No Arabic abstract
We address the origin of the Cooper pairs in high-$T_c$ cuprates and the unique nature of the superconducting (SC) condensate. Itinerant holes in an antiferromagnetic background form pairs spontaneously, without any `glue, defining a new quantum object the `pairon. In the incoherent pseudogap phase, above $T_c$ or within the vortex core, the pairon binding energies are distributed statistically, forming a `Cooper-pair glass. Contrary to conventional SC, it is the mutual pair-pair interaction that is responsable for the condensation. We give a natural explanation for the {it ergodic rigidity} of the excitation gap, being uniquely determined by the carrier concentration $p$ and $J$. The phase diagram can be understood, without spin fluctuations, in terms of a single energy scale $sim J$, the exchange energy at the metal-insulator transition.
Superconductivity arises from two distinct quantum phenomena: electron pairing and long-range phase coherence. In conventional superconductors, the two quantum phenomena generally take place simultaneously, while the electron pairing occurs at higher temperature than the long-range phase coherence in the underdoped high-Tc cuprate superconductors. Recently, whether electron pairing is also prior to long-range phase coherence in single-layer FeSe film on SrTiO3 substrate is under debate. Here, by measuring Knight shift and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate, we unambiguously reveal a pseudogap behavior below Tp ~ 60 K in two layered FeSe-based superconductors with quasi-two-dimension. In the pseudogap regime, a weak diamagnetic signal and a remarkable Nernst effect are also observed, which indicate that the observed pseudogap behavior is related to superconducting fluctuations. These works confirm that strong phase fluctuation is an important character in the two-dimensional iron-based superconductors as widely observed in high-Tc cuprate superconductors.
A theory of the fluctuation-induced Nernst effect is developed for arbitrary magnetic fields and temperatures beyond the upper critical field line in a two-dimensional superconductor. First, we derive a simple phenomenological formula for the Nernst coefficient, which naturally explains the giant Nernst signal due to fluctuating Cooper pairs. The latter is shown to be large even far from the transition and may exceed by orders of magnitude the Fermi liquid terms. We also present a complete microscopic calculation (which includes quantum fluctuations) of the Nernst coefficient and give its asymptotic dependencies in various regions on the phase diagram. It is argued that the magnitude and the behavior of the Nernst signal observed experimentally in disordered superconducting films can be well-understood on the basis of the superconducting fluctuation theory.
In most superconductors the transition to the superconducting state is driven by the binding of electrons into Cooper-pairs. The condensation of these pairs into a single, phase coherent, quantum state takes place concomitantly with their formation at the transition temperature, $T_c$. A different scenario occurs in some disordered, amorphous, superconductors: Instead of a pairing-driven transition, incoherent Cooper pairs first pre-form above $T_c$, causing the opening of a pseudogap, and then, at $T_c$, condense into the phase coherent superconducting state. Such a two-step scenario implies the existence of a new energy scale, $Delta_{c}$, driving the collective superconducting transition of the preformed pairs. Here we unveil this energy scale by means of Andreev spectroscopy in superconducting thin films of amorphous indium oxide. We observe two Andreev conductance peaks at $pm Delta_{c}$ that develop only below $T_c$ and for highly disordered films on the verge of the transition to insulator. Our findings demonstrate that amorphous superconducting films provide prototypical disordered quantum systems to explore the collective superfluid transition of preformed Cooper-pairs pairs.
A new type of Kondo effect peculiar to unconventional superconductors is studied theoretically by using the Wilsons numerical renormalization group method. In this case, an angular momentum of a Cooper pair plays an important role in the Kondo effect. It produces multichannel exchange couplings with a local spin. Here we focus on a $p_x +i p_y$-wave state which is a full gap system. The calculated impurity susceptibility shows that the local spin is almost quenched by the Kondo effect in the strong coupling region ($T_{rm K}/Delta to infty$), while the ground state is always a spin doublet over all the $T_{rm K}/Delta$ region. Here $T_{rm K}$ and $Delta$ are the Kondo temperature and the superconducting energy gap, respectively. This is different from the s-wave pairing case where the Kondo singlet is realized for large $T_{rm K}/Delta$ values. The strong coupling analysis shows that the $p_x +i p_y$-wave Cooper pair is connected to the Kondo singlet via the orbital dynamics of the paired electrons, generating the spin of the ground state. This type of Kondo effect reflects the symmetry of the conduction electron system.
The notion of a finite pairing interaction energy range suggested by Nam, results in some states at the Fermi level not participating in pairings when there are scattering centers such as impurities. The fact that not all states at the Fermi level participate in pairing is shown to suppress $T_c$ in an isotropic superconductor and destroy superconductivity. We have presented quantitative calculations of $T_c$ reduced via spinless impurities, in good agreements with data of Zn-doped YBCO and LSCO, respectively. It is not necessary to have the anisotropic order parameter, to account for the destruction of superconductivity via non-magnetic impurities.