No Arabic abstract
We investigate the possibility of achieving high-temperature superconductivity in hydrides under pressure by inducing metallization of otherwise insulating phases through doping, a path previously used to render standard semiconductors superconducting at ambient pressure. Following this idea, we study H$_2$O, one of the most abundant and well-studied substances, we identify nitrogen as the most likely and promising substitution/dopant. We show that for realistic levels of doping of a few percent, the phase X of ice becomes superconducting with a critical temperature of about 60 K at 150GPa. In view of the vast number of hydrides that are strongly covalent bonded, but that remain insulating until rather large pressures, our results open a series of new possibilities in the quest for novel high-temperature superconductors.
In this work, we show that the same theoretical tools that successfully explain other hydrides systems under pressure seem to be at odds with the recently claimed conventional room temperature superconductivity of the carbonaceous sulfur hydride. We support our conclusions with I) the absence of a dominant low-enthalpy stoichiometry and crystal structure in the ternary phase diagram. II) Only the thermodynamics of C-doping phases appears to be marginally competing in enthalpy against H$_3$S. III) Accurate results of the transition temperature given by ab initio Migdal-Eliashberg calculations differ by more than 110 K to recently theoretical claims explaining the high-temperature superconductivity in carbonaceous-hydrogen sulfide. A novel mechanism of superconductivity or a breakdown of current theories in this system is possibly behind the disagreement.
We report a high-pressure single crystal study of the topological superconductor Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$. Resistivity measurements under pressure show superconductivity is depressed smoothly. At the same time the metallic behavior is gradually lost. The upper critical field data $B_{c2}(T)$ under pressure collapse onto a universal curve. The absence of Pauli limiting and the comparison of $B_{c2}(T)$ to a polar state function point to spin-triplet superconductivity, but an anisotropic spin-singlet state cannot be discarded completely.
Polycrystalline Eu0.5La0.5BiS2F was synthesized by solid state reaction which crystallizes in the tetragonal CeOBiS2 structure (P4/nmm). We report here enhancement of Tc to 2.2 K in Eu0.5La0.5BiS2F (by electron doping in EuBiS2F with Tc ~ 0.3 K). Eu0.5La0.5BiS2F is semiconducting down to 3 K and an onset of superconductivity is seen at 2.2 K at ambient pressure. Upon application of pressure the Tc could be enhanced upto 10 K. Step like features are seen in the resistivity curves at intermediate pressures (0.5 - 1 GPa) which hints towards the possible existence of two phases with different Tc. At a pressure above 1.38GPa, the Tconset remains invariant at 10 K but the Tc(r{ho}=0) is increased to above 8.2 K. There is a possible transformation from a low Tc phase to a high Tc phase by application of pressure.
Superconductivity of transition metal dichalcogenide $1T$-TiTe$_2$ under high pressure was investigated by the first-principles calculations. Our results show that the superconductivity of $1T$-TiTe$_2$ exhibits very different behavior under the hydrostatic and uniaxial pressure. The hydrostatic pressure is harmful to the superconductivity, while the uniaxial pressure is beneficial to the superconductivity. Superconducting transition temperature $T_C$ at ambient pressure is 0.73 K, and it reduces monotonously under the hydrostatic pressure to 0.32 K at 30 GPa. While the $T_C$ increases dramatically under the uniaxial pressure along $c$ axis. The established $T_C$ of 6.34 K under the uniaxial pressure of 17 GPa, below which the structural stability maintains, is above the liquid helium temperature of 4.2 K. The increase of density of states at Fermi level, the redshift of $F(omega)$/$alpha^2F(omega)$ and the softening of the acoustic modes with pressure are considered as the main reasons that lead to the enhanced superconductivity under uniaxial pressure. In view of the previously predicted topological phase transitions of $1T$-TiTe$_2$ under the uniaxial pressure [Phys. Rev. B 88, 155317 (2013)], we consider $1T$-TiTe$_2$ as a possible candidate in transition metal chalcogenides for exploring topological superconductivity.
High-pressure superconductivity in a rare-earth doped Ca0.86Pr0.14Fe2As2 single crystalline sample has been studied up to 12 GPa and temperatures down to 11 K using designer diamond anvil cell under a quasi-hydrostatic pressure medium. The electrical resistance measurements were complemented by high pressure and low temperature x-ray diffraction studies at a synchrotron source. The electrical resistance measurements show an intriguing observation of superconductivity under pressure, with Tc as high as ~51 K at 1.9 GPa, presenting the highest Tc reported in the intermetallic class of 1-2-2 iron-based superconductors. The resistive transition observed suggests a possible existence of two superconducting phases at low pressures of 0.5 GPa: one phase starting at Tc1 ~48 K, and the other starting at Tc2~16 K. The two superconducting transitions show distinct variations with increasing pressure. High pressure low temperature structural studies indicate that the superconducting phase is a collapsed tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type (122) crystal structure. Our high pressure studies indicate that high Tc state attributed to non-bulk superconductivity in rare-earth doped 1-2-2 iron-based superconductors is stable under compression over a broad pressure range.