Concurrence of superconductivity and structure transition in Weyl semimetal TaP under pressure
| Autor: | Xuliang Chen, Chao An, Huan Yang, Xuefei Wang, Jie Xing, Hai-Hu Wen, Ho-kwang Mao, Yufeng Li, Xiyu Zhu, Zhaopeng Guo, Zhaorong Yang, Guan Du, Ying Zhou, Jian Sun, Yuheng Zhang, Wenge Yang, Pengchao Lu, Yonghui Zhou, Fei Han |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Superconductivity Phase transition Condensed matter physics Weyl semimetal 02 engineering and technology Fermion lcsh:Atomic physics. Constitution and properties of matter 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Condensed Matter Physics 01 natural sciences Semimetal lcsh:QC170-197 Electronic Optical and Magnetic Materials Condensed Matter::Materials Science MAJORANA T-symmetry Condensed Matter::Superconductivity 0103 physical sciences lcsh:TA401-492 Quasiparticle lcsh:Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials Condensed Matter::Strongly Correlated Electrons 010306 general physics 0210 nano-technology |
| Zdroj: | npj Quantum Materials, Vol 2, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2017) |
| ISSN: | 2397-4648 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41535-017-0066-z |
| Popis: | Weyl semimetal defines a material with three-dimensional Dirac cones, which appear in pair due to the breaking of spatial inversion or time reversal symmetry. Superconductivity is the state of quantum condensation of paired electrons. Turning a Weyl semimetal into superconducting state is very important in having some unprecedented discoveries. In this work, by doing resistive measurements on a recently recognized Weyl semimetal TaP under pressures up to about 100 GPa, we show the concurrence of superconductivity and a structure transition at about 70 GPa. It is found that the superconductivity becomes more pronounced when decreasing pressure and retains when the pressure is completely released. High-pressure x-ray diffraction measurements also confirm the structure phase transition from I41 md to P-6m2 at about 70 GPa. More importantly, ab-initial calculations reveal that the P-6m2 phase is a new Weyl semimetal phase and has only one set of Weyl points at the same energy level. Our discovery of superconductivity in TaP by high pressure will stimulate investigations on superconductivity and Majorana fermions in Weyl semimetals. Under pressure, Weyl semimetals can become superconductive; in TaP, the superconducting transition is associated with a phase transition. Weyl semimetals are topological materials hosting massless quasiparticles, the Weyl fermions. A team of researchers led by Hai-Hu Wen at Nanjing University, in collaboration with colleagues from other Chinese institutes and the US, investigated the effect of applying high pressures to tantalum phosphide, discovering that the material undergoes a structural phase transition under pressure, becoming superconductive. Theoretical calculations and x-ray diffraction measurements clarify the structure of the new phase. Interestingly, the superconductive behaviour becomes more pronounced as the pressure is decreased, and the sample remains superconductive after the pressure is released. Inducing superconductivity in Weyl semimetals is interesting because it can result in the observation of exotic phenomena, such as the appearance of Majorana fermions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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