No Arabic abstract
We study the graphite intercalated compound CaC$_6$ by means of Eliashberg theory, focusing on the anisotropy properties. An analysis of the electron-phonon coupling is performed, and we define a minimal 6-band anisotropy structure. Comparing with Superconducting Density Functional Theory (SCDFT) the condition under which Eliashberg theory is able to reproduce the SCDFT gap structure is determined, and we discuss the role of Coulomb interactions. The Engelsberg-Schrieffer polaron structure is computed by solving the Eliashberg equation on the Matsubara axis and analytically continuing it to the full complex plane. This reveals the polaronic quasiparticle bands anisotropic features as well as the interplay with superconductivity.
The intercalated graphite superconductor CaC6 with Tc ~ 11.5 K has been synthesized and characterized with magnetoresistance measurements. Above the transition, the resistivity follows a T^2 dependence up to 50 K, which suggests Fermi liquid behavior. Above 50 K, the data can be fit to the Bloch-Gruneisen model providing a Debye temperature of theta = 263 K. By using McMillan formula, we estimate the electron-phonon coupling constant of lambda = 0.85 which places this material in the intermediate-coupling regime. The upper critical field is determined parallel and perpendicular to the superconducting planes, and the dependence of the upper critical field as a function of angle suggests that this is a quasi-2D superconductivity. All of these measurements are consistent with BCS-like superconductivity.
We present the results of a neutron scattering study of the high energy phonons in the superconducting graphite intercalation compound CaC$_6$. The study was designed to address hitherto unexplored aspects of the lattice dynamics in CaC$_6$, and in particular any renormalization of the out-of-plane and in-plane graphitic phonon modes. We present a detailed comparison between the data and the results of density functional theory (DFT). A description is given of the analysis methods developed to account for the highly-textured nature of the samples. The DFT calculations are shown to provide a good description of the general features of the experimental data. This is significant in light of a number of striking disagreements in the literature between other experiments and DFT on CaC$_6$. The results presented here demonstrate that the disagreements are not due to any large inaccuracies in the calculated phonon frequencies.
We study Fe$_{1+y}$Te$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$ multi-band superconductor with $T_c=14$K by polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy. Deep in the superconducting state, we detect pair-breaking excitation at 45cm$^{-1}$ ($2Delta=5.6$meV) in the $XY$($B_{2g}$) scattering geometry, consistent with twice of the superconducting gap energy (3 meV) revealed by ARPES on the hole-like Fermi pocket with $d_{xz}/d_{yz}$ character. We analyze the superconductivity induced phonon self-energy effects for the $B_{1g}$(Fe) phonon and estimate the electron-phonon coupling constant $lambda^Gamma approx 0.026$, which is insufficient to explain superconductivity with $T_c=14$K.
The temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth, $lambda_{ab}(T)$, has been measured in a c-axis oriented polycrystalline CaC$_{6}$ bulk sample using a high-resolution mutual inductance technique. A clear exponential behavior of $lambda_{ab}(T)$ has been observed at low temperatures, strongly suggesting isotropic s-wave pairing. Data fit using the standard BCS theory yields $lambda_{ab}(0)=(720pm 80)$ Angstroem and $Delta(0)=(1.79pm 0.08)$ meV. The ratio $2Delta(0)/k_{_B}T_{c}=(3.6pm 0.2)$ gives indication for a conventional weakly coupled superconductor.
The out-of-plane intercalate phonons of superconducting YbC6 have been measured with inelastic x-ray scattering. Model fits to this data, and previously measured out-of-plane intercalate phonons in graphite intercalation compounds (GICs), reveal surprising trends with the superconducting transition temperature. These trends suggest that superconducting GICs should be viewed as electron-doped graphite.