Interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in systems under pressure and thin films

Abstract

With this research project we propose to study the electronic, magnetic and atomic structure properties of bulk and thin films systems which exhibit the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism by performing advanced X-rays spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques from synchrotron light sources. The ternary RERh4B4 compounds, with RE = Dy, Ho, Er and Tm, characterized by a crystalline structure that allows the emergence of superconductivity and magnetic ordering, will be investigated by XANES, XMCD and XRD techniques under high pressures and low temperature conditions. As an extension of this study we intend to investigate the magnetic behavior of artificially fabricated ferromagnet/superconductor thin films of Nb/FM and Pb/FM (with FM = Gd, Fe) using the X-ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS) technique. In this internship, the student Larissa will be collaborating with the Magnetic Materials Group of the Advanced Photon Source (APS - USA) under the scientific guidance of Dr. Daniel Haskel, where she will perform her experiments with techniques and instrumentation that are not yet available in Brazil. The beamtime for the experiments have been already obtained through the submission of proposals to the General Users Proposals (GUP) of APS. (AU)