No Arabic abstract
The interplay between superconductivity and Eu$^{2+}$ magnetic ordering in Eu(Fe$_{1-x}$Ir$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ is studied by means of electrical transport and magnetic measurements. For the critically doped sample Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, we witnessed two distinct transitions : a superconducting transition below 22.6 K which is followed by a resistivity reentrance caused by the ordering of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments. Further, the low field magnetization measurements show a prominent diamagnetic signal due to superconductivity which is remarkable in presence of a large moment magnetically ordered system. The electronic structure for a 12.5% Ir doped EuFe$_{1.75}$Ir$_{0.25}$As$_{2}$ is investigated along with the parent compound EuFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$. As compared to EuFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, the doped compound has effectively lower value of density of states throughout the energy scale with more extended bandwidth and stronger hybridization involving Ir. Shifting of Fermi energy and change in band filling in EuFe$_{1.75}$Ir$_{0.25}$As$_{2}$ with respect to the pure compound indicate electron doping in the system.
We investigated the elastic properties of the iron-based superconductor Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 with eight Co concentrations. The elastic constant C66 shows large elastic softening associated with the structural phase transition. The C66 was analyzed base on localized and itinerant pictures of Fe-3d electrons, which shows the strong electron-lattice coupling and a possible mass enhancement in this system. The results resemble those of unconventional superconductors, where the properties of the system are governed by the quantum fluctuations associated with the zero-temperature critical point of the long-range order; namely, the quantum critical point (QCP). In this system, the inverse of C66 behaves just like the magnetic susceptibility in the magnetic QCP systems. While the QCPs of these existing superconductors are all ascribed to antiferromagnetism, our systematic studies on the canonical iron-based superconductor Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 have revealed that there is a signature of structural quantum criticality in this material, which is so far without precedent. The elastic constant anomaly is suggested to concern with the emergence of superconductivity. These results highlight the strong electron-lattice coupling and effect of the band in this system, thus challenging the prevailing scenarios that focus on the role of the iron 3d-orbitals.
Results of muon spin relaxation ($mu$SR) and neutron powder diffraction measurements on a reentrant superconductor Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_2$As$_2$ are presented. Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_2$As$_2$ exhibits superconductivity at $T_{rm c,on} approx 22.5$~K competing with long range ordered Eu$^{+2}$ moments below $approx 18$ K. A reentrant behavior (manifested by nonzero resistivity in the temperature range 10--17.5 K) results from an exquisite competition between the superconductivity and magnetic order. The zero field $mu$SR data confirm the long range magnetic ordering below $T_{rm Eu} = 18.7(2)$ K. The transition temperature is found to increase with increasing magnetic field in longitudinal field $mu$SR which along with the neutron diffraction results, suggests the transition to be ferromagnetic. The neutron diffraction data reveal a clear presence of magnetic Bragg peaks below $T_{rm Eu}$ which could be indexed with propagation vector k = (0, 0, 0), confirming a long range magnetic ordering in agreement with $mu$SR data. Our analysis of the magnetic structure reveals an ordered magnetic moment of $6.29(5),mu_{rm B}$ (at 1.8 K) on the Eu atoms and they form a ferromagnetic structure with moments aligned along the $c$-axis. No change in the magnetic structure is observed in the reentrant or superconducting phases and the magnetic structure remains same for 1.8 K $leq T leq T_{rm Eu}$. No clear evidence of structural transition or Fe moment ordering was found.
We present a detailed investigation of the electronic phase diagram of effectively charge compensated Ba1-xKx(Fe1-yCoy)2As2 with x/2 = y. Our experimental study by means of x-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, muon spin relaxation and ac susceptibility measurements on polycrystalline samples is complemented by density functional electronic structure calculations. For low substitution levels of x/2 = y < 0.13, the system displays an orthorhombically distorted and antiferromagnetically ordered ground state. The low temperature structural and magnetic order parameters are successively reduced with increasing substitution level. We observe a linear relationship between the structural and the magnetic order parameter as a function of temperature and substitution level for x/2 = y < 0.13. At intermediate substitution levels in the range between 0.13 and 0.19, we find superconductivity with a maximum Tc of 15 K coexisting with static magnetic order on a microscopic length scale. For higher substitution levels x/2 = y > 0.25 a tetragonal non-magnetic ground state is observed. Our DFT calculations yield a signifcant reduction of the Fe 3d density of states at the Fermi energy and a strong suppression of the ordered magnetic moment in excellent agreement with experimental results. The appearance of superconductivity within the antiferromagnetic state can by explained by the introduction of disorder due to non-magnetic impurities to a system with a constant charge carrier density. Our experimental study by means of x-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, muon spin relaxation and ac susceptibility measurements on polycrystalline samples is complemented by density functional electronic structure calculations.
75As NMR and susceptiblity were measured in a Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystal for x=6%. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra and relaxation rates allow to show that all Fe sites experience an incommensurate magnetic ordering below T=31K. Comparison with undoped compound allows to estimate a typical moment of 0.05 muB. Anisotropy of the NMR widths can be interpreted using a model of incommensurability with a wavevector (1/2-eps,0,l) with eps of the order of 0.04. Below TC=21.8K, a full volume superconductivity develops as shown by susceptibility and relaxation rate, and magnetic order remains unaffected, demonstrating coexistence of both states on each Fe site.
We report muon spin rotation ($mu$SR) measurements of single crystal Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ and Sr(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$. From measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth $lambda$ we find that for optimally- and over-doped samples, $1/lambda(Tto 0)^2$ varies monotonically with the superconducting transition temperature T$_{rm C}$. Within the superconducting state we observe a positive shift in the muon precession signal, likely indicating that the applied field induces an internal magnetic field. The size of the induced field decreases with increasing doping but is present for all Co concentrations studied.