Transport, magnetic and optical investigations on EuRbFe 4 As 4 single crystals evidence that the ferromagnetic ordering of the Eu 2+ magnetic moments at T N = 15 K, below the superconducting transition (Tc = 36 K), affects superconductivity in a weak but intriguing way. Upon cooling below T N , the zero resistance state is preserved and the superconductivity is affected by the in-plane ferromagnetism mainly at domain boundaries; a perfect diamagnetism is recovered at low temperatures. The infrared conductivity is strongly suppressed in the far-infrared region below Tc, associated with the opening of a complete superconducting gap at 2∆ = 10 meV. A gap smaller than the weak coupling limit suggests the strong orbital effects or, within a multiband superconductivity scenario, the existence of a larger yet unrevealed gap.New members of the iron-pnictide family, the so-called 1144-compounds, attract interest recently because the alternating layers of alkaline A and alkaline-earth B cations produce two different kinds of As sites [1][2][3][4]. These materials can be viewed as the intergrowth of A-122 and B-122 iron-pnictides and they are naturally hole doped. The parent compounds are superconducting with transition temperatures T c around 35 K, higher than most of the 122materials; no spin-density-wave order has been observed. Among all possible candidates, Eu-based 1144-systems are even more intriguing, since the Eu-sublattice orders ferromagnetically below a critical temperature T N ≈ 15 K [5,6], similar to the 122-counterpart EuFe 2 As 2 [7-11]. Ferromagnetic order deep inside the superconducting state is very rare, in general [12,13]; hence the "ferromagnetic superconductor" EuRbFe 4 As 4 might pave the way towards realization of a "superconducting ferromagnet" [14-16]. However, the exact nature of the Eu magnetic order and its effect on superconductivity is unresolved [5, 6] because single crystals have been synthesized only recently.In this Letter we focus on the interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism in EuRbFe 4 As 4 single crystals. We report comprehensive investigations comprising transport, magnetic and optical measurements combined with microscopic studies of the vortex dynamics. The infrared spectra show a clear gap opening around 80 cm −1 below T c = 36 K that is slightly reduced compared to the value expected from the BCS theory. We relate this small value to the multiband character of superconductivity as well as to the depairing (orbital) effects of super-currents screening the ferromagnetic domains. A surprisingly weak effect on the superconducting condensate has been observed upon magnetic ordering indicating a rather weak interaction between Eu-and Fe-sublattices.Single crystals of EuRbFe 4 As 4 are obtained according to Ref. [4,5,17,18]; they exhibit shiny ab-faces of approximately 1 mm in size. The structure of the compound is presented in Fig. 1(a). The crystals are characterized by x-ray, electrical transport, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. In Fig. 1(a) we plot the dc ...

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Rapid and reliable techniques for virus identification are required in light of recurring epidemics and pandemics throughout the world. Several techniques have been distributed for testing the flow of patients. Polymerase chain reaction with reverse transcription is a reliable and sensitive, though not rapid, tool. The antibody-based strip is a rapid, though not reliable, and sensitive tool. A set of alternative tools is being developed to meet all the needs of the customer. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) provides the possibility of single molecule detection taking several minutes. Here, a multiplex lithographic SERS aptasensor was developed aiming at the detection of several respiratory viruses in one pot within 17 min. The four labeled aptamers were anchored onto the metal surface of four SERS zones; the caught viruses affect the SERS signals of the labels, providing changes in the analytical signals. The sensor was able to decode mixes of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus two), influenza A virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus within a single experiment through a one-stage recognition process.

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