Phys.org December 12, 2023
Field-induced superconductivity is a rare phenomenon where an applied magnetic field enhances or induces superconductivity. A team of researchers in the US (MIT, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Washington, George Mason University) combined tunable uniaxial stress and applied magnetic field on the ferromagnetic superconductor Eu(Fe0.88Co0.12)2As2 to shift the field-induced zero-resistance temperature between 4 K and a record-high value of 10 K. They used x-ray diffraction and spectroscopy measurements under stress and field to reveal that strain tuning of the nematic order and field tuning of the ferromagnetism act as independent control parameters of the superconductivity. Combining comprehensive measurements with DFT calculations, they proposed that field-induced superconductivity arises from a novel mechanism, namely, the uniquely dominant effect of the Eu dipolar field when the exchange field splitting is nearly zero… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
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Strain and field-tunable ferromagnetic superconductivity. Credit: SCIENCE ADVANCES, 24 Nov 2023, Vol 9, Issue 47