Superconductivity at 39 K in magnesium diboride

In the light of the tremendous progress that has been made in raising the transition temperature of the copper oxide superconductors (for a review, see ref. 1), it is natural to wonder how high the transition temperature, Tc, can be pushed in other classes of materials. At present, the highest reported values of Tc for non-copper-oxide bulk superconductivity are 33 K in electron-doped Cs(x)Rb(y)C60 (ref. 2), and 30 K in Ba(1-x)K(x)BiO3 (ref. 3). (Hole-doped C60 was recently found to be superconducting with a Tc as high as 52 K, although the nature of the experiment meant that the supercurrents were confined to the surface of the C60 crystal, rather than probing the bulk.) Here we report the discovery of bulk superconductivity in magnesium diboride, MgB2. Magnetization and resistivity measurements establish a transition temperature of 39 K, which we believe to be the highest yet determined for a non-copper-oxide bulk superconductor.     

Superconductivity in molecular crystals induced by charge injection

Progress in the field of superconductivity is often linked to the discovery of new classes of materials, with the layered copper oxides being a particularly impressive example. The superconductors known today include a wide spectrum of materials, ranging in complexity from simple elemental metals, to alloys and binary compounds of metals, to multi-component compounds of metals and chalcogens or metalloids, doped fullerenes and organic charge-transfer salts. Here we present a new class of superconductors: insulating organic molecular crystals that are made metallic through charge injection. The first examples are pentacene, tetracene and anthracene, the last having the highest transition temperature, at 4 K. We anticipate that many other organic molecular crystals can also be made superconducting by this method, which will lead to surprising findings in the vast composition space of molecular crystals.     

Superconductivity at 52 K in hole-doped C60

Superconductivity in electron-doped C60 was first observed almost ten years ago. The metallic state and superconductivity result from the transfer of electrons from alkaline or alkaline-earth ions to the C60 molecule, which is known to be a strong electron acceptor. For this reason, it is very difficult to remove electrons from C60--yet one might expect to see superconductivity at higher temperatures in hole-doped than in electron-doped C60, because of the higher density of electronic states in the valence band than in the conduction band. We have used the technique of gate-induced doping in a field-effect transistor configuration to introduce significant densities of holes into C60. We observe superconductivity over an extended range of hole density, with a smoothly varying transition temperature Tc that peaks at 52 K. By comparison with the well established dependence of Tc on the lattice parameter in electron-doped C60, we anticipate that Tc values significantly in excess of 100 K should be achievable in a suitably expanded, hole-doped C60 lattice.     

Superconductivity in the non-magnetic state of iron under pressure.

Ferromagnetism and superconductivity are thought to compete in conventional superconductors, although in principle it is possible for any metal to become a superconductor in its non-magnetic state at a sufficiently low temperature. At pressures above 10 GPa, iron is known to transform to a non-magnetic structure and the possibility of superconductivity in this state has been predicted. Here we report that iron does indeed become superconducting at temperatures below 2 K at pressures between 15 and 30 GPa. The transition to the superconducting state is confirmed by both a drop in resistivity and observation of the Meissner effect.     

Diamagnetic activity above Tc as a precursor to superconductivity in La2-xSrxCuO4 thin films

Superconductors show zero resistance to electric current, and expel magnetic flux (the Meissner effect) below the transition temperature (Tc). In conventional superconductors, the 'Cooper pairs' of electrons that are responsible for superconductivity form only below Tc. In the unconventional high-Tc superconductors, however, a strong electron correlation is essential for pair formation: there is evidence that some pairs are formed above Tc in samples that have less than the optimal density of charge carriers (underdoped) and an energy gap-the 'pseudogap'-appears to be present. Moreover, excitations that look like the vortices that carry magnetic flux inside the superconducting state have been reported above Tc (refs 6, 7). Although the origin of the pseudogap remains controversial, phase fluctuations above Tc, leading to some form of local superconductivity or local pairing, seem essential. Here we report magnetic imaging (scanning SQUID microscopy) of La2-xSrxCuO4 thin films. Clear quantized vortex patterns are visible below Tc (18-19 K), and we observe inhomogeneous magnetic domains that persist up to 80 K. We interpret the data as suggesting the existence of diamagnetic regions that are precursors to the Meissner state.     

Superconductivity at 43 K in SmFeAsO1-xFx

Since the discovery of high-transition-temperature (high-T(c)) superconductivity in layered copper oxides, extensive effort has been devoted to exploring the origins of this phenomenon. A T(c) higher than 40 K (about the theoretical maximum predicted from Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory), however, has been obtained only in the copper oxide superconductors. The highest reported value for non-copper-oxide bulk superconductivity is T(c) = 39 K in MgB(2) (ref. 2). The layered rare-earth metal oxypnictides LnOFeAs (where Ln is La-Nd, Sm and Gd) are now attracting attention following the discovery of superconductivity at 26 K in the iron-based LaO(1-x)F(x)FeAs (ref. 3). Here we report the discovery of bulk superconductivity in the related compound SmFeAsO(1-x)F(x), which has a ZrCuSiAs-type structure. Resistivity and magnetization measurements reveal a transition temperature as high as 43 K. This provides a new material base for studying the origin of high-temperature superconductivity.     

Superconductivity in lithium below 0.4 millikelvin at ambient pressure

Elements in the alkali metal series are regarded as unlikely superconductors because of their monovalent character. A superconducting transition temperature as high as 20 K, recently found in compressed lithium (the lightest alkali element), probably arises from pressure-induced changes in the conduction-electron band structure. Superconductivity at ambient pressure in lithium has hitherto remained unresolved, both theoretically and experimentally. Here we demonstrate that lithium is a superconductor at ambient pressure with a transition temperature of 0.4 mK. As lithium has a particularly simple conduction electron system, it represents an important case for any attempts to classify superconductors and transition temperatures, especially to determine if any non-magnetic configuration can exclude superconductivity down to zero temperature. Furthermore, the combination of extremely weak superconductivity and relatively strong nuclear magnetism in lithium would clearly lead to mutual competition between these two ordering phenomena under suitably prepared conditions.     

Spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in the pseudogap state of a high-Tc superconductor

A change in 'symmetry' is often observed when matter undergoes a phase transition-the symmetry is said to be spontaneously broken. The transition made by underdoped high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors is unusual, in that it is not a mean-field transition as seen in other superconductors. Rather, there is a region in the phase diagram above the superconducting transition temperature Tc (where phase coherence and superconductivity begin) but below a characteristic temperature T* where a 'pseudogap' appears in the spectrum of electronic excitations. It is therefore important to establish if T* is just a cross-over temperature arising from fluctuations in the order parameter that will establish superconductivity at Tc (refs 3, 4), or if it marks a phase transition where symmetry is spontaneously broken. Here we report that, for a material in the pseudogap state, left-circularly polarized photons give a different photocurrent from right-circularly polarized photons. This shows that time-reversal symmetry is spontaneously broken below T*, which therefore corresponds to a phase transition.     

Magnetic carbon

The discovery of nanostructured forms of molecular carbon has led to renewed interest in the varied properties of this element. Both graphite and C60 can be electron-doped by alkali metals to become superconducting; transition temperatures of up to 52 K have been attained by field-induced hole-doping of C60 (ref. 2). Recent experiments and theoretical studies have suggested that electronic instabilities in pure graphite may give rise to superconducting and ferromagnetic properties, even at room temperature. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of strong magnetic signals in rhombohedral C60. Our intention was to search for superconductivity in polymerized C60; however, it appears that our high-pressure, high-temperature polymerization process results in a magnetically ordered state. The material exhibits features typical of ferromagnets: saturation magnetization, large hysteresis and attachment to a magnet at room temperature. The temperature dependences of the saturation and remanent magnetization indicate a Curie temperature near 500 K.     

铋系超导体的57Fe穆斯堡尔谱效应

对铋系超导体的正常态和超导态之间的转换进行了与温度相关的穆斯堡尔谱、X－射线衍射、磁化系数ac和电阻率的测量。铋系超导体的穆斯堡尔谱测量显示出两个通常的四极劈裂峰值，表明材料的组成成分是2223相。^57Fe占位的讨论采用点电荷模型。与温度相关的^57Fe穆斯堡尔谱和X－射线衍射研究晶格振动的动力学信息都是从77K到室温的范围。实验结果表明在120K和200K附近时，Cu-O层中出现了晶格软化。在Tc以上温度出现晶格软化是超导转变的先驱效应。     

Superconductivity in the non-oxide perovskite MgCNi3

The interplay of magnetic interactions, the dimensionality of the crystal structure and electronic correlations in producing superconductivity is one of the dominant themes in the study of the electronic properties of complex materials. Although magnetic interactions and two-dimensional structures were long thought to be detrimental to the formation of a superconducting state, they are actually common features of both the high transition-temperature (Tc) copper oxides and low-Tc material Sr2RuO4, where they appear to be essential contributors to the exotic electronic states of these materials. Here we report that the perovskite-structured compound MgCNi3 is superconducting with a critical temperature of 8 K. This material is the three-dimensional analogue of the LnNi2B2C family of superconductors, which have critical temperatures up to 16 K (ref. 2). The itinerant electrons in both families of materials arise from the partial filling of the nickel d-states, which generally leads to ferromagnetism as is the case in metallic Ni. The high relative proportion of Ni in MgCNi3 suggests that magnetic interactions are important, and the lower Tc of this three-dimensional compound-when compared to the LnNi2B2C family-contrasts with conventional ideas regarding the origins of superconductivity.     

Unconventional superconductivity in PuCoGa5

In the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, electrons form (Cooper) pairs through an interaction mediated by vibrations in the underlying crystal structure. Like lattice vibrations, antiferromagnetic fluctuations can also produce an attractive interaction creating Cooper pairs, though with spin and angular momentum properties different from those of conventional superconductors. Such interactions have been implicated for two disparate classes of materials--the copper oxides and a set of Ce- and U-based compounds. But because their transition temperatures differ by nearly two orders of magnitude, this raises the question of whether a common pairing mechanism applies. PuCoGa5 has a transition temperature intermediate between those classes and therefore may bridge these extremes. Here we report measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate and Knight shift in PuCoGa5, which demonstrate that it is an unconventional superconductor with properties as expected for antiferromagnetically mediated superconductivity. Scaling of the relaxation rates among all of these materials (a feature not exhibited by their Knight shifts) establishes antiferromagnetic fluctuations as a likely mechanism for their unconventional superconductivity and suggests that related classes of exotic superconductors may yet be discovered.     

Superconductivity in MgB2

In January of 2001 the superconductivity of the compound MgB2 with a critical temperature Tc of up to 39 K was discovered. This Tc is the highest in all intermetallic compound and alloy superconductors. MgB2 has a simple structure and its manufacturing capital cost is lower, therefore it could become a practical superconductor in the future. The recent progress is reviewed here which covers the progress in electronic structure, high Tc mechanism, superconducting parameters (Debye temperature, specific heat coefficient of electron, critical fields, coherent length, penetration depth, energy gap, critical current and relaxation rate of flux). Moreover the issue on power transmission is discussed.     

THE RELATION BETWEEN BAND STRUCTURE AND SUPERCONDUCTING TRANSITION TEMPERATURE IN SOME MIXED ALKALI-METAL DOPED C_(60)

The electronic band stucturec of crystalline N Na2RbC60 and Na2CsC60are examined using the three-dimensional crystal orbital method. Our calculation results reveal that ground states of all these three alkali-metal doped fulle.rides from a metalic conducting phase with a rather narrow molecular crystal-like band-stucture and a high density of state near the. fermi-level, which indicate a very high Tc for this newly found molecular superconductors. A monotonic relationship is found between our calculated band dispersion,Fermi-level density of state, and the experimental transition temperature Tc,which is in exceuentt agre.emet with the prediction of the. BCS model.     

Two-band superconductivity in LaFeAsO0.89F0.11 at very high magnetic fields

The recent synthesis of the superconductor LaFeAsO(0.89)F(0.11) with transition temperature T(c) approximately 26 K (refs 1-4) has been quickly followed by reports of even higher transition temperatures in related compounds: 41 K in CeFeAsO(0.84)F(0.16) (ref. 5), 43 K in SmFeAsO(0.9)F(0.1) (ref. 6), and 52 K in NdFeAsO(0.89)F(0.11) and PrFeAsO(0.89)F(0.11) (refs 7, 8). These discoveries have generated much interest in the mechanisms and manifestations of unconventional superconductivity in the family of doped quaternary layered oxypnictides LnOTMPn (Ln: La, Pr, Ce, Sm; TM: Mn, Fe, Co, Ni; Pn: P, As), because many features of these materials set them apart from other known superconductors. Here we report resistance measurements of LaFeAsO(0.89)F(0.11) at high magnetic fields, up to 45 T, that show a remarkable enhancement of the upper critical field B(c2) compared to values expected from the slopes dB(c2)/dT approximately 2 T K(-1) near T(c), particularly at low temperatures where the deduced B(c2)(0) approximately 63-65 T exceeds the paramagnetic limit. We argue that oxypnictides represent a new class of high-field superconductors with B(c2) values surpassing those of Nb(3)Sn, MgB(2) and the Chevrel phases, and perhaps exceeding the 100 T magnetic field benchmark of the high-T(c) copper oxides.     

Sol-gel法合成Bi_(1.6)Pb_(0.3)Sb_(0.1)Sr_2Ca_2Cu_3O_x体系的超导材料的研究

本文用Ｓｏｌ－ｇｅｌ法合成了Ｂｉ１．６Ｐｂ０．３Ｓｂ０．１Ｓｒ２Ｃａ２Ｃｕ３Ｏｘ体系的高ＴＣ超导原粉，对于不同的烧结时间，材料的超导性有不同程度的差异，（超导转变温度为１０８．３～１１６．１Ｋ）并与同种方法合成的Ｂｉ１．７Ｐｂ０．３Ｓｒ２Ｃａ２Ｃｕ３Ｏｘ体系进行了比较．用Ｓｏｌ－ｇｅｌ法，在Ｂｉ系中掺杂Ｐｂ，同样会缩短烧结时间（缩短６０ｈ），促进高温相的形成，同时掺杂Ｐｂ，Ｓｂ，形成超导材料所需的烧结时间进一步缩短（缩短１５３ｈ）．利用ＳＥＭ和Ｘ－ｒａｙ观察和分析了样品的形貌特征和物相结构．Ｓｏｌ－ｇｅｌ法具有工艺简单，烧结时间短，样品颗粒均匀、粒度小、组分易控等优点，在高ＴＣ超导材料中不失为一种行之有效的材料制备工艺．     

Resonance as a measure of pairing correlations in the high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6.6

One of the most striking properties of the high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors is that they are all derived from insulating antiferromagnetic parent compounds. The intimate relationship between magnetism and superconductivity in these copper oxide materials has intrigued researchers from the outset, because it does not exist in conventional superconductors. Evidence for this link comes from neutron-scattering experiments that show the unambiguous presence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations (excitations) in the high-Tc superconductors. Even so, the role of such excitations in the pairing mechanism for superconductivity is still a subject of controversy. For YBa2Cu3O(6+x), where x controls the hole-doping level, the most prominent feature in the magnetic excitation spectrum is a sharp resonance (refs 6-11). Here we show that for underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.6, where x and Tc are below their optimal values, modest magnetic fields suppress the resonance significantly, much more so for fields approximately perpendicular to the CuO2 planes than for parallel fields. Our results indicate that the resonance measures pairing and phase coherence, suggesting that magnetism plays an important role in high-Tc superconductivity. The persistence of a field effect above Tc favours mechanisms in which the superconducting electron pairs are pre-formed in the normal state of underdoped copper oxide superconductors, awaiting transition to the superconducting state.     

氧化物超导材料的键价计算

Y-Ba-Cu—O和Tl(Bi)-Ba-Cu-O氧化物体系的晶体结构与其超导转化温度T_c存在密切关系。以统计法则为基础的键价计算结果表明,具有超导性的 Y系、Tl系氧化物晶体中各离子接近其正常价态,CuO-维链与CuO_2二维面中的铜离子的价态无显著差异。这和对Y-Ba-Cu-O 系进行的紧束缚带电子结构计算的结果不同,所以CuO-维链的存在与否对氧化物超导性的出现不一定必需,Tl(Bi)系不存在CuO-一链,而它的T_c甚至比Y系更高就是个很好的实例。     

不同烧结温度对Bi系2212相超导电性的影响

对采用不同温度烧结的Ｂｉ系２２１２相样品的Ｒ—Ｔ曲线测量表明，随着烧结温度的增高，Ｒ—Ｔ曲线发生由超导相向半导体相的转变，而且这种转变无法以ＣｕＯ２面的结构畸变来解释．认为是因为烧结温度的不同导致了样品中载流子浓度的变化而引起的样品超导电性的变化．烧结温度升高，样品中的载流子浓度减小，导致了样品由超导相向半导体相的转变，与铜氧化物超导体相图所显示的规律性是一致的．