Weak Magnetic Order in the Bilayered-hydrate Na$_{x}$CoO$_{2}\cdot y$H$_{2}$O Structure Probed by Co Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance - Proposed Phase Diagram in Superconducting Na$_x$CoO$_{2} \cdot$ $y$H$_2$O

TL;DR

This study identifies weak magnetic order in a non-superconducting bilayered hydrate Na$_{x}$CoO$_{2}\

Contribution

It reveals the relationship between magnetic fluctuations, structural parameters, and superconductivity in Na$_{x}$CoO$_{2}\

Findings

Weak magnetic order with small internal field detected in non-superconducting samples.

Correlation between NQR frequency $ u_Q$ and magnetic fluctuations.

Superconductivity appears near magnetic phase, indicating magnetic fluctuations' role.

Abstract

A weak magnetic order was found in a non-superconducting bilayered-hydrate Na$_{x}$CoO$_{2}\cdot y$H$_{2}$O sample by a Co Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) measurement. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate divided by temperature $1/T_1T$ shows a prominent peak at 5.5 K, below which a Co-NQR peak splits due to an internal field at the Co site. From analyses of the Co NQR spectrum at 1.5 K, the internal field is evaluated to be $\sim$ 300 Oe and is in the $ab$-plane. The magnitude of the internal field suggests that the ordered moment is as small as $\sim 0.015$ $\mu_B$ using the hyperfine coupling constant reported previously. It is shown that the NQR frequency $\nu_Q$ correlates with magnetic fluctuations from measurements of NQR spectra and $1/T_1T$ in various samples. The higher-$\nu_Q$ sample has the stronger magnetic fluctuations. A possible phase diagram in Na$_{x}$CoO$_{2}\cdot y$H$_{2}$O is depicted using $T_c$ and $\nu_Q$, in which the crystal distortion along the c-axis of the tilted CoO$_2$ octahedron is considered to be a physical parameter. Superconductivity with the highest $T_c$ is seemingly observed in the vicinity of the magnetic phase, suggesting strongly that the magnetic fluctuations play an important role for the occurrence of the superconductivity.