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Register a new userThe local spectrum of a superconductor as a probe of interactions between magnetic impurities
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Qualitative differences in the spectrum of a superconductor near magnetic impurity pairs with moments aligned parallel and antiparallel are derived. A proposal is made for a new, nonmagnetic scanning tunneling spectroscopy of magnetic impurity interactions based on these differences. Near parallel impurity pairs the mid-gap localized spin-polarized states associated with each impurity hybridize and form bonding and anti-bonding molecular states with different energies. For antiparallel impurity moments the states do not hybridize; they are degenerate.
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Novel many-body and topological electronic phases can be created in assemblies of interacting spins coupled to a superconductor, such as one-dimensional topological superconductors with Majorana zero modes (MZMs) at their ends. Understanding and controlling interactions between spins and the emergent band structure of the in-gap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states they induce in a superconductor are fundamental for engineering such phases. Here, by precisely positioning magnetic adatoms with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we demonstrate both the tunability of exchange interaction between spins and precise control of the hybridization of YSR states they induce on the surface of a bismuth (Bi) thin film that is made superconducting with the proximity effect. In this platform, depending on the separation of spins, the interplay between Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction, spin-orbit coupling, and surface magnetic anisotropy stabilizes different types of spin alignments. Using high-resolution STM spectroscopy at millikelvin temperatures, we probe these spin alignments through monitoring the spin-induced YSR states and their energy splitting. Such measurements also reveal a quantum phase transition between the ground states with different electron number parity for a pair of spins in a superconductor tuned by their separation. Experiments on larger assemblies show that spin-spin interactions can be mediated in a superconductor over long distances. Our results show that controlling hybridization of the YSR states in this platform provides the possibility of engineering the band structure of such states for creating topological phases.
Nematic superconductors are characterized by an apparent crystal symmetry breaking that results in the anisotropy of the in-plain upper critical magnetic field $H_{c2}$. The symmetry breaking is usually attributed to the strain of the crystal lattice. The nature and the value of the strain are debatable. We perform systematic measurements of the $H_{c2}$ anisotropy in the high-quality Sr$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$ single crystals in the temperature range 1.8~K$<T<T_capprox 2.7$~K using temperature stabilization with an accuracy of 0.0001 K. We observe that in all tested samples the anisotropy is practically constant when $T<0.8 T_c$ and smoothly decreases at higher temperatures without any sign of singularity when $Trightarrow T_c$. Such a behavior can be understood in the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory for the nematic superconductors assuming that the samples are appreciably deformed. The nature of the strain, the values of the GL parameters, and the effects of disorder near $T_c$ are discussed. Similar measurements can be used to study a nature of the symmetry breaking in the other nematic superconductors.
We measured phonon frequencies and linewidths in doped and undoped BaFe2As2 single crystals by inelastic x-ray scattering and compared our results with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In agreement with previous work, the calculated frequencies of some phonons depended on whether the ground state was magnetic or not and, in the former case, whether phonon wavevector was parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic ordering wavevector. The experimental results agreed better with the magnetic calculation than with zero Fe moment calculations, except the peak splitting expected due to magnetic domain twinning was not observed. Furthermore, phonon frequencies were unaffected by the breakdown of the magnetic ground state due to either doping or increased temperature. Based on these results we propose that phonons strongly couple not to the static order, but to high frequency magnetic fluctuations.
We present simultaneous measurements of Josephson inductance and DC transport characteristics of ballistic Josephson junctions based upon an epitaxial Al-InAs heterostructure. The Josephson inductance at finite current bias directly reveals the current-phase relation. The proximity-induced gap, the critical current and the average value of the transparency $bar{tau}$ are extracted without need for phase bias, demonstrating, e.g.,~a near-unity value of $bar{tau}=0.94$. Our method allows us to probe the devices deeply in the non-dissipative regime, where ordinary transport measurements are featureless. In perpendicular magnetic field the junctions show a nearly perfect Fraunhofer pattern of the critical current, which is insensitive to the value of $bar{tau}$. In contrast, the signature of supercurrent interference in the inductance turns out to be extremely sensitive to $bar{tau}$.
We propose a novel type of magnetic scanning probe sensor, based on a single planar Josephson junction with a magnetic barrier. The planar geometry together with high magnetic permeability of the barrier helps to focus flux in the junction and thus enhance the sensitivity of the sensor. As a result, it may outperform equally sized SQUID both in terms of the magnetic field sensitivity and the spatial resolution in one scanning direction. We fabricate and analyze experimentally sensor prototypes with a superparamagnetic CuNi and a ferromagnetic Ni barrier. We demonstrate that the planar geometry allows easy miniaturization to nm-scale, facilitates an effective utilization of the self-field phenomenon for amplification of sensitivity and a simple implementation of a control line for feed-back operation in a broad dynamic range.
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