Strong increase of T(c) of Sr₂RuO₄ under both tensile and compressive strain

Science. 2014 Apr 18;344(6181):283-5. doi: 10.1126/science.1248292.

Abstract

A sensitive probe of unconventional order is its response to a symmetry-breaking field. To probe the proposed p(x) ± ip(y) topological superconducting state of Sr2RuO4, we have constructed an apparatus capable of applying both compressive and tensile strains of up to 0.23%. Strains applied along ⟨100⟩ crystallographic directions yield a strong, strain-symmetric increase in the superconducting transition temperature T(c). ⟨110⟩ strains give a much weaker, mostly antisymmetric response. As well as advancing the understanding of the superconductivity of Sr2RuO4, our technique has potential applicability to a wide range of problems in solid-state physics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't