The upper critical field of NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As superconductors

TL;DR

This study measures the upper critical field in NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As superconductors across various doping levels, revealing the dominance of paramagnetic effects and the influence of two-band superconductivity on critical field behavior.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of the upper critical field components and their doping dependence, highlighting the enhancement beyond BCS limits and the two-band effects in these superconductors.

Findings

Paramagnetic pair-breaking dominates $H_{c2}^ ext{parallel}$.

Co doping enhances the paramagnetic limit above BCS predictions.

Convex curvature in $H_{c2}^ ext{perpendicular}$ indicates two-band superconductivity.

Abstract

The upper critical field of NaFe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$As was measured from $x=0$ to $x=0.08$, with the magnetic field applied parallel ($H_{\rm c2}^\parallel$) and normal ($H_{\rm c2}^\perp$) to the planes. The data were fitted using one-band and two-band models. The orbital and paramagnetic components of the upper critical field were extracted for $H_{\rm c2}^\parallel$, which we find to to be strongly dominated by paramagnetic pair-breaking. In the parent compound the paramagnetic limit is equal to the value expected by BCS theory. However, substitution of Fe by Co leads to an enhancement above the BCS limit by a factor of approximately 1.6. In the over-doped region, we observe a significant convex curvature in $H_{\rm c2}^\perp$ at low temperatures, which we attribute to the two-band nature of the superconductivity and the asymmetry between the two bands. Additionally, we discuss the behavior of critical field anisotropy, coherence length $\xi$, and the penetration depth $\lambda$.