed simulations for propagation of ultra-high energy (UHE) heavy nuclei, with E > 60 EeV, within recent Galactic Magnetic Field (GMF) models. We investigate the impacts of the regular and turbulent components of the GMF. We show that with UHE heavy nuclei, there is no one-to-one correspondence between the arrival directions of cosmic rays (CR) measured at Earth and the direction of their extragalactic sources. Sources can have several distorted images on the sky. We compute images of galaxy clusters and of the supergalactic plane in recent GMF models and show the challenges, and possibilities, of "UHECR astronomy" with heavy nuclei. Finally, we present a quantitative study of the impact of the GMF on the (de-)magnification of source fluxes, due to magnetic lensing effects. We find that for 60 EeV iron nuclei, sources located in up to about one fifth of the sky would have their fluxes so strongly demagnified that they would not be detectable at Earth, even by the next generation of UHECR experiments.
1108.0362v2
2011-08-01
Critical fields, thermally-activated transport and critical current density of beta-FeSe single crystals
We present critical fields, thermally-activated flux flow (TAFF) and critical current density of tetragonal phase beta-FeSe single crystals. The upper critical fields Hc2(T) for H||(101) and H\bot(101) are nearly isotropic and are likely governed by Pauli limiting process. The obtained large Ginzburg-Landau parameter k \sim 72.3(2) indicates that beta-FeSe is a type-II superconductor with smaller penetration depth than in Fe(Te,Se). The resistivity below Tc follows Arrhenius TAFF behavior. For both field directions below 30 kOe single vortex pinning is dominant whereas collective creep becomes important above 30 kOe. The critical current density Jc from M-H loops for H||(101) is about five times larger than for H\bot(101), yet much smaller than in other iron-based superconductors.
1108.0407v1
2011-08-02
Spin fluctuations and unconventional pairing in KFe$_2$As$_2$
We study the relation between the spin fluctuation and superconductivity in an heavily hole doped end material KFe$_2$As$_2$. We construct a five orbital model by approximately unfolding the Brillouin zone of the three dimensional ten orbital model obtained from first principles calculation. By applying the random phase approximation, we obtain the spin susceptibility and solve the linearized Eliashberg equation. The incommensurate spin fluctuation observed experimentally is understood as originating from interband interactions, where the multiorbital nature of the band structure results in an electron-hole asymmetry of the incommensurability in the whole iron-based superconductor family. As for superconductivity, s-wave and d-wave pairings are found to be in close competition, where the sign change in the gap function in the former is driven by the incommensurate spin fluctuations. We raise several possible explanations for the nodes in the superconducting gap of KFe$_2$As$_2$ observed experimentally.
1108.0657v2
2011-08-02
What controls the phase diagram and superconductivity in Ru substituted BaFe$_2$As$_2$?
We use high resolution angle-resolved photoemission to study the electronic structure of the iron based high-temperature superconductors Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ru$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ as a function of Ru concentration. We find that substitution of Ru for Fe is isoelectronic, i. e., it does not change the value of the chemical potential. More interestingly, there are no measured, significant changes in the shape of the Fermi surface or in the Fermi velocity over a wide range of substitution levels ($0<x<0.55$). Given that the suppression of the antiferromagnetic and structural phase has been associated with the emergence of the superconducting state, Ru substitution must achieve this via a mechanism that does not involve changes of the Fermi surface. We speculate that this mechanism relies on magnetic dilution which leads to the reduction of the effective Stoner enhancement.
1108.0711v2
2011-08-03
Planar hybrid superconductor-normal metal-superconductor thin film junctions based on BaFe1.8Co0.2As2
To investigate the transport properties of iron based superconductors, we prepared planar hybrid superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS') thin film junctions with BaFe1.8Co0.2As2 as base electrode. As counter electrode we used a lead indium alloy, while the normal metal layer was formed by thin gold films. Temperature dependent measurements of the electrical conductivity were strongly influenced by the properties of the electrodes. We developed a junction structure that allows us to characterize the electrodes, too, including the behavior of their normal state resistance in order to correct their influences on the conduction spectra. The corrected conductivity of the junction was described within an extended BTK-model and shows a behavior dominated by Andreev reflexion.
1108.0851v2
2011-08-04
$β$-decay of key titanium isotopes in stellar environment
Amongst iron regime nuclei, $\beta$-decay rates on titanium isotopes are considered to be important during the late phases of evolution of massive stars. The key $\beta$-decay isotopes during presupernova evolution were searched from available literature and a microscopic calculation of the decay rates were performed using the proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) theory. As per earlier simulation results electron capture and $\beta$-decay on certain isotopes of titanium are considered to be important for the presupernova evolution of massive stars. Earlier the stellar electron capture rates and neutrino energy loss rates due to relevant titanium isotopes were presented. In this paper we finally present the $\beta$-decay rates of key titanium isotopes in stellar environment. The results are also compared against previous calculations. The pn-QRPA $\beta$-decay rates are bigger at high stellar temperatures and smaller at high stellar densities compared to the large scale shell model results. This study can prove useful for the core-collapse simulators.
1108.1026v1
2011-08-08
Conceptual design of 20 T dipoles for high-energy LHC
Availability of 20 T operational field dipole magnets would open the way for a 16.5 TeV beam energy accelerator in the LHC tunnel. Here we discuss the main issues related to the magnet design of this extremely challenging dipole: main constraints, superconductor choice, coil lay-out, iron, forces and stresses, and field quality. A tentative cost estimate is also given. The present technology, based on Nb-Ti and now near to be extended to Nb3Sn superconductor, would allow reaching 15 T operational field. To reach 20 T, HTS conductors capable to carry 400 A/mm2 at 15-20 T under transverse stress of 150-200 MPa are an essential element.
1108.1619v1
2011-08-08
Synthesis, crystal and magnetic structure of iron selenide BaFe2Se3 with possible superconductivity at Tc=11K
We report on synthesis of single crystals of BaFe2Se3 and study of their crystal and magnetic structures by means of synchrotron single crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction. The crystal structure has orthorhombic symmetry and consists of double chains of FeSe4 edge connected tetrahedra intercalated by barium. Below 240 K long range block-spin checkerboard antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is developed. The magnetic structure is similar to one observed in A0.8Fe1.6Se2 (A=K, Rb or Cs) superconductors. The crystals exhibit a transition to the diamagnetic state with an onset transition temperature of Tc ~11 K. Though we observe FeSe as an impurity phase (<0.8% mass fraction) the diamagnetism unlikely can be attributed to the FeSe-superconductor which has Tc\approx8.5K.
1108.1670v3
2011-08-11
Chemical abundances and kinematics of a sample of metal-rich barium stars
We determined the atmospheric parameters and abundance pattern for a sample of metal-rich barium stars. We used high-resolution optical spectroscopy. Atmospheric parameters and abundances were determined using the local thermodynamic equilibrium atmosphere models of Kurucz and the spectral analysis code MOOG. We show that the stars have enhancement factors, [s/Fe], from 0.25 to 1.16. Their abundance pattern of the Na, Al, alpha-elements, and iron group elements as well as their kinematical properties are similar to the characteristics of the other metal-rich and super metal-rich stars already analyzed. We conclude that metal-rich barium stars do not belong to the bulge population. We also show that metal-rich barium stars are useful targets for probing the s-process enrichment in high-metallicity environments.
1108.2500v1
2011-08-12
Nuclear medium effects in $ν/\barν$-A DIS
Nuclear medium effects in the weak structure functions $F_2(x,Q^2)$ and $F_3(x,Q^2)$ have been studied for deep inelastic neutrino/antineutrino reactions in iron nucleus by taking into account Fermi motion, binding, pion and rho meson cloud contributions, target mass correction, shadowing and anti-shadowing corrections. The calculations have been performed in a local density approximation using relativistic nuclear spectral functions which include nucleon correlations. Using these structure functions we have obtained the ratio $R_{F2,F3}^A(x,Q^2)= \frac{2F_{2,3}^A(x,Q^2)}{AF_{2,3}^D(x,Q^2)}$, the differential scattering cross section $\frac{1}{E}\frac{d^2\sigma}{dxdy}$ and the total scattering cross section $\sigma$. The results of our numerical calculations in $^{56}Fe$ are compared with the experimental results of NuTeV and CDHSW collaborations.
1108.2564v1
2011-08-17
A minimum single-band model for low-energy excitations in superconducting K$_x$Fe$_2$Se$_2$
We propose a minimum single-band model for the newly discovered iron-based superconducting K$_x$Fe$_2$Se$_2$. Our model is found to be numerically consistent with the five-orbital model at low energies. Based on our model and the random phase approximation, we study the spin fluctuation and the pairing symmetry of superconducting gap function. The $(\pi/2,\pi/2)$ spin excitation and the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry are revealed. All of the results can well be understood in terms of the interplay between the Fermi surface topology and the local spin interaction, providing a sound picture to explain why the superconducting transition temperature is as high as to be comparable to those in pnictides and some cuprates. A common origin of superconductivity is elucidated for this compound and other high-T$_c$ materials.
1108.3491v1
2011-08-17
Proximity fingerprint of s+- superconductivity
We suggest a straightforward and unambiguous test to identify possible opposite signs of superconducting order parameter in different bands proposed for iron-based superconductors (s+- state). We consider proximity effect in a weakly coupled sandwich composed of a s+- superconductor and thin layer of s-wave superconductor. In such system the s-wave order parameter is coupled differently with different s+- gaps and it typically aligns with one of these gaps. This forces the other s+- gap to be anti-aligned with the s-wave gap. In such situation the aligned band induces a peak in the s-wave density of states (DoS), while the anti-aligned band induces a dip. Observation of such contact-induced negative feature in the s-wave DoS would provide a definite proof for s+- superconductivity.
1108.3515v3
2011-08-22
Block Spin Magnetic Phase Transition of A$_y$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ Under High Pressure
We predict an unconventional magnetic ground state in A$_y$Fe$_{1.6}$Se$_2$ with $\sqrt{5}\times\sqrt{5}$ Fe-vacancy superstructure under hydraulic external pressure based on first-principles simulations. While the Fe-vacancy ordering persists up to at least $\sim $ 12GPa, the magnetic ground state goes at $\sim$10GPa from the BS-AFM phase to a N{\'e}el-FM phase, a ferromagnetic arrangement of a "{\it{N{\'e}el cluster}}". The new magnetic phase is metallic, and the BS-AFM to N{\'e}el-FM phase transition is accompanied by a sizable structural change. The two distinct magnetic phases can be understood within the extended $J_1$-$J_2$ Heisenberg model by assuming a pressure-tuned competition between the intrablock and interblock nearest-neighbor couplings of iron moments.
1108.4322v2
2011-08-23
Unconventional multiband superconductivity with nodes in single-crystalline SrFe2(As_0.65P_0.35)2 as seen via 31P-NMR and specific heat
We report 31P-NMR and specific heat measurements on an iron (Fe)-based superconductor SrFe2(As0.65P0.35)2 with Tc=26 K, which have revealed the development of antiferromagnetic correlations in the normal state and the unconventional superconductivity(SC) with nodal gap dominated by the gapless low-lying quasiparticle excitations. The results are consistently argued with an unconventional multiband SC state with the gap-size ratio of different bands being significantly large; the large full gaps in s\pm-wave state keep Tc high, whereas a small gap with a nodal-structure causes gapless feature under magnetic field. The present results will develop an insight into the strong material dependence of SC-gap structure in Fe-based superconductors.
1108.4480v2
2011-08-24
In vitro toxicity and uptake of magnetic nanorods
In this paper we investigate the internalization and cytotoxicity of nanostructured materials having the form of elongated rods, with diameter of 200 nm and lengths 1 - 10 {\mu}m. The rods were made from the controlled aggregation of sub-10 nm iron oxide nanoparticles. Recently, we have shown that the nanorods inherited the superparamagnetic property of the particles. These rods can actually be moved by the application of an external magnetic field. Here we evaluate the in vitro toxicity of the magnetic nanorods by using MTT assays on NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts. The toxicity assays revealed that the nanorods are biocompatible, as exposed cells remained 100% viable relative to controls over a period of a few days. Optical microscopy allow to visualize the rods inside the cells and to determine their number per cell. Roughly 1/3 of the total incubated rods were uptaken by the fibroblasts.
1108.4773v1
2011-08-25
XHIP: An Extended Hipparcos Compilation
We present the Extended Hipparcos Compilation (XHIP), a database of all stars in the New Reduction of the Hipparcos Catalog extensively cross-referenced with data from a broad survey of presently available sources. The resulting collection uniquely assigns 116,096 spectral classifications, 46,392 radial velocities, and 18,549 homogenized iron abundances [Fe/H] to Hipparcos stars. Stellar classifications from SIMBAD, indications of multiplicity from CCDM or WDS, stellar ages from the Geneva-Copenhagen Survey III, supplemental photometry from 2MASS and SIMBAD, and identifications of exoplanet host stars are also included. Parameters for solar encounters and Galactic orbits are calculated for a kinematically complete subset. Kinetic bias is found to be minimal. Our compilation is available through the Centre de Donn\'ees astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) as Catalog V/137B.
1108.4971v2
2011-08-30
X-ray evidence for the accretion disc-outflow connection in 3C 111
We present the spectral analysis of three Suzaku XIS observations of 3C 111 requested to monitor the predicted variability of its ultra-fast outflow on ~7 days time-scales. We detect an ionized iron emission line in the first observation and a blue-shifted absorption line in the second, when the flux is ~30% higher. The location of the material is constrained at <0.006pc from the variability. Detailed modelling support an identification with ionized reflection off the accretion disc at ~20-100r_g from the black hole and a highly ionized and massive ultra-fast outflow with velocity ~0.1c, respectively. The outflow is most probably accelerated by radiation pressure, but additional magnetic thrust can not be excluded. The measured high outflow rate and mechanical energy support the claims that disc outflows may have a significant feedback role. This work provides the first direct evidence for an accretion disc-outflow connection in a radio-loud AGN, possibly linked also to the jet activity.
1108.6095v1
2011-09-07
Probing the Order Parameter of Superconducting LiFeAs using Pb/LiFeAs and Au/LiFeAs Point-Contact Spectroscopy
We have fabricated c-axis point contact junctions between high-quality LiFeAs single crystals and Pb or Au tips in order to study the nature of the superconducting order parameter of LiFeAs, one of the few stoichiometric iron-based superconductors. The observation of the Josephson current in c-axis junctions with a conventional s-wave superconductor as the counterelectrode indicates that the pairing symmetry in LiFeAs is not pure d-wave or pure spin-triplet p-wave. A superconducting gap is clearly observed in point contact Andreev reflection measurements performed on both Pb/LiFeAs and Au/LiFeAs junctions. The conductance spectra can be well described by the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model with a lifetime broadening term, resulting in a gap value of \approx 1.6 meV (2{\Delta}/kBTC \approx 2.2).
1109.1537v2
2011-09-09
Microscopically derived Ginzburg-Landau theory for magnetic order in the iron pnictides
We examine the competition of the observed stripe spin density wave (SDW) with other commensurate and incommensurate SDW phases in a two-band model of the pnictides. Starting from this microscopic model, we rigorously derive an expansion of the free energy in terms of the different order parameters at the mean-field level. We show that three distinct commensurate SDW states are possible and study their appearance as a function of the doping and the electronic structure. We show that the stripe phase is generally present, but its extent in the phase diagram depends strongly upon the number of hole Fermi pockets that are nested with the electron Fermi pockets. Electron pockets competing for the same portion of a hole pocket play a crucial role. We discuss the relevance of our results for the antiferromagnetism of the pnictides.
1109.2071v2
2011-09-09
Competing superconducting, magnetic and charge orderings in the AF Heisenberg-Kondo lattice with Dirac electrons
Many recently discovered advanced materials, such as high-Tc cuprates, iron pnictides and several heavy-fermions, exhibit a rich phase diagram suggesting the presence of different competing interactions that would lead to various types of ordering. Nevertheless, there is not yet a clear unifying picture allowing the understanding of the detailed mechanisms that generate such competing interactions. Having such a picture, however, could quite well be at the very roots of the requirements for understanding high-Tc superconductivity in cuprates and pnictides, for instance. In this work we consider the antiferromagnetic (AF) Heisenberg-Kondo lattice, consisting of localized spins with AF exchange interactions between nearest neighbors on a square lattice and itinerant electrons, which undergo a magnetic Kondo interaction with the localized spins, but are otherwise non-interacting. Using the Schwinger-boson (CP$^1$) formalism and assuming the electrons are Dirac-like, we integrate on the localized degrees of freedom thereby obtaining the effective interaction among the itinerant electrons. This contains a BCS-like superconducting term, a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio-like, charge gap term and a Ising and Heisenberg-like magnetic terms. All these four competing interactions, therefore are generated by the original Kondo magnetic interaction.
1109.2151v1
2011-09-12
Central stars of planetary nebulae: The white dwarf connection
This paper is focused on the transition phase between central stars and white dwarfs, i.e. objects in the effective temperature range 100,000 - 200,000 K. We confine our review to hydrogen-deficient stars because the common H-rich objects are subject of the paper by Ziegler et al. in these proceedings. We address the claimed iron-deficiency in PG1159 stars and [WC] central stars. The discovery of new Ne VII and Ne VIII lines in PG1159 stars suggests that the identification of O VII and O VIII lines that are used for spectral classification of [WCE] stars is wrong. We then present evidence for two distinct post-AGB evolutionary sequences for H-deficient stars based on abundance analyses of the He-dominated O(He) stars and the hot DO white dwarf KPD0005+5106. Finally, we report on evidence for an H-deficient post-super AGB evolution sequence represented by the hottest known, carbon/oxygen-atmosphere white dwarf H1504+65 and the recently discovered carbon-atmosphere "hot DQ" white dwarfs.
1109.2391v1
2011-09-12
Spatial and Temporal Variations of the Diffuse Iron 6.4 keV Line in the Galactic Center Region
We analyze the diffuse Fe I K-alpha line generated in the diffuse interstellar molecular hydrogen by primary photons or subrelativistic protons injected by Sagittarius (Sgr) A*. We showed that unlike emission from compact molecular clouds, this emission can be permanently observed in the directions of the Galactic center. We conclude that the diffuse emission of 6.4 keV line observed at present is probably due to Fe I K-alpha vacancy production by primary photons if the X-ray luminosity of Sgr A* was about Lx ~ 10^39-10^40 erg/s. In principle these data can also be described in the framework of the model when the 6.4 keV line emission is generated by subrelativistic protons generated by accretion onto the central black hole but in this case extreme parameters of this model are necessary.
1109.2614v1
2011-09-14
Long- to short-range magnetic order in fluorine-doped CeFeAsO
The evolution of the antiferromagnetic order parameter in CeFeAsO_{1-x}F_{x} as a function of the fluorine content x was investigated primarily via zero-field muon-spin spectroscopy. The long-range magnetic order observed in the undoped compound gradually turns into a short-range order at x=0.04, seemingly accompanied/induced by a drastic reduction of the magnetic moment of the iron ions. Superconductivity appears upon a further increase in doping (x>0.04) when, unlike in the cuprates, the Fe magnetic moments become even weaker. The resulting phase diagram evidences the presence of a crossover region, where the superconducting and the magnetic order parameters coexist on a nanoscopic range.
1109.3170v1
2011-09-19
Mechanism of Cooper-pairing in layered high temperature superconductors
In this study, the pairing mechanism for layered HTS materials based on attraction between electrons from adjacent layers is proposed. Initially, each layer has expanded Fermi sphere owing to ridged geometry. When the two layers are close enough for tunneling, it becomes energetically advantageous to form correlated quantum states (CQS), reducing the Fermi sphere volume. Cooper pairs, comprising inter-tunneling electrons, occupy the CQS. The image force is responsible for the electron-electron attraction. Pair-binding energy and the corresponding effective mass vary in a wide range. At T>0, some heavy pairs do not condense. Such pairs are responsible for pseudogap. Light pairs get Bose condensed and are responsible for superconductivity. The proposed mechanism provides clarification of superconductivity in cuprates, iron based superconductors and LSCO/LCO interfaces. It provides explanation of two energy gaps and two characteristic temperatures in layered superconducting materials. It also provides clarification on the Fermi surface pockets, anisotropy of charge transport in pseudogap state, and other properties of HTS materials. The pseudogap, estimated within the model, fits the experimental values for the two-layer cuprates, such as YBCO, Bi2212, Tl2212, and Hg1212.
1109.3978v1
2011-09-19
Magnetic nanocomposites: new methodology for micromagnetic modeling and SANS experiments
A new methodology for micromagnetic simulations of magnetic nanocomposites is presented. The methodology is especially suitable for simulations of two-phase composites consisting of magnetically hard inclusions in a soft magnetic matrix phase. The proposed technique allows to avoid the unnecessary discretization of the 'hard' inclusions (these are normally in a single-domain state), but enables an arbitrary fine discretization of the 'soft' phase. The method is applied to the determination of the equilibrium magnetization state of an iron-based nanocomposite from the Nanoperm (FeZrBCu) family of alloys and to the calculation of the corresponding small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) cross-section. For this highly interesting material, the results of our simulations exhibit a remarkable agreement with the nontrivial 'clover-leaf' SANS cross-sections observed experimentally (A. Michels et al., Phys. Rev. B, v. 74, 134407 (2006)).
1109.4075v1
2011-09-20
Fundamental Parameters and Chemical Composition of Arcturus
We derive a self-consistent set of atmospheric parameters and abundances of 17 elements for the red giant star Arcturus: Teff = 4286+/-30 K, logg = 1.66+/-0.05, and [Fe/H] = -0.52+/-0.04. The effective temperature was determined using model atmosphere fits to the observed spectral energy distribution from the blue to the mid-infrared (0.44 to 10 um). The surface gravity was calculated using the trigonometric parallax of the star and stellar evolution models. A differential abundance analysis relative to the solar spectrum allowed us to derive iron abundances from equivalent width measurements of 37 FeI and 9 FeII lines, unblended in the spectra of both Arcturus and the Sun; the [Fe/H] value adopted is derived from FeI lines. We also determine the mass, radius, and age of Arcturus: M = 1.08+/-0.06 Msun, R = 25.4+/-0.2 Rsun, and t = 7.1(+1.5/-1.2) Gyr. Finally, abundances of the following elements are measured from an equivalent width analysis of atomic features: C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn. We find the chemical composition of Arcturus typical of that of a local thick-disk star, consistent with its kinematics.
1109.4425v1
2011-09-21
RKKY interaction in SDW phase of iron-based superconductors
Using the multiband model we analyze the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between the magnetic impurities in layered ferropnictide superconductors. In the normal state the interaction is spin isotropic and is dominated by the nesting features of the electron and hole bands separated by the antiferromagnetic momentum, ${\bf Q}_{AF}$. In the AF state the RKKY interaction maps into an effective anisotropic XXZ-type Heisenberg exchange model. The anisotropy originates from the breaking of the spin-rotational symmetry induced by the AF order and its strength depends on the size of the AF gap and the structure of the folded Fermi surface. We discuss our results in connection to the recent experiments.
1109.4643v1
2011-09-23
Friedel-like Oscillations from Interstitial Iron in Superconducting Fe1+yTe0.62Se0.38
Using polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering we show that interstitial Fe in superconducting Fe_{1+y}Te_{1-x}Se_x induces a magnetic Friedel-like oscillation that diffracts at Q_(in-plane)=(1/2,0) and involves >50 neighboring Fe sites. The interstitial >2 mu_B moment is surrounded by compensating ferromagnetic four spin clusters that may seed double stripe ordering in Fe_{1+y}Te. A semi-metallic 5-band model with (1/2,1/2) Fermi surface nesting and four fold symmetric super-exchange between interstitial Fe and two in-plane nearest neighbors largely accounts for the observed diffraction.
1109.5196v1
2011-10-06
Energy and Xmax reconstruction of hadron-initiated showers in surface arrays
The current methods to determine the primary energy in surface arrays are different when dealing with hadron or photon initiated showers. In this work, we adapt a method previously developed for photon-initiated showers to hadron primaries. We determine the Monte Carlo parametrizations that relate the surface energy estimator and the maximum of shower development for both, proton and Iron primaries. Using for each primary their own set of calibration curves, which is of course impossible in practice, we show that the energy could be inferred with a negligible bias and 12% resolution. However, we show that a mixed calibration could also be performed, including both type of primaries, such that the bias still remains low and the achieved resolution is around 15%. In addition, the method allows the simultaneous determination of Xmax in pure surface arrays with resolution better than 7%.
1110.1179v1
2011-10-07
Direct observation of the influence of the FeAs4 tetrahedron on superconductivity and antiferromagnetic correlations in Sr2VO3FeAs
We measure the pressure dependence of the electrical resistivity and the crystal structure of iron superconductor Sr2VO3FeAs. Below ~10 GPa the structure compresses but remains undeformed, with regular FeAs4 tetrahedrons, and a constant Tc. Beyond 10GPa, the tetrahedron strongly distorts, while Tc goes gradually to zero. Band structure calculations of the undistorted structure show multiple nesting features that hinder the development of an antiferromagnetic ground state (AF), allowing the appearance of superconductivity. The deformation of the tetrahedra that breaks band degeneracy degrades multiple nesting, thus favouring one particular AF state at the expense of Tc.
1110.1559v1
2011-10-11
Spin Glass and Semiconducting Behavior in 1D BaFe2-δSe3 Crystals
We investigate the physical properties and electronic structure of BaFe2-{\delta}Se3 crystals, which were grown out of tellurium flux. The crystal structure of the compound, an iron-deficient derivative of the ThCr2Si2-type, is built upon edge-shared FeSe4 tetrahedra fused into double chains. The semiconducting BaFe2-{\delta}Se3 with {\delta} \approx 0.2 ({\rho}295K = 0.18 {\Omega}\cdotcm and Eg = 0.30 eV) does not order magnetically, however there is evidence for short-range magnetic correlations of spin glass type (Tf \approx 50 K) in magnetization, heat capacity and neutron diffraction results. A one-third substitution of selenium with sulfur leads to a slightly higher electrical conductivity ({\rho}295K = 0.11 {\Omega}\cdotcm and Eg = 0.22 eV) and a lower spin glass freezing temperature (Tf \approx 15 K), corroborating with higher electrical conductivity reported for BaFe2S3. According to the electronic structure calculations, BaFe2Se3 can be considered as a one-dimensional ladder structure with a weak interchain coupling.
1110.2439v1
2011-10-17
MINERvA Status and Event Reconstruction
MINERvA (Main INjector ExpeRiment v-A) is a few-GeV neutrino scattering experiment that began taking data in the NuMI beam at Fermilab (FNAL) in the Fall of 2009. MINERvA employs a fine-grained detector, with an eight ton active target region composed of plastic scintillator. It also uses nuclear targets composed of carbon, iron, and lead placed upstream of the active region to measure v-A dependence. The experiment will provide important inputs for neutrino oscillation experiments and a pure weak probe of nuclear structure. We offer a set of initial kinematic distributions of interest and provide a summary of current operations and event reconstruction status. Contribution to NUFACT 11, XIIIth International Workshop on Neutrino Factories, Super beams and Beta beams, 1-6 August 2011, CERN and University of Geneva .
1110.3727v1
2011-10-21
Magnetic properties of spin diluted iron pnictides from muSR and NMR in LaFe1-xRuxAsO
The effect of isoelectronic substitutions on the microscopic properties of LaFe1-xRuxAsO, for 0< x< 0.8, has been investigated by means of muSR and 139La NMR. It was found that Ru substitution causes a progressive reduction of the N\`eel temperature (T_N) and of the magnetic order parameter without leading to the onset of superconductivity. The temperature dependence of 139La nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_1 can be suitably described within a two-band model. One band giving rise to the spin density wave ground-state, while the other one is characterized by weakly correlated electrons. Fe for Ru substitution yields to a progressive decrease of the density of states at the Fermi level close to the one derived from band structure calculations. The reduction of T_N with doping follows the predictions of the J_1-J_2 model on a square lattice, which appears to be an effective framework to describe the magnetic properties of the spin density wave ground-state.
1110.4812v1
2011-10-25
Optical conductivity of superconducting K{0.8}Fe{2-y}Se2 single crystals: Evidence for a Josephson-coupled phase
The optical properties of the iron-chalcogenide superconductor K{0.8}Fe{2-y}Se2, with a critical temperature Tc = 31 K, have been measured over a wide frequency range in the a-b planes above and below Tc. The conductivity is incoherent at room temperature, but becomes coherent (Drude-like) at T ~ Tc; however, R_\Box ~ 64 k-Ohm, well above the threshold for the superconductor-insulator transition at R_\Box = h/4e^2 ~ 6.9 k-Ohm. Below Tc, the superfluid density \rho_{s0} ~ 48 x 10^3 cm^{-2} places this material on the scaling line \rho_{s0}/8 ~ 4.4 \sigma_{dc} Tc, but in a region associated with Josephson coupling, suggesting this material is inhomogeneous and constitutes a Josephson phase.
1110.5529v2
2011-10-25
Ba{1-x}KxMn2As2: An Antiferromagnetic Local-Moment Metal
The compound BaMn2As2 with the tetragonal ThCr2Si2 structure is a local-moment antiferromagnetic insulator with a Neel temperature TN = 625 K and a large ordered moment mu = 3.9 mu_B/Mn. We demonstrate that this compound can be driven metallic by partial substitution of Ba by K, while retaining the same crystal and antiferromagnetic structures together with nearly the same high TN and large mu. Ba_{1-x}K_xMn2As2 is thus the first metallic ThCr2Si2-type MAs-based system containing local 3d transition metal M magnetic moments, with consequences for the ongoing debate about the local moment versus itinerant pictures of the FeAs-based superconductors and parent compounds. The Ba_{1-x}K_xMn2As2 class of compounds also forms a bridge between the layered iron pnictides and cuprates and may be useful to test theories of high Tc superconductivity.
1110.5546v2
2011-10-26
Correlation-enhanced electron-phonon coupling: Applications of GW and screened hybrid functional to bismuthates, chloronitrides, and other high Tc superconductors
We show that the electron-phonon coupling (EPC) in many materials can be significantly underestimated by the standard density functional theory (DFT) in the local density approximation (LDA) due to large non-local correlation effects. We present a simple yet efficient methodology to evaluate the realistic EPC going beyond LDA by using more advanced and accurate GW and screened hybrid functional DFT approaches. The corrections we propose explain the extraordinarily high superconducting temperatures that are observed in two distinct classes of compounds-the bismuthates and the transition metal chloronitrides, thus solving a thirty-year-old puzzle. Our work calls for the critically reevaluation of the EPC of certain phonon modes in many other materials such as cuprates and iron-based superconductors. The proposed methodology can be used to design new correlation-enhanced high temperature superconductors and other functional materials involving electron-phonon interaction.
1110.5751v2
2011-10-26
High transport critical current densities in textured Fe-sheathed Sr1-xKxFe2As2+Sn superconducting tapes
We report the realization of grain alignment in Sn-added Sr1-xKxFe2As2 superconducting tapes prepared by ex-situ powder-in-tube method. At 4.2 K, high transport critical current densities Jc of 2.5x10^4 A/cm^2 (Ic = 180 A) in self-field and 3.5x10^3 A/cm^2 (Ic = 25.5 A) in 10 T have been measured. These values are the highest ever reported so far for Fe-based superconducting wires and tapes. We believe the superior Jc in our tape samples are due to well textured grains and strengthened intergrain coupling achieved by Sn addition. Our results demonstrated an encouraging prospect for application of iron based superconductors.
1110.5784v2
2011-11-03
Effect of tensile stress on the in-plane resistivity anisotropy in BaFe2As2
The effect of uniaxial tensile stress and the resultant strain on the structural/magnetic transition in the parent compound of the iron arsenide superconductor, BaFe$_2$As$_2$, is characterized by temperature-dependent electrical resistivity, x-ray diffraction and quantitative polarized light imaging. We show that strain induces a measurable uniaxial structural distortion above the first-order magnetic transition and significantly smears the structural transition. This response is different from that found in another parent compound, SrFe$_2$As$_2$, where the coupled structural and magnetic transitions are strongly first order. This difference in the structural responses explains the in-plain resistivity anisotropy above the transition in BaFe$_2$As$_2$. This conclusion is supported by the Ginzburg-Landau - type phenomenological model for the effect of the uniaxial strain on the resistivity anisotropy.
1111.0997v1
2011-11-03
Doping - dependent superconducting gap anisotropy in the two-dimensional 10-3-8 pnictide Ca$_{10}$(Pt$_3$As$_8$)[(Fe$_{1-x}$Pt$_{x}$)$_2$As$_2$]$_5$
The characteristic features of Ca$_{10}$(Pt$_3$As$_8$)[(Fe$_{1-x}$Pt$_x$)$_2$As$_2$]$_5$ ("10-3-8") superconductor are relatively high anisotropy and a clear separation of superconductivity and structural/magnetic transitions, which allows studying the superconducting gap without complications due to the coexisting order parameters. The London penetration depth, measured in underdoped single crystals of 10-3-8 ($x =$ 0.028, 0.041, 0.042, and 0.097), shows behavior remarkably similar to other Fe-based superconductors, exhibiting robust power-law, $\Delta \lambda(T) = A T^n$. The exponent $n$ decreases from 2.36 ($x =$ 0.097, close to optimal doping) to 1.7 ($x =$ 0.028, a heavily underdoped composition), suggesting that the superconducting gap becomes more anisotropic at the dome edge. A similar trend is found in low-anisotropy superconductors based on BaFe$_2$As$_2$ ("122"), implying that it is an intrinsic property of superconductivity in iron pnictides, unrelated to the coexistence of magnetic order and superconductivity or the anisotropy of the normal state. Overall this doping dependence is consistent with $s_{\pm}$ pairing competing with intra-band repulsion.
1111.1003v1
2011-11-07
Effects of correlation in LiFeAs
We discuss the role of electronic correlations in the iron-based superconductor LiFeAs by studying the effects on band structure, mass enhancements, and Fermi surface in the framework of density functional theory combined with dynamical mean field theory calculations. We conclude that LiFeAs shows characteristics of a moderately correlated metal and that the strength of correlations is mainly controlled by the value of the Hund's rule coupling J. The hole pockets of the Fermi surface show a distinctive change in form and size with implications for the nesting properties. Our calculations are in good agreement with recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and de Haas-van Alphen experiments.
1111.1620v2
2011-11-08
Superconducting proximity effect to the block antiferromagnetism in K$_{y}$Fe$_{2-x}$Se$_{2}$
Recent discovery of superconducting (SC) ternary iron selenides has block antiferromagentic (AFM) long range order. Many experiments show possible mesoscopic phase separation of the superconductivity and antiferromagnetism, while the neutron experiment reveals a sizable suppression of magnetic moment due to the superconductivity indicating a possible phase coexistence. Here we propose that the observed suppression of the magnetic moment may be explained due to the proximity effect within a phase separation scenario. We use a two-orbital model to study the proximity effect on a layer of block AFM state induced by neighboring SC layers via an interlayer tunneling mechanism. We argue that the proximity effect in ternary Fe-selenides should be large because of the large interlayer coupling and weak electron correlation. The result of our mean field theory is compared with the neutron experiments semi-quantitatively. The suppression of the magnetic moment due to the SC proximity effect is found to be more pronounced in the d-wave superconductivity and may be enhanced by the frustrated structure of the block AFM state.
1111.1860v1
2011-11-08
A Bayesian approach to magnetic moment determination using muSR
A significant challenge in zero-field muSR experiments arises from the uncertainty in the muon site. It is possible to calculate the dipole field (and hence precession frequency nu) at any particular site given the magnetic moment mu and magnetic structure. One can also evaluate f(nu), the probability distribution function of nu assuming that the muon site can be anywhere within the unit cell with equal probability, excluding physically forbidden sites. Since nu is obtained from experiment, what we would like to know is g(mu|nu), the probability density function of mu given the observed nu. This can be obtained from our calculated f(nu/mu) using Bayes' theorem. We describe an approach to this problem which we have used to extract information about real systems including a low-moment osmate compound, a family of molecular magnets, and an iron-arsenide compound.
1111.1980v1
2011-11-09
Effect of uniaxial strain on the structural and magnetic phase transitions in BaFe$_2$As$_2$
We report neutron scattering experiments probing the influence of uniaxial strain on both the magnetic and structural order parameters in the parent iron pnictide compound, BaFe$_2$As$_2$. Our data show that modest strain fields along the in-plane orthorhombic b-axis can affect significant changes in phase behavior simultaneous to the removal of structural twinning effects. As a result, we demonstrate in BaFe$_2$As$_2$ samples detwinned via uniaxial strain that the in-plane C$_4$ symmetry is broken by \textit{both} the structural lattice distortion \textit{and} long-range spin ordering at temperatures far above the nominal (strain-free), phase transition temperatures. Surprising changes in the magnetic order parameter of this system under relatively small strain fields also suggest the inherent presence of magnetic domains fluctuating above the strain-free ordering temperature in this material.
1111.2326v2
2011-11-14
VLT/X-shooter observations and the chemical composition of cool white dwarfs
We present a model atmosphere analysis of cool hydrogen-rich white dwarfs observed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) with the X-shooter spectrograph. The intermediate-dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra allowed us to conduct a detailed analysis of hydrogen and heavy element line profiles. In particular, we tested various prescriptions for hydrogen Balmer line broadening parameters and determined the effective temperature and surface gravity of each star. Three objects (NLTT 1675, 6390 and 11393) show the presence of heavy elements (Mg, Al, Ca, or Fe). Our abundance analysis revealed a relatively high iron to calcium ratio in NLTT 1675 and NLTT 6390. We also present an analysis of spectropolarimetric data obtained at the VLT using the focal reducer and low dispersion spectrograph (FORS) and we established strict upper limits on the magnetic field strengths in three of the DAZ white dwarfs and determined the longitudinal magnetic field strength in the DAZ NLTT 10480. The class of DAZ white dwarfs comprises objects that are possibly accreting material from their immediate circumstellar environment and the present study contributes in establishing class properties.
1111.3250v1
2011-11-14
Quantised orbital angular momentum transfer and magnetic dichroism in the interaction of electron vortices with matter
Following the very recent experimental realisation of electron vortices, we consider their interaction with matter, in particular the transfer of orbital angular momentum in the context of electron energy loss spectroscopy, and the recently observed dichroism in thin film magnetised iron samples. We show here that orbital angular momentum exchange does indeed occur between electron vortices and the internal electronic-type motion, as well as center of mass motion of atoms in the electric dipole approximation. This contrasts with the case of optical vortices where such transfer only occurs in transitions involving multipoles higher than the dipole. The physical basis of the observed dichroism is explained.
1111.3259v2
2011-11-15
Unconventional Anisotropic s-Wave Superconducting Gaps of LiFeAs Iron-Pnictide Superconductor
We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on Fe-based superconductor LiFeAs (Tc = 18 K). We reveal multiple nodeless superconducting (SC) gaps with 2D/kBTc ratios varying from 2.8 to 6.4, depending on the Fermi surface (FS). We also succeeded in directly observing a gap anisotropy along the FS with magnitude up to ~30 %. The anisotropy is four-fold symmetric with an antiphase between the hole and electron FSs, suggesting complex anisotropic interactions for the SC pairing. The observed momentum dependence of the SC gap offers an excellent opportunity to investigate the underlying pairing mechanism.
1111.3496v2