SearcharxivSearch

arXiv · 1311.1493

Superconductivity in rubidium substituted Ba1-xRbxTi2Sb2O

Abstract

We report on the synthesis and the physical properties of Ba1-xRbxTi2Sb2O (x < 0.4) by x-ray diffraction, SQUID magnetometery, resistivity and specific heat measurements. Upon hole doping by substituting Ba with Rb, we find superconductivity with a maximum Tc = 5.4 K. Simultaneously, the charge-density-wave (CDW) transition temperature is strongly reduced from T_CDW 55 K in the parent compound BaTi2Sb2O and seems to be suppressed for x > 0.2. The bulk character of the superconducting state for the optimally doped sample (x = 0.2) is confirmed by the occurrence of a well developed discontinuity in the specific heat at Tc, with \DeltaC/Tc = 22 mJ/mol K2, as well as a large Meissner-shielding fraction of approximately 40 %. The lower and the upper critical fields of the optimally doped sample (x = 0.2) are estimated to \mu0Hc1(0) = 3.8 mT and \mu0Hc2(0) = 2.3 T, respectively, indicating that these compounds are strongly type-II superconductors.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Fabian von Rohr, Reinhard Nesper, Andreas Schilling. 2013-11-06. Superconductivity in rubidium substituted Ba1-xRbxTi2Sb2O. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.89.094505

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Out-of-equilibrium relaxation dynamics of the superconducting order parameter in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

The application of a time-varying strain field drives a superconducting order parameter out of equilibrium. How the order parameter relaxes back to equilibrium depends both on the structure of the superconducting gap and on the nature of quasiparticle scattering. We report the discovery of an ultrasonic attenuation peak inside the superconducting state of the kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. This peak is the natural consequence of the order parameter relaxation time matching the ultrasonic drive frequency near $T_{\rm c}$. From the measured frequency dependence of the peak, we extract a microscopic scattering time of $\tau_N = 25$ ps. This timescale is two orders of magnitude longer than the elastic scattering time as determined by resistivity measurements, but is comparable to the inelastic scattering time determined by thermal transport. Within the conventional framework of order-parameter relaxation, this implies that elastic scattering is ineffective at relaxing the superconducting condensate, consistent with a sign-preserving $s$-wave state obeying Anderson's theorem.

cond-mat.supr-con

Eight-unit-cell electronic modulations in cuprates originating from local molecular orbitals

The pair density wave (PDW) state with eight-unit-cell (8a0) periodicity has been widely regarded as the primary order in cuprates, yet its existence and origin remain subjects of intense debate. Using spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe spatial modulations of the electronic states with approximately 8a0 periodicity in both the superconducting and insulating regimes of hole-doped Ca2CuO2Cl2 cuprate. We find that the 8a0 spatial patterns are generated by the formation of molecular orbitals by doped holes, which organize into 4a0*4a0 plaquettes as the basic unit. Our results identify the 4a0 molecular orbital as the fundamental electronic building block in cuprates, while the 8a0 PDW represents a spatial subharmonic that emerges at sufficiently high doping.

cond-mat.supr-con

Record-Breaking Elemental Superconductivity in Tetralayer Kagome Borophene

Superconductivity above the liquid-nitrogen temperature remains rare in two-dimensional elemental crystals, where strong covalent bonding often yields high phonon frequencies but insufficient electron-phonon coupling. Here, using first-principles calculations and fully anisotropic Migdal-Eliashberg theory, we predict tetralayer kagome borophene (TKB) stabilized by ABAB covalent stacking, as a liquid-nitrogen-temperature elemental superconductor. With a predicted critical temperature of 102 K, TKB sets a record-high value among previously reported elemental superconductors. Unlike known high-Tc boron-based superconductors dominated by in-plane sigma-bonding states and high-frequency in-plane B-B stretching modes, TKB realizes an out-of-plane s-pz-bonding-mediated pairing mechanism, in which interlayer s-pz bonding states at the Fermi level are strongly coupled to low-frequency out-of-plane vibrations of boron atoms. These results reveal a distinct out-of-plane pairing channel in multilayer borophene and establish covalent stacking engineering as a potential route for high-Tc superconductivity in two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.supr-con