Angular dependence of the upper critical field in the high-pressure $1T$ phase of MoTe$_2$


Abstract in English

Superconductivity in the type-II Weyl semimetal candidate MoTe$_2$ has attracted much attention due to the possible realization of topological superconductivity. Under applied pressure, the superconducting transition temperature is significantly enhanced, while the structural transition from the high-temperature 1$T$ phase to the low-temperature $T_d$ phase is suppressed. Hence, applying pressure allows us to investigate the dimensionality of superconductivity in 1$T$-MoTe$_2$. We have performed a detailed study of the magnetotransport properties and upper critical field $H_{c2}$ of MoTe$_2$ under pressure. The magnetoresistance (MR) and Hall coefficient of MoTe$_2$ are found to be decreasing with increasing pressure. In addition, the Kohlers scalings for the MR data above $sim$11 kbar show a change of exponent whereas the data at lower pressure can be well scaled with a single exponent. These results are suggestive of a Fermi surface reconstruction when the structure changes from the $T_d$ to 1$T$ phase. The $H_{c2}$-temperature phase diagram constructed at 15 kbar, with $Hparallel ab$ and $Hperp ab$, can be satisfactorily described by the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg model with the Maki parameters $alpha sim$ 0.77 and 0.45, respectively. The relatively large $alpha$ may stem from a small Fermi surface and a large effective mass of semimetallic MoTe$_2$. The angular dependence of $H_{c2}$ at 15 kbar can be well fitted by the Tinkham model, suggesting the two-dimensional nature of superconductivity in the high-pressure 1$T$ phase.

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