Probing chiral superconductivity in Sr 2 RuO 4 underneath the surface by point contact measurements

Wang, He; Luo, Jiawei; Lou, Weijian; Ortmann, J. E.; Mao, Z. Q.; Liu, Y.; Wei, Jian

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/aa65c5

Title: Probing chiral superconductivity in Sr ₂ RuO ₄ underneath the surface by point contact measurements

Journal Article · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · New Journal of Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa65c5· OSTI ID:1437703

Wang, He; Luo, Jiawei; Lou, Weijian; Ortmann, J. E.; Mao, Z. Q.; Liu, Y.;

Sr2RuO4 (SRO) is the prime candidate for a chiral p-wave superconductor with critical temperature $${T}_{{\rm{c}}}(\mathrm{SRO})\sim 1.5$$ K. Chiral domains with opposite chiralities $${p}_{x}\pm {{\rm{i}}{p}}_{y}$$ have been proposed, but are yet to be confirmed. We measure the field dependence of the point contact (PC) resistance between a tungsten tip and an SRO–Ru eutectic crystal, where micrometer-sized Ru inclusions are embedded in SRO with an atomically sharp interface. Ruthenium is an s-wave superconductor with $${T}_{{\rm{c}}}(\mathrm{Ru})\sim 0.5$$ K; flux pinned near the Ru inclusions can suppress its superconductivity, as reflected in the PC resistance and spectra. This flux pinning effect originates from SRO underneath the surface and is very strong once flux is introduced. To fully remove flux pinning, one needs to thermally cycle the sample above T_c(SRO) or apply alternating fields with decreasing amplitude. With alternating fields, the observed hysteresis in magnetoresistance can be explained by domain dynamics, providing support for the existence of chiral domains. The origin of the strong pinning could be the chiral domains themselves.

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Research Organization:: Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-04ER46159; SC0012432

OSTI ID:: 1437703

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1393550

Journal Information:: New Journal of Physics, Journal Name: New Journal of Physics Vol. 19 Journal Issue: 5; ISSN 1367-2630

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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Cited by: 5 works

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Title: Probing chiral superconductivity in Sr ₂ RuO ₄ underneath the surface by point contact measurements