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Title: Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures

Abstract

Recent predictions and experimental observations of high Tc superconductivity in hydrogen-rich materials at very high pressures are driving the search for superconductivity in the vicinity of room temperature. We have developed a novel preparation technique that is optimally suited for megabar pressure syntheses of superhydrides using modulated laser heating while maintaining the integrity of sample-probe contacts for electrical transport measurements to 200 GPa. We detail the synthesis and characterization of lanthanum superhydride samples, including four-probe electrical transport measurements that display significant drops in resistivity on cooling up to 260 K and 180-200 GPa, and resistivity transitions at both lower and higher temperatures in other experiments. Additional current-voltage measurements, critical current estimates, and low-temperature x-ray diffraction are also obtained. We suggest that the transitions represent signatures of superconductivity to near room temperature in phases of lanthanum superhydride, in good agreement with density functional structure search and BCS theory calculations. This research was supported by EFree, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), under Award DE-SC0001057. The instrumentation and facilities used were supported by DOE/BES (DE-FG02-99ER45775, VVS), the U.S. DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (DE-NA-0002006, CDAC; and DE-NA0001974,more » HPCAT), and the National Science Foundation (DMR-1809783). The Advanced Photon Source is operated by the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [1]
  1. George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (United States)
  2. Carnegie Inst. of Washington, Washington, DC (United States)
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Energy Frontier Research in Extreme Environments (EFree); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1510041
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1492132; OSTI ID: 1494056; OSTI ID: 1581177
Report Number(s):
arXiv:1808.07695; FERMILAB-PUB-19-158-TD
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO; 1728093
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357; SC0001057; FG02-99ER45775; NA0002006; NA0001974; NA0003858
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 08 HYDROGEN

Citation Formats

Somayazulu, Maddury, Ahart, Muhtar, Mishra, Ajay K., Geballe, Zachary M., Baldini, Maria, Meng, Yue, Struzhkin, Viktor V., and Hemley, Russell J. Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027001.
Somayazulu, Maddury, Ahart, Muhtar, Mishra, Ajay K., Geballe, Zachary M., Baldini, Maria, Meng, Yue, Struzhkin, Viktor V., & Hemley, Russell J. Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027001
Somayazulu, Maddury, Ahart, Muhtar, Mishra, Ajay K., Geballe, Zachary M., Baldini, Maria, Meng, Yue, Struzhkin, Viktor V., and Hemley, Russell J. Mon . "Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027001. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1510041.
@article{osti_1510041,
title = {Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures},
author = {Somayazulu, Maddury and Ahart, Muhtar and Mishra, Ajay K. and Geballe, Zachary M. and Baldini, Maria and Meng, Yue and Struzhkin, Viktor V. and Hemley, Russell J.},
abstractNote = {Recent predictions and experimental observations of high Tc superconductivity in hydrogen-rich materials at very high pressures are driving the search for superconductivity in the vicinity of room temperature. We have developed a novel preparation technique that is optimally suited for megabar pressure syntheses of superhydrides using modulated laser heating while maintaining the integrity of sample-probe contacts for electrical transport measurements to 200 GPa. We detail the synthesis and characterization of lanthanum superhydride samples, including four-probe electrical transport measurements that display significant drops in resistivity on cooling up to 260 K and 180-200 GPa, and resistivity transitions at both lower and higher temperatures in other experiments. Additional current-voltage measurements, critical current estimates, and low-temperature x-ray diffraction are also obtained. We suggest that the transitions represent signatures of superconductivity to near room temperature in phases of lanthanum superhydride, in good agreement with density functional structure search and BCS theory calculations. This research was supported by EFree, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), under Award DE-SC0001057. The instrumentation and facilities used were supported by DOE/BES (DE-FG02-99ER45775, VVS), the U.S. DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (DE-NA-0002006, CDAC; and DE-NA0001974, HPCAT), and the National Science Foundation (DMR-1809783). The Advanced Photon Source is operated by the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027001},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 2,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Mon Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

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