Effect of controlled artificial disorder on the magnetic properties of EuFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x }$)$_2$ ferromagnetic superconductor

TL;DR

This study investigates how controlled artificial disorder via irradiation affects the magnetic and superconducting properties of EuFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$, revealing significant suppression of superconductivity and coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that irradiation-induced magnetic defects act as pairbreakers, significantly reducing $T_c$, and provides insights into the microscopic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in this material.

Findings

Superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ decreases significantly after irradiation.

Magnetic defects created by irradiation serve as efficient pairbreakers.

Ferromagnetic and superconducting phases coexist microscopically.

Abstract

Static (DC) and dynamic (AC, at 14 MHz and 8 GHz) magnetic susceptibilities of single crystals of a ferromagnetic superconductor, $\textrm{EuFe}_{2}(\textrm{As}_{1-x}\textrm{P}_{x})_{2}$ (x = 0.23), were measured in pristine state and after different doses of 2.5 MeV electron or 3.5 MeV proton irradiation. The superconducting transition temperature, $T_{c}(H)$, shows an extraordinarily large decrease. It starts at $T_{c}(H=0)\approx24\:\textrm{K}$ in the pristine sample for both AC and DC measurements, but moves to almost half of that value after moderate irradiation dose. Our results suggest that in $\textrm{EuFe}_{2}(\textrm{As}_{1-x}\textrm{P}_{x})_{2}$ superconductivity is affected by local-moment ferromagnetism mostly via the spontaneous internal magnetic fields induced by the FM subsystem. Another mechanism is revealed upon irradiation where magnetic defects created in ordered $\text{Eu}^{2+}$ lattice act as efficient pairbreakers leading to a significant $T_{c}$ reduction upon irradiation compared to other 122 compounds. On the other hand, the exchange interactions seem to be weakly screened by the superconducting phase leading to a modest increase of $T_{m}$ (less than 1 K) after the irradiation drives $T_{c}$ to below $T_{m}$. The results suggest that FM and SC phases coexist microscopically in the same volume.