Measurements of the differential elastoresistance of URu$_2$Si$_2$ reveal that the fluctuations associated with the 17 K Hidden Order phase transition have a nematic component. Approaching the Hidden Order phase transition from above, the nematic susceptibility abruptly changes sign, indicating that while the Hidden Order phase has a nematic component, it breaks additional symmetries.
A new method is presented for measuring terms in the elastoresistivity tensor $m_{ij}$ of single crystal samples with tetragonal symmetry. The technique is applied to a representative underdoped Fe-arsenide, Ba(Fe$_{0.975}$Co$_{0.025}$)$_2$As$_2$, revealing an anomalously large and anisotropic elastoresistance in comparison to simple metals. The $m_{66}$ coefficient follows a Curie-Weiss temperature dependence, providing direct evidence that the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural phase transition that occurs at $T_s$ = 97.5 K in this material is not the result of a true-proper ferro-elastic transition. Rather, the material suffers a pseudo-proper transition for which the lattice strain is not the primary order parameter.
The underlying physics of the magnetic-field-induced resistive state in high temperature cuprate superconductors remains a mystery. One interpretation is that the application of magnetic field destroys the d-wave superconducting gap to uncover a Fermi surface that behaves like a conventional (i.e.Fermi Liquid) metal (1). Another view is that an applied magnetic field destroys long range superconducting phase coherence, but the superconducting gap amplitude survives (2, 3). By measuring the specific heat of ultra-clean YBa2Cu3O6.56 (YBCO 6.56), we obtain a measure of the quasi-particle density of states from the superconducting state well into the magnetic-field-induced resistive state. We have found that at very high magnetic fields the specific heat exhibits both the conventional temperature dependence and quantum oscillations expected for a Fermi Liquid. On the other hand, the magnetic field dependence of the quasi-particle density of states follows a sqrt{H} behavior that persists right through the zero-resistance transition, evidencing the fully developed d-wave superconducting gap over the entire magnetic field range measured. The coexistence of these two phenomena pose a rigorous thermodynamic constraint on theories of high-magnetic-field resistive state in the cuprates.
We report the Hall resistivity, $rho_{xy}$ of polycrystalline SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ for four different fluorine concentrations from the onset of superconductivity through the collapse of the structural phase transition. For the two more highly-doped samples, $rho_{xy}$ is linear in magnetic field up to 50 T with only weak temperature dependence, reminiscent of a simple Fermi liquid. For the lightly-doped samples with $x<0.15$, we find a low temperature regime characterized $rho_{xy}(H)$ being both non-linear in magnetic field and strongly temperature dependent even though the Hall angle is small. The onset temperature for this non-linear regime is in the vicinity of the structural phase (SPT)/spin density wave (SDW) transitions. The temperature dependence of the Hall resistivity is consistent with a thermal activation of carriers across an energy gap. The evolution of the energy gap with doping is reported.
