Coexistence of Bulk-Nodal and Surface-Nodeless Cooper Pairings in a Superconducting Dirac Semimetal

Yáng, Xiàn; Zhong, Yigui; Mardanya, Sougata; Cochran, Tyler A.; Chapai, Ramakanta; Mine, Akifumi; Zhang, Junyi; Sánchez-Barriga, J.; Cheng, Zi-Jia; Clark, Oliver J.; Yin, Jiaxin; Bławat, Joanna; Cheng, Guangming; Belopolski, Ilya; Nagashima, Tsubaki; Najafzadeh, Sahand; Gao, Shiyuan; Yao, Nan; Bansil, Arun; Jin, Rongying; Chang, Tay-Rong; Shin, Shik; Okazaki, Kozo; Hasan, M. Zahid

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.130.046402

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…In summary, we have investigated the physical properties of superconducting PdTe with T c ~ 4.25 K in both the normal and superconducting states via magnetic torque and specific heat measurements, and first principles calculations. Below T c , the electronic specific heat initially decreases in T 3 behavior (1.5 K < T < T c ), consistent with the scenario that the superconducting gap consists of nodes as identified by ARPES 26 . However, the deviation of the electronic specific heat from the T 3 dependence below 1.5 K requires us to seek for alternative explanation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…The close proximities between two electronlike bands in a high symmetry point can promote cross-pairing (formation of Cooper pairs with electrons originating from the α and β bands) as illustrated in MgB 2 and Ba 0.6 K 0.4 Fe 2 As 2 46 . At present, existing experimental results including the ARPES work 26 cannot unambigiously determine which band(s) contribute the observed superconducting properties, thus requiring further theoretical investigation as discussed in 47 , 48 . Nevertheless, the multiple Fermi-surface packets with non-trivial topology we found here exclude conventional single-band isotropic s -wave superconductivity scenario 49 , 50 for PdTe.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) investigation, the topological Fermi arc is observed at the (010) surface (i.e. the ac plane) of PdTe 26 . At present, it is not obvious to determine how the β band is involved in topological properties.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Single crystals of PdTe were grown using the method similar to that described in Refs. 26 , 27 . The starting material, Pd powder (99.95%, Alfa Aesar) and Te powder (99.99%, Alfa Aesar) was mixed together in a ratio of Pd:Te = 1:1 and placed into an alumina crucible, which was then sealed in a quartz tube under vacuum.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, exploring a material system with nontrivial band structure and unconventional superconductivity is promising for topological superconductivity 18 , 24 , 25 . Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) shows evidence for bulk-nodal and surface-nodeless gap features in PdTe 26 . In this Article, we take an alternative route to study the unconventional superconductivity of PdTe by specific heat measurements down to 50 mK and its topological properties by analyzing quantum oscillations observed in the magnetic torque supported by theoretical calculations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for unconventional superconductivity and nontrivial topology in PdTe

Chapai

Reddy

Xing

et al. 2023

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PdTe is a superconductor with Tc ~ 4.25 K. Recently, evidence for bulk-nodal and surface-nodeless gap features has been reported in PdTe. Here, we investigate the physical properties of PdTe in both the normal and superconducting states via specific heat and magnetic torque measurements and first-principles calculations. Below Tc, the electronic specific heat initially decreases in T3 behavior (1.5 K < T < Tc) then exponentially decays. Using the two-band model, the superconducting specific heat can be well described with two energy gaps: one is 0.372 meV and another 1.93 meV. The calculated bulk band structure consists of two electron bands (α and β) and two hole bands (γ and η) at the Fermi level. Experimental detection of the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations allows us to identify four frequencies (Fα = 65 T, Fβ = 658 T, Fγ = 1154 T, and Fη = 1867 T for H // a), consistent with theoretical predictions. Nontrivial α and β bands are further identified via both calculations and the angle dependence of the dHvA oscillations. Our results suggest that PdTe is a candidate for unconventional superconductivity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%