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Here, by conducting a systematic $^{89}$Y NMR study, we explore the nature of the magnetic ground state in a newly discovered iron-based superconductor YFe$_2$Ge$_2$. An incoherent-to-coherent crossover due to the Hund's coupling induced electronic correlation is revealed below the crossover temperature $T^*\sim 75\pm15\,\mathrm{K}$. During the electronic crossover, both the Knight shift ($K$) and the bulk magnetic susceptibility ($\chi$) exhibit a similar nonmonotonic temperature dependence, and a so-called Knight shift anomaly is also revealed by a careful $K$-$\chi$ analysis. Such an electronic crossover has been also observed in heavily hole-doped pnictide superconductors \emph{A}Fe$_2$As$_2$ (\emph{A} = K, Rb, and Cs), which is ascribed to the Hund's coupling induced electronic correlation. Below $T^*$, the spin-lattice relaxation rate divided by temperature $(1/T_1T)$ shows a similar suppression as the Knight shift, suggesting the absence of critical spin fluctuations. This seems to be in conflict with a predicted magnetic quantum critical point (QCP) near this system. However, considering a $\mathbf{q}$-dependent "filter" effect on the transferred hyperfine field, a predominant spin fluctuation with A-type correlation would be perfectly filtered out at $^{89}$Y sites, which is consistent with the recent inelastic neutron scattering results. Therefore, our results confirm that, through a Hund's coupling induced electronic crossover, the magnetic ground state of YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ becomes close to an itinerant magnetic QCP with A-type spin fluctuations. In addition, the possible superconducting pairing due to spin fluctuations is also discussed., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, supplementary information available upon request

In low-dimensional metallic systems, lattice distortion is usually coupled to a density-wave-like electronic instability due to Fermi surface nesting (FSN) and strong electron-phonon coupling. However, the ordering of other electronic degrees of freedom can also occur simultaneously with the lattice distortion thus challenges the aforementioned prevailing scenario. Recently, a hidden electronic reconstruction beyond FSN was revealed in a layered metallic compound BaTi2As2O below the structural transition temperature Ts ~ 200 K. The nature of this hidden electronic instability is under strong debate. Here, by measuring the local orbital polarization through 75As nuclear magnetic resonance experiment, we observe a p-d bond order between Ti and As atoms in BaTi2As2O single crystal. Below Ts, the bond order breaks both rotational and translational symmetry of the lattice. Meanwhile, the spin-lattice relaxation measurement indicates a substantial loss of density of states and an enhanced spin fluctuation in the bond-order state. Further first-principles calculations suggest that the mechanism of the bond order is due to the coupling of lattice and nematic instabilities. Our results strongly support a bond-order driven electronic reconstruction in BaTi2As2O and shed light on the mechanism of superconductivity in this family., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, supplemental material available upon request

Using a field-effect transistor (FET) configuration with solid Li-ion conductor (SIC) as gate dielectric, we have successfully tuned carrier density in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin flakes, and the electronic phase diagram has been mapped out. It is found that electron doping controlled by SIC-FET leads to a suppression of the superconducting phase, and eventually gives rise to an insulating state in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$. During the gating process, the (001) peak in XRD patterns stays at the same position and no new diffraction peak emerges, indicating no evident Li$^+$ ions intercalation into the FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$. It indicates that a systematic change of electronic properties in FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ arises from the electrostatic doping induced by the accumulation of Li$^+$ ions at the interface between FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ and solid ion conductor in the devices. It is striking that these findings are drastically different from the observation in FeSe thin flakes using the same SIC-FET, in which $T_c$ is enhanced from 8 K to larger than 40 K, then the system goes into an insulating phase accompanied by structural transitions., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

In correlated electrons system, quantum melting of electronic crystalline phase often gives rise to many novel electronic phases. In cuprates superconductors, melting the Mott insulating phase with carrier doping leads to a quantum version of liquid crystal phase, the electronic nematicity, which breaks the rotational symmetry and exhibits a tight twist with high-temperature superconductivity. Recently, the electronic nematicity has also been observed in Fe-based superconductors. However, whether it shares a similar scenario with its cuprates counterpart is still elusive. Here, by measuring nuclear magnetic resonance in CsFe2As2, a prototypical Fe-based superconductor perceived to have evolved from a Mott insulating phase at 3d5 configuration, we report anisotropic quadruple broadening effect as a direct result of local rotational symmetry breaking. For the first time, clear connection between the Mott insulating phase and the electronic nematicity can be established and generalized to the Fe-based superconductors. This finding would promote a universal understanding on electronic nematicity and its relation with high-temperature superconductivity., 14 pages, 4 figures

The thermal conductivity kappa of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba1-xKxFe2As2 was measured for heat currents parallel and perpendicular to the tetragonal c axis at temperatures down to 50 mK and in magnetic fields up to 15 T. Measurements were performed on samples with compositions ranging from optimal doping (x = 0.34; Tc = 39 K) down to dopings deep into the region where antiferromagnetic order coexists with superconductivity (x = 0.16; Tc = 7 K). In zero field, there is no residual linear term in kappa(T) as T goes to 0 at any doping, whether for in-plane or inter-plane transport. This shows that there are no nodes in the superconducting gap. However, as x decreases into the range of coexistence with antiferromagnetism, the residual linear term grows more and more rapidly with applied magnetic field. This shows that the superconducting energy gap develops minima at certain locations on the Fermi surface and these minima deepen with decreasing x. We propose that the minima in the gap structure arise when the Fermi surface of Ba1-xKxFe2As2 is reconstructed by the antiferromagnetic order.

In contrast to bulk FeSe superconductor, heavily electron-doped FeSe-derived superconductors show relatively high Tc without hole Fermi surfaces and nodal superconducting gap structure, which pose great challenges on pairing theories in the iron-based superconductors. In the heavily electron-doped FeSe-based superconductors, the dominant factors and the exact working mechanism that is responsible for the high Tc need to be clarified. In particular, a clean control of carrier concentration remains to be a challenge for revealing how superconductivity and Fermi surface topology evolves with carrier concentration in bulk FeSe. Here, we report the evolution of superconductivity in the FeSe thin flake with systematically regulated carrier concentrations by liquid-gating technique. High-temperature superconductivity at 48 K can be achieved only with electron doping tuned by gate voltage in FeSe thin flake with Tc less than 10 K. This is the first time to achieve such a high temperature superconductivity in FeSe without either epitaxial interface or external pressure. It definitely proves that the simple electron-doping process is able to induce high-temperature superconductivity with Tc as high as 48 K in bulk FeSe. Intriguingly, our data also indicates that the superconductivity is suddenly changed from low-Tc phase to high-Tc phase with a Lifshitz transition at certain carrier concentration. These results help us to build a unified picture to understand the high-temperature superconductivity among all FeSe-derived superconductors and shed light on further pursuit of higher Tc in these materials., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures

A series of (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe$_{1-x}$S$_x$ (0 $\leq$ x $\leq$ 1) samples were successfully synthesized via hydrothermal reaction method and the phase diagram is established. Magnetic susceptibility suggests that an antiferromagnetism arising from (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OH layers coexists with superconductivity, and the antiferromagnetic transition temperature nearly remains constant for various S doping levels. In addition, the lattice parameters of the both a and c axes decrease and the superconducting transition temperature T$_c$ is gradually suppressed with the substitution of S for Se, and eventually superconductivity vanishes at $x$ = 0.90. The decrease of T$_c$ could be attributed to the effect of chemical pressure induced by the smaller ionic size of S relative to that of Se, being consistent with the effect of hydrostatic pressure on (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)OHFeSe. But the detailed investigation on the relationships between $T_{\rm c}$ and the crystallographic facts suggests a very different dependence of $T_{\rm c}$ on anion height from the Fe2 layer or $Ch$-Fe2-$Ch$ angle from those in FeAs-based superconductors., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

Unconventional superconductivity from heavy fermion (HF) is always observed in f-electron systems, in which Kondo physics between localized f-electrons and itinerant electrons plays an essential role. Whether HF superconductivity could be achieved in other systems without f electrons, especially for d-electron systems, is still elusive. Here, we experimentally study the origin of d-electron HF behavior in iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs). Nuclear magnetic resonance on 75As reveals a universal coherent-incoherent crossover with a characteristic temperature T*. Below T*, a so-called 'Knight shift anomaly' is first observed in FeSCs, which exhibits a scaling behavior similar to f-electron HF materials. Furthermore, the scaling rule also regulates the manifestation of magnetic fluctuation. These results undoubtedly support an emergent Kondo scenario for the d-electron HF behavior, which suggests the AFe2As2 (A = K, Rb, Cs) as the first material realization of d-electron HF superconductors., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, including supplementary information with 9 figures

The multiband nature of iron-pnictide superconductors is one of the keys to the understanding of their intriguing behavior. The electronic and magnetic properties heavily rely on the multiband interactions between different electron and hole pockets near the Fermi level. At the fundamental level, though many theoretical models were constructed on the basis of the so-called 1-Fe Brillouin zone (BZ) with an emphasis of the basic square lattice of iron atoms, most electronic structure measurements were interpreted in the 2-Fe BZ. Whether the 1-Fe BZ is valid in a real system is still an open question. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), here we show in an extremely hole-doped iron-pnictide superconductor CsFe$_2$As$_2$ that the distribution of electronic spectral weight follows the 1-Fe BZ, and that the emerging band structure bears some features qualitatively different from theoretical band structures of the 1-Fe BZ. Our analysis suggests that the interlayer separation is an important tuning factor for the physics of FeAs layers, the increase of which can reduce the coupling between Fe and As and lead to the emergence of the electronic structure in accord with the 1-Fe symmetry of the Fe square lattice. Our finding puts strong constraints on the theoretical models constructed on the basis of the 1-Fe BZ.

We measured the in-plane resistivity anisotropy in the underdoped Ca$_{1-x}$Na$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals. The anisotropy (indicated by $\rho_{\rm b} - \rho_{\rm a}$) appears below a temperature well above magnetic transition temperature $T_{\rm N}$, being positive ($\rho_{\rm b} - \rho_{\rm a} > 0$) as $x\leq$ 0.14. With increasing the doping level to $x$ = 0.19, an intersection between $\rho_{\rm b}$ and $\rho_{\rm a}$ is observed upon cooling, with $\rho_{\rm b} - \rho_{\rm a} < 0$ at low-temperature deep inside a magnetically ordered state, while $\rho_{\rm b} - \rho_{\rm a}> 0$ at high temperature. Subsequently, further increase of hole concentration leads to a negative anisotropy $\rho_{\rm b} - \rho_{\rm a} < 0$ in the whole temperature range. These results manifest that the anisotropic behavior of resistivity in the magnetically ordered state depends strongly on the competition of the contributions from different mechanisms, and the competition between the two contributions results in a complicated evolution of the anisotropy of in-plane resistivity with doping level., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

We report a sudden reversal in the pressure dependence of Tc in the iron-based superconductor CsFe2As2, similar to that discovered recently in KFe2As2 [Tafti et al., Nat. Phys. 9, 349 (2013)]. As in KFe2As2, we observe no change in the Hall coefficient at the zero temperature limit, again ruling out a Lifshitz transition across the critical pressure Pc. We interpret the Tc reversal in the two materials as a phase transition from one pairing state to another, tuned by pressure, and investigate what parameters control this transition. Comparing samples of different residual resistivity, we find that a 6-fold increase in impurity scattering does not shift Pc. From a study of X-ray diffraction on KFe2As2 under pressure, we report the pressure dependence of lattice constants and As-Fe-As bond angle. The pressure dependence of these lattice parameters suggests that Pc should be significantly higher in CsFe2As2 than in KFe2As2, but we find on the contrary that Pc is lower in CsFe2As2. Resistivity measurements under pressure reveal a change of regime across Pc, suggesting a possible link between inelastic scattering and pairing symmetry., 7 figures, 7 pages, published

We performed systematic thermal conductivity measurements on heavily hole-doped Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals with 0.747 $\leq x \leq$ 0.974. At $x$ = 0.747, the $\kappa_0/T$ is negligible, indicating nodeless superconducting gap. A small residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$ ($\approx$ 0.035 mW/K$^2$ cm) appears at $x$ = 0.826, and it increases slowly up to $x$ = 0.974, followed by a drastic increase of more than 20 times to the pure KFe$_2$As$_2$ ($x$ = 1.0). This doping dependence of $\kappa_0/T$ clearly shows that the nodal gap appears near $x = 0.8$, likely associated with the change of Fermi surface topology. The small values of $\kappa_0/T$ from $x$ = 0.826 to 0.974 support a "$\curlyvee$"-shaped nodal $s$-wave gap recently revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments at $x$ = 0.9. Furthermore, the drastic increase of $\kappa_0/T$ from $x$ = 0.974 to 1.0 is inconsistent with a symmetry-imposed $d$-wave gap in KFe$_2$As$_2$, and the possible nodal gap structure in KFe$_2$As$_2$ is discussed., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

FeSe-derived superconductors show some unique behaviors relative to iron-pnictide superconductors, which are very helpful to understand the mechanism of superconductivity in high-Tc iron-based superconductors. The low-energy electronic structure of the heavily electron-doped AxFe2Se2 (A=K, Rb, Cs) demonstrates that interband scattering or Fermi surface nesting is not a necessary ingredient for the unconventional superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) in the one-unit-cell FeSe on SrTiO3 substrate can reach as high as ~65 K, largely transcending the bulk Tc of all known iron-based superconductors. However, in the case of AxFe2Se2, the inter-grown antiferromagnetic insulating phase makes it difficult to study the underlying physics. Superconductors of alkali metal ions and NH3 molecules or organic-molecules intercalated FeSe and single layer or thin film FeSe on SrTiO3 substrate are extremely air-sensitive, which prevents the further investigation of their physical properties. Therefore, it is urgent to find a stable and accessible FeSe-derived superconductor for physical property measurements so as to study the underlying mechanism of superconductivity. Here, we report the air-stable superconductor (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe with high temperature superconductivity at ~40 K synthesized by a novel hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is unambiguously determined by the combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. It is also found that an antiferromagnetic order coexists with superconductivity in such new FeSe-derived superconductor. This novel synthetic route opens a new avenue for exploring other superconductors in the related systems. The combination of different structure characterization techniques helps to complementarily determine and understand the details of the complicated structures.

We report a sudden reversal in the pressure dependence of Tc in the iron-based superconductor RbFe2As2, at a critical pressure Pc = 11 kbar. Combined with our prior results on KFe2As2 and CsFe2As2, we find a universal V-shaped phase diagram for Tc vs P in these fully hole-doped 122 materials, when measured relative to the critical point (Pc, Tc). From measurements of the upper critical field Hc2(T) under pressure in KFe2As2 and RbFe2As2, we observe the same two-fold jump in (1/Tc)(-dHc2/dT) across Pc, compelling evidence for a sudden change in the structure of the superconducting gap. We argue that this change is due to a transition from one pairing state to another, with different symmetries on either side of Pc. We discuss a possible link between scattering and pairing, and a scenario where a d-wave state favored by high-Q scattering at low pressure changes to a state with s+- symmetry favored by low-Q scattering at high pressure., Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, Published

We measured resistivity and specific heat of high-quality CsFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals, which were grown by using a self-flux method. The CsFe$_2$As$_2$ crystal shows sharp superconducting transition at 1.8 K with the transition width of 0.1 K. The sharp superconducting transition and pronounced jump in specific heat indicate high quality of the crystals. Analysis on the superconducting-state specific heat supports unconventional pairing symmetry in CsFe$_2$As$_2$., 5 pages, 4 figures

We report Hall measurement of the normal state in K- and Co-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$, as well NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As. We found that a power-law temperature dependence of Hall angle, cot$\theta_{\rm H}$$\propto$ $T^\beta$, prevails in normal state with temperature range well above the structural, spin-density-wave and superconducting transitions for the all samples with various doping levels. The power $\beta$ is nearly 4 for the parent compounds and the heavily underdoped samples, while around 3 for the superconducting samples. The $\beta$ suddenly changes from 4 to 3 at a doping level that is close to the emergence of superconductivity. It suggests that the $\beta$ of $\sim 3$ is clearly tied to the superconductivity. Our data suggest that, similar to cuprates, there exists a connection between the physics in the normal state and superconductivity of iron-pnictides. These findings shed light on the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity.

The pairing mechanism in iron-based superconductors is the subject of ongoing debate. Proximity to an antiferromagnetic phase suggests that pairing is mediated by spin fluctuations, but orbital fluctuations have also been invoked. The former typically favour a pairing state of extended s-wave symmetry with a gap that changes sign between electron and hole Fermi surfaces (s+-), while the latter yield a standard s-wave state without sign change (s++). Here we show that applying pressure to KFe2As2 induces a change of pairing state. The critical temperature Tc decreases with pressure initially, and then suddenly increases, above a critical pressure Pc. The constancy of the Hall coefficient through Pc rules out a change in the Fermi surface. There is compelling evidence that the pairing state below Pc is d-wave, from bulk measurements at ambient pressure. Above Pc, the high sensitivity to disorder argues for a particular kind of s+- state. The change from d-wave to s-wave is likely to proceed via an unusual s + id state that breaks time-reversal symmetry. The proximity of two distinct pairing states found here experimentally is natural given the near degeneracy of d-wave and s+- states found theoretically. These findings make a compelling case for spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity in this key iron-arsenide material., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, including SI, published in Nature Physics

The thermal conductivity of iron-based superconductor CsFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystal ($T_c =$ 1.81 K) was measured down to 50 mK. A significant residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$ = 1.27 mW K$^{-2}$ cm$^{-1}$ is observed in zero magnetic field, which is about 1/10 of the normal-state value in upper critical field $H_{c2}$. In low magnetic field, $\kappa_0/T$ increases rapidly with field. The overall field dependence of $\kappa_0/T$ for our CsFe$_2$As$_2$ (with residual resistivity $\rho_0$ = 1.80 $\mu\Omega$ cm) lies between the dirty KFe$_2$As$_2$ (with $\rho_0$ = 3.32 $\mu\Omega$ cm) and the clean KFe$_2$As$_2$ (with $\rho_0$ = 0.21 $\mu\Omega$ cm). These results strongly suggest nodal superconducting gap in CsFe$_2$As$_2$, similar to its sister compound KFe$_2$As$_2$., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B

Superconductivity has been found in the iron-arsenides with different structures by alternative stacking of the conducting Fe2As2 layers and spacer layers including alkali- or alkali-earth metal ions and PbO- or perovskite-type oxides blocks. So far, no spacer layer could be intercalated in between the neutral Fe2Se2 layers similar in structure to Fe2As2 layers except for alkali-metal ions in AxFe2-ySe2. The superconducting phase in AxFe2-ySe2 with transition temperature of 32 K is always inter-grown with the insulating phase which exhibits an antiferromagnetic order with extremely high Neel temperature of ~560 K and the order of Fe vacancies. Such inhomogeneity makes the investigation on the underlying physics in AxFe2-ySe2 complicated. Here we report the synthesis of a novel superconductor LiFeO2Fe2Se2 by hydrothermal method, exhibiting superconductivity at ~43 K, in which anti-PbO-type spacer layers of LiFeO2 have been successfully intercalated between anti-PbO-type Fe2Se2 layers. This finding demonstrates that superconductivity can be realized in the iron selenide with a novel spacer layer of anti-PbO-type, which is not found in the iron arsenides, and expands the category of the iron-based superconductors. Such a new synthetic method paves a new way to search for possible novel superconductors with different spacer layers, which is helpful to further study the underlying physics in iron-based high-Tc superconductors., Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures

A series of high quality NaFe$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$As single crystals has been grown by a self-flux technique, which were systematically characterized via structural, transport, thermodynamic, and high pressure measurements. Both the structural and magnetic transitions are suppressed by Cu doping, and bulk superconductivity is induced by Cu doping. Superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) is initially enhanced from 9.6 to 11.5 K by Cu doping, and then suppressed with further doping. A phase diagram similar to NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As is obtained except that insulating instead of metallic behavior is observed in extremely overdoped samples. $T_c$'s of underdoped, optimally doped, and overdoped samples are all notably enhanced by applying pressure. Although a universal maximum transition temperature ($T_c^{max}$) of about 31 K under external pressure is observed in underdoped and optimally doped NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As, $T_c^{max}$ of NaFe$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$As is monotonously suppressed by Cu doping, suggesting that impurity potential of Cu is stronger than Co in NaFeAs. The comparison between Cu and Co doping effect in NaFeAs indicates that Cu serves as an effective electron dopant with strong impurity potential, but part of the doped electrons are localized and do not fill the energy bands as predicted by the rigid-band model., Comment: 9 pages, 10 pages

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we studied the electronic structure of NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As from an optimally doped superconducting compound ($x=0.028$) to a heavily overdoped non-superconducting one ($x=0.109$). Similar to the case of "122" type iron pnictides, our data suggest that Co dopant in NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As supplies extra charge carriers and shifts the Fermi level accordingly. In the $x=0.109$ compound, the hole-like bands around the zone center $\Gamma$ move to deeper binding energies and an electron pocket appears instead. The overall band renormalization remains basically the same throughout the doping range we studied, suggesting that the local magnetic/electronic correlations are not affected by carrier doping. We speculate that a balance between itinerant properties of mobile carriers and local interactions may play an important role for the superconductivity., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We establish the phase diagram of Eu$_{1-x}$La$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ system as a function of doping level x and the pressure by measuring the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility. The pressure can suppress the spin density wave (SDW) and structural transition very efficiently, while enhance the antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition temperature T$_N$ of Eu$^{2+}$. The superconductivity coexists with SDW order at the low pressure, while always coexists with the Eu$^{2+}$ AFM order. The results suggests that Eu$^{2+}$ spin dynamics is disentangeld with superconducting (SC) pairing taken place in the two-dimensional \emph{Fe-As} plane, but it can strongly affect superconducting coherence along c-axis.

High-quality K(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals have been grown by using KAs flux method. Instead of increasing the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ through electron doping, we find that Co impurities rapidly suppress $T_{\rm c}$ down to zero at only $x \approx$ 0.04. Such an effective suppression of $T_{\rm c}$ by impurities is quite different from that observed in Ba$_{0.5}$K$_{0.5}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ with multiple nodeless superconducting gaps. Thermal conductivity measurements in zero field show that the residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$ only change slightly with $3.4\%$ Co doping, despite the sharp increase of scattering rate. The implications of these anomalous impurity effects are discussed., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figs

We report the structural, magnetic and electronic transport properties of SrFe$_{2-x}$Cu$_x$As$_2$ single crystals grown by self-flux technique. SrCu$_2$As$_2$ and SrFe$_2$As$_2$ both crystallize in ThCr$_2$Si$_2$-type (122-type) structure at room temperature, but exhibit distinct magnetic and electronic transport properties. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) Cu-2p core line position, resistivity, susceptibility and positive Hall coefficient indicate that SrCu$_2$As$_2$ is an sp-band metal with Cu in the 3d$^{10}$ electronic configuration corresponding to the valence state Cu$^{1+}$. The almost unchanged Cu-2p core line position in SrFe$_{2-x}$Cu$_x$As$_2$ compared with SrCu$_2$As$_2$ indicates that partial Cu substitutions for Fe in SrFe$_2$As$_2$ may result in hole doping rather than the expected electron doping. No superconductivity is induced by Cu substitution on Fe sites, even though the structural/spin density wave(SDW) transition is gradually suppressed with increasing Cu doping., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures

We discover superconductivity in alkali-earth metals doped phenanthrene. The superconducting critical temperatures \emph{T}$_c$ are 5.6 K and 5.4 K for Sr$_{1.5}$phenanthrene and Ba$_{1.5}$phenanthrene, respectively. The shielding fraction of Ba$_{1.5}$phenanthrene exceeds 65%. The Raman spectra show 8 cm$^{-1}$/electron and 7 cm$^{-1}$/electron downshifts for the mode at 1441 cm$^{-1}$ due to the charge transfer to organic molecules from the dopants of Ba and Sr. Similar behavior has been observed in A$_3$phenanthrene and A$_3$C$_{60}$(A = K and Rb). The positive pressure effect in Sr$_{1.5}$phenanthrene and Ba$_{1.5}$phenanthrene together with the lower $T_c$ with larger lattice indicates unconventional superconductivity in this organic system., 4 pages, 4 figures

We systematically study the AFM order of Fe1 zigzag chains and spin-flop of excess Fe2 under high magnetic field H through the susceptibility, magnetoresistance (MR), Hall effect and specific heat measurements in high-quality single crystal TaFe$_{1+y}$Te$_3$. These properties suggest that the high temperature AFM transition of the TaFeTe$_3$ layers should be a SDW-type AFM order. Below T$_N$, Fe1 antiferromangetic zigzag chains will induce a inner magnetic field \textbf{H$_{int}$} to interstitial Fe2 and lead Fe2 also forms an AFM alignment, in which the magnetic coupling strength between Fe1 and Fe2 is enhanced by decreasing temperature. On the other hand, the external magnetic field \textbf{H$_{ext}$} inclines to tune interstitial Fe2 to form FM alignment along \textbf{H$_{ext}$}. When \textbf{H$_{ext}$} arrives at the "coercive" field H$_C$, which is able to break the coupling between Fe1 and Fe2, these interstitial Fe2 atoms take a spin-flop from AFM to FM alignment. The local moment of Fe2 is about 4 $\mu_{\textrm{B}}$/Fe. From low field ($$H$_C$) FM for Fe2, it also induces sharp drop on resistivity and an anomalous Hall effect. The possible magnetic structure of TaFe$_{1+y}$Te$_3$ is proposed from the susceptibility and MR. The properties related to the spin-flop of Fe2 supply a good opportunity to study the coupling between Fe1 and Fe2 in these TaFe$_{1+y}$Te$_3$ or Fe$_{1+y}$Te with interstitial Fe2 compounds., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B

We measure the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility in the temperature range from 5 K to 600 K for the single crystals $A$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ ($A$ = K$_{0.8}$, Rb$_{0.8}$, Cs$_{0.8}$, Tl$_{0.5}$K$_{0.3}$ and Tl$_{0.4}$Rb$_{0.4}$). A sharp superconducting transition is observed in low temperature resistivity and susceptibility, and susceptibility shows 100% Meissner volume fraction for all crystals, while an antiferromagnetic transition is observed in susceptibility at Neel temperature ($T_N$) as high as 500 K to 540 K depending on A. It indicates the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism. A sharp increase in resistivity arises from the structural transition due to Fe vacancy ordering at the temperature slightly higher than $T_{\rm N}$. Occurrence of superconductivity in an antiferromagnetic ordered state with so high $T_{\rm N}$ may suggest new physics in this type of unconventional superconductors., 5 pages, 4 figures

The thermal conductivity k of the iron-arsenide superconductor K-Ba122 was measured down to 50 mK in a magnetic field up to 15 T, for a heat current parallel and perpendicular to the tetragonal c axis. In the range from optimal doping (x ~ 0.4) down to x = 0.16, there is no residual linear term in k(T) at T = 0, showing that there are no nodes in the superconducting gap anywhere on the Fermi surface. Upon crossing below x = 0.16, a large residual linear term suddenly appears, signaling the onset of nodes in the superconducting gap, most likely vertical line nodes running along the c axis. We discuss two scenarios: 1) accidental nodes in an s-wave gap, resulting from a strong modulation of the gap around the Fermi surface, in which minima deepen rapidly with underdoping; 2) a phase transition from a nodeless s-wave state to a d-wave state, in which nodes are imposed by symmetry., Comment: This paper has been replaced by arXiv: 1602.03914

Organic materials are believed to be potential superconductor with high transition temperature (TC). Organic superconductors mainly have two families: the quasi-one dimensional (TMTSF)2X and two dimensional (BEDT-TTF)2X (Ref. 1 and 2), in which TMTSF is tetramethyltetraselenafulvalene (C10H12Se4) and BEDT-TTF or "ET" is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (C10H8S8). One key feature of the organic superconductors is that they have {\pi}-molecular orbitals, and the {\pi}-electron can delocalize throughout the crystal giving rise to metallic conductivity due to a {\pi}-orbital overlap between adjacent molecules. The introduction of charge into C60 solids and graphites with {\pi}-electron networks by doping to realize superconductivity has been extensively reported3,4. Very recently, superconductivity in alkali-metal doped picene with {\pi}-electron networks was reported5. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in potassium doped Phenanthrene with TC~5 K. TC increases with increasing pressure, and the pressure of 1 GPa leads to an increase of 20% in TC, suggesting that the potassium doped phenanthrene shows unconventional superconductivity. Both phenanthrene and picene are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and contain three and five fused benzene rings, respectively. The ribbon of fused benzene rings is part of graphene. Therefore, the discovery of superconductivity in K3Phenanthrene produces a novel broad class of superconductors consisting of fused hydrocarbon benzene rings with {\pi}-electron networks. The fact that TC increases from 5 K for KxPhenanthrene with three benzene rings to 18 K for Kxpicene with five benzene rings suggests that such organic hydrocarbons with long benzene rings is potential superconductor with high TC., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, one supplementary information. submitted to Nature Communications

We successfully grew the high-quality single crystal of Rb$_{0.78}$Fe$_2$Se$_{1.78}$, which shows sharp superconducting transition in magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity. Resistivity measurements show the onset superconducting transition ($T_{\rm c}$) at 32.1 K and zero resistivity at 30 K. From the low-temperature iso-magnetic-field magnetoresistance, large upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$(0) has been estimated as high as 180 T for in-plane field and 59 T for out-of-plane field. The anisotropy $H^{ab}_{\rm c2}$(0)/$H^{c}_{\rm c2}$(0) is around 3.0, right lying between those observed in K$_x$Fe$_2$Se$_2$ and Cs$_x$Fe$_2$Se$_2$., 5 pages, 5 figs

We successfully grew the high-quality single crystals of $A_{x}$Fe$_2$Se$_2$ ($A$ = K and Cs) by self-flux method. Sharp superconducting transition was observed for both types of crystals. The crystals show the onset superconducting transition temperatures ($T_{\rm c}$) of 31 K and 30 K for K- and Cs-compounds, respectively, with nearly 100% shielding fraction. The crystals show quite high resistivity in the normal state of more than 160 m$\Omega$ cm and 1300 m$\Omega$ cm maximum resistivity for $K_{0.86}Fe_2Se_{1.82}$ and $Cs_{0.86}Fe_{1.66}Se_{2}$ single crystals, respectively. Much larger upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$ is inferred from low-temperature iso-magnetic-field magnetoresistance in these crystals than in FeSe. The anisotropy $H^{ab}_{\rm c2}$(0)/$H^{c}_{\rm c2}$(0) is around 3 for both of the two materials. Anisotropic peculiar magnetic behavior in normal state has been found for $Cs_{0.86}Fe_{1.66}Se_{2}$, Comment: 5 pages, 5 figs

The thermal conductivity k of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_x)_2As_2 was measured down to 50 mK for a heat current parallel (k_c) and perpendicular (k_a) to the tetragonal c axis, for seven Co concentrations from underdoped to overdoped regions of the phase diagram (0.038 < x < 0.127). A residual linear term k_c0/T is observed in the T = 0 limit when the current is along the c axis, revealing the presence of nodes in the gap. Because the nodes appear as x moves away from the concentration of maximal T_c, they must be accidental, not imposed by symmetry, and are therefore compatible with an s_{+/-} state, for example. The fact that the in-plane residual linear term k_a0/T is negligible at all x implies that the nodes are located in regions of the Fermi surface that contribute strongly to c-axis conduction and very little to in-plane conduction. Application of a moderate magnetic field (e.g. H_c2/4) excites quasiparticles that conduct heat along the a axis just as well as the nodal quasiparticles conduct along the c axis. This shows that the gap must be very small (but non-zero) in regions of the Fermi surface which contribute significantly to in-plane conduction. These findings can be understood in terms of a strong k dependence of the gap Delta(k) which produces nodes on a Fermi surface sheet with pronounced c-axis dispersion and deep minima on the remaining, quasi-two-dimensional sheets., 12 pages, 13 figures.

The thermal conductivity $\kappa$ of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($T_c \simeq$ 30 K) was measured in single crystals at temperatures down to $T \simeq 50$ mK ($\simeq T_c$/600) and in magnetic fields up to $H = 15$ T ($\simeq H_{c2}$/4). A negligible residual linear term in $\kappa/T$ as $T \to 0$ shows that there are no zero-energy quasiparticles in the superconducting state. This rules out the existence of line and in-plane point nodes in the superconducting gap, imposing strong constraints on the symmetry of the order parameter. It excludes d-wave symmetry, drawing a clear distinction between these superconductors and the high-$T_c$ cuprates. However, the fact that a magnetic field much smaller than $H_{c2}$ can induce a residual linear term indicates that the gap must be very small on part of the Fermi surface, whether from strong anisotropy or band dependence, or both.

The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the in-plane thermal conductivity $\kappa$ of the iron-arsenide superconductor Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ was measured down to $T \simeq 50$ mK and up to $H = 15$ T as a function of Co concentration $x$ in the range 0.048 $ \leq x \leq $ 0.114. In zero magnetic field, a negligible residual linear term in $\kappa/T$ as $T \to 0$ at all $x$ shows that there are no zero-energy quasiparticles and hence the superconducting gap has no nodes in the $ab$-plane anywhere in the phase diagram. However, the field dependence of $\kappa$ reveals a systematic evolution of the superconducting gap with doping $x$, from large everywhere on the Fermi surface in the underdoped regime, as evidenced by a flat $\kappa (H)$ at $T \to 0$, to strongly $k$-dependent in the overdoped regime, where a small magnetic field can induce a large residual linear term, indicative of a deep minimum in the gap magnitude somewhere on the Fermi surface. This shows that the superconducting gap structure has a strongly $k$-dependent amplitude around the Fermi surface only outside the antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic phase., Comment: version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters; new title, minor revision, revised fig.1, and updated references

Transport properties are systematically studied for the single crystals Cu$_{x}$TiSe$_{2}$ (0.015$\leq$x$\leq$0.110). Both of in-plane and out-of-plane resistivity show the coexistence of superconducting transition and charge density wave (CDW) for the single crystals with $x \leq 0.025$. After CDW state is completely suppressed around x=0.055, the superconductivity is apparently enhanced by Cu doping. No superconducting transition is observed above 1.8 K for Cu$_{0.11}$TiSe$_{2}$. Anisotropy in resistivity increases with increasing Cu content, and is nearly $T$-independent. CDW state has a strong effect on Hall coefficient and thermopower. A large thermopower, comparable to the triangle lattice $NaxCoO_2$, is observed in Cu$_{x}$TiSe$_{2}$. Intercalation of Cu induces a negative MR due to the interaction between conducting carries and localized magnetic moments., 6 pages, 6 figures

The isothermal magnetoresistance (MR) with magnetic field (H) parallel to and perpendicular to ab plane is systematically studied on the single crystal Na$_{0.52}$CoO$_2$ with charge ordering at $\sim 50$ K and an in-plane ferromagnetism below 25 K. The isothermal MR behavior with H $\parallel$ ab plane and H $\perp$ ab plane is quite different. When H $\parallel$ ab plane, the MR is always negative and the in-plane ferromagnetic behavior is enhanced. While the MR with H $\perp$ ab plane changes from negative to positive with decreasing temperature or increasing H, and the in-plane ferromagnetic behavior is suppressed. A striking feature is that the MR with H $\perp$ ab plane shows a hysteresis behavior below 25 K, which is absent for the case of H $\parallel$ ab plane. These results provide strong evidence for a spin-flop transition of small moments of Co$^{3.5-��}$ sites induced by H $\perp$ ab plane, leading to a metamagnetic transition for small moments of Co$^{3.5-��}$ sites. These complex magnetism suggests an unconventional superconductivity in Na$_x$CoO$_2$ system because the Na$_x$CoO$_2$ around x=0.5 is considered to be the parent compound of superconductivity., 6 pages, 6 figures

Hall coefficient $R_H$ and thermoelectric power TEP are studied systematically in the single crystals $Nd_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_{4+\delta}$ (NCCO) with different x from underdoped to overdoped regime. With increasing doping level, both $R_H$ and TEP decrease and change their sign from negative to positive. A striking feature is that the temperature dependence of the Hall angle follows a $T^4$ behavior in the underdoped regime, while a $T^2$ in the overdoped regime. These behaviors are closely related to the evolution of Fermi surface with doping level observed by ARPES., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PRB

Magnetic and transport properties of $Co Sr_2 Y_{1-x} Ca_x Cu_2 O_7$ ($x=0 \sim 0.4$) system have been investigated. A broad maximum in M(T) curve, indicative of low-dimensional antiferromagnetic ordering originated from $CoO_{1+\delta}$ layers, is observed in Ca-free sample. With increasing Ca doping level up to 0.2, the M(T) curve remains almost unchanged, while resistivity is reduced by three orders. Higher Ca doping level leads to a drastic change of magnetic properties. In comparison with the samples with $x=0.0 \sim 0.2$, the temperature corresponding to the maximum of M(T) is much lowered for the sample $x$=0.3. The sample $x$=0.4 shows a small kink instead of a broad maximum and a weak ferromagnetic feature. The electrical transport behavior is found to be closely related to magnetic properties for the sample $x$=0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4. It suggests that $CoO_{1+\delta}$ layers are involved in charge transport in addition to conducting $CuO_2$ planes to interpret the correlation between magnetism and charge transport. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies give an additional evidence of the the transfer of the holes into the $CoO_{1+\delta}$ charge reservoir.

The out-of-plane resistivity ($\rho_c$) and magnetoresistivity (MR) are studied in antiferromangetic (AF) $Nd_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_{4}$ single crystals, which have three types of noncollinear antiferromangetic spin structures. The apparent signatures are observed in $\rho_c(T)$ measured at the zero-field and 14 T at the spin structure transitions, giving a definite evidence for the itinerant electrons directly coupled to the localized spins. One of striking feature is an anisotropy of the MR with a fourfold symmetry upon rotating the external field (B) within ab plane in the different phases, while twofold symmetry at spin reorientation transition temperatures. The intriguing thermal hysteresis in $\rho_c(T,B)$ and magnetic hysteresis in MR are observed at spin reorientation transition temperatures., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

The in-plane ($\rho_{ab}$) and c-axis ($\rho_c$) resistivities, and the magnetoresistivity of single crystals $Na_xCoO_2$ with x = 0.7, 0.5 and 0.3 were studied systematically. $\rho_{ab}(T)$ shows similar temperature dependence between $Na_{0.3}CoO_2$ and $Na_{0.7}CoO_2$, while $\rho_c(T)$ is quite different. A dimensional crossover from two to three occurs with decreasing Na concentration from 0.7 to 0.3. The angular dependence of in-plane magnetoresistivity for 0.5 sample shows a \emph{"d-wave-like"} symmetry at 2K, while the \emph{"p-wave-like"} symmetry at 20 K. These results give an evidence for existence of a \emph{spin ordering orientation} below 20 K turned by external field, like the stripes in cuprates., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

We report infrared spectra of a Na$_{0.5}$CoO$_2$ single crystal which exhibits a sharp metal-insulator transition near 50 K due to the formation of charge ordering. In comparison with x=0.7 and 0.85 compounds, we found that the spectral weight associated with the conducting carriers at high temperature increases systematically with decreasing Na contents. The charge ordering transition only affects the optical spectra below 1000 cm$^{-1}$. A hump near 800 cm$^{-1}$ develops below 100 K, which is accompanied by the appearance of new lattice modes as well as the strong anti-resonance feature of phonon spectra. At lower temperature $T_{co}$, an optical gap develops at the magnitude of 2$\Delta\approx3.5k_BT_{co}$, evidencing an insulating charge density wave ground state. Our experimental results and analysis unequivocally point towards the importance of charge ordering instability and strong electron-phonon interaction in Na$_x$CoO$_2$ system., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The normal state resistivtity, upper critical field $H_{c2}$ and Hall coefficient $R_H$ in superconducting perovskite $MgCNi_3$ ($T_c \approx 8 K$) have been studied. Above 70 K, $\rho(T)$ fits well curve predicted by Bloch-Gr\"{u}neisen theory consistently with electron-phonon scattering. $H_{c2}(0)$ was estimated to be about 15.0 Tesla within the weak-coupling BCS theory, and the superconducting coherence length $\xi(0)$ is approximately 47 \AA. $R_H$ of $MgCNi_3$ is negative for the whole temperature range which definitely indicates that the carrier in $MgCNi_3$ is electron-type. $R_H$ is temperature independent between $T_c$ and $\sim$ 140 K. Above $\sim$ 140 K, the magnitude of $R_H$ decreases as temperature rises. At T = 100 K, the carrier density is $1.0 \times 10^{22}/cm^3$, which is comparable with that in perovskite $(Ba,K)BiO_3$, and less than that of the metallic binary $MgB_2$., Comment: sample quality improved, new figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B