Magnetic-field-induced superconductivity in a two-dimensional organic conductor

New superconducting phases in field-induced organic superconductor lambda-(BETS)2FeCl4

We derive the parallel upper critical field, Hc2, as a function of the temperature T in quasi-2D organic compound lambda-(BETS)2FeCl4, accounting for the formation of the nonuniform Larkin-Ovchinnikov-Fulde-Ferrell (LOFF) state. To further check the 2D LOFF model, we propose to study the Hc2(T) curve at low T in tilted fields, where the vortex state is described by the high Landau level functions characterized by the index n. We predict a cascade of first-order transitions between vortex phases with different n, between phases with different types of the symmetry at given n and the change of the superconducting transition from the second order to the first order as FeCl4 ions are replaced partly by GaCl4 ions.

Superconductivity near ferromagnetism in MgCNi3

An unusual quasi-two-dimensional heavy band mass van Hove singularity (vHs) lies very near the Fermi energy in MgCNi3, recently reported to superconduct at 8.5 K. This compound is strongly exchange enhanced and unstable to ferromagnetism upon hole doping with approximately 12% Mg-->Na or Li (i.e., 0.04 hole/Ni). We identify an essentially infinite mass along the M-Gamma line, which accounts for the two dimensionality of this vHs. This compound provides new opportunities to probe the ferromagnetic critical point as well as introducing the novelties of 2D behavior into a 3D system.

New charge transfer salts based on bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (ET) and ferro- or antiferromagnetic oxalato-bridged dinuclear anions: syntheses, structures and magnetism of ET5[MM'(C2O4)(NCS)8] with MM' = Cr(III)Fe(III), Cr(III)Cr(III)

Electrochemical combination of the magnetic dinuclear anion [MM'(C2O4)(NCS)8](4-) (MM' = Cr(III)Cr(III), Cr(III)Fe(III)) with the ET organic pi-donor (ET = BEDT-TTF = bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene) gives rise to two new isostructural molecular hybrid salts ET5[MM'(C2O4)(NCS)8], with MM' = CrCr (1), CrFe (2). The molecular structure of compound 1 has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The particular arrangement of the organic units consists of an unprecedented two-dimensional organic sublattice nearly similar to that observed in kappa-phase structures. For both compounds, the magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate (i) the ET radicals do not contribute to the magnetic moment probably due to the presence of strong antiferromagnetic interaction between them, and (ii) in the anion, the magnetic coupling is antiferromagnetic for 1 (J = -3.65 cm(-1)) and ferromagnetic for 2 (J = 1.14 cm(-1), J being the parameter of the exchange Hamiltonian H = -2JS1S2). The field dependence of the magnetization of compound 2 at 2.0 K gives further evidence of the S = 4 ground-state arising from the interaction between S = 3/2 Cr(III) and S = 5/2 Fe(III). EPR measurements confirm the nature of the magnetic interactions and the absence of any contribution from the organic part, as observed from the static magnetic measurement. Conductivity measurements and electronic band structure calculations show that both salts are semiconductors with low activation energies.

Superconductivity in an organic insulator at very high magnetic fields

We investigate by electrical transport the field-induced superconducting state (FISC) in the organic conductor lambda-(BETS)2FeCl4. Below 4 K, antiferromagnetic-insulator, metallic, and eventually superconducting (FISC) ground states are observed with increasing in-plane magnetic field. The FISC state survives between 18 and 41 T and can be interpreted in terms of the Jaccarino-Peter effect, where the external magnetic field compensates the exchange field of aligned Fe3+ ions. We further argue that the Fe3+ moments are essential to stabilize the resulting singlet, two-dimensional superconducting state.