arXiv subjects

Rajveer Jha

Publications and source records attributed to Rajveer Jha.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Aging Effects on Superconducting Properties of BiS2-Based Compounds: First-12-Year Restudy

Decomposition of superconductors sometimes becomes crucial when studying essential physical properties of the superconductors. For example, the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-d decomposes by long-time air exposure. In this study, we investigate the aging effects on superconducting properties of BiS2-based superconductors Bi4O4S3 and LaO0.5F0.5BiS2, both were first synthesized in 2012, using their polycrystalline samples synthesized several years ago. We find that 12-year-old Bi4O4S3 samples exhibit bulk superconductivity with a slight degradation of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 0.2 K. For a high-pressure-synthesized LaO0.5F0.5BiS2 sample, clear decrease in Tc is observed, which suggests that high-pressure strain is reduced by aging.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Evaluation of insulating behavior by Pb Substitution and Pressure-Induced Superconductivity in La2O2Bi3-xPb1+xS6

We report synthesis, characterization, and physical properties of layered bismuth-sulfide compounds La2O2Bi3-xPb1+xS6. We synthesized a new La2O2Bi3PbS6 compound, whose crystal structure is similar to those of the La2O2Bi3AgS6 superconductor or La2O2Bi2Pb2S6 (insulator) with a four-layer-type conducting layer. The crystal structure of La2O2Bi3PbS6 is characterized in a tetragonal P4/nmm space group, and the lattice parameters are a = 4.084(1) Å and c = 19.71(2) Å. The obtained La2O2Bi3PbS6 sample exhibits narrow gap semiconductor (metallic-like) transport behavior with an anomaly near the 160 K. A metallic-like to insulator transition has been observed through Pb substitution, with increasing x in La2O2Bi3-xPb1+xS6. Furthermore, we applied external pressure for x = 0 and observed pressure-induced superconductivity. The onset of superconductivity appeared at 0.93 GPa, and the highest transition temperature was 3.1 K at 2.21 GPa.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

High-pressure effects on superconducting properties and crystal structure of Bi-based layered superconductor La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6

The effects of pressure on the superconducting properties of a Bi-based layered superconductor La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6, which possesses a four-layer-type conducting layer, have been studied through the electrical resistance and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The crystal structure under pressure was examined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction at SPring-8. In the low-pressure regime, bulk superconductivity with a transition temperature Tc of ~ 4.5 K was induced by pressure, which was achieved by in-plane chemical pressure effect owing to the compression of the tetragonal structure. In the high-pressure regime above 6.4 GPa, a structural symmetry lowering was observed, and superconducting transitions with a Tc ~ 8 K were observed. Our results suggest the possible commonality on the factor essential for Tc in Bi-based superconductors with two-layer-type and four-layer-type conducting layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Unconventional isotope effect on transition temperature in BiS2-based superconductor Bi4O4S3

We report the sulfur isotope effect on transition temperature in a BiS2-based superconductor Bi4O4S3. Polycrystalline samples of Bi4O4S3 were prepared using 32S and 34S isotope chemicals. From magnetization analyses, the isotope exponent (aS) was estimated as -0.1 < aS < 0.1. Although the Tc estimated from electrical resistivity was scattered as compared to those estimated from the magnetization, we observed no clear correlation between Tc and the isotope mass. The present results suggest that unconventional paring states are essential in Bi4O4S3.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Evolution of two bulk-superconducting phases in Sr0.5RE0.5FBiS2 (RE: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) by external hydrostatic pressure effect

Polycrystalline samples of Sr1-xRExFBiS2 (RE: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm) were synthesized via the solid-state reaction and characterized using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Although all the Sr0.5RE0.5FBiS2 samples exhibited superconductivity at transition temperatures (Tc) within the range of 2.1-2.7 K under ambient pressure, the estimated superconducting volume fraction was small. This indicated the non-bulk nature of superconductivity in these samples under ambient pressure. A dramatic evolution of the bulk superconducting phases was achieved on applying an external hydrostatic pressure. Near pressures below 1 GPa, bulk superconductivity was induced with a Tc of 2.5-2.8 K, which is termed as the low-P phase. Moreover, the high-P phase (Tc = 10.0-10.8 K) featuring bulk characteristics was observed at higher pressures. Pressure-Tc phase diagrams indicated that the critical pressure for the emergence of the high-P phase tends to increase with decreasing ionic radius of the doped RE ions. According to the high-pressure X-ray diffraction measurements of Sr0.5La0.5FBiS2, a structural phase transition from tetragonal to monoclinic also occurred at approximately 1.1 GPa. Thus, this phase transition indicates a pressure-induced superconducting-superconducting transition similar to the transition in LaO0.5F0.5BiS2. Bulk superconducting phases in Sr0.5RE0.5FBiS2 induced by the external hydrostatic pressure effect are expected to be useful for evaluating the mechanisms of superconductivity in BiCh2-based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Detection of hole pockets in the candidate type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe$_2$ from Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations

The bulk electronic structure of $T_d$-MoTe$_2$ features large hole Fermi pockets at the Brillouin zone center ($Γ$) and two electron Fermi surfaces along the $Γ-X$ direction. However, the large hole pockets, whose existence has important implications for the Weyl physics of $T_d$-MoTe$_2$, has never been conclusively detected in quantum oscillations. This raises doubt about the realizability of Majorana states in $T_d$-MoTe$_2$, because these exotic states rely on the existence of Weyl points, which originated from the same band structure predicted by density functional theory (DFT). Here, we report an unambiguous detection of these elusive hole pockets via Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) quantum oscillations. At ambient pressure, the quantum oscillation frequencies for these pockets are 988 T and 1513 T, when the magnetic field is applied along the $c$-axis. The quasiparticle effective masses $m^*$ associated with these frequencies are 1.50 $m_e$ and 2.77 $m_e$, respectively, indicating the importance of Coulomb interactions in this system. We further measure the SdH oscillations under pressure. At 13 kbar, we detected a peak at 1798 T with $m^*$ = 2.86 $m_e$. Relative to the oscillation data at a lower pressure, the amplitude of this peak experienced an enhancement, which can be attributed to the reduced curvature of the hole pockets under pressure. Combining our experimental data with DFT + $U$ calculations, where $U$ is the Hubbard parameter, our results shed light on why these important hole pockets have not been detected until now.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Bulk superconductivity induced by Se substitution in self-doped BiCh2-based compound CeOBiS2-xSex

We report the Se substitution effects on the crystal structure, superconducting properties, and valence states of self-doped BiCh2-based compound CeOBiS2-xSex. Polycrystalline CeOBiS2-xSex samples with x = 0-1.0 were synthesized. For x = 0.4 and 0.6, bulk superconducting transitions with a large shielding volume fraction were observed in magnetic susceptibility measurements; the highest transition temperature (Tc) was 3.0 K for x = 0.6. A superconductivity phase diagram of CeOBiS2-xSex was established based on Tc estimated from the electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements. The emergence of superconductivity in CeOBiS2-xSex was explained with two essential parameters of in-plane chemical pressure and carrier concentration, which systematically changed with increasing Se concentration.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Superconducting properties of high-entropy-alloy tellurides M-Te (M: Ag, In, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb, Bi) with a NaCl-type structure

High-entropy-alloy-type tellurides M-Te, which contain five different metals of M = Ag, In, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb, and Bi, were synthesized using high pressure synthesis. Structural characterization revealed that all the obtained samples have a cubic NaCl-type structure. Six samples, namely AgCdSnSbPbTe5, AgInSnSbPbTe5, AgCdInSnSbTe5, AgCdSnPbBiTe5, AgCdInPbBiTe5, and AgCdInSnBiTe5 showed superconductivity. The highest transition temperature (Tc) among those samples was 1.4 K for AgInSnSbPbTe5. A sample of AgCdInSbPbTe5 showed a semiconductor-like transport behavior. From the relationship between Tc and lattice constant, it was found that a higher Tc is observed for a telluride with a larger lattice constant.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Superconductivity in Se-doped La2O2Bi2Pb2S6-xSex with a Bi2Pb2Ch4-type thick conducting layer

La2O2Bi2Pb2S6 is a layered Bi-based oxychalcogenide with a thick four-layer-type conducting layer. Although La2O2Bi2Pb2S6 is a structural analogue of La2O2Bi3AgS6, which is a superconductor, insulating behavior has been observed in La2O2Bi2Pb2S6 at low temperatures, and no superconductivity has been reported. Herein, we demonstrate superconductivity in La2O2Bi2Pb2S6-xSex via partial substitution of Se in the S sites. Owing to the Se doping, the normal state electrical resistivity of La2O2Bi2Pb2S6-xSex at low temperatures was dramatically suppressed, and superconductivity was observed at a transition temperature (Tc) of 1.15 K for x = 0.5. Tc increased with increasing Se concentration: Tc = 1.9 K for x = 1.0. The emergence of metallicity and superconductivity was explained via in-plane chemical pressure effects that can suppress local disorder and carrier localization, which are commonly observed in two-layer-type BiS2-based systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

High-pressure synthesis and superconducting properties of NaCl-type In1-xPbxTe (x = 0-0.8)

We have investigated the Pb-substitution effect on the superconductivity of NaCl-type In1-xPbxTe samples obtained using high-pressure synthesis. Polycrystalline samples with x = 0-0.8 were obtained, and the lattice parameter systematically increased by Pb substitution. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc ~3 K for x = 0) increased to 5.3 K (for x = 0.4) by Pb substitutions. According to the comparison of the electronic states between NaCl-type InTe and PbTe, we consider that the Pb substitution increases electron carriers. Possible mechanisms of the enhancement of Tc in this system have been discussed on the basis of conventional pairing mechanism and the possibility of the relation to the valence-skipping state of In.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Improvement of superconducting properties by chemical pressure effect in Eu-doped La2-xEuxO2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6

We have investigated the substitution effect of Eu on the superconductivity in La2-xEuxO2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6. Recently, we reported an observation of superconductivity at 0.5 K in a layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3AgS6. The Sn doping at the Ag site was found to raise the superconducting transition temperature, Tc to 2.5 K in La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6. To further improve the superconducting properties, we have partially substituted Eu for the La site to increase the chemical pressure in La2-xEuxO2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6 (x = 0.1 to 0.6). With the increase in Eu concentration, x, the lattice constant a was found to shrink, while the lattice constant c was marginally shortened, which suggests that the chemical pressure induced by the Eu doping is uniaxial along the a-axis. Tc was observed to increase with increasing x up to x = 0.4, further decreasing for higher Eu concentrations of x = 0.5 and 0.6. From the magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements, the bulk nature of superconductivity has been observed for x = 0.1 to 0.5 with Tc = 2.5 to 4.0 K, respectively. The upper critical field (Bc2) was noted to be 3.5 T for x = 0.4, which also has the highest Tc.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Enhanced superconductivity by Na doping in SnAs-based layered compound Na$_{1+x}$Sn$_{2-x}$As$_2$

Superconducting transition temperature (Tc) reported in SnAs-based layered compound NaSn$_2$As$_2$ varies from 1.2 to 1.6 K, implying that its superconductivity is critically sensitive to non-stoichiometry. Here, we demonstrate that Na-doping on the Sn site (Na$_{1+x}$Sn$_{2-x}$As$_2$) is effective in enhancing superconductivity, leading to Tc = 2.1 K for x = 0.4. First-principles calculation indicates that such a doping, or Na$_{\rm Sn}$ antisite defects, is energetically favored over other cation vacancies. Our results pave the way for increasing Tc of layered tin pnictide superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Bulk superconductivity in La2O2M4S6-type layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S5.7Se0.3

Recently, we reported the observation of superconductivity at ~0.5 K in a La2O2M4S6-type (M: metal) layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3AgS6, which is a layered compound related to the BiS2-based superconductor system but possesses a thicker Bi3AgS6-type conducting layer. In this study, we have developed the La2O2Bi3AgS6-type materials by element substitutions to increase the transition temperature (Tc) and to induce bulk nature of superconductivity. A resistivity anomaly observed at 180 K in La2O2Bi3AgS6 was systematically suppressed by Sn substitution for the Ag site. By the Sn substitution, Tc increased, and the shielding volume fraction estimated from magnetization measurements also increased. The highest Tc (= 2.3 K) and the highest shielding volume fraction (~20%) was observed for La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S6. The superconducting properties were further improved by Se substitutions for the S site. By the combinational substitutions of Sn and Se, bulk-superconducting phase of La2O2Bi3Ag0.6Sn0.4S5.7Se0.3 with a Tc of 3.0 K (Tconset = 3.6 K) was obtained.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Effect of Indium doping on the superconductivity of layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3Ag1-xInxS6

We report on the substitution effect of Indium (In) at the Ag site of layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3Ag1-xInxS6. The Tc decreases with increasing In concentration. A hump in the normal state resistivity at an anomaly temperature (T*) near 180 K was observed for all the samples. The anomaly in the resistivity at T* is indicating the possible occurrence of a charge-density-wave (CDW) transition. The T* does not markedly change by In doping. The x dependence of Seebeck coefficient suggests that carrier concentration does not change by In doping. The EDX analysis indicates small amount of Bi deficiency, which suggests that the Bi site is slightly substituted by In. The CDW transition is robust against the In substitution at Ag site, while Tc is decreasing due to the Bi site substitution by In. On the basis of those analyses, we propose that the suppression of superconductivity in the In-doped La2O2Bi3Ag1-xInxS6 system is caused by negative in-plane chemical pressure effect and partial substitution of In for the in-plane Bi site.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Superconductivity in layered Oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3AgS6

We report the superconductivity in layered oxychalcogenide La2O2Bi3AgS6 compound. The La2O2Bi3AgS6 compound has been reported recently by our group, which has a tetragonal structure with the space group P4/nmm. The crystal structure of La2O2Bi3AgS6 can be regarded as alternate stacks of LaOBiS2-type layer and rock-salt-type (Bi,Ag)S layer. We measured low-temperature electrical resistivity and observed superconductivity at 0.5 K. The observation of superconductivity in the La2O2Bi3AgS6 should provide us with the successful strategy for developing new superconducting phases by the insertion of a rock-salt-type chalcogenide layer into the van der Waals gap of BiS2-based layered compound like LaOBiS2.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Magnetotransport and Magnetization study of Nb2PdS5 superconductor

In the present report, we investigate various properties of the Nb2PdS5 superconductor. Scanning electron microscopy displayed slabs like laminar growth of Nb2PdS5while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy exhibited the hybridization of Sulphur (2p) with both Palladium (3d)and Niobium (3d). High field (140kOe) magneto-transport measurements revealed that superconductivity (Tc onset =7K and Tc R = 0 = 6.2K) of the studied Nb2PdS5material is quite robust against magnetic field with the upper critical field (Hc2) outside the Pauli paramagnetic limit. Thermally activated flux flow (TAFF) of the compound showed that resistivity curves follow Arrhenius behaviour. The activation energy for Nb2PdS5 is found to decrease from 15.15meV at 10kOe to 2.35meV at 140kOe. Seemingly, the single vortex pinning is dominant in low field regions, while collective pinning is dominant in high field region. The temperature dependence of AC susceptibility confirmed the Tc at 6K, further varying amplitude and frequency showed well coupled granular nature of superconductivity. The lower critical field (Hc1) is extracted from DC magnetisation measurements at various T below Tc. It is found that Hc1(T) of Nb2PdS5 material seemingly follows the multiband nature of superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Anomalous magnetotransport properties of high-quality single crystals of Weyl semimetal WTe2: Sign change of Hall resistivity

We report on a systematic study of Hall effect using high quality single crystals of type-II Weyl semimetal WTe2 with the applied magnetic field B//c. The residual resistivity ratio of 1330 and the large magnetoresistance of 1.5\times10^6 % in 9 T at 2 K, being in the highest class in the literature, attest to their high quality. Based on a simple two-band model, the densities (n_e and n_h) and mobilities (μ_e and μ_h) for electron and hole carriers have been uniquely determined combining both Hall- and electrical-resistivity data. The difference between ne and nh is ~1% at 2 K, indicating that the system is in an almost compensated condition. The negative Hall resistivity growing rapidly below ~20 K is due to a rapidly increasing μ_h/μ_e approaching one. Below 3 K in a low field region, we found the Hall resistivity becomes positive, reflecting that μ_h/μ_e finally exceeds one in this region. These anomalous behaviors of the carrier densities and mobilities might be associated with the existence of a Lifshitz transition and/or the spin texture on the Fermi surface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

MoTe2 : An uncompensated semimetal with extremely large magnetoresistance

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (WTe$_2$ and MoTe$_2$) have drawn much attention, recently, because of the nonsaturating extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) observed in these compounds in addition to the predictions of likely type-II Weyl semimetals. Contrary to the topological insulators or Dirac semimetals where XMR is linearly dependent on the field, in WTe$_2$ and MoTe$_2$ the XMR is nonlinearly dependent on the field, suggesting an entirely different mechanism. Electron-hole compensation has been proposed as a mechanism of this nonsaturating XMR in WTe$_2$, while it is yet to be clear in the case of MoTe$_2$ which has an identical crystal structure of WTe$_2$ at low temperatures. In this paper, we report low-energy electronic structure and Fermi surface topology of MoTe$_2$ using angle-resolved photoemission spectrometry (ARPES) technique and first-principle calculations, and compare them with that of WTe$_2$ to understand the mechanism of XMR. Our measurements demonstrate that MoTe$_2$ is an uncompensated semimetal, contrary to WTe$_2$ in which compensated electron-hole pockets have been identified, ruling out the applicability of charge compensation theory for the nonsaturating XMR in MoTe$_2$. In this context, we also discuss the applicability of the existing other conjectures on the XMR of these compounds.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗