Topological Dirac States and Pairing Correlations in the Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductor PbTaSe2

Abstract

Superconductivity in topological band structures is a platform for many novel exotic quantum phenomena such as emergent supersymmetry. This potential nourishes the search for topological materials with intrinsic superconducting instabilities, in which Cooper pairing is introduced to electrons with helical spin texture such as the Dirac states of topological insulators and Dirac Semimetals, forming a natural topological superconductor of helical kind. We employ first-principles calculations, ARPES experiments and new theoretical analysis to reveal that PbTaSe2, a non-centrosymmetric superconductor, possesses a nonzero Z2 topological invariant and fully spin-polarized Dirac states. Moreover, we analyze the phonon spectrum of PbTaSe2 to show how superconductivity can emerge due to a stiffening of phonons by the Pb intercalation, which diminishes a competing charge-density-wave instability. Our work establishes PbTaSe2 as a stoichiometric superconductor with nontrivial Z2 topological band structure, and shows that it holds great promise for studying novel forms of topological superconductivity not realized previously.

References in corpus (12)

• Quantum ESPRESSO: a modular and open-source software project for quantum simulations of materials
• Non-Abelian Anyons and Topological Quantum Computation
• Superconducting proximity effect and Majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator
• Topological Insulators with Inversion Symmetry
• Classification of topological insulators and superconductors in three spatial dimensions
• Computing topological invariants without inversion symmetry
• Engineering a p+ip Superconductor: Comparison of Topological Insulator and Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupled Materials
• Momentum space imaging of Cooper pairing in a half-Dirac-gas topological superconductor (a helical 2D topological superconductor)
• Pristine and intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide superconductors
• Dirac Surface States and Nature of Superconductivity in Noncentrosymmetric BiPd
• Nodeless superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric PbTaSe${}_2$ single crystals
• Multiple nodeless superconducting gaps in noncentrosymmetric superconductor PbTaSe2 with topological bulk nodal lines

Cited by in corpus (50)

• Superconductivity and spin-orbit coupling in non-centrosymmetric materials: a review
• Superconducting Topological Surface States in Non-centrosymmetric Bulk Superconductor PbTaSe2
• Symmetry Demanded Topological Nodal-line Materials
• Quantum Transport in Topological Semimetals under Magnetic Fields
• Ideal inner nodal chain semimetals in Li2XY (X = Ca, Ba; Y = Si, Ge) materials
• Magnetotransport properties of the topological nodal-line semimetal CaCdSn
• Crossing-Line-Node Semimetals: General Theory and Application to Rare-Earth Trihydrides
• Evidence for nematic superconductivity of topological surface states in PbTaSe2
• Topological Electronic States in HfRuP Family Superconductors
• Quantum Transport in Topological Semimetals under Magnetic Fields (II)
• Induced spectral gap and pairing correlations from superconducting proximity effect
• Electron-phonon coupling and pairing mechanism in $\beta$--Bi${}_2$Pd centrosymmetric superconductor
• Field-free platform for topological zero-energy mode in superconductors LiFeAs and PbTaSe${}_2$
• Quantum oscillations in the non-centrosymmetric superconductor and topological nodal-line semimetal PbTaSe${}_2$
• First-principles study of superconductivity in 2D and 3D forms of PbTiSe${}_2$: Suppressed charge density wave in 1\emph{T}-TiSe${}_2$
• Superconducting and Topological Properties in Centrosymmetric PbTaS2 Single Crystals
• Evidence of topological nodal lines and surface states in the centrosymmetric superconductor SnTaS2
• Evolution of the topologically protected surface states in superconductor $\beta$-Bi${}_2$Pd from the three-dimensional to the two-dimensional limit
• $\mu$SR study of noncentrosymmetric superconductor PbTaSe${}_2$
• First Principle Study for Optical Properties of TMDC/Graphene Heterostructures
• Origin of the butterfly magnetoresistance in a Dirac nodal-line system
• Experimental evidence of anomalously large superconducting gap on topological surface state of $\beta$-$\mathbf{B}{\mathbf{i}}_2\mathbf{Pd}$ film
• Topological properties of Mo${}_2$C and W${}_2$C superconductors
• Multiple Topological Electronic Phases in Superconductor MoC
• Prediction of superconductivity and topological aspects in single-layer $\beta$-Bi${}_2$Pd
• Prediction of Nontrivial Band Topology and Superconductivity in Mg${}_2$Pb
• Drumhead surface states and their signatures in quasiparticle scattering interference
• Anisotropic non-linear optical response of nodal loop materials
• $R$RuB${}_2$ ($R$=Y, Lu), topological superconductor candidates with hourglass-type Dirac ring
• Insights on unconventional superconductivity in HfV${}_2$Ga${}_4$ and ScV${}_2$Ga${}_4$ from first principles electronic structure calculations
• Superconducting properties of the spin Hall candidate Ta3Sb with eightfold degeneracy
• Unusual upper critical fields of the topological nodal-line semimetal candidate Sn${}_x$NbSe${}_{2-\delta }$
• Experimental and first-principles studies of superconductivity in topological nodal line semimetal SnTaS${}_2$
• Response Theory of the Electron-Phonon Coupling
• Fully gapped superconductivity without sign reversal in the topological superconductor PbTaSe${}_2$
• Sub-symmetry Protected Topology in Topological Insulators and Superconductors
• ${}^{181}$Ta Nuclear quadrupole resonance study of non-centrosymmetric superconductor PbTaSe${}_2$
• Muon spin rotation and relaxation study on topological noncentrosymmetric superconductor PbTaSe${}_2$
• Superconducting Sn-Intercalated TaSe${}_2$: Structural Diversity Obscured by Routine Characterization Techniques
• Effects of disorder on the quantum transport properties in topologically nontrivial metal PbTaSe${}_2$
• Robust topological state against magnetic impurities observed in superconductor PbTaSe2
• Time dependent electric transport in nodal-loop semimetals
• Theoretical analysis of anisotropic upper critical field of superconductivity in nodal-line semimetals
• Fermiology and transport properties of the proposed topological crystalline insulator SrAg4Sb2
• Fermi Surface Topology and Magneto-transport Properties of Superconducting Pd${}_3$Bi${}_2$Se${}_2$
• Weakly Anisotropic Noncentrosymmetric Superconductors with Radial Line Nodes and Thermodynamical Anomalies
• Intrinsic chiral topological superconductor thin films
• Topological Surface Superconductivity Induced by Hydrostatic Pressure-Enhanced Antisymmetric Spin-Orbit Coupling in Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductor PbTaSe2
• Enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature due to multiband effect in the topological nodal-line semimetal Pb${}_{1-x}$Sn${}_x$TaSe${}_2$
• Energy relaxation dynamics in a nodal-line semimetal