Bulk superconductivity and non-trivial band topology analysis of Pb2Pd

Abstract

A perfect topological superconductor can be realized by the simultaneous existence of bulk superconductivity along with topological non-trivial surface states. In this article, we report single crystal growth of superconducting binary compound Pb2Pd. The crystal is well characterized through X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Selected Area electron diffraction (SAED), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field emission Scanning electron Microscopy (FESEM) and X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The bulk superconducting nature of the studied crystal is determined through AC susceptibility and magneto-heat capacity measurements. The specific heat jump at superconducting transition suggests Pb2Pd to be a moderately coupled s-wave superconductor. The topological non-trivial character of Pb2Pd is evidenced through bulk electronic band structure and Z2 invariants, which are calculated under the protocols of Density Functional Theory (DFT). This is the first report on topological invariant of Pb2Pd, showing Pb2Pd to possess non-trivial topological band structure