The thermal conductivity $kappa$ of superconductor Ir$_{1-x}$Pt$_{x}$Te$_2$ ($x$ = 0.05) single crystal with strong spin-orbital coupling was measured down to 50 mK. The residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ is negligible in zero magnetic field. In low ma
gnetic field, $kappa_0/T$ shows a slow field dependence. These results demonstrate that the superconducting gap of Ir$_{1-x}$Pt$_{x}$Te$_2$ is nodeless, and the pairing symmetry is likely conventional s-wave, despite the existence of strong spin-orbital coupling and a quantum critical point.
Anderson localization is a general phenomenon of wave physics, which stems from the interference between multiple scattering paths1,2. It was originally proposed for electrons in a crystal, but later was also observed for light3-5, microwaves6, ultra
sound7,8, and ultracold atoms9-12. Actually, in a crystal, besides electrons there may exist other quasiparticles such as magnons and spinons. However the search for Anderson localization of these magnetic excitations is rare so far. Here we report the first observation of spinon localization in copper benzoate, an ideal compound of spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain, by ultra-low-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements. We find that while the spinon specific heat Cs displays linear temperature dependence down to 50 mK, the spinons thermal conductivity ks only manifests the linear temperature dependence down to 300 mK. Below 300 mK, ks/T decreases rapidly and vanishes at about 100 mK, which is a clear evidence for Anderson localization. Our finding opens a new window for studying such a fundamental phenomenon in condensed matter physics.
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.
The thermal conductivity of optimally doped NaFe$_{0.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As ($T_c sim$ 20 K) and overdoped NaFe$_{0.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As ($T_c sim$ 11 K) single crystals were measured down to 50 mK. No residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ is found in zero ma
gnetic field for both compounds, which is an evidence for nodeless superconducting gap. Applying field up to $H$ = 9 T ($approx H_{c2}/4$) does not noticeably increase $kappa_0/T$ in NaFe$_{1.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As, which is consistent with multiple isotropic gaps with similar magnitudes. The $kappa_0/T$ of overdoped NaFe$_{1.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As shows a relatively faster field dependence, indicating the increase of the ratio between the magnitudes of different gaps, or the enhancement of gap anisotropy upon increasing doping.
Reply to comment by T. Terashima et al. on Quantum criticality and nodal superconductivity in the FeAs-based superconductor KFe$_2$As$_2$
The in-plane resistivity $rho$ and thermal conductivity $kappa$ of extremely overdoped KFe$_2$As$_2$ ($T_c$ = 3.0 K) single crystal were studied. It is found that $rho sim T^{1.5}$ at low temperature, a typical non-Fermi liquid behavior of electrons
scattered by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations. In zero field, we observed a large residual linear term $kappa_0/T$, about one third of the normal-state value. In low magnetic fields, $kappa_0/T(H)$ increases very fast. Such a behavior of $kappa_0/T$ mimics the d-wave cuprate superconductors, therefore provides clear evidence for nodes in the superconducting gap of KFe$_2$As$_2$. Based on the Fermi surface topology of KFe$_2$As$_2$, it is believed that the dominant intraband pairing via antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations results in the unconventional superconducting gap with nodes.
The in-plane thermal conductivity $kappa$ of overdoped FeAs-based superconductor BaFe$_{1.73}$Co$_{0.27}$As$_2$ ($T_c$ = 8.1 K) single crystal was measured down to 80 mK. In zero field, the residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ is negligible, suggesting a
nodeless superconducting gap in the $ab$-plane. In magnetic field, $kappa_0/T$ increases rapidly, very different from that of conventional s-wave superconductors. This anomalous $kappa_0/T(H)$ may reveal an exotic superconducting gap structure in overdoped BaFe$_{1.73}$Co$_{0.27}$As$_2$: the vanishing hole ($beta$) pocket has a much larger gap than the electron ($gamma$ and $delta$) pockets which contain most of the carriers. Such an exotic gap structure is an evidence for superconducting state induced by interband interactions, in which the band with the {it smaller} density of states has a {it larger} gap.
The in-plane thermal conductivity $kappa$ of the iron selenide superconductor FeSe$_x$ ($T_c$ = 8.8 K) were measured down to 120 mK and up to 14.5 T ($simeq 3/4 H_{c2}$). In zero field, the residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ at $ T to 0$ is only about
16 $mu$W K$^{-2}$ cm$^{-1}$, less than 4% of its normal state value. Such a small $kappa_0/T$ does not support the existence of nodes in the superconducting gap. More importantly, the field dependence of $kappa_0/T$ in FeSe$_x$ is very similar to that in NbSe$_2$, a typical multi-gap s-wave superconductor. We consider our data as strong evidence for multi-gap nodeless superconductivity in FeSe$_x$. This kind of superconducting gap structure may be generic for all Fe-based superconductors.
This paper reports the synthesis and detailed characterization of graphite thin films produced by thermal decomposition of the (0001) face of a 6H-SiC wafer, demonstrating the successful growth of single crystalline films down to approximately one gr
aphene layer. The growth and characterization were carried out in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The growth process and sample quality were monitored by low-energy electron diffraction, and the thickness of the sample was determined by core level x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows constant energy map patterns, which are very sharp and fully momentum-resolved, but nonetheless not resolution limited. We discuss the implications of this observation in connection with scanning electron microscopy data, as well as with previous studies.
