Muon-spin-relaxation and magnetic-susceptibility studies of the effects of nonmagnetic impurities on the Cu-spin dynamics and superconductivity in La_2-x_Sr_x_Cu_1-y_Zn_y_O_4_ around x = 0.115

TL;DR

This study investigates how nonmagnetic Zn impurities affect Cu-spin dynamics and superconductivity in La_2-x_Sr_x_Cu_1-y_Zn_y_O_4, revealing rapid suppression of superconductivity and magnetic order development with slight Zn doping.

Contribution

It provides detailed muSR and susceptibility data showing the impact of Zn impurities on spin behavior and superconductivity, supporting the 'Swiss cheese' model of impurity effects.

Findings

Magnetic order appears at y ~ 0.0075 Zn doping.

Superconductivity rapidly diminishes with slight Zn doping.

Formation of non-superconducting regions around Zn impurities.

Abstract

Zero-field muon-spin-relaxation (muSR) and magnetic-susceptibility measurements have been carried out in La_2-x_Sr_x_Cu_1-y_Zn_y_O_4_ with x = 0.10, 0.115 and 0.13 changing the Zn-concentration y finely up to 0.10, with the aim to clarify effects of the nonmagnetic impurity Zn on the Cu-spin dynamics and superconductivity. The muSR measurements have revealed that, in each x, a magnetic order of Cu spins is observed at y ~ 0.0075, while it disappears and Cu spins turn into a fast fluctuating state for y > 0.03. From the magnetic-susceptibility measurements, on the other hand, it has been found that the volume fraction of the superconducting state rapidly decreases through the slight doping of Zn and that its y dependence corresponds to the y dependence of the volume fraction of the fast fluctuating region of Cu spins estimated from the muSR results. Both the rapid decrease of the volume fraction of the superconducting state and the formation of the magnetic order through the slight doping of Zn can be interpreted in terms of the development of the so-called "Swiss cheese" model. That is, it is concluded that Cu spins in a non-superconducting region around Zn exhibit slowing-down of the fluctuations or form an incoherent or coherent static magnetic order. Moreover, the formation of a non-superconducting region around Zn is considered to be due to the pinning of the dynamical spin correlation or dynamical stripe correlations.