Superconducting Characteristics Research Articles

Magnetic Nonreciprocity in a Hybrid Device of Asymmetric Artificial Spin-Ice-Superconductors

Controlling the size and distribution of potential barriers within a medium of interacting particles can unveil unique collective behaviors and innovative functionalities. We introduce a unique superconducting hybrid device using a novel artificial spin ice structure composed of asymmetric nanomagnets. This structure forms a distinctive superconducting pinning potential that steers unconventional motion of superconducting vortices, thereby inducing a magnetic nonreciprocal effect, in contrast to the electric nonreciprocal effect commonly observed in superconducting diodes. Furthermore, the polarity of the magnetic nonreciprocity is in situ reversible through the tunable magnetic patterns of artificial spin ice. Our findings demonstrate that artificial spin ice not only precisely modulates superconducting characteristics but also opens the door to novel functionalities, offering a groundbreaking paradigm for superconducting electronics.

An advanced high-rate capability sodium-ion anode: Few-layered NbSe2 with a mechanism of parallel running intercalation and conversion

The unique superconductivity and charge density wave transition characteristics of NbSe2 make it worthy of exploring its electrochemical performance and potential applications in the field of batteries. Herein, the bulk NbSe2 was successfully exfoliated into few-layered NbSe2 nanostructures by wet grinding exfoliation approach, which solved the issues of its long activation period and poor cycle stability. The strong Nb-Se bond in the plane and weak van der Waals force between the adjacent layers could render the fast Na+ diffusion, provide abundant reaction sites and multi-directional migration paths, thus accelerate the ionic conductivity. The theoretical calculations verified the high Na+ adsorption tendency between the NbSe2 interlayers stemming from the continuous region of charge accumulation. Thanks to the unique electronic and two-dimensional few-layered structures, the exfoliated NbSe2 exhibited a high cyclic stability with a capacity of 502 mA h g−1 over 2800 cycles at 10 A/g. In addition, the reaction mechanism was studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction and other tests, indicating a reaction mechanism containing of simultaneous intercalation (NbSe2↔NaxNbSe2↔NaNbSe2↔Na1+xNbSe2) and conversion processes in NbSe2. This parallelly running mechanism not only alleviates the volume change but also ensures a high specific capacity. Additionally, different lattice planes of the NaNbSe2 intermediate in the intercalation process experience varying degrees of contraction and expanding in d-spacing due to the influence of Coulombic force.

Effect of Partial Doping with La Atoms on Some Superconducting and Electrotransport Characteristics of Y1-x LaxBa2Cu3Oy Polycrystals

The effect of the location with different concentrations of La atoms (x = 0; 0.02; 0.028; 0.11) on some superconducting and electrotransport characteristics of Y1−xLaxBa2Cu3Oy polycrystalline compounds was studied by recording the temperature dependence ρ(T) curves of resistivity in the case of direct current in the range of temperatures (77K - 300K). The temperatures at the onset (Τcon) and offset (Tc0) of the transition, as well as the width of the transition - ΔΤc = Τcon-Tc0, were considered as the superconducting characteristics. The absolute values of ρ(300K) and ρ(100K) and their ratio a = ρ(300K)/ρ(100K) were considered as electric transport characteristics, as well as the temperature coefficient of resistivity dρ/dT, which was determined by ρ(T) in the range of linear dependence with the slope of the curve. From the comparison of these characteristics, it was concluded that there is a certain correlation between the superconducting and electrotransport properties of the studied compounds depending on the concentration x of the partial location of Y atoms with La. Type:

Investigation of pressure impact on physical characteristics of FeSe chalcogenide superconductor: Insights from first principles calculation

Understanding the high-pressure physical characteristics of iron selenium (FeSe) superconductors is crucial to comprehending their superconducting abilities. First-principles Density Functional Theory has been computed in the present calculations to analyze the pressure impact on structural, mechanical, electronic and superconducting characteristics along with the Debye and melting temperatures of tetragonal FeSe. The analysis of mechanical characteristics suggests that this compound remains mechanically stable up to a pressure of 20 GPa. The applied hydrostatic pressure is observed to have a significant impact on the elastic moduli and the anisotropic behaviour of FeSe at all pressure conditions. Similarly, the first indication of ductility is observed approximately at 8 GPa and then it increases as pressure rises. At 0 GPa, the optimized structural values are seen to line up with the available data. The variation of structural parameters and electronic factors of FeSe with applied pressure is also mentioned here. Moreover, the assessment of the compound’s electronic characteristics provides strong evidence for its metallic nature and the rise in a number of states at the Fermi energy level with applied pressure may be the cause for the increase in the superconducting critical temperature of FeSe with pressure.

The Impact of Short-Range (Gaussian) Disorder Correlations on Superconducting Characteristics

The pursuit of enhanced superconducting device performance has historically focused on minimizing disorder in materials. Recent research, however, challenges this conventional wisdom by exploring the unique characteristics of disordered materials. Following the studies, disorder is currently viewed as a design parameter that can be tuned. This shift in the paradigm has sparked an upsurge in research efforts, which demonstrates that disorder can significantly augment the superconductivity figures of merit. While almost all previous studies attended to the effects related to disorder strength, this article focuses on the impact of short-range disorder correlations that in real materials takes place, for example, due to lattice defects. The study shows that the degree of such correlations can strongly influence the superconducting characteristics.

Quasi-2D Fermi surface in the anomalous superconductor UTe2

The heavy fermion paramagnet UTe2 exhibits numerous characteristics of spin-triplet superconductivity. Efforts to understand the microscopic details of this exotic superconductivity have been impeded by uncertainty regarding the underlying electronic structure. Here we directly probe the Fermi surface of UTe2 by measuring magnetic quantum oscillations in pristine quality crystals. We find an angular profile of quantum oscillatory frequency and amplitude that is characteristic of a quasi-2D Fermi surface, which we find is well described by two cylindrical Fermi sheets of electron- and hole-type respectively. Additionally, we find that both cylindrical Fermi sheets possess considerable undulation but negligible small-scale corrugation, which may allow for their near-nesting and therefore promote magnetic fluctuations that enhance the triplet pairing mechanism. Importantly, we find no evidence for the presence of any 3D Fermi surface sections. Our results place strong constraints on the possible symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in UTe2.

Planar Hall Effect and Quasi ‐ 2D Anisotropic Superconductivity in Topological Candidate 1T‐NbSeTe

AbstractSuperconducting topological materials have generated considerable interest in condensed matter research due to their unusual gap structures and topological properties. In this study, the normal and superconducting characteristics of a potential topological semimetal, 1T‐NbSeTe are investigated through comprehensive transport and magnetization measurements on bulk single crystals. The results suggest the topological semimetallic nature of NbSeTe, as evidenced by the observation of the planar Hall effect. Moreover, it displays quasi‐2D anisotropic superconductivity, which breaks the Pauli limit. The coexistence of the topological semimetallic nature and superconductivity of NbSeTe makes it a potential contender for topological superconductivity.

Ex-situ spark plasma sintered MgB2 with Ge-based organometallic additions: Key ingredients for superconductivity enhancement

Dense samples of MgB2, with a relative density of 98.3–99.1 %, were prepared by ex-situ spark plasma sintering using a raw powder supplied by Alfa Aesar. Samples were added with Ge-based organometallics (repagermanium/RGe, propagermaniu/PGe, linear Ge-based organometallic/GeSP, and Na-doped octamer/8THGP-Na) for the starting composition (MgB2)(Ge-based organometallics)0.0014. Except for the 8THGP-Na, they have a similar chemical composition in respect to Ge and C, while the crystal structure differs. Below 20 K, all studied additions increased the critical current density, Jc, and the irreversibility field, Hirr. Samples added with GeSP and 8THGP-Na have marginal differences regarding superconducting characteristics. The best Jc and Hirr are obtained for the sample added with RGe. This sample has the highest amount of carbon in the crystal lattice of MgB2. Results point out that there is a complex influence of the additive on carbon behaviour. Although in general it is accepted that a higher amount of carbon produces higher Jc and Hirr, a comparison with the literature indicates that C-rich raw MgB2 powders (e.g. the C-enhanced MgB2 nanopowder produced by Pavezyum) are not suitable to promote strong superconductivity enhancement in the samples added with indicated organometallics, and the origin, states, and evolution of carbon should to be carefully assessed.

Sudden adiabaticity signals reentrant bulk superconductivity in UTe2.

There has been a recent surge of interest in UTe due to its unconventional magnetic field (H)-reinforced spin-triplet superconducting phases persisting at fields far above the simple Pauli limit for . Magnetic fields in excess of 35 T then induce a field-polarized magnetic state via a first-order-like phase transition. More controversially, for field orientations close to and above 40 T, electrical resistivity measurements suggest that a further superconducting state may exist. However, no Meissner effect or thermodynamic evidence exists to date for this phase making it difficult to exclude alternative scenarios. In this paper, we describe a study using thermal, electrical, and magnetic probes in magnetic fields of up to 55 T applied between the [010] (b) and [001] (c) directions. Our MHz conductivity data reveal the field-induced state of low or vanishing electrical resistance; our simultaneous magnetocaloric effect measurements (i.e. changes in sample temperature due to changing magnetic field) show the first definitive evidence for adiabaticity and thermal behavior characteristic of bulk field-induced superconductivity.

Superfluid response of two-dimensional filamentary superconductors

Different classes of low-dimensional superconducting systems exhibit an inhomogeneous filamentary superconducting condensate whose macroscopic coherence still needs to be fully investigated and understood. Here, we present a thorough analysis of the superfluid response of a prototypical filamentary superconductor embedded in a two-dimensional metallic matrix. By mapping the system into an exactly solvable random impedance network, we show how the dissipative (reactive) response of the system non-trivially depends on both the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the metallic (superconducting) fraction. We compare our calculations with resonant microwave transport measurements performed on LaAlO_33/SrTiO_33 heterostructures over an extended range of temperatures and carrier densities finding that the filamentary character of superconductivity accounts for unusual peculiar features of the experimental data.

On the Character of Superconductivity and Topological Properties of SnAs

On the Character of Superconductivity and Topological Properties of SnAs

Intrinsic surface p-wave superconductivity in layered AuSn4

The search for topological superconductivity (TSC) is currently an exciting pursuit, since non-trivial topological superconducting phases could host exotic Majorana modes. However, the difficulty in fabricating proximity-induced TSC heterostructures, the sensitivity to disorder and stringent topological restrictions of intrinsic TSC place serious limitations and formidable challenges on the materials and related applications. Here, we report a new type of intrinsic TSC, namely intrinsic surface topological superconductivity (IS-TSC) and demonstrate it in layered AuSn4 with Tc of 2.4 K. Different in-plane and out-of-plane upper critical fields reflect a two-dimensional (2D) character of superconductivity. The two-fold symmetric angular dependences of both magneto-transport and the zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) in the superconducting regime indicate an unconventional pairing symmetry of AuSn4. The superconducting gap and surface multi-bands with Rashba splitting at the Fermi level (EF), in conjunction with first-principle calculations, strongly suggest that 2D unconventional SC in AuSn4 originates from the mixture of p-wave surface and s-wave bulk contributions, which leads to a two-fold symmetric superconductivity. Our results provide an exciting paradigm to realize TSC via Rashba effect on surface superconducting bands in layered materials.

Superconducting properties of new hexagonal and noncentrosymmetric cubic high entropy alloys

Superconducting high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a newly burgeoning field of unconventional superconductors and raise intriguing questions about the presence of superconductivity in highly disordered systems, which lack regular phonon modes. In our study, we have synthesized and investigated the superconducting characteristics of two new transition elements based HEAs Re0.35Os0.35Mo0.10W0.10Zr0.10 crystallizing in noncentrosymmetric α-Mn structure, and Ru0.35Os0.35Mo0.10W0.10Zr0.10 crystallizing in hexagonal closed-packed structure (hcp). Due to its high hardness, transition-metal-based hexagonal hcp HEA is rare and highly desirable for practical applications. Bulk magnetization, resistivity, and specific heat measurements confirmed bulk type-II superconductivity in both alloys. Specific heat analysis up to the measured low-temperature range suffices for a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer explanation.

Isotropic plasma-thermal atomic layer etching of superconducting titanium nitride films using sequential exposures of molecular oxygen and SF6/H2 plasma

Microwave loss in superconducting TiN films is attributed to two-level systems in various interfaces arising in part from oxidation and microfabrication-induced damage. Atomic layer etching (ALE) is an emerging subtractive fabrication method which is capable of etching with angstrom-scale etch depth control and potentially less damage. However, while ALE processes for TiN have been reported, they either employ HF vapor, incurring practical complications, or the etch rate lacks the desired control. Furthermore, the superconducting characteristics of the etched films have not been characterized. Here, we report an isotropic plasma-thermal TiN ALE process consisting of sequential exposures to molecular oxygen and an SF6/H2 plasma. For certain ratios of SF6:H2 flow rates, we observe selective etching of TiO2 over TiN, enabling self-limiting etching within a cycle. Etch rates were measured to vary from 1.1 Å/cycle at 150°C to 3.2 Å/cycle at 350°C using ex situ ellipsometry. We demonstrate that the superconducting critical temperature of the etched film does not decrease beyond that expected from the decrease in film thickness, highlighting the low-damage nature of the process. These findings have relevance for applications of TiN in microwave kinetic inductance detectors and superconducting qubits.

Defect-induced weak collective pinning in superconducting YB6 crystals

In a previous study (2017 Phys. Rev. B 96 144501), a strong variation in the superconducting transition temperature T c of YB6 differing by a factor of two has been explained by a change in the density of yttrium and boron vacancies tuning the electron–phonon interaction. Here, by using an array of miniature Hall probes, we address the penetration of the magnetic field, pinning, and critical current density on a series of YB6 single crystals with T c variation between 4.25 and 7.35 K. The analysis of the superconducting and normal-state specific heat characteristics allowed us to determine T c and the stoichiometry of our samples. We observed almost no pinning in the most stoichiometric YB6 crystal with the lowest T c. Upon increasing the number of vacancies weak pinning appears, and the critical current density is enhanced following the increased transition temperature in a linear variation. We argue that such an increase is, within weak collective pinning theory, consistent with the increasing number of vacancies that serve as pinning centers.

Role of electron–phonon coupling in the superconducting state of MgB2 polycrystals fabricated at different conditions

In this study, the superconducting properties of MgB2 bulk samples fabricated at different conditions were investigated. Ex situ MgB2 samples were further mixed with Mg and B at different amounts and sintered at different times and temperatures. Using Raman spectroscopy, the bearing of electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling (EPC) has been investigated. The dependence of temperature on magnetization, M(T), along with the dependence of magnetic field on magnetization, M(H), were evaluated to analyze the superconducting characteristics. Using the McMillan formular, which is modified by Allen–Dynes, and the frequency of phonon located in the mid peak centre ω2 (E2g), the contribution of EPC, whose value is closely proportional to the variation of critical temperature was reckoned. The lowest EPC value was determined by Raman spectrum analysis to be 1.094 for the MgB2 sample added with 0.5 Mg and sintered at 1000 °C for 1 h. In addition, the sample showed the lowest critical temperature along with the highest critical current density. The small bundle field (Bsb) as well as the large bundle field (Blb) were obtained using the collective pinning theory, demonstrating the expansion of the small also the large bundle regimes under suitable sample fabrication conditions. Based on the dependence of temperature on normalized critical current density (j) and normalized small bundle field (Bsb), δTc pinning is the predominant flux pinning mechanism across totally MgB2 bulk samples. The model of Dew–Hughes confirmed that the addition of Mg along with B creates surface pinning in the matrix by analyzing the pinning properties.

Development of Super Fine Strand Nb3Al Cable for SuperKEKB Superconducting Sextupole Magnet System

Along the beam lines of the SuperKEKB main rings, 218 conventional sextupole magnets are installed, and they are used for tuning the chromaticity of the accelerator rings. Especially, 16 sextupole magnets in the beam straight lines in the Tsukuba area are quite essential for the Crab Waist beam colliding. To make the beam tuning process finer, we are studying the superconducting sextupole magnet system with three types of the corrector magnets. From the operation temperature of the system, A15 compound superconductor is chosen as the cable material, and the development of the react and wind coil production has been tried with the Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Al cable. The Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Al super fine strand superconducting cable for the corrector magnets was manufactured, and its superconducting characteristics are being studied. In this paper, as the first test result of the development, the critical current characteristics of the straight cable as variables of temperature and magnetic field are reported. As the results, the critical current of the Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Al cable was higher than the design values for the corrector magnets, and this level of cable performance also indicates the potential for the cable being used for the main sextupole magnet.

Fabrication and performance of Nb3Sn superconducting joints

Nb3Sn superconducting joints were developed, and the joint characteristics were investigated. The joints were prepared by powder metallurgy to sinter the precursor powders that were mechanically alloyed. The optimized parameters were confirmed through x-ray diffraction studies to confirm the stoichiometry of Nb, Sn, and Cu. First, the precursor powders after mechanical alloying were heat treated without the Nb3Sn wires. Electron backscatter diffraction was used to quantify the crystal morphology, phase distribution, grain boundaries, physical grain orientation, and so on. Small equiaxed Nb3Sn grains were formed after heat treatment. The high-angle grain boundaries in Nb3Sn indicated the complete solid-state diffusion reaction. After the Nb3Sn was successfully prepared, and the superconducting characteristics were measured, we introduce the Nb3Sn wires to prepare Nb3Sn joints and measure their electrical properties. To use the space as economically as possible, the joint was tested under different background fields to estimate the joint resistance under various locations in the magnet. The experimental method and the test results are reported in this work. The joint resistance was tested by using the current decay measure method. The electrical resistance of the Nb3Sn–Nb3Sn joints was on the 10−13 Ω level under the 5.5 T magnetic field.

Phase Transition of Nb3Sn during the Heat Treatment of Precursors after Mechanical Alloying

The phase transition process of Nb3Sn during heat treatment exerts important influences on Nb3Sn formation and the superconducting characteristics of Nb3Sn superconductors. A simple method for quickly preparing Nb3Sn was studied. First, Nb, Sn, and Cu powders were mechanically alloyed to prepare the precursor. Then, the precursor was heat treated at different times to form Nb3Sn. During the first stage, the morphology and crystal structure of the products were analyzed after different milling times. The results of the transmission electron microscopy showed the poor crystallinity of the products compared with the original materials. During the second stage, heat treatment was performed at different temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1073 K. After treatment, the products were studied via X-ray diffraction analysis to determine how the structure changed with increasing temperature. Only the Nb diffraction peaks in the precursor were observed after high-energy ball milling for more than 3 h. When the heat treatment temperature was above 773 K and heat treatment time was 15 min, Nb3Sn began to form. When the temperature was above 973 K, some impurities, such as Nb2O5, appeared. After 5 h of ball milling, the precursor was heat treated at different times in a vacuum heat treatment furnace. The crystal structure of the product exhibited evident diffraction peaks of Nb3Sn. The critical temperatures of the samples that were heat treated at different times were between 17 K and 18 K. The magnetic critical current density of the sample versus the applied magnetic field at 4.2 K indicated that the magnetic Jc was approximately 30,000 A/cm2.

Change of superconducting character in UTe2 induced by magnetic field

$\mathrm{U}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ is a recently discovered spin-triplet superconductor. One of the characteristic features of $\mathrm{U}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ is a magnetic field ($H$)-boosted superconductivity &gt;16 T when $H$ is applied exactly parallel to the $b$ axis. To date, this superconducting (SC) state has not been thoroughly investigated, and the SC properties as well as the spin state of this high-$H$ SC (HHSC) phase are not well understood. In this letter, we performed AC magnetic susceptibility and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and found that, up to 24.8 T, the HHSC state has bulk nature and is quite sensitive to the $H$ angle and that its SC character is different from that in the low-$H$ SC (LHSC) state. The dominant spin component of the spin-triplet pair is along the $a$ axis in the LHSC state but is changed in the HHSC state along the $b$ axis. Our results indicate that $H$-induced multiple SC states originate from the remaining spin degrees of freedom.