A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Superconductivity at 1 K in Y-Au-Si quasicrystal approximants

  2021. Takayuki Shiino (et al.). Physical Review B 103 (5)

  Article

  We report the structural and physical properties of two Y-Au-Si (YAS) compounds, Y(14.1)AU(69.2)Si(16.7) and Y15.4Au68.6Si16.1, which are 1/1 approximant crystals of a Tsai-type quasicrystal without intrinsic magnetic moments. The compounds differ by the presence of either a tetrahedron (Au,Si)(4) or a single Y atom at the center of their characteristic structural building unit consisting of concentric polyhedral shells. Both compounds exhibit bulk superconductivity, which seems to be of a conventional type-II BCS type. The compound with Y atoms at the cluster center has a slightly higher transition temperature with a sharper step in the specific heat than the compound with tetrahedral units. We discuss the occurrence of this superconducting state in the light of the specific structural and physical properties of these quasicrystal approximants.

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• Phase transition preceding magnetic long-range order in the double perovskite Ba2NaOsO6

  2019. Kristin Willa (et al.). Physical Review B 100 (4)

  Article

  Recent theoretical studies [G. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. B 82, 174440 (2010); H. Ishizuka et al., Phys. Rev. B 90, 184422 (2014)] for the magnetic Mott insulator Ba2NaOsO6 have proposed a low-temperature order parameter that breaks lattice rotational symmetry without breaking time reversal symmetry, leading to a nematic phase just above the magnetic ordering temperature. We present high-resolution calorimetric and magnetization data of the same Ba2NaOsO6 single crystal and show evidence for a weakly field-dependent phase transition occurring at a temperature of T-s approximate to 9.5 K, above the magnetic ordering temperature of T-c approximate to 7.5 K. This transition appears as a broadened step in the low-field temperature dependence of the specific heat. The evolution of the phase boundary with applied magnetic field suggests that this phase coincides with the phase of broken local point symmetry seen in NMR experiments at high fields [L. Lu et al., Nat. Commun. 8, 14407 (2017)]. Furthermore, the magnetic field dependence of the specific heat provides clear indications for magnetic correlations persisting at temperatures between T-c and T-s where long-range magnetic order is absent, giving support for the existence of the proposed nematic phase.

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• Anisotropic superconductivity and magnetism in single-crystal RbEuFe4As4

  2018. M. P. Smylie (et al.). Physical Review B 98 (10)

  Article

  We investigate the anisotropic superconducting and magnetic properties of single-crystal RbEuFe(4)As(4 )using magnetotransport and magnetization measurements. We determine a magnetic ordering temperature of the Eu moments of T-m = 15 K and a superconducting transition temperature of T-c = 36.8 K. The superconducting phase diagram is characterized by high upper critical field slopes of -70 and -42 kG/K for in-plane and out-of-plane fields, respectively, and a surprisingly low superconducting anisotropy of Gamma = 1.7. Ginzburg-Landau parameters of K-c similar to 67 and K-ab similar to 108 indicate extreme type-II behavior. These superconducting properties are in line with those commonly seen in optimally doped Fe-based superconductors. In contrast, Eu magnetism is quasi-two dimensional (2D), as evidenced by highly anisotropic in-plane and out-of-plane exchange constants of 0.6 K and <0.04 K. A consequence of the quasi-2D nature of the Eu magnetism are strong magnetic fluctuation effects, a large suppression of the magnetic ordering temperature as compared to the Curie-Weiss temperature, and a kinklike anomaly in the specific heat devoid of any singularity. Magnetization curves reveal a clear magnetic easy-plane anisotropy with in-plane and out-of-plane saturation fields of 2 and 4 kG.

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• Unusual Interplay between Superconductivity and Field-Induced Charge Order in YBa2Cu3Oy

  2018. J. Kacmarcik (et al.). Physical Review Letters 121 (16)

  Article

  We present a detailed study of the temperature (T) and magnetic field (H) dependence of the electronic density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level, as deduced from specific heat and Knight shift measurements in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy. We find that the DOS becomes field independent above a characteristic field H-DOS, and that the H-DOS (T) line displays an unusual inflection near the onset of the long-range 3D charge-density wave order. The unusual S shape of H-DOS (T) is suggestive of two mutually exclusive orders that eventually establish a form of cooperation in order to coexist at low T. On theoretical grounds, such a collaboration could result from the stabilization of a pair-density wave state, which calls for further investigation in this region of the phase diagram.

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• Raising the superconducting T-c of gallium

  2018. Donato Campanini, Zhu Diao, Andreas Rydh. Physical Review B 97 (18)

  Article

  Gallium (Ga) displays several metastable phases. Superconductivity is strongly enhanced in the metastable beta-Ga with a critical temperature T-c = 6.04(5) K, while stable alpha-Ga has a much lower T-c < 1.2 K. Here we use a membrane-based nanocalorimeter to initiate the transition from alpha-Ga to beta-Ga on demand, as well as study the specific heat of the two phases on one and the same sample. The in situ transformation is initiated by bringing the temperature to about 10 K above the melting temperature of alpha-Ga. After such treatment, the liquid supercools down to 232 K, where beta-Ga solidifies. We find that beta-Ga is a strong-coupling type-I superconductor with Delta(0)/k(B)T(c) = 2.00(5) and a Sommerfeld coefficient gamma(n) = 1.53(4) mJ/molK(2), 2.55 times higher than that in the alpha phase. The results allow a detailed comparison of fundamental thermodynamic properties between the two phases.

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• Nanocalorimeter platform for in situ specific heat measurements and x-ray diffraction at low temperature

  2017. K. Willa (et al.). Review of Scientific Instruments 88 (12)

  Article

  Recent advances in electronics and nanofabrication have enabled membrane-based nanocalorimetry for measurements of the specific heat of microgram-sized samples. We have integrated a nanocalorimeter platform into a 4.5 T split-pair vertical-field magnet to allow for the simultaneous measurement of the specific heat and x-ray scattering in magnetic fields and at temperatures as low as 4 K. This multi-modal approach empowers researchers to directly correlate scattering experiments with insights from thermodynamic properties including structural, electronic, orbital, and magnetic phase transitions. The use of a nanocalorimeter sample platform enables numerous technical advantages: precise measurement and control of the sample temperature, quantification of beam heating effects, fast and precise positioning of the sample in the x-ray beam, and fast acquisition of x-ray scans over a wide temperature range without the need for time-consuming re-centering and re-alignment. Furthermore, on an YBa2Cu3O7-delta crystal and a copper foil, we demonstrate a novel approach to x-ray absorption spectroscopy by monitoring the change in sample temperature as a function of incident photon energy. Finally, we illustrate the new insights that can be gained from in situ structural and thermodynamic measurements by investigating the superheated state occurring at the first-order magneto-elastic phase transition of Fe2P, a material that is of interest for magnetocaloric applications.

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• Microscopic parameters from high-resolution specific heat measurements on superoptimally substituted BaFe2(As1-xPx)(2) single crystals

  2016. Zhu Diao (et al.). Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 93 (1)

  Article

  We investigate the electronic specific heat of superoptimally substituted BaFe2(As1-x P-x(x))(2) single crystals in the superconducting state using high-resolution nanocalorimetry. From the measurements, we extract the substitution dependence of the condensation energy, superconducting gap Delta, and related microscopic parameters. We find that the anomalous scaling of the specific heat jump Delta C proportional to T-c(3) , found in many iron-based superconductors, in this system originates from a T-c-dependent ratio Delta/k(B)T(c) in combination with a substitution-dependent density of states N(epsilon(F)). A clear enhancement is seen in the effective mass m* as the composition approaches the value that has been associated with a quantum critical point at optimum substitution. However, a simultaneous increase in the superconducting carrier concentration n(s) yields a penetration depth lambda that decreases with increasing T-c without sharp divergence at the quantum critical point. Uemura scaling indicates that T-c is governed by the Fermi temperature T-F for this multiband system.

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• Rayleigh instability of confined vortex droplets in critical superconductors

  2015. I. Lukyanchuk (et al.). Nature Physics 11 (1), 21-25

  Article

  Depending on the Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappa, superconductors can either be fully diamagnetic if kappa < 1/root 2 (type I superconductors) or allow magnetic flux to penetrate through Abrikosov vortices if kappa > 1/root 2 (type II superconductors; refs 1,2). At the Bogomolny critical point, kappa = kappa(c) = 1/root 2, a state that is infinitely degenerate with respect to vortex spatial configurations arises(3,4). Despite in-depth investigations of conventional type I and type II superconductors, a thorough understanding of the magnetic behaviour in the near-Bogomolny critical regime at kappa similar to kappa(c) remains lacking. Here we report that in confined systems the critical regime expands over a finite interval of kappa forming a critical superconducting state. We show that in this state, in a sample with dimensions comparable to the vortex core size, vortices merge into a multi-quanta droplet, which undergoes Rayleigh instability(5) on increasing kappa and decays by emitting single vortices. Superconducting vortices realize Nielsen-Olesen singular solutions of the Abelian Higgs model, which is pervasive in phenomena ranging from quantum electrodynamics to cosmology(6-9). Our study of the transient dynamics of Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortices in systems with boundaries promises access to non-trivial effects in quantum field theory by means of bench-top laboratory experiments.

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• Superconducting gap evolution in overdoped BaFe2(As1-xPx)(2) single crystals through nanocalorimetry

  2015. Donato Campanini (et al.). Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 91 (24)

  Article

  We report on specific heat measurements on clean overdoped BaFe2(As1-xPx)(2) single crystals performed with a high resolution membrane-based nanocalorimeter. A nonzero residual electronic specific heat coefficient at zero temperature gamma(r) = C/T backslash(T -> 0) is seen for all doping compositions, indicating a considerable fraction of the Fermi surface ungapped or having very deep minima. The remaining superconducting electronic specific heat is analyzed through a two-band s-wave alpha model in order to investigate the gap structure. Close to optimal doping we detect a single zero-temperature gap of Delta(0) similar to 5.3 meV, corresponding to Delta(0)/k(B)T(c) similar to 2.2. Increasing the phosphorus concentration x, the main gap reduces till a value of Delta(0) similar to 1.9 meV for x = 0.55 and a second weaker gap becomes evident. From the magnetic field effect on gamma(r), all samples however show similar behavior [gamma(r)(H) -gamma(r)(H = 0) proportional to H-n, with n between 0.6 and 0.7]. This indicates that, despite a considerable redistribution of the gap weights, the total degree of gap anisotropy does not change drastically with doping.

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• Thermodynamics around the first-order ferromagnetic phase transition of Fe2P single crystals

  2014. M. Hudl (et al.). Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 90 (14), 144432

  Article

  The specific heat and thermodynamics of Fe2P single crystals around the first-order paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition at T-C similar or equal to 217 K are empirically investigated. The magnitude and direction of the magnetic field relative to the crystal axes govern the derived H-T phase diagram. Strikingly different phase contours are obtained for fields applied parallel and perpendicular to the c axis of the crystal. In parallel fields, the FM state is stabilized, while in perpendicular fields the phase transition is split into two sections, with an intermediate FM phase where there is no spontaneous magnetization along the c axis. The zero-field transition displays a textbook example of a first-order transition with different phase stability limits on heating and cooling. The results have special significance since Fe2P is the parent material to a family of compounds with outstanding magnetocaloric properties.

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• Differential membrane-based nanocalorimeter for high-resolution measurements of low-temperature specific heat

  2012. Stella Tagliati, Vladimir M. Krasnov, Andreas Rydh. Review of Scientific Instruments 83 (5), 055107

  Article

  A differential, membrane-based nanocalorimeter for general specific heat studies of very small samples, ranging from 0.5 mg to sub-mu g in mass, is described. The calorimeter operates over the temperature range from above room temperature down to 0.5 K. It consists of a pair of cells, each of which is a stack of heaters and thermometer in the center of a silicon nitride membrane, in total giving a background heat capacity less than 100 nJ/K at 300 K, decreasing to 10 pJ/K at 1 K. The device has several distinctive features: (i) The resistive thermometer, made of a Ge1-xAux alloy, displays a high dimensionless sensitivity |dlnR/dlnT| greater than or similar to 1 over the entire temperature range. (ii) The sample is placed in direct contact with the thermometer, which is allowed to self-heat. The thermometer can thus be operated at high dc current to increase the resolution. (iii) Data are acquired with a set of eight synchronized lock-in amplifiers measuring dc, 1st and 2nd harmonic signals of heaters and thermometer. This gives high resolution and allows continuous output adjustments without additional noise. (iv) Absolute accuracy is achieved via a variable-frequency-fixed-phase technique in which the measurement frequency is automatically adjusted during the measurements to account for the temperature variation of the sample heat capacity and the device thermal conductance. The performance of the calorimeter is illustrated by studying the heat capacity of a small Au sample and the specific heat of a 2.6 mu g piece of superconducting Pb in various magnetic fields.

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• Absolute accuracy in membrane-based ac nanocalorimetry

  2011. Stella Tagliati, Andreas Rydh. Thermochimica Acta 522 (1-2), 66-71

  Article

  To achieve accurate results in nanocalorimetry a detailed analysis and understanding of the behavior of the calorimetric system is required. There are especially two system-related aspects that should be taken in consideration: the properties of the empty cell and the effect of the thermal link between sample and cell. Here we study these two aspects for a membrane-based system where heater and thermometer are both in good contact with each other and the center of the membrane. Practical, analytical expressions for describing the frequency dependence of heat capacity, thermal conductance, and temperature oscillation of the system are formulated and compared with measurements and numerical simulations. We finally discuss the experimental conditions for an optimal working frequency, where high resolution and good absolute accuracy are combined.

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Show all publications by Andreas Rydh at Stockholm University