Evidence for unconventional superconductivity and nontrivial topology in PdTe

Journal Article · 25 April 2023 · Scientific Reports

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33237-5 · OSTI ID:1971560

Chapai, Ramakanta; Reddy, P. V. Sreenivasa; Xing, Lingyi; Graf, David E.; Karki, Amar B.; Chang, Tay-Rong; Jin, Rongying

Abstract PdTe is a superconductor with T _c  ~ 4.25 K. Recently, evidence for bulk-nodal and surface-nodeless gap features has been reported in PdTe. Here, we investigate the physical properties of PdTe in both the normal and superconducting states via specific heat and magnetic torque measurements and first-principles calculations. Below T _c , the electronic specific heat initially decreases in T ³ behavior (1.5 K <  T  <  T _c ) then exponentially decays. Using the two-band model, the superconducting specific heat can be well described with two energy gaps: one is 0.372 meV and another 1.93 meV. The calculated bulk band structure consists of two electron bands (α and β) and two hole bands (γ and η) at the Fermi level. Experimental detection of the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations allows us to identify four frequencies ( F _α  = 65 T, F _β  = 658 T, F _γ  = 1154 T, and F _η  = 1867 T for H // a ), consistent with theoretical predictions. Nontrivial α and β bands are further identified via both calculations and the angle dependence of the dHvA oscillations. Our results suggest that PdTe is a candidate for unconventional superconductivity.

• Research Organization: Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0012432
• OSTI ID: 1971560
• Journal Information: Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 13; ISSN 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English