Spiral magnetic order and pressure-induced superconductivity in transition metal compounds

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13037
• Publication Date: 2016-10-06T10:14:56Z
• Authors: Yishu Wang; Yejun Feng; J.-G. Cheng; W. Wu; J. L. Luo; T. F. Rosenbaum
• Keywords: Magnetism; Ambient pressure

Magnetism and superconductivity often compete for preeminence as a material's ground state, in the right circumstances fluctuating remains of magnetic order can induce superconducting pairing. The intertwining two on microscopic level, independent lattice excitations, is especially pronounced heavy fermion compounds, rare earth cuprates, iron pnictides. Here we point out that helical arrangement localized spins, variable pitch length provides unique tuning process from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic state long short wavelength limits, respectively. Such chemical or pressure adjustable naturally possibility continuous between ferromagnetically antiferromagnetically mediated superconductivity. At same time, phonon suppressed because local spin configuration. We employ synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction techniques test these ideas recently discovered superconductor, MnP. This sensitive probe directly reveals reduced-moment, at high proximate with tightened comparison ambient where absent. correlation transition temperature (Cr/Mn/Fe)(P/As) family suggests strategy using spiral magnets interlocutors fluctuation