We report the magnetoresistance in the novel spin-triplet superconductor UTe2 under pressure close to the critical pressure Pc, where the superconducting phase terminates, for field along the three a, b and c-axes in the orthorhombic structure. The s
uperconducting phase for H // a-axis just below Pc shows a field-reentrant behavior due to the competition with the emergence of magnetic order at low fields. The upper critical field Hc2 for H // c-axis shows a quasi-vertical increase in the H-T phase diagram just below Pc, indicating that superconductivity is reinforced by the strong fluctuations which persist even at high fields above 20T. Increasing pressure leads to the disappearance of superconductivity at zero field with the emergence of magnetic order. Surprisingly, field-induced superconductivity is observed at high fields, where a spin-polarized state is realized due to the suppression of the magnetic ordered phases; the spin-polarized state is favorable for superconductivity, whereas the magnetic ordered phase at low field seems to be unfavorable. The huge Hc2 in the spin-polarized state seems to imply a spin-triplet state. Contrary to the a- and c-axes, no field-reinforcement of superconductivity occurs for magnetic field along the b-axis. We compare the results with the field-reentrant superconductivity above the metamagnetic field, Hm for the field direction tilted by about 30 deg. from b to c-axis at ambient pressure as well as the field-reentrant (-reinforced) superconductivity in ferromagnetic superconductors, URhGe and UCoGe.
We studied the anisotropy of the superconducting upper critical field $H_{rm c2}$ in the heavy-fermion superconductor UTe$_2$ under hydrostatic pressure by magnetoresistivity measurements. In agreement with previous experiments we confirm that superc
onductivity disappears near a critical pressure $p_{rm c} approx 1.5$~GPa, and a magnetically ordered state appears. The unusual $H_{rm c2}(T)$ at low temperatures for $H parallel a$ suggests that the multiple superconducting phases which appear under pressure have quite different $H_{rm c2}$. For a field applied along the hard magnetization $b$ axis $H_{rm c2} (0)$ is glued to the metamagnetic transition $H_{rm m}$ which is suppressed near $p_{rm c}$. The suppression of $H_{rm m}$ with pressure follows the decrease of temperature $T_{chi}^{rm max}$, at the maximum in the susceptibility along $b$. The strong reinforcement of $H_{rm c2}$ at ambient pressure for $H parallel b$ above 16~T is rapidly suppressed under pressure due to the increase of $T_{rm sc}$ and the decrease of $H_{rm m}$. The change in the hierarchy of the anisotropy of $H_{rm c2}(0)$ on approaching $p_{rm c}$ points out that the $c$ axis becomes the hard magnetization axis.
We have investigated the in-plane anisotropy of the c-axis magnetoresistance for single crystals of a BiCh2-based superconductor LaO0.5F0.5BiSSe under in-plane magnetic fields. We observed two-fold symmetry in the c-axis magnetoresistance in the ab-p
lane of LaO0.5F0.5BiSSe while the crystal possessed a tetragonal square plane with four-fold symmetry. The observed symmetry lowering in magnetoresistance from the structural symmetry may be related to the nematic states, which have been observed in the superconducting states of several unconventional superconductors.
We report the systematic studies of spin current transport and relaxation mechanism in highly doped organic polymer film. In this study, we have determined spin diffusion length (SDL), spin lifetime, and spin diffusion constant by using different exp
erimental techniques. The spin lifetime estimated from the electron paramagnetic resonance experiment is much shorter than the previous expectation beyond the experimental ambiguity. This suggests that significantly large spin diffusion constant, which is reasonably explained by the hopping transport mechanism in degenerate semiconductors, exists in highly doped organic semiconductors. The calculated SDL using the spin lifetime and spin diffusion constant estimated from our experiment is comparable to the experimentally obtained SDL of the order of one hundred nanometers. Moreover, the present study revealed that the spin angular momentum is almost preserved in the hopping events. In other words, the spin relaxation mainly occurs due to the spin-orbit coupling at the nanoscale crystalline grains.
Resistivity and Hall effect measurements of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ up to 3.2,GPa indicate no divergence of quasiparticle effective mass at the pressure $P_mathrm{c}$ where the magnetic and structural transition disappears. This is corroborated by analysis of
the temperature ($T$) dependence of the upper critical field. $T$-linear resistivity is observed at pressures slightly above $P_mathrm{c}$. The scattering rates for both electrons and holes are shown to be approximately $T$-linear. When a field is applied, a $T^2$ dependence is recovered, indicating that the origin of the $T$-linear dependence is spin fluctuations.
We have completely determined the Fermi surface in KFe$_2$As$_2$ via de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements. Fundamental frequencies $epsilon$, $alpha$, $zeta$, and $beta$ are observed in KFe$_2$As$_2$. The first one is attributed to a hole cylinder
near the X point of the Brillouin zone, while the others to hole cylinders at the $Gamma$ point. We also observe magnetic breakdown frequencies between $alpha$ and $zeta$ and suggest a plausible explanation for them. The experimental frequencies show deviations from frequencies predicted by band structure calculations. Large effective masses up to 19 $m_e$ for $B parallel c$ have been found, $m_e$ being the free electron mass. The carrier number and Sommerfeld coefficient of the specific heat are estimated to be 1.01 -- 1.03 holes per formula unit and 82 -- 94 mJmol$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$, respectively, which are consistent with the chemical stoichiometry and a direct measure of 93 mJmol$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$ [H. Fukazawa textit{et al}., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. textbf{80SA}, SA118 (2011)]. The Sommerfeld coefficient is about 9 times enhanced over a band value, suggesting the importance of low-energy spin and/or orbital fluctuations, and places KFe$_2$As$_2$ among strongly correlated metals. We have also performed dHvA measurements on Ba$_{0.07}$K$_{0.93}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and have observed the $alpha$ and $beta$ frequencies.
Cyclotron resonance (CR) measurements for the Fe-based superconductor KFe$_2$As$_2$ are performed. One signal for CR is observed, and is attributed to the two-dimensional $alpha$ Fermi surface at the $Gamma$ point. We found a large discrepancy in the
effective masses of CR [(3.4$pm$0.05)$m_e$ ($m_e$ is the free electron mass)] and de-Haas van Alphen (dHvA) results, a direct evidence of mass enhancement due to electronic correlation. A comparison of the CR and dHvA results shows that both intra- and interband electronic correlations contribute to the mass enhancement in KFe$_2$As$_2$.
We have constructed a pressure$-$temperature ($P-T$) phase diagram of $P$-induced superconductivity in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals, via resistivity ($rho$) measurements up to 3.2 GPa. As hydrostatic pressure is applied, an antiferromagnetic (AF) t
ransition attributed to the FeAs layers at $T_mathrm{0}$ shifts to lower temperatures, and the corresponding resistive anomaly becomes undetectable for $P$ $ge$ 2.5 GPa. This suggests that the critical pressure $P_mathrm{c}$ where $T_mathrm{0}$ becomes zero is about 2.5 GPa. We have found that the AF order of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments survives up to 3.2 GPa without significant changes in the AF ordering temperature $T_mathrm{N}$. The superconducting (SC) ground state with a sharp transition to zero resistivity at $T_mathrm{c}$ $sim$ 30 K, indicative of bulk superconductivity, emerges in a pressure range from $P_mathrm{c}$ $sim$ 2.5 GPa to $sim$ 3.0 GPa. At pressures close to but outside the SC phase, the $rho(T)$ curve shows a partial SC transition (i.e., zero resistivity is not attained) followed by a reentrant-like hump at approximately $T_mathrm{N}$ with decreasing temperature. When nonhydrostatic pressure with a uniaxial-like strain component is applied using a solid pressure medium, the partial superconductivity is continuously observed in a wide pressure range from 1.1 GPa to 3.2 GPa.
We have carried out high-field resistivity measurements up to 27,T in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ at $P$,=,2.5,GPa, a virtually optimal pressure for the $P$-induced superconductivity, where $T_mathrm{c}$,=,30,K. The $B_mathrm{c2}-T_mathrm{c}$ phase diagram has be
en constructed in a wide temperature range with a minimum temperature of 1.6 K ($approx 0.05 times T_mathrm{c}$), for both $B parallel ab$ ($B_mathrm{c2}^mathrm{ab}$) and $B parallel c$ ($B_mathrm{c2}^mathrm{c}$). The upper critical fields $B_mathrm{c2}^mathrm{ab}$(0) and $B_mathrm{c2}^mathrm{c}$(0), determined by the onset of resistive transitions, are 25 T and 22 T, respectively, which are significantly smaller than those of other Fe-based superconductors with similar values of $T_mathrm{c}$. The small $B_mathrm{c2}(0)$ values and the $B_mathrm{c2}(T)$ curves with positive curvature around 20 K can be explained by a multiple pair-breaking model that includes the exchange field due to the magnetic Eu$^{2+}$ moments. The anisotropy parameter, $Gamma=B_mathrm{c2}^{ab}/B_mathrm{c2}^{c}$, in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ at low temperatures is comparable to that of other 122 Fe-based systems.
In a recent Letter [J. K. Dong et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 087005 (2010)], Dong textit{et al}. have observed a $T^{1.5}$ dependence of resistivity $rho$ in KFe$_2$As$_2$ at the upper critical field $B_{c2}$ = 5 T parallel to the c axis and have sug
gested the existence of a field-induced quantum critical point (QCP) at $B_{c2}$. In this comment, we argue that observation of a $T^{1.5}$ dependence of $rho$ in a sample showing broad resistive transitions does not constitute evidence for a QCP and that recent dHvA results do not support the proposed QCP.
