Disorder and Superconductivity: the relation of crystal structure and magnetism to superconductivity

非技术摘要：该奖项由材料研究部凝聚态物理计划授予弗吉尼亚大学，支持对新型超导体的中子散射研究，以调查无序和超导的复杂相互作用，并在尽可能小的尺度上探索微观相互作用的本质。超导是以零电阻为特征的物质状态。携带这种特性的材料可能会缓解未来世界的一些能源挑战和交通需求。自从大约100年前首次发现超导体以来，许多超导体已经在实验室中合成，导致了非常复杂的现象的发现。1957年，Bardeen Cooper和Schrieffer发展了一种理论，充分解释了导致简单金属超导的机制。如今，人们已经在远远不是简单金属的材料中发现了超导电性，这个项目的目的是提供数据，帮助从理论上理解它们的非常规性质和机制。更广泛的影响是培养未来一代科学家，他们将使用复杂的表征技术，对重要的物理领域做出贡献。技术摘要：该奖项来自材料研究部凝聚态物理计划，支持弗吉尼亚大学基于BIS2构建块对新型超导体进行合作研究。这些材料表现出结构与超导转变温度的强耦合。研究人员操纵材料的晶体化学，以调整绝缘、半导体或金属、非磁性或磁性状态之间的基态。用包括对密度函数(PDF)技术在内的散射技术(中子)研究了它的结构和磁性。研究人员在局部原子结构、声子和磁动力学表征方面具有互补的专业知识。这种综合方法的目的是阐明配对机制，并产生用于理论模拟的声子/磁激发数据。

Non-technical abstract:This award from the Condensed Matter Physics Program of the Division of Materials Research to the University of Virginia supports neutron scattering studies of novel superconductors to investigate the intricate interaction of disorder and superconductivity, and to probe the nature of the microscopic interactions at the smallest scale possible. Superconductivity is the state of matter characterized by zero electrical resistance. Materials carrying this property can potentially mitigate some of the world's energy challenges and transportation demands in the future. Since its initial discovery about 100 years ago, many superconductors have been synthesized in the laboratory leading to discoveries of very complex phenomena. In 1957, Bardeen Cooper and Schrieffer developed a theory that explains adequately the mechanism that leads to superconductivity in simple metals. Nowadays, superconductivity has been found in materials that are far from simple metals and the objective of this project is to provide data to help with theoretical understanding of their unconventional properties and mechanisms. The broader impact is to train future generation of scientists who, using sophisticated characterization techniques, will contribute to important areas of physics.Technical abstract:This award from the Condensed Matter Physics Program of the Division of Materials Research supports the University of Virginia on a collaborative study of new classes of superconductors, based on BiS2 building blocks. These materials exhibit strong coupling of the structure to superconducting transition temperature. The investigators manipulate the crystal chemistry of the materials to tune the ground state between insulating, semiconducting or metallic, non-magnetic or magnetic states. Scattering techniques (neutrons) including pair density function (PDF) techniques are used to study the structural and magnetic properties. The investigators have complementary expertise in local atomic structure, phonon and magnetic dynamics characterization. The objective of this comprehensive approach is to shed light on pairing mechanisms, and generate phonon/magnetic excitations data for theoretical simulations.