T. Keller

Non-Fermi liquid metal without quantum criticality.

A key question in condensed matter physics concerns whether pure three-dimensional metals can always be described as Fermi liquids. Using neutron Larmor diffraction to overcome the traditional resolution limit of diffraction experiments, we studied the lattice constants of the cubic itinerant-electron magnet manganese silicide (MnSi) at low temperatures and high pressures. We were able to resolve the nature of the phase diagram of MnSi and to establish that a stable, extended non–Fermi liquid state emerges under applied pressure without quantum criticality. This suggests that new forms of quantum order may be expected even far from quantum phase transitions.

Skyrmion lattices in metallic and semiconducting B20 transition metal compounds

High pressure studies in MnSi suggest the existence of a non-Fermi liquid state without quantum criticality. The observation of partial magnetic order in a small pocket of the pressure versus temperature phase diagram of MnSi has additionally inspired several proposals of complex spin textures in chiral magnets. We used neutron scattering to observe the formation of a two-dimensional lattice of skyrmion lines, a type of magnetic vortices, under applied magnetic fields in metallic and semiconducting B20 compounds. In strongly disordered systems the skyrmion lattice is hysteretic and extends over a large temperature range. Our study experimentally establishes magnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry as an arena for new forms of spin order composed of topologically stable spin textures.

Parasitic small-moment antiferromagnetism and nonlinear coupling of hidden order and antiferromagnetism in URu2Si2 observed by Larmor diffraction.

We report for the first time simultaneous microscopic measurements of the lattice constants, the distribution of the lattice constants, and the antiferromagnetic moment in high-purity URu(2)Si(2), combining Larmor and conventional neutron diffraction at low temperatures and pressures up to 18 kbar. Our data demonstrate quantitatively that the small moment in the hidden order (HO) of URu(2)Si(2) is purely parasitic. The excellent experimental conditions we achieve allow us to resolve that the transition line between HO and large-moment antiferromagnetism (LMAF), which stabilizes under pressure, is intrinsically first order and ends in a bicritical point. Therefore, the HO and LMAF must have different symmetry, which supports exotic scenarios of the HO such as orbital currents, helicity order, or multipolar order.

Energy Gaps and Kohn Anomalies in Elemental Superconductors

The momentum and temperature dependence of the lifetimes of acoustic phonons in the elemental superconductors lead and niobium were determined by resonant spin-echo spectroscopy with neutrons. In both elements, the superconducting energy gap extracted from these measurements was found to converge with sharp anomalies originating from Fermi-surface nesting (Kohn anomalies) at low temperatures. The results indicate electron many-body correlations beyond the standard theoretical framework for conventional superconductivity. A possible mechanism is the interplay between superconductivity and spin- or charge-density-wave fluctuations, which may induce dynamical nesting of the Fermi surface.

Spin-Wave Lifetimes Throughout the Brillouin Zone

We used a neutron spin-echo method with microelectron-volt resolution to determine the lifetimes of spin waves in the prototypical antiferromagnet MnF2 over the entire Brillouin zone. A theory based on the interaction of spin waves (magnons) with longitudinal spin fluctuations provides an excellent, parameter-free description of the data, except at the lowest momenta and temperatures. This is surprising, given the prominence of alternative theories based on magnon-magnon interactions in the literature. The results and technique open up a new avenue for the investigation of fundamental concepts in magnetism. The technique also allows measurement of the lifetimes of other elementary excitations, such as lattice vibrations, throughout the Brillouin zone.

Structural and magnetic phase transitions near optimal superconductivity in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2

In this study, we use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high-resolution x-ray and neutron scattering to study structural and magnetic phase transitions in phosphorus-doped BaFe2(As1-xPx)2. Thus, previous transport, NMR, specific heat, and magnetic penetration depth measurements have provided compelling evidence for the presence of a quantum critical point (QCP) near optimal superconductivity at x = 0.3. However, we show that the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural (Ts) and paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic (AF, TN) transitions in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 are always coupled and approach to TN ≈ Ts ≥ Tc (≈ 29 K) for x = 0.29 before vanishing abruptly for x ≥ 0.3. These results suggest that AF order in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 disappears in a weakly first order fashion near optimal superconductivity, much like the electron-doped iron pnictides with an avoided QCP.

Depht Profile of the ferromagnetic order in a YBa2Cu3O7/La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 superlattice on a LSAT Substrate :A polarized Neutron reflectometry study

Using polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) we have investigated a YBa2Cu3O7(10nm)/La2/3Ca1/3MnO3(9nm)]10 (YBCO/LCMO) superlattice grown by pulsed laser deposition on a La0.3Sr0.7Al0.65Ta0.35O3 (LSAT) substrate. Due to the high structural quality of the superlattice and the substrate, the specular reflectivity signal extends with a high signal-to-background ratio beyond the fourth order superlattice Bragg peak. This allows us to obtain more detailed and reliable information about the magnetic depth profile than in previous PNR studies on similar superlattices that were partially impeded by problems related to the low temperature structural transitions of the SrTiO3 substrates. In agreement with the previous reports, our PNR data reveal a strong magnetic proximity effect showing that the depth profile of the magnetic potential differs significantly from the one of the nuclear potential that is given by the YBCO and LCMO layer thickness. We present fits of the PNR data using different simple block-like models for which either a ferromagnetic moment is induced on the YBCO side of the interfaces or the ferromagnetic order is suppressed on the LCMO side. We show that a good agreement with the PNR data and with the average magnetization as obtained from dc magnetization data can only be obtained with the latter model where a so-called depleted layer with a strongly suppressed ferromagnetic moment develops on the LCMO side of the interfaces. The models with an induced ferromagnetic moment on the YBCO side fail to reproduce the details of the higher order superlattice Bragg peaks and yield a wrong magnitude of the average magnetization. We also show that the PNR data are still consistent with the small, ferromagnetic Cu moment of 0.25muB that was previously identified with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and x-ray resonant magnetic reflectometry measurements on the same superlattice.

Short-range cluster spin glass near optimal superconductivity in BaFe2−xNixAs2

In Chap. 4, we noted that the emergent incommensurate (IC) short-range antiferromagnetic (AF) order near optimal superconductivity of Ba(Fe\(_{1-x}\)Co\(_{x}\))\(_2\)As\(_{2}\) heavily modifies the electronic properties of this doping region and preempts the purported quantum critical point (QCP). Therefore, it is of particular interest to investigate the nature of the IC AF order.

Impact of uniaxial pressure on structural and magnetic phase transitions in electron-doped iron pnictides

We use neutron resonance spin echo and Larmor diffraction to study the effect of uniaxial pressure on the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural (Ts) and antiferromagnetic (AF) phase transitions in iron pnictides BaFe2−xNixAs2 (x = 0,0.03,0.12), SrFe1.97Ni0.03As2 ,a nd BaFe 2(As0.7P0.3)2. In antiferromagnetically ordered BaFe2−xNixAs2 and SrFe1.97Ni0.03As2 with TN and Ts (TN Ts), a uniaxial pressure necessary to detwin the sample also increases TN , smears out the structural transition, and induces an orthorhombic lattice distortion at all temperatures. By comparing temperature and doping dependence of the pressure induced lattice parameter changes with the elastoresistance and nematic susceptibility obtained from transport and ultrasonic measurements, we conclude that the in-plane resistivity anisotropy found in the paramagnetic state of electron underdoped iron pnictides depends sensitively on the nature of the magnetic phase transition and a strong coupling between the uniaxial pressure induced lattice distortion and electronic nematic susceptibility.

Evidence for spin-triplet superconducting correlations in metal-oxide heterostructures with noncollinear magnetization

Heterostructures composed of ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, ferromagnetic SrRuO3, and superconducting YBa2Cu3O6+x were studied experimentally. Structures of composition Au/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3/YBa2Cu3O6+x were prepared by pulsed laser deposition, and their high quality was confirmed by x-ray diffraction and reflectometry. Anoncollinear magnetic state of the heterostructureswas revealed by means of superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectometry. We have further observed superconducting currents in mesa structures fabricated by deposition of a second superconducting Nb layer on top of the heterostructure, followed by patterning with photolithography and ion-beam etching. Josephson effects observed in these mesa structures can be explained by the penetration of a triplet component of the superconducting order parameter into the magnetic layers.