Mechanism Of Superconductivity Research Articles

Quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity at oxide heterostructures

Oxide interfaces manifest many fascinating phenomena with synergetic correlations among multiple degrees of freedom, including the interplay of broken symmetry, lattice mismatch, charge transfer, spatial confinement. In particular, the interface superconductivity in oxide heterostructure has attracted extensive attention due to the rich underlying physical connotations. The interfaces not only provide alternative research platforms with respect to the bulk material counterpart for exploring new superconductors and investigating superconducting mechanisms, but also create new opportunities for applying superconductors to future electronic devices. In recent years, owing to the rapid development of heteroepitaxial techniques and accurate characterization methods, researchers have found quasi-two-dimensional interface superconductivity in various oxide heterostructures and revealed numerous novel quantum phenomena associated with interface superconductivity, which not only promotes the development of condensed matter physics, but also lays important foundation for the practical application of interface superconductivity. In this brief review, we mainly focus on the quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity at oxide interface. Taking the typical quasi-two-dimensional superconductivity at the LaAlO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub> interface and copper oxides such as La<sub>2</sub>CuO<sub>4</sub>/La<sub>1.56</sub>Sr<sub>0.44</sub>CuO<sub>4</sub> for example, we summarize and examine some novel physical phenomena with interface superconductivity in complex oxide heterostructures. Then we address the related problems that remain to be solved, and finally we prospect the possible future development of the interface superconductivity.

Strongly correlated itinerant magnetism near superconductivity in NiTa4Se8

Metallic ferromagnets with strongly interacting electrons often exhibit remarkable electronic phases such as ferromagnetic superconductivity, complex spin textures, and nontrivial topology. In this report, we discuss the synthesis of a layered magnetic metal $\mathrm{Ni}{\mathrm{Ta}}_{4}{\mathrm{Se}}_{8}$ (or ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{1/4}\mathrm{Ta}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$) with a Curie temperature of 58 Kelvin. Magnetization data and density functional theory calculations indicate that the nickel atoms host uniaxial ferromagnetic order of about $0.7{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$ per atom, while an even smaller moment is generated in the itinerant tantalum conduction electrons. Strong correlations are evident in flat bands near the Fermi level, a high heat capacity coefficient, and a high Kadowaki-Woods ratio. Density functional theory calculations suggest that electron and hole Fermi surfaces in the ferromagnetic phase are associated with opposite spin polarization. When the system is diluted of magnetic ions, the samples become superconducting below about 2 Kelvin. We discuss possible mechanisms for superconductivity in this family.

The chemical states and electronic states of layered carbide superconductor ThMo2Si2C

Understanding the chemical states and electronic states of superconducting materials can help researchers to grasp their superconducting mechanisms. Then, through doping, high pressure or other methods, the T c (Critical Temperature) can be boosted. Recently, a new layered carbide superconductor ThMo2Si2C was discovered. Its chemical states and electronic states are unknown. Here, the chemical states of ThMo2Si2C are investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy assisted with argon ion sputtering and Raman spectroscopy. The physical significance behind them is elucidated. Its electronic states are investigated by first-principles calculations. It is found that the major contribution to the total DOS (Density of States) is from Mo 4d state, which plays the dominant role in the superconductivity of ThMo2Si2C. The hybridization between Th 6d and Mo 4d is very weak. Thus, a separation of the structure into independent Mo-C-Si and Th subunits (layers) is justified from the point of view of electronic structure. A flat band along the A-M high-symmetry direction is observed near the Fermi level. The influence of the interlayer distance between Mo-C-Si units (layers) on the DOS and band structure is investigated by first-principles calculations too.

Pressure-Induced Electronic Topological Transition and Superconductivity in Topological Insulator Bi2Te2.1Se0.9.

One approach to discovering topological superconductors is establishing superconductivity based on well-identified topological insulators. However, the coexistence of superconductivity and a topological state is always arcane. In this paper, we report how pressure tunes the crystal structure, electronic structure, and superconductivity in topological insulator Bi2Te2.1Se0.9. At ∼2.5 GPa, the abnormal changes in c/a and the full width at half-maximum of the A1g1 mode indicate the occurrence of an electronic topological transition. The pressure-induced superconductivity in Bi2Te2.1Se0.9 pinned with an electronic topological transition presents at 2.4 GPa, which is far below the structural phase transition pressure of 8.4 GPa. These results suggest that the appearance of an electronic topological transition is closely correlated with superconductivity in the initial phase, where the topological surface state persists. Our work clarifies the complex electronic structure of Bi2Te2.1Se0.9 and sheds light on the mechanism for superconductivity in topological insulators.

On the uniaxial strain (pressure) derivatives of the critical temperature of superconductivity of La[formula omitted]Sr[formula omitted]CuO4

The uniaxial strain (and pressure) derivatives of the critical temperature of superconductivity (Tc) of La2−xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) cuprate is studied within the extended Holstein–Hubbard model and bipolaronic mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. The Tc of LSCO cuprate is associated with the Bose–Einstein condensation temperature, TBEC, of an ideal gas of the intersite bipolarons. Working on a modified chain model lattice of cuprates we expressed TBEC as a function of LSCO’s parameters (apical oxygen ion’s mass and its vibration frequency, the periods and the strains of the lattice). Using the experimental values of LSCO parameters the uniaxial strain derivatives and the uniaxial pressure derivatives of Tc i.e. ∂TBEC/∂ɛi and ∂TBEC/∂pi (i=a,c) of LSCO cuprate are calculated as a function of doping level x. The obtained results are compared with the available experimental data. Qualitative and quantitative similarities as well as differences in the doping dependencies of between our ∂TBEC/∂ɛi (∂TBEC/∂pi) and the experimental ∂Tc/∂ɛi (∂Tc/∂pi) (i=a,c) are discussed. Upon carried analysis we concluded that the uniaxial strain (pressure) derivatives of Tc of LSCO cuprate can be interpreted within the bipolaronic mechanism of superconductivity.

Spin singlet and quasiparticle excitations in cuprate superconductors

We followed step by step the transition from an antiferromagnetic (AF) Mott insulator to a superconducting (SC) metal in the Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi-2212) cuprate using the electronic Raman scattering spectroscopy. This was achieved by tracking the doping dependence of the spin singlet excitation originate from the AF Mott insulator, the normal state quasiparticles excitation related to the mobile charge carriers and the Bogoliubov quasiparticles related to the SC gap. We show that the signature of the pseudogap phase which develops during this transition, can be interpreted as the blocking of charge carriers by the enhancement of the antiferromagnetic correlations as the temperature drops. We find that the energy scale of the pseudogap, $\Delta_{\textrm{pg}}(p)$, closely follows the one of the spin singlet excitation, $\Delta_{\textrm{sse}}(p)$, with doping $p$. The quasiparticles lifetime considerably increases with doping when the pseudogap collapses. We reveal that the maximum amplitude of the SC gap, $\Delta_{\textrm{sc}}^{\textrm{max}}$ and the SC transition temperature \Tc are linked in an extended range of doping such as $\Delta_{\textrm{sc}}^{\textrm{max}}(p) \propto \Delta_{\textrm{sse}}(p)\, T_c(p)$. This relation suggests that the AF correlations play a key role in the mechanism of superconductivity.

Spin and charge density waves in quasi-one-dimensional KMn6Bi5

AMn6Bi5 materials (A = Na, K, Rb and Cs) consisting of unique Mn-cluster chains emerge as a new family of superconductors with the suppression of their antiferromagnetic (AFM) order under high pressures. Here, we report transverse incommensurate spin density waves (SDWs) for the Mn atoms with a propagating direction along the chain axes as a ground state for KMn6Bi5 by single crystal neutron diffraction. The SDWs have a refined amplitude of ~2.46 Bohr magnetons for the Mn atoms in the pentagons and ~0.29 Bohr magnetons with a large standard deviation for Mn atoms in the center between the pentagons. AFM dominate both the nearest-neighbor Mn-Mn interactions within the pentagon and next-nearest-neighbor Mn-Mn interactions out of the pentagon (along the propagating wave). The SDWs exhibit both local and itinerant characteristics probably formed by a cooperative interaction between local magnetic exchange and conduction electrons. A significant magnetoelastic effect during the AFM transition, especially along the chain direction, has been demonstrated by temperature-dependent x-ray powder diffraction. Single crystal x-ray diffraction below the AFM transition revealed satellite peaks originating from charge density waves along the chain direction with a q-vector twice as large as the SDW one, pointing to a strong real space coupling between them. Our work not only manifests a fascinating interplay among spin, charge, lattice and one dimensionality to trigger intertwined orders in KMn6Bi5 but also provides important piece of information for the magnetic structure of the parent compound to understand the mechanism of superconductivity in this new family.

Cuprate superconductivity mechanism may be coming into focus

Cuprate superconductivity mechanism may be coming into focus

Review on Developments and Progress in Nickelate‐Based Heterostructure Composites and Superconducting Thin Films

AbstractIn the past decade, the rapid development of modern heterointerface growth and characterization techniques has stimulated great effort to research and design the extraordinary physical properties of transition metal heterostructure composite materials. Here, new physics originates from the rearrangement of orbital, charge, spin, and lattice and the resulting rebalancing of their mutual interactions. In this paper, recent experimental and theoretical progress in the design, preparation, characterization, and physical property measurement of LaNiO3‐based heterostructure composites and the infinite‐layer Ni1 + nickelate superconducting thin films on (001) SrTiO3 substrate is reviewed, mainly by the methods of various X‐ray spectroscopy measurements, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and magneto‐transport measurements. In these materials, the electronic structure and orbital occupation around the Fermi level are modified, enabling nickelate‐based composite materials to exhibit new states of matter and physical phenomena, which are absent in the bulk constituents. Their confined structures, superconductivity, orbital polarization, charge transfer, electronic structures, magnetic properties, and X‐ray spectroscopic analysis, are therefore highlighted, aiming at understanding unconventional superconducting mechanisms and designing new high‐Tc superconducting low‐dimensional materials for device applications.

Metallization of hydrogen by intercalating ammonium ions in metal fcc lattices at lower pressure

Metallic hydrogen is capable of showing room temperature superconductivity, but its experimental syntheses are extremely hard. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the synthesis pressure of metallic hydrogen by adding other chemical elements. However, for most hydrides, the metallization of hydrogen by “chemical precompression” to achieve high-temperature superconductivity still requires relatively high pressure, making experimental synthesis difficult. How to achieve high-temperature superconductivity in the lower-pressure range (≤50 GPa) is a key issue for realizing practical applications of superconducting materials. Toward this end, this work proposes a strategy for inserting ammonium ions in the fcc crystal of metals. High-throughput calculations of the periodic table reveal 12 elements that can form kinetically stable and superconducting hydrides at lower pressures, where the highest superconducting transition temperatures of AlN2H8, MgN2H8, and GaN2H8 can reach up to 118, 105, and 104 K. Pressure-induced bond length changes and charge transfer reveal the physical mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, where the H atom continuously gains electrons leading to the transition of H+ ions to atomic H, facilitating metallization of hydrogen under less extreme high pressure. Our results also reveal two strong linear scalar relationships: one is the H-atom charge vs superconducting transition temperature, and the other is the first ionization energy vs the highest superconducting transition temperature. In addition, ZnN2H8, CdN2H8, and HgN2H8 were found to be superconductors at ambient pressure, and the presence of interstitial electrons suggests that they are also electrides, whose relatively low work functions (3.03, 2.78, and 3.05 eV) imply that they can be used as catalysts for nitrogen reduction reactions as well.

Excess Carrier Density and the Role of Spin Density Waves in the Mechanism of High Tc Superconductivity in (Cu0.5Tl0.5)Ba2Ca2Cu3-xKxO10-δ (x = 0, 1, 2, 2.5, 3) Samples

Excess Carrier Density and the Role of Spin Density Waves in the Mechanism of High Tc Superconductivity in (Cu0.5Tl0.5)Ba2Ca2Cu3-xKxO10-δ (x = 0, 1, 2, 2.5, 3) Samples

Fourfold Symmetric Superconductivity in Spinel Oxide LiTi2O4(001) Thin Films.

The charge frustration with the mixed-valence state inherent to LiTi2O4, which is found to be the only oxide superconductor with spinel structure, is the impetus for paying special attention to unveil the underlying intriguing superconducting properties. Here, we report a pronounced fourfold rotational symmetry of the superconductivity in high-quality single-crystalline LiTi2O4(001) thin films. Both the magnetoresistivity and upper critical field under an applied magnetic field manifest striking fourfold oscillations deep inside the superconducting state, whereas the anisotropy vanishes in the normal state, demonstrating that it is an intrinsic property of the superconducting phase. We attribute this behavior to the unconventional d-wave superconducting Cooper pairs with the irreducible representation of Eg protected by the Oh point group in cubic LiTi2O4. Our findings show the nontrivial character of the pairing interaction in a three-dimensional spinel oxide superconductor.

Full set of superconducting parameters of K[formula omitted]C60

The superconducting parameters are the key for building or identifying the theory responsible for the mechanism of superconductivity. Such parameters for fulleride superconductors have not been well established despite the tremendous efforts over the past 30 years. Here we provide a full set of parameters through a systematic study on a well-characterized K3C60 sample. The obtained high upper critical field of 33.0 ± 0.5 T from the direct electrical transport measurements together with the relatively high critical temperature and large critical current density classifies K3C60 as a promising three-dimensional superconducting magnet material with the advantage of the rich carbon abundance on the Earth. The evaluation of all self-consistently obtained parameters suggests the unconventional nature of the superconductivity for K3C60 with the joint contributions from the electron–phonon coupling and electron correlations. These results and findings are important not only for fundamentally understanding the superconductivity in fullerides but also for future superconducting magnet developments and applications.

Effect of hydrogen content on superconductivity in La–H compounds

Finding room-temperature superconductors is one of the most important subjects in scientific search. Due to its hydrogen clathrate structures, LaH10 has become one of the widely known room-temperature superconductors under pressure. So exploring the role of hydrogen content would help understanding the mechanism of superconductivity in the hydrides. Here, we explore the evolution of hydrogen content in lanthanum hydrides based on the first-principles calculations. We found new lanthanum hydrides at pressures, such as Cmcm-LaH. The electronic properties and electron–phonon coupling have been studied and found that Fm3¯m-LaH obtained an unexpected low Tc of ∼ 0.001 K. The superconductive mechanism has been studied in LaHx (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, 10), where LaH0 means elemental lanthanum. We found that low content of hydrogen depresses the electron–phonon interaction in La–H compounds before H–H bonds formed. But with the increases of H content, the strong electron–phonon coupling of H atoms would help the compounds obtain high Tc. This result would explain the lanthanum hydrides with lower H content obtain weaker electron–phonon coupling and could not became potential high-temperature superconductors.

Superconductivity in Layered van der Waals Hydrogenated Germanene at High Pressure.

The emergence of superconductivity in two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted tremendous research efforts because the origins and mechanisms behind the unexpected and fascinating superconducting phenomena remain unclear. In particular, the superconductivity can survive in 2D systems even with weakened disorder and broken spatial inversion symmetry. Here, structural and superconducting transitions of 2D van der Waals (vdW) hydrogenated germanene (GeH) are observed under compression and decompression processes. GeH possesses a superconducting transition with a critical temperature (Tc) of 5.41 K at 8.39 GPa. A crystalline to amorphous transition occurs at 16.80 GPa, while superconductivity remains. An abnormal increase of Tc up to 6.11 K was observed during the decompression process, while the GeH remained in the 2D amorphous phase. A combination study of in situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction, in situ high-pressure Raman spectroscopy, transition electron microscopy, and density functional theory simulations suggests that the superconductivity in 2D vdW GeH is attributed to the increased density of states at the Fermi level as well as the enhanced electron-phonon coupling effect under high pressure even in the form of an amorphous phase. The unique pressure-induced phase transition of GeH from 2D crystalline to 2D amorphous metal hydride provides a promising platform to study the mechanisms of amorphous hydride superconductivity.

On the electron pairing mechanism of copper-oxide high temperature superconductivity

The elementary CuO2 plane sustaining cuprate high-temperature superconductivity occurs typically at the base of a periodic array of edge-sharing CuO5 pyramids. Virtual transitions of electrons between adjacent planar Cu and O atoms, occurring at a rate t/ℏ and across the charge-transfer energy gap [Formula: see text], generate "superexchange" spin-spin interactions of energy [Formula: see text] in an antiferromagnetic correlated-insulator state. However, hole doping this CuO2 plane converts this into a very-high-temperature superconducting state whose electron pairing is exceptional. A leading proposal for the mechanism of this intense electron pairing is that, while hole doping destroys magnetic order, it preserves pair-forming superexchange interactions governed by the charge-transfer energy scale [Formula: see text]. To explore this hypothesis directly at atomic scale, we combine single-electron and electron-pair (Josephson) scanning tunneling microscopy to visualize the interplay of [Formula: see text] and the electron-pair density nP in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x. The responses of both [Formula: see text] and nP to alterations in the distance δ between planar Cu and apical O atoms are then determined. These data reveal the empirical crux of strongly correlated superconductivity in CuO2, the response of the electron-pair condensate to varying the charge-transfer energy. Concurrence of predictions from strong-correlation theory for hole-doped charge-transfer insulators with these observations indicates that charge-transfer superexchange is the electron-pairing mechanism of superconductive Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x.

Strong Coupling Superconductivity in Ca-Intercalated Bilayer Graphene on SiC.

The metal-intercalated bilayer graphene has a flat band with a high density of states near the Fermi energy and thus is anticipated to exhibit an enhanced strong correlation effect and associated fascinating phenomena, including superconductivity. By using a self-developed multifunctional scanning tunneling microscope, we succeeded in observing the superconducting energy gap and diamagnetic response of a Ca-intercalated bilayer graphene below a critical temperature of 8.83 K. The revealed high value of gap ratio, 2Δ/kBTc ≈ 5.0, indicates a strong coupling superconductivity, while the variation of penetration depth with temperature and magnetic field indicates an isotropic s-wave superconductor. These results provide crucial experimental clues for understanding the origin and mechanism of superconductivity in carrier-doped graphene.

Significant enhancement of transport Jc in Cu/Ag-sheathed (Ba,K)Fe2As2 superconducting tapes by pre-composite technique

Iron-based superconductors (IBSs) have received extensive attention in superconductivity mechanisms and high-field applications based on their ultra-high upper critical fields and low anisotropy. A major goal in the application research of IBSs is the fabrication of superconducting wires and tapes with high critical current density (Jc) and low cost. The use of Cu/Ag composite sheath can reduce the use of expensive silver, thereby reducing the cost of the tapes. In this paper, (Ba,K)Fe2As2 (Ba-122) tapes with Cu/Ag composite sheath were fabricated by a pre-composite process, which provides a feasible method for fabricating high-performance iron-based superconducting wires and tapes. Pre-composite tapes sintered at 750°C for 3 h achieved a high Jc of 6.2 × 104 A cm−2 at 10 T and 4.2 K. It is found that the high-density superconducting cores, large-size grains and uniform element distribution are the major causes of the high Jc. The results suggest that the low-cost Ba-122 tapes with pre-composite Cu/Ag sheath have great practical application prospect in the future.

Cobalt-Dimer Nitrides: A Potential Novel Family of High-Temperature Superconductors

We predict that the square lattice layer formed by [Co2N2]2– diamond-like units can host high-temperature superconductivity. The layer appears in the stable ternary cobalt nitride, BaCo2N2. The electronic physics of the material stems from Co2N2 layers where the dimerized Co pairs form a square lattice. The low energy physics near Fermi energy can be described by an effective two-orbital model. Without considering interlayer couplings, the two orbitals are effectively decoupled. This electronic structure satisfies the “gene” character proposed for unconventional high-temperature superconductors. We predict that the leading superconducting pairing instability is driven from an extended s-wave (s ±) to a d-wave by hole doping, e.g., in Ba1−x K x Co2N2. This study provides a new platform to establish the superconducting mechanism of unconventional high-temperature superconductivity.

Ubiquitous enhancement of nematic fluctuations across the phase diagram of iron based superconductors probed by the Nernst effect

The role of nematic fluctuations for unconventional superconductivity has been the subject of intense discussions for many years. In iron-based superconductors, the most established probe for electronic-nematic fluctuations, i.e. the elastoresistivity seems to imply that superconductivity is reinforced by electronic-nematic fluctuations, since the elastoresistivity amplitude peaks at or close to optimal Tc. However, on the over-doped side of the superconducting dome, the diminishing elastoresistivity suggests a negligible importance in the mechanism of superconductivity. Here we introduce the Nernst coefficient as a genuine probe for electronic nematic fluctuations, and we show that the amplitude of the Nernst coefficient tracks the superconducting dome of two prototype families of iron-based superconductors, namely Rh-doped BaFe2As2 and Co-doped LaFeAsO. Our data thus provide fresh evidence that in these systems, nematic fluctuations foster the superconductivity throughout the phase diagram.