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Title: Nanocalorimetric evidence for nematic superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Sr 0.1 Bi 2 Se 3

Abstract

Spontaneous rotational-symmetry breaking in the superconducting state of doped Bi2Se3 has attracted significant attention as an indicator for topological superconductivity. In this paper, high-resolution calorimetry of the single-crystal Sr0.1Bi2Se3 provides unequivocal evidence of a twofold rotational symmetry in the superconducting gap by a bulk thermodynamic probe, a fingerprint of nematic superconductivity. The extremely small specific heat anomaly resolved with our high-sensitivity technique is consistent with the material's low carrier concentration proving bulk superconductivity. The large basal-plane anisotropy of H-c(2) (Gamma(exp) = 3.5) is attributed to a nematic phase of a two-component topological gap structure eta = (eta(1), eta(2)) and caused by a symmetry-breaking energy term delta (vertical bar eta(1)vertical bar(2) - vertical bar eta(2)vertical bar(2))T-c. A quantitative analysis of our data excludes more conventional sources of this twofold anisotropy and provides an estimate for the symmetry-breaking strength delta approximate to 0.1, a value that points to an onset transition of the second order parameter component below 2 K.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Materials Science Division
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Dept.
  3. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Dept.; Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  4. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Dept.; Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1485254
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1482765; OSTI ID: 1490687
Report Number(s):
BNL-209668-2018-JAAM
Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0012704; AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 98; Journal Issue: 18; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; impurities in superconductors; nematic order; phase diagrams; superconducting gap; superconducting order parameter; superconducting phase transition; topological superconductors; low-temperature superconductors; calorimetry; Landau-Ginzburg theory; specific heat measurements

Citation Formats

Willa, Kristin, Willa, Roland, Song, Kok Wee, Gu, G. D., Schneeloch, John A., Zhong, Ruidan, Koshelev, Alexei E., Kwok, Wai-Kwong, and Welp, Ulrich. Nanocalorimetric evidence for nematic superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Sr0.1Bi2Se3. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.98.184509.
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Willa, Kristin, Willa, Roland, Song, Kok Wee, Gu, G. D., Schneeloch, John A., Zhong, Ruidan, Koshelev, Alexei E., Kwok, Wai-Kwong, & Welp, Ulrich. Nanocalorimetric evidence for nematic superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Sr0.1Bi2Se3. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.98.184509
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Willa, Kristin, Willa, Roland, Song, Kok Wee, Gu, G. D., Schneeloch, John A., Zhong, Ruidan, Koshelev, Alexei E., Kwok, Wai-Kwong, and Welp, Ulrich. Mon . "Nanocalorimetric evidence for nematic superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Sr0.1Bi2Se3". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.98.184509. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1485254.
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@article{osti_1485254,
title = {Nanocalorimetric evidence for nematic superconductivity in the doped topological insulator Sr0.1Bi2Se3},
author = {Willa, Kristin and Willa, Roland and Song, Kok Wee and Gu, G. D. and Schneeloch, John A. and Zhong, Ruidan and Koshelev, Alexei E. and Kwok, Wai-Kwong and Welp, Ulrich},
abstractNote = {Spontaneous rotational-symmetry breaking in the superconducting state of doped Bi2Se3 has attracted significant attention as an indicator for topological superconductivity. In this paper, high-resolution calorimetry of the single-crystal Sr0.1Bi2Se3 provides unequivocal evidence of a twofold rotational symmetry in the superconducting gap by a bulk thermodynamic probe, a fingerprint of nematic superconductivity. The extremely small specific heat anomaly resolved with our high-sensitivity technique is consistent with the material's low carrier concentration proving bulk superconductivity. The large basal-plane anisotropy of H-c(2) (Gamma(exp) = 3.5) is attributed to a nematic phase of a two-component topological gap structure eta = (eta(1), eta(2)) and caused by a symmetry-breaking energy term delta (vertical bar eta(1)vertical bar(2) - vertical bar eta(2)vertical bar(2))T-c. A quantitative analysis of our data excludes more conventional sources of this twofold anisotropy and provides an estimate for the symmetry-breaking strength delta approximate to 0.1, a value that points to an onset transition of the second order parameter component below 2 K.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.98.184509},
journal = {Physical Review B},
number = 18,
volume = 98,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Nov 19 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Mon Nov 19 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.98.184509
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Evidence for singular-phonon-induced nematic superconductivity in a topological superconductor candidate Sr0.1Bi2Se3
    journal, June 2019

    Zero Cu valence and superconductivity in high-quality C u x B i 2 S e 3 crystal
    journal, November 2019

    Generalized Anderson’s theorem for superconductors derived from topological insulators
    journal, February 2020

    • Andersen, Lionel; Ramires, Aline; Wang, Zhiwei
    • Science Advances, Vol. 6, Issue 9
    • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay6502

    Nematic Superconductivity in Doped Bi2Se3 Topological Superconductors
    journal, December 2018

    Generalized Anderson's theorem for superconductors derived from topological insulators
    text, January 2019

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