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arXiv · 2102.08433

Heat capacity of type I superconductivity in the Dirac semimetal PdTe$_2$

M. V. Salis·Y. K. Huang·A. de Visser
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Abstract

Type I superconductivity has recently been reported for the Dirac semimetal PdTe$_2$ (Tc approximately 1.6K) with, remarkably, multiple critical fields and a complex phase diagram. Here, measurements of the specific heat utilizing a thermal relaxation technique are presented. Conventional weak-coupling BCS superconductivity is confirmed by examining the temperature dependence of the specific heat in zero field. By probing the latent heat accompanying the superconducting transition, thermodynamic evidence for type I superconductivity is attained. The presence of the intermediate state is observed as a significant broadening of the superconducting transition onto lower temperatures at high fields as well as irreversibility in the specific heat in zero field cooled data at 8.5 mT.

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M. V. Salis, Y. K. Huang, A. de Visser. 2021-02-16. Heat capacity of type I superconductivity in the Dirac semimetal PdTe$_2$. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.103.104502

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