Magnetic Properties of Molecular and Rutheno-Cuprate Superconductors

这一个人研究人员奖授予波士顿学院的一名教授，以表彰他的一项实验研究项目，该项目专注于两类低维系统的电磁和热力学性质，在这两类系统中，超导和磁性相互竞争，甚至共存。这些性质将在低温和强磁场下进行研究。在一种情况下，将寻找关于直链分子导体(TMTSF)_X超导态配对对称性的关键信息。以前的研究已经提供了强有力的证据表明，这些材料的超导相与反铁磁自旋密度波竞争激烈，是p波三重态超导体。如果是这样的话，就不会有塞曼对破裂机制来摧毁磁场中的超导电性。此外，存在轨道对破裂效应可以减小或消除的可能性，这意味着超导态将持续到极高的场。在这个项目中，一名博士后和两名研究生将参与将先前的工作扩展到50%的高场和先前努力的五分之一的温度，以寻找三重态配对和重入超导的确凿证据。在第二种情况下，混合Ruthenate-CuCuate磁性超导系统也存在高场超导的可能性，但可能是通过不同的机制。这些材料具有交替的超导和反铁磁性(具有弱铁磁顺序)层，提供了一个独特的环境来测试磁性和超导两个破缺对称状态之间的对抗关系。这些实验将在波士顿学院的一个新的实验室设施中进行，里面有几个新的高场磁铁和稀释冰箱。参与这个项目的学生将学习一些技术，为他们在学术、政府或工业研究中的职位做准备。长期以来，人们已经确定，磁性会破坏所有的超导电性。例如，为现代核磁共振机器提供动力的超导磁体在强度(因此灵敏度和分辨率)方面是有限的，因为磁体绕组中产生的磁场本身就会降低导线的载流能力。然而，超导体的这种自杀倾向可能是有办法的。在某些低维几何结构中，即超导电子被限制在平面上(如一本书的书页)或甚至是单个链(如一页上的线条)的情况下，超导状态有可能重新获得其强度，并在远远超出传统预期的磁场中持续存在。授予波士顿学院一位教授的个人研究人员奖是为了表彰一个项目，该项目将在某些低维材料中研究这种可能性，在这些材料中，以前的工作(关于所谓的分子超导体)已经显示出在非常强的磁场中增强超导能力的令人兴奋的趋势。事实证明，这些材料是超导和磁性在纳米尺度上相互竞争的材料，这一事实可能被证明对实现高场超导并最终制造超高场磁体很重要。参与该项目的研究生和博士后将学习为学术、政府或工业研究职位做准备的技术。*

This individual investigator award is to a professor at Boston College for an experimental research project that focuses on the electromagnetic and thermodynamic properties of two classes of low dimensional systems in which superconductivity and magnetism compete, or even coexist. These properties will be investigated at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. In one case, critical information on the pairing symmetry in the superconducting state of linear chain molecular conductors (TMTSF)_X will be sought. Previous research has provided strong evidence that these materials, whose superconducting phase is in close competition with an antiferromagnetic spin density wave, are p-wave triplet superconductors. If so, then there would be no Zeeman pair-breaking mechanism to destroy superconductivity in a magnetic field. In addition, there exists the possibility that the orbital pair-breaking effect can be reduced or eliminated, which means that the superconducting state would persist to extremely high fields. In this project, one post-doc and two graduate students will be involved in extending previous work to 50% higher field and 1/5th the temperature of previous efforts, in search of definitive evidence for triplet pairing and reentrant superconductivity. In the second case, the hybrid ruthenate-cuprate magnetic superconducting system, a possibility also exists for high field superconductivity, but perhaps by a different mechanism. These materials have alternating superconducting and antiferromagnetic (with weak ferromagnetic order) layers, providing a unique setting to test the antagonistic relationship between the two broken symmetry states of magnetism and superconductivity. The experiments will be performed in a new laboratory facility at Boston College housing several new high field magnets and dilution refrigerators. The students involved in this project will learn techniques that will prepare them for positions in academic, governmental, or industrial research.%%%It has long been established that magnetism destroys all superconductivity. For example, the superconducting magnets that power modern MRI machines are limited in strength (and thus sensitivity and resolution) due to the fact that the very field created in the magnet's windings diminishes the wire's ability to carry current. There may be ways around this suicidal tendency of superconductors, however. In certain low dimensional geometries, namely in situations where the superconducting electrons are confined to planes (like the pages of a book) or even individual chains (like the lines on a page), the possibility exists for the superconducting state to regain its strength, and to persist in fields well beyond conventional expectations. This individual investigator award to a professor at Boston College is for a project that will investigate this possibility in certain low dimensional materials, where previous work (on so-called "molecular superconductors") has shown an exciting tendency for enhanced superconductivity in very strong magnetic fields. It turns out that these materials are ones in which superconductivity and magnetism "compete" against each other on a nanoscopic scale, a fact that may prove important in the realization of high field superconductivity and, eventually, the fabrication of ultra-high field magnets. The graduate student and postdoc involved in this project will learn techniques that will prepare them for positions in academic, governmental, or industrial research.***