Linear magnetoresistance and structural distortion in layered SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) single crystals

We report a systematic study on layered metal SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) single crystals via transport, magnetization, thermodynamic measurements and structural characterization. We find that the crystals show large linear magnetoresistance without any sign of saturation with a magnetic field up to 30T. We also observe a phase transition with significant anomalies in resistivity and heat capacity at T_(p)~140 K. Thermal expansion measurement reveals a subtle lattice parameter variation near Tp, i.e.,?L_(c)/L_(c)~0.062%. The structural characterization confines that there is no structure transition below and above T_(p). All these results suggest that the nonmagnetic transition of SrCu_(4-x)P_(2) could be associated with structural distortion.

Magnetism Measurements of Two-Dimensional van der Waals Antiferromagnet CrPS_(4)Using Dynamic Cantilever Magnetometry

Recent experimental and theoretical work has focused on two-dimensional van der Waals(2D vdW)magnets due to their potential applications in sensing and spintronics devises.In measurements of these emerging materials,conventional magnetometry often encounters challenges in characterizing the magnetic properties of small-sized vdW materials,especially for antiferromagnets with nearly compensated magnetic moments.Here,we investigate the magnetism of 2D antiferromagnet CrPS_(4)with a thickness of 8nm by using dynamic cantilever magnetometry(DCM).

Doping Induced Gap Anisotropy in Iron-Based Superconductors:a Point-Contact Andreev Reflection Study of BaFe2-xNixAs2 Single Crystals

We report a systematic investigation on c-axis point-contact Andreev reflection （PCAR） in BaFe2-xNixAs2 superconducting single crystals from underdoped to overdoped regions （0.075≤ x ≤0.15）. At low temperatures, an in-gap sharp peak at low-bias voltage is observed in PCAR for overdoped samples, in contrast to the case of underdoped junctions, in which an in-gap plateau is observed. The variety of the conductance spectra with doping can be well described by using a generalized Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism with an angle-dependent gap. This gap shows a clear crossover from a nodeless in the underdoped side to a nodal feature in the overdoped region. This result provides evidence of the doping-induced evolution of the superconducting order parameter when the inter-pocket and intra-pocket scattering are tuned through doping, as expected in the s± scenario.

Unusual Normal and Superconducting State Properties Observed in Hydrothermal Fe_(1-δ)Se Flakes

The electronic and superconducting properties of Fe_(1-δ)Se single-crystal flakes grown hydrothermally are studied by the transport measurements under zero and high magnetic fields up to 38.5 T.The results contrast sharply with those previously reported for nematically ordered Fe Se by chemical-vapor-transport(CVT)growth.No signature of the electronic nematicity,but an evident metal-to-nonmetal crossover with increasing temperature,is detected in the normal state of the present hydrothermal samples.Interestingly,a higher superconducting critical temperature T_c of 13.2 K is observed compared to a suppressed T_c of 9 K in the presence of the nematicity in the CVT Fe Se.Moreover,the upper critical field in the zero-temperature limit is found to be isotropic with respect to the field direction and to reach a higher value of-42 T,which breaks the Pauli limit by a factor of 1.8.

Sizable Residual Quasiparticle Density of States Induced by Impurity Scattering Effect in Ba（Fe1-xCox）2As2 Single Crystals

Low-temperature specific heat Cp is measured on Ba（Fe1-xCox）2As2 single crystals in a wide doping region. A sizeable residual specific heat coefficient γo is observed in the low temperature limit of all samples. The specific heat jump near Tc, i.e. ΔCp/T／T_c, is also determined. It is found that -γo, ΔCp/T／T_c and Tc all share a similar evolution with doping. These can be well understood within the model of S± pairing symmetry when accounting for the cobalt-dopants as unitary scattering centers in the FeAs planes. Our results reveal a non-trivial impact of impurity scattering in FeAs-based.

Subtle lattice distortion-driven phase transitions in layered ACu_(4)As_(2)(A=Eu,Sr)

The compounds composed of transition metal cations and pnictide anions provide a rich platform for studying novel physical phenomena.Here we report on the observation of a phase transition at~70 K and 145 K in layered compound EuCu_(4)As_(2)and SrCu_(4)As_(2),respectively.from both the transport and heat capacity.The thermal expansion measurements show that the variation of the lattice parameters(△L_(b)/L_(ab))around T_(P) is much less than that for a typical crystalline phase transition.Our experimental results reveal that the transition in EuCu_(4)As_(2)and SrCu_(4)As_(2)should be driven by subtle structural-distortion.