No Arabic abstract
The optical properties of KFe$_2$As$_2$ have been measured for light polarized in the a-b planes over a wide temperature and frequency range. Below $T^astsimeq 155$ K, where this material undergoes an incoherent-coherent crossover, we observe a new coherent response emerging in the optical conductivity. A spectral weight analysis suggests that this new feature arises out of high-energy bound states. Below about $T_{rm FL} simeq 75$ K the scattering rate for this new feature is quadratic in temperature, indicating a Fermi-liquid response. Theory calculations suggest this crossover is dominated by the $d_{xy}$ orbital. Our results advocate for Kondo-type screening as the mechanism for the orbital-selective incoherent-coherent crossover in hole-overdoped KFe$_2$As$_2$.
We report the temperature-dependent optical conductivity and ARPES studies of the iron-based superconductor (SC) Sr$_{0.67}$Na$_{0.33}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ in the high-temperature tetragonal paramagnetic phase; below the structural and magnetic transitions at $T_{rm N}simeq$125 K in the orthorhombic spin-density-wave (SDW)-like phase, and $T_rsimeq$42 K in the reentrant tetragonal double-Q magnetic phase where both charge and SDW order exist; and below the SC transition at $T_csimeq$10 K. The free-carrier component in the optical conductivity is described by two Drude contributions; one strong and broad, the other weak and narrow. The broad Drude component decreases dramatically below $T_{rm N}$ and $T_r$, with much of its strength being transferred to a bound excitation in the mid-infrared, while the narrow Drude component shows no anomalies at either of the transitions, actually increasing in strength at low temperature while narrowing dramatically. The behavior of an infrared-active mode suggests zone-folding below $T_r$. Below $T_c$ the dramatic decrease in the low-frequency optical conductivity signals the formation of a SC energy gap. ARPES reveals hole-like bands at the center of the Brillouin zone (BZ), with both electron- and hole-like bands at the corners. Below $T_{rm N}$, the hole pockets at the center of the BZ decrease in size, consistent with the behavior of the broad Drude component; while below $T_r$ the electron-like bands shift and split, giving rise to a low-energy excitation in the optical conductivity at ~20 meV. The magnetic states, with resulting SDW and charge-SDW order, respectively, lead to a significant reconstruction of the Fermi surface that has profound implications for the transport originating from the electron and hole pockets, but appears to have relatively little impact on the SC in this material.
High-quality K(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals have been grown by using KAs flux method. Instead of increasing the superconducting transition temperature $T_{rm c}$ through electron doping, we find that Co impurities rapidly suppress $T_{rm c}$ down to zero at only $x approx$ 0.04. Such an effective suppression of $T_{rm c}$ by impurities is quite different from that observed in Ba$_{0.5}$K$_{0.5}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ with multiple nodeless superconducting gaps. Thermal conductivity measurements in zero field show that the residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ only change slightly with $3.4%$ Co doping, despite the sharp increase of scattering rate. The implications of these anomalous impurity effects are discussed.
Ni/Ga bilayers are a versatile playground for exploring the competition of the strongly antagonistic ferromagnetic and superconducting phases. Systematically characterizing this competitions impact on highly ballistic Al/Al$_2 $O$_3 $/Ni/Ga junctions transport properties from both the experimental and theoretical viewpoints, we identify novel conductance peak structures, which are caused by superconducting triplet pairings at the Ni/Ga interface, and which are widely adjustable through the Ni-Ga thickness ratio. We demonstrate that these conductance anomalies persist even in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field, which provides -- together with the detection of the paramagnetic Meissner effect in Ga -- the clear experimental evidence that the observed conductance features serve indeed as the triplet pairings unique transport fingerprints. Our work demonstrates that Ni/Ga bilayers have a strong potential for superconducting spintronics applications, in particular for triplet-pairing engineering.
The detailed optical properties have been determined for the iron-based materials $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$, where $A=,$Ca, Sr, and Ba, for light polarized in the iron-arsenic ($a-b$) planes over a wide frequency range, above and below the magnetic and structural transitions at $T_N =$ 172, 195, and 138 K, respectively. The real and imaginary parts of the complex conductivity are fit simultaneously using two Drude terms in combination with a series of oscillators. Above $T_N$, the free-carrier response consists of a weak, narrow Drude term, and a strong, broad Drude term, both of which show only a weak temperature dependence. Below $T_N$ there is a slight decrease of the plasma frequency but a dramatic drop in the scattering rate for the narrow Drude term, and for the broad Drude term there is a significant decrease in the plasma frequency, while the decrease in the scattering rate, albeit significant, is not as severe. The small values observed for the scattering rates for the narrow Drude term for $Tll{T_N}$ may be related to the Dirac cone-like dispersion of the electronic bands. Below $T_N$ new features emerge in the optical conductivity that are associated with the reconstruction Fermi surface and the gapping of bands at $Delta_1 simeq$ 45 $-$ 80 meV, and $Delta_2 simeq$ 110 $-$ 210 meV. The reduction in the spectral weight associated with the free carriers is captured by the gap structure, specifically, the spectral weight from the narrow Drude term appears to be transferred into the low-energy gap feature, while the missing weight from the broad term shifts to the high-energy gap.
We present a detailed study of the magnetic and electronic properties of U$_2$Rh$_3$Si$_5$, a material that has been demonstrated to exhibit a first order antiferromagnetic phase transition. From a high magnetic field study, together with extensive experiments in moderate fields, we establish the magnetic phase diagrams for all crystallographic directions. The possibility of an electronic phase in a narrow interval above the Neel temperature as a precursor of a magnetic phase is discussed.