No Arabic abstract
Point-contact (PC) spectroscopy measurements on antiferromagnetic (AF) (T_N=5.2K) HoNi2B2C single crystals in the normal and two different superconducting (SC) states (T_c=8.5K and $T_c^*=5.6K) are reported. The PC study of the electron-boson(phonon) interaction (EB(P)I) spectral function reveals pronounced phonon maxima at 16, 22 and 34meV. For the first time the high energy maxima at about 50meV and 100meV are resolved. Additionally, an admixture of a crystalline-electric-field (CEF) excitations with a maximum near 10meV and a `magnetic` peak near 3meV are observed. The contribution of the 10-meV peak in PC EPI constant lambda_PC is evaluated as 20-30%, while contribution of the high energy modes at 50 and 100meV amounts about 10% for each maxima, so the superconductivity might be affected by CEF excitations. The SC gap in HoNi2B2C exhibits a standard single-band BCS-like dependence, but vanishes at $T_c^*=5.6K<T_c, with 2Delta/kT_c^*=3.9. The strong coupling Eliashberg analysis of the low-temperature SC phase with T_c^*=5.6K =T_N, coexisting with the commensurate AF structure, suggests a sizable value of the EPI constant lambda_s=0.93. We also provide strong support for the recently proposed by us Fermi surface (FS) separation scenario for the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in magnetic borocarbides, namely, that the superconductivity in the commensurate AF phase survives at a special (nearly isotropic) FS sheet without an admixture of Ho 5d states. Above T_c^* the SC features in the PC characteristics are strongly suppressed pointing to a specific weakened SC state between T_c* and T_c.
We use point contact spectroscopy to probe the superconducting and normal state properties of the iron-based superconductor $rm{NaFe_{1-textit{x}}Co_{textit{x}}As}$ with $rm{textit{x} = 0, 0.02, 0.06}$. Andreev spectra corresponding to multiple superconducting gaps are detected in the superconducting phase. For $rm{textit{x} = 0.02}$, a broad conductance enhancement around zero bias voltage is detected in both the normal and the superconducting phase. Such a feature is not present in the $rm{textit{x} = 0.06}$ samples. We suspect that this enhancement is caused by orbital fluctuations, as previously detected in underdoped $rm{Ba(Fe_{1-textit{x}}Co_textit{x})_2As_2}$ (Phys. Rev. B 85, 214515 (2012)). Occasionally, the superconducting phase shows a distinct asymmetric conductance feature instead of Andreev reflection. We discuss the possible origins of this feature. NaFeAs (the parent compound) grown by two different techniques is probed. Melt-grown NaFeAs shows a normal state conductance enhancement. On the other hand, at low temperatures, flux-grown NaFeAs shows a sharp dip in the conductance at zero bias voltage. The compounds are very reactive in air and the different spectra are likely a reflection of their different oxidation and purity levels.
We present study of derivatives of current-voltage I(V) characteristics of point-contacts (PCs) based on Ba{1-x}Na{x}Fe2As2 (x=0.25) in the normal and superconducting state. The detailed analysis of dV/dI(V) data (also given in Appendix A) shows that the thermal regime, when temperature increases with a voltage at a rate of about 1.8 K/mV, is realized in the investigated PCs at least at high biases V above the superconducting (SC) gap Delta. In this case, specific resistivity rho (T) in PC core is responsible for a peculiar dV/dI(V) behavior, while a pronounced asymmetry of dV/dI(V) is caused by large value of thermopower in this material. A reproducible zero-bias minima detected on dV/dI(V) at low biases in the range pm(6--9)mV well below the SC critical temperature T_c could be connected with the manifestation of the SC gap Delta. Evaluation of these Andreev-reflection-like structures on dV/dI(V) points out to the preferred value of 2Delta/kT_c approx 6. The expected second gap features on dV/dI(V) are hard to resolve unambiguously, likely due to impurity scattering, spatial inhomogeneity and transition to the mentioned thermal regime as the bias further increases. Suggestions are made how to separate spectroscopic features in dV/dI(V) from those caused by the thermal regime.
The point-contact spectra of tantalum in the superconducting state, with $Ta$, $Cu$, and $Au$ counterelectrodes, have been studied. We discovered some new distinctive features, whose position on the $eV$ axis is determined by the critical power required for the injection of nonequilibriumquasiparticles. At this level of power the band gap $Delta $ decreases abruptly in the vicinity of the contact. A correction to the point-contact spectrum, with the sign opposite to that of the usual correction, arises in the region of phonon energies. The maxima in the $Ta$ spectrum become sharper and their position on the energy axis becomes stabilized near the values $e{{V}_{ph}}=7.0$, 11.3, 15.5, and 18 $meV$, which correspond to low phonon group velocities $partial omega /partial qsimeq 0$ in $Ta$. This is confirmed by the existence of corresponding flattenings on the dispersion relations $omega (q)$ of lattice vibrations. Slow phonons are created near the $N-S$ interface in quasiparticle recombination and relaxation processes and cause a decrease in $Delta $ and an increase in the differential resistance in the vicinity of $e{{V}_{ph}}$. An excess quasiparticle charge is accumulated in the region of the contact, producing a correction to the resistance, which decreases as $eV$, $T$, and $H$ increase. These mechanisms are particularly effective in dirty contacts, thus permitting phonon spectroscopy in the superconducting state even when the current flow occurs in a nearly thermal mode.
The normal state and superconducting properties are investigated in the phase diagram of K_xSr_{1-x}Fe_2As_2 for 0<x<1. The ground state upper critical field, H_{c2}(0), is extrapolated from magnetic field dependent resistivity measurements. H_{c2}(0) scales with the critical temperature, T_c, of the superconducting transition. In the normal state the Seebeck coefficient is shown to experience a dramatic change near a critical substitution of x=0.3. This is associated with the formation of a spin density wave state above the superconducting transition temperature. The results provide strong evidence for the reconstruction of the Fermi surface with the onset of magnetic order.
We study voltage controllable superconducting state in multi-terminal bridge composed of the dirty superconductor/pure normal metal (SN) bilayer and pure normal metal. In the proposed system small control current $I_{ctrl}$ flows via normal bridge, creates voltage drop $V$ and modifies distribution function of electrons in connected SN bilayer. In case of long normal bridge the voltage induced nonequilibrium effects could be interpreted in terms of increased local electron temperature. In this limit we experimentally find large sensitivity of critical curent $I_c$ of Cu/MoN/Pt-Cu bridge to $I_{ctrl}$ and relatively large current gain which originate from steep dependence of $I_c$ on temperature and large $I_c$ (comparable with theoretical depairing current of superconducting bridge). In the short normal bridge deviation from equilibrium cannot be described by simple increase of local temperature but we also theoretically find large sensitivity of $I_c$ to control current/voltage. In this limit we predict existence at finite $V$ of so called in-plane Fulde-Ferrell state with spontaneous currents in SN bilayer. We argue that its appearance is connected with voltage induced paramagnetic response in N layer.