Quasiparticle scattering interference in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

By considering the nonmonotonic d-wave gap effect, the energy and momentum dependence of quasiparticle scattering interference is studied in the presence of a single impurity. It is shown that the pattern of the quasiparticle scattering peaks in the full Brillouin zone of electron-doped cuprate superconductors is very different from that in the hole-doped case described by the Octet model. This difference is the result of the nonmonotonic d-wave superconducting gap in the electron-doped case. As the energy increases, the position of the local peaks in the Brillouin zone moves rapidly. In particular, the characteristic peaks of the electron-doped cuprate superconductors appear between the antinodal and nodal directions, unlike in the hole-doped case.

High-magnetic-field induced charge order in high-T_c cuprate superconductors

In the last few years, charge order and its entanglement with superconductivity are under hot debate in high-Tc community due to the new progress on charge order in high-Tc cuprate superconductors YBa2Cu3O6+x. Here, we will briefly introduce the experimental status of this field and mainly focus on the experimental progress of high-field nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) study on charge order in YBa2Cu3O6+x. The pioneering high-field NMR work in YBa2Cu3O6+x sets a new stage for studying charge order which has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in high-Tc cuprate superconductors.

Model of Preformed Hole-Pairs in c-Axis Transport in Cuprate Superconductors

Model of hole-pairs in electrical transport along ab plane in cuprate superconductors has already been proposed. It has been found to be in the shape of 3dx2–y2 orbital of an electron in an atom. This time, model of hole-pairs in transport along c-axis in cuprate superconductors is proposed. In ab-plane, hole-pairs are formed along CuO2 plane;one hole-pair covering 9 - 10 two dimensional CuO2 unit cells in 3dx2–y2 configuration. In the investigation of c-axis hole-pairs, cuprate superconductors have been sub-divided into three categories depending on the number of CuO2 planes/formula unit. There is a little different treatment for finding out the order parameter in each category. Coherence lengths along ab-planes are of the order of a few tens of Angstroms, whereas along c-axis, they are less than even their a-, b-lattice constants. In cuprates with 2 or 3 CuO2 planes, the order parameter is of 3dz2–x2 type in zx-plane with lobes along both the axes much constrained. For cuprates with a single CuO2 layer, the order parameter is of 3dx2–y2 type, but its dimensions are less than a-, b-lattice constants.

Electron-phonon coupling in cuprate and iron-based superconductors revealed by Raman scattering

Electron-phonon coupling （EPC） in cuprate and iron-based superconducting systems, as revealed by Raman scat- tering, is briefly reviewed. We introduce how to extract the coupling information through phonon lineshape. Then we discuss the strength of EPC in different high-temperature superconductor （HTSC） systems and possible factors affecting the strength. A comparative study between Raman phonon theories and experiments allows us to gain insight into some crucial electronic properties, especially superconductivity. Finally, we summarize and compare EPC in the two existing HTSC systems, and discuss what role it may play in the HTSC.

Relevance of 3d multiplet structure in nickelate and cuprate superconductors

The recent discovery of superconductivity in doped rare-earth infinite-layer nickelates RNiO_(2),R=Nd,Pr as a new family of unconventional superconductors has inspired extensive research on their intriguing properties.One of the major motivation to explore the nickelate superconductors originated from their similarities with and differences from the cuprate superconductors,which have been extensively studied over the last decades but are still lack of the thorough understanding.In this short review,we summarized our recent investigation of the relevance of Ni/Cu-3d multiplet structure on the hole doped spin states in cuprate and recently discovered nickelate superconductors via an impurity model incorporating all the 3d orbitals.Further plausible explorations to be conducted are outlined as well.Our presented work provides an insightful framework for the investigation of the strongly correlated electronic systems in terms of the multiplet structure of transition metal compounds.

Hybrid crystals of cuprates and iron-based superconductors

We propose two possible new compounds, Ba2CuO2Fe2As2and K2CuO2Fe2Se2, which hybridize the building blocks of two high temperature superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds consist of square CuO2 layers and antifluorite-type Fe2X2（X = As, Se） layers separated by Ba/K. The calculations of binding energies and phonon spectra indicate that they are dynamically stable, which ensures that they may be experimentally synthesized. The Fermi surfaces and electronic structures of the two compounds inherit the characteristics of both cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds can be superconductors with intriguing physical properties to help to determine the pairing mechanisms of high Tc superconductivity.

Hole-Pair Formation in Cuprate Superconductors despite Antiferromagnetic Fluctuations

We have earlier proposed models of preformed hole pairs based on the results of our electron paramagnetic resonance experiments. A hole doped in a cuprate superconductor causes ferromagnetic alignment of the spins of the holes of 4 Cu2+ ions of the plaquette (CuO)4 in which it enters. Spin alignments undergo oscillations from vertically upward to vertically downward of the CuO2 plane. Vertical projections of spins go on changing when they pass through different plaquettes going to zero when they pass through the CuO2 plane. Ferromagnetic alignments of spins produce magnetic fields on the plane proportional to their vertical projections. When two holes travelling in CuO2 plane come across each other at a certain distance between them, they are attracted towards each other by Heisenberg exchange interaction and their path is decided by the magnetic field produced due to spin alignments. Their path is similar to 3dx2 - y2 atomic orbital. Y-123 has been chosen as an example. Due to plethora of evidence of antiferromagnetic fluctuations in cuprates, hole-pair formation has been tried in Y-123 assuming antiferromagnetic fluctuations in it. It has been found that hole-pair formation in spite of AFM fluctuations can be explained on the same lines as done earlier. Hole-pair formation was tried in Tl-2201 to test whether the same rules apply in cuprates with very high coherence lengths. Coherence length in Tl-2201 = 52 &Aring, whereas in Y-123 = 15 20 &Aring in CuO2 plane. It has been reported that in Tl-2201 the CuO2 plane is very flat and smooth. From this it was concluded that high coherence length is the result of the smoothness of the plane. Further it was concluded that the smoothness of the CuO2 plane depends upon the nature of the near neighbors of the CuO2 plane. Near neighbors of Y-123 and Tl-2201 have been compared.

Growth and transport features of electron-doped superconductor Pr_(1-x)LaCe_xCuO_(4-δ) thin films

Tt-phase electron-doped superconductor Pr1-xLaCexCuO4-δ（PLCCO） thin films are successfully prepared on SrTiOs （100） substrates by using the dc magnetron sputtering method. It is found that the films each have a highly oriented structure along the c-axis. For optimally doped films with x ≈ 0.10, the superconducting transition temperature Tc is 25.5 K, which is similar to that of a single crystal. The quadratic temperature dependence of the resistivity is observed when T 〉 To, which can be attributed to the two-dimensional Fermi liquid behaviour. Besides, the optimal conditions for preparing the T1-phase PLCCO thin films are also discussed in detail.

Continuously Doping Bi_(2)Sr_(2)CaCu_(2)O_(8+δ)into Electron-Doped Superconductor by CaH_(2)Annealing Method

As a typical hole-doped cuprate superconductor,Bi_(2)Sr_(2)CaCu_(2)O_(8+δ)(Bi2212)carrier doping is mostly determined by its oxygen content.Traditional doping methods can regulate its doping level within the range of hole doping.Here we report the first application of CaH_(2)annealing method in regulating the doping level of Bi2212.By continuously controlling the anneal time,a series of differently doped samples can be obtained.The combined experimental results of x-ray diffraction,scanning transmission electron microscopy,resistance and Hall measurements demonstrate that the CaH_(2)induced topochemical reaction can effectively change the oxygen content of Bi2212 within a very wide range,even switching from hole doping to electron doping.We also found evidence of a low-T_c superconducting phase in the electron doping side.

Crossover from Two-to Three-dimensional Superconducting States in Bismuth-based Cuprate Superconductor

To decipher the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity(SC),it is important to know how the superconducting pairing emerges from the unusual normal states of cuprate superconductors,including pseudogap,anomalous Fermi liquid and strange metal(SM).A long-standing issue under debate is how the superconducting pairing is formed and condensed in the SM phase because the superconducting transition temperature is the highest in this phase.

Specific heat in superconductors

Specific heat is a powerful tool to investigate the physical properties of condensed materials.Superconducting state is achieved through the condensation of paired electrons,namely,the Cooper pairs.The condensed Cooper pairs have lower entropy compared with that of electrons in normal metal,thus specific heat is very useful in detecting the low lying quasiparticle excitations of the superconducting condensate and the pairing symmetry of the superconducting gap.In this brief overview,we will give an introduction to the specific heat investigation of the physical properties of superconductors.We show the data obtained in cuprate and iron based superconductors to reveal the pairing symmetry of the order parameter.

Study of Pseudogap in Underdoped Cuprate

A mean-field spin-density wave (SDW) analysis of pseudogap in the underdoped cuprates is proposed on the dependence of the energy gap which mimics the pseudogap near (π, 0) point at least. It implies that the pseudogap structure near (π, 0) is not sensitive to the long-range order and will survive leading to the pseudogap phenomenon in the underdoped metallic phase. On the other hand, in the long-range ordering antiferromagnetic region, the mean-field SDW theory holds and the pseudogap structure predicated by the theory should be observable experimentallyv. Then one prediction is that the pseudogap would smoothly extrapolate between itinerant antiferromagnetic phase and underdoped metallic phase.

An Overview of the Multi-Band and the Generalized BCS Equations-Based Approaches to Deal with Hetero-Structured Superconductors

We trace the conceptual basis of the Multi-Band Approach (MBA) and recall the reasons for its wide following for composite superconductors (SCs). Attention is then drawn to a feature that MBA ignores: the possibility that electrons in such an SC may also be bound via simultaneous exchanges of quanta with more than one ion-species—a lacuna which is addressed by the Generalized BCS Equations (GBCSEs). Based on several papers, we give a concise account of how this approach: 1) despite employing a single band, meets the criteria satisfied by MBA because a) GBCSEs are derived from a temperature-incorporated Bethe-Salpeter Equation the kernel of which is taken to be a “superpropagator” for a composite SC-each ion-species of which is distinguished by its own Debye temperature and interaction parameter and b) the band overlapping the Fermi surface is allowed to be of variable width. GBCSEs so-obtained reduce to the usual equations for the Tc and Δ of an elemental SC in the limit superpropagator → 1-phonon propagator;2) accommodates moving Cooper pairs and thereby extends the scope of the original BCS theory which restricts the Hamiltonian at the outset to terms that correspond to pairs having zero centre-of-mass momentum. One can now derive an equation for the critical current density (j0) of a composite SC at T = 0 in terms of the Debye temperatures of its ions and their interaction parameters— parameters that also determine its Tc and Δs;3) transforms the problem of optimizing j0 of a composite SC, and hence its Tc, into a problem of chemical engineering;4) provides a common canopy for most composite SCs, including those that are usually regarded as outside the purview of the BCS theory and have therefore been called “exceptional”, e.g., the heavy-fermion SCs;5) incorporates s±-wave superconductivity as an in-built feature and can therefore deal with the iron-based SCs, and 6) leads to presumably verifiable predictions for the values of some relevant parameters, e.g., the effective mass of electrons, for the SCs for which it has been employed.

Negligible normal fluid in superconducting state of heavily overdoped Bi_(2)Sr_(2)CaCu_(2)O_(8+δ) detected by ultra-low temperature angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

In high temperature cuprate superconductors,it was found that the superfluid density decreases with the increase of hole doping.One natural question is whether there exists normal fluid in the superconducting state in the overdoped region.In this paper,we have carried out high-resolution ultra-low temperature laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements on a heavily overdoped Bi2212 sample with a T_(c) of 48 K.We find that this heavily overdoped Bi2212 remains in the strong coupling regime with 2Δ_(0)/(k_(B)T_(c))=5.8.The single-particle scattering rate is very small along the nodal direction(~5 meV) and increases as the momentum moves from the nodal to the antinodal regions.A hard superconducting gap opening is observed near the antinodal region with the spectral weight at the Fermi level fully suppressed to zero.The normal fluid is found to be negligibly small in the superconducting state of this heavily overdoped Bi2212.These results provide key information to understand the high T_(c) mechanism in the cuprate superconductors.

转角铜氧化物中的约瑟夫森效应

当前常压下超导转变温度最高的材料仍然来自铜氧化物家族.然而,铜氧化物超导的微观机理仍未被完全建立起来,成为了凝聚态物理领域最具挑战性的问题之一.测定配对波函数的相位部分是全面理解高温超导机理不可或缺的一环.该实验往往需要将不同晶向的铜氧化物拼接成高质量的约瑟夫森结,十分考验样品的合成制备技术.近年来,利用二维材料中发展起来的范德瓦耳斯堆垛技术,研究者们构建了具有原子级平整界面的转角铜氧化物双晶结,研究了不同掺杂浓度、不同转角下的约瑟夫森隧穿,探索了其中出现s波、d波、以及由于界面耦合演生出的d+id波配对的可能性.本文将回顾转角铜氧化物约瑟夫森结的研究进展,介绍近年来发展起来的转角结制备技术,讨论当前实验测量的结果及其意义,提出尚待解决的关键性问题.

氧化物异质界面上的准二维超导

由于对称性破缺、晶格失配、电荷转移和空间限域等多自由度的协同关联作用,氧化物异质界面演生出许多与相应体材料所不同的物理性质,其中氧化物界面超导由于蕴含丰富物理内涵吸引了广泛的关注.近年来,得益于氧化物异质外延以及物性精准表征技术的迅猛发展,研究人员已经在多种氧化物异质界面上观测到了准二维的界面超导,并研究了与其相关的许多新奇量子现象,不仅推动了凝聚态物理研究的发展,也为界面超导走向实际应用奠定了重要基础.本文主要介绍和讨论氧化物界面上的准二维超导,以典型的LaAlO_(3)/SrTiO_(3)界面准二维超导及La_(2)CuO_(4)/La_(1.56)Sr_(0.44)CuO_(4)等铜氧化物界面超导为例,总结分析氧化物界面超导中新奇的物理现象,并指出该研究体系目前存在的一些问题,最后展望界面超导未来的发展方向.

超导型复合氧化物在苯酚羟化反应中催化作用

采用柠檬酸络合法合成了一系列含铜复合氧化物 (超导体 ) .用化学滴定方法和O2 TPD等技术对所合成的复合氧化物的组成和表面性质进行了测定 .通过探讨催化剂结构与活性的关系 ,发现含铜复合氧化物中的非化学计量氧和铜离子的平均价态与苯酚羟化活性和过氧化氢分解活性密切相关 .在实验中观察到醌类化合物在苯酚羟化反应循环中具有增强电子传递功能 ,在此基础上提出了醌类化合物参与催化循环的机理 .

高温超导体磁通钉扎和磁通动力学研究简介

超导态是一个宏观量子相干态,其载流子是库珀对.在没有外加磁场和电流的时候,这些库珀对的运动行为用统一的波函数ψ=ψ0eiφ进行描述,其相位φ在宏观尺度上是相同的.当磁场低于一定值的时候,在超导体的边界处穿透深度内会出现一个屏蔽电流来对抗外磁场的侵入,样品处于迈斯纳态.然而,当磁场超过一定值的时候,磁场会进入到超导体中,迈斯纳态被破坏掉,在超导体内形成超导区和正常区及其相应的界面.根据此时这个界面处能量的正负,把超导体分成Ⅰ类和Ⅱ类超导体,分别对应正和负界面能.目前发现的绝大多数超导体都是Ⅱ类超导体,因为界面能为负值,因此进入到超导体的磁场会分离成最细小的单元,以保证最大的界面面积,降低系统能量.该最小的磁通束被称为磁通量子,其磁通量是Φ0=h/2e(h为普朗克常数, e为电子电量).这些磁通线之间有一定的排斥力,因此它们会形成点阵.当外加输运电流的时候,这些磁通线会受到一个洛伦兹力作用而运动,但是运动就会造成能量的损耗,超导体就会因此失去电阻为零的优良品质.通过在超导体中引入一些缺陷、杂质或位错,就可以把磁通钉扎住,超导体仍然可以有零损耗特性,而这个特性可以用于超导体的强电应用.本文将对磁通钉扎和磁通动力学及其研究方法做一点简单介绍.

高温超导体组合薄膜和相图表征高通量方法

铜氧化物超导体和铁基高温超导体是已知的两类高温超导体,研究高温超导机理是如今超导领域最具有挑战性的前沿课题.构建高温超导的高维精确相图、寻找决定超导转变温度的关键物理量可以为高温超导机理做好实验铺垫.对于铜氧化物高温超导体,多种自由度的相互关联与耦合使其相图呈现出复杂性与多样性.现有的研究方法在构建高维“全息”相图及获取定量化物理规律等方面面临着难以克服的困难,而材料的高通量制备与表征技术可以在相图空间实现参量的线扫描甚至面扫描,有望快速建立可靠的高温超导高维相图和高温超导关键参量数据库,并从中提取重要的统计物理规律.本文从阳离子掺杂、母体氧掺杂、双电层晶体管(静电场/电化学)、磁场等几个调控维度,回顾了主要基于输运手段获得的铜氧化物电子态相图,介绍了基于脉冲激光沉积技术和分子束外延技术的组合薄膜生长方法以及与之匹配的跨尺度选区输运测量技术,展示了高通量技术在高温超导研究中的初步应用.高通量实验技术与超导研究结合,逐步形成了新兴的高通量超导研究范式,将在构建高维精确相图、突破高温超导机理、推进超导材料实用化等方面发挥不可替代的作用.

核类似铜酸盐超导模型的代数结构及能谱分析

Iachello提出核类似的铜酸盐超导模型具有su(3)代数结构,其平均场近似下的哈密顿量可以写成su(3)生成元的线性组合.利用代数对角化方法,可得到超出su(3)子代数u(1)u(2)和so(3)范围的约化哈密顿量的本征值,并分析得到模型中相干态项对能谱的影响.