SμS: Swiss Muon Source
µSR - Muon Spin Rotation, Relaxation or Resonance: A research tool using muons as sensitive local magnetic probes in matter.
Research at the LMU focuses mainly on magnetic properties of materials and on positive muons or muonium (bound state of a positive muon and an electron) as light protons or hydrogen substitutes in matter.
Worldwide unique: The Low-Energy Muon Beam and µSR Spectrometer for the study of thin films, layers and surfaces, the possibility to perform high-field µSR with a field up to 9.5 Tesla, and the Extraction of Muons On Request for high frequency resolution and slow relaxation measurements.
Latest scientific SμS highlights:
Simultaneous Nodal Superconductivity and Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor CaPtAs
By employing a series of experimental techniques, we provide clear evidence that CaPtAs represents a rare example of a noncentrosymmetric superconductor which simultaneously exhibits nodes in the superconducting gap and broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) in its superconducting state (belowTc ≈ 1.5 K). Unlike in fully gapped superconductors, the magnetic penetration depth λ(T) does not saturate at low temperatures, but instead it shows a T2 dependence, characteristic of gap nodes.
Superconductivity with broken time-reversal symmetry inside a superconducting s-wave state
In general, magnetism and superconductivity are antagonistic to each other. However, there are several families of superconductors in which superconductivity coexists with magnetism, and a few examples are known where the superconductivity itself induces spontaneous magnetism. The best known of these compounds are Sr2RuO4 and some non-centrosymmetric superconductors. Here, we report the finding of ...
Reversible spin storage in metal oxide - fullerene heterojunctions
We show that hybrid MnOx/C60 heterojunctions can be used to design a storage device for spin-polarized charge: a spin capacitor. Hybridization at the carbon-metal oxide interface leads to spin-polarized charge trapping after an applied voltage or photocurrent. Strong electronic structure changes, including a 1-eV energy shift and spin polarization in the C60 lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, are then revealed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, in agreement with density functional theory simulations.