Superconductivity in the Layered Cage Compound Ba_(3)Rh_(4)Ge_(16)

We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a layered cage compound Ba_(3)Rh_(4)Ge_(16).Similar to Ba_(3)Ir_(4)Ge_(16),the compound is composed of 2 D networks of cage units,formed by noncubic Rh-Ge building blocks,in marked contrast to the reported rattling compounds.The electrical resistivity,magnetization,specific heat capacity,andμSR measurements unveiled moderately coupled s-wave superconductivity with a critical temperature T_(c)=7.0 K,the upper critical field μ_(0)H_(c2)(0)~2.5 T,the electron-phonon coupling strength λ_(e-ph)~0.80,and the Ginzburg-Landau parameterκ~7.89.The mass reduction with the substitution of Ir by Rh is believed to be responsible for the enhancement of T_(c) and coupling between the cage and guest atoms.Our results highlight the importance of atomic weight of framework in cage compounds in controlling the λ_(e-ph) strength and T_(c).

Numerical Investigation of Heave and Pitch Motion Effects on Green Water Loading for a Floating Body

In this paper,the influence of heave and pitch motions on green water impact on the deck is numerically investigated.The vessel motions are determined using a potential theory based method and provided as input to finite volume based CFD computations of green water phenomenon.A dynamic mesh approach is adopted to determine instantaneous body positioning in the fluid domain.Detailed validation studies with published experimental results for 2D and 3D fixed vessel cases are initially performed to validate the present numerical approach before studying the moving vessel problem.The results show that inclusion of heave and pitch motion changes the disturbed wave field near the bow which influences the free surface as well as the impact loading due to green water.The effect of wave steepness on green water impact is also investigated and it is seen that the present numerical method is capable of capturing green water load.It is observed that the effects of vessel motions on green water load are not negligible and one should consider this effect too.The incorporation of vessel motions in the vertical plane affects the green water loading on the deck.

A brief review on/μSR studies of unconventional Fe-and Cr-based superconductors

Muon spin relaxation/rotation(μSR) is a vital technique for probing the superconducting gap structure, pairing symmetry and time reversal symmetry breaking, enabling an understanding of the mechanisms behind the unconventional superconductivity of cuprates and Fe-based high-temperature superconductors, which remain a puzzle. Very recently double layered Fe-based superconductors having quasi-2 D crystal structures and Cr-based superconductors with a quasi-1D structure have drawn considerable attention. Here we present a brief review of the characteristics of a few selected Fe-and Cr-based superconducting materials and highlight some of the major outstanding problems, with an emphasis on the superconducting pairing symmetries of these materials. We focus on μSR studies of the newly discovered superconductors ACa_2Fe_4As_4F_2(A = K, Rb, and Cs), ThFeAsN, and A_2Cr_3As_3(A = K, Cs), which were used to determine the superconducting gap structures, the presence of spin fluctuations, and to search for time reversal symmetry breaking in the superconducting states. We also briefly discuss the results of μSR investigations of the superconductivity in hole and electron doped BaFe_2As_2.