Theories and experiments on dirty superconductors are complex but important in terms of both theoretical fundamentals and practical applications.These activities are even more challenging when magnetic fields are pres...Theories and experiments on dirty superconductors are complex but important in terms of both theoretical fundamentals and practical applications.These activities are even more challenging when magnetic fields are present because the field distribution,electron density of states,and superconducting pairing potentials become nonuniform.Here,we present tunneling microspectroscopic experiments on NbC single crystals and demonstrate that NbC is a homogeneous dirty superconductor.When applying magnetic fields to the samples,we found that the zero-energy local density of states and the pairing energy gap followed the explicit scaling relation proposed by de Gennes for homogeneous dirty superconductors in high magnetic fields.More significantly,our experimental findings indicate that the validity of the scaling relation extends to magnetic field strengths far below the upper critical field,calling for a new nonperturbative understanding of this fundamental property in dirty superconductors.On the practical side,we used the observed scaling relation to derive a simple and straightforward experimental scheme for estimating the superconducting coherence length of a dirty superconductor in magnetic fields.展开更多
In CaFe2 As2, superconductivity can be achieved by applying a modest c-axis pressure of several kbar. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) to explore the STM tip pressure effect on single c...In CaFe2 As2, superconductivity can be achieved by applying a modest c-axis pressure of several kbar. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) to explore the STM tip pressure effect on single crystals of CaFe2 As2. When performing STM/S measurements, the tip-sample interaction can be controlled to act repulsive with reduction of the junction resistance, thus to apply a tip pressure on the sample. We find that an incoherent energy gap emerges at the Fermi level in the differential conductance spectrum when the tip pressure is increased. This energy gap is of the similar order of magnitude as the superconducting gap in the chemical doped compound Cao.4Nao.6Fe2As2 and disappears at the temperature well below that of the bulk magnetic ordering. Moreover, we also observe the rhombic distortion of the As lattice, which agrees with the orthorhombic distortion of the underlying Fe lattice. These findings suggest that the STM tip pressure can induce the local Cooper pairing in the orthorhombic phase of CaFe2As2.展开更多
The topological edge states of two-dimensional topological insulators with large energy gaps furnish ideal conduction channels for dissipationless current transport. Transition metal tellurides XTe5X=Zr, Hf) are theor...The topological edge states of two-dimensional topological insulators with large energy gaps furnish ideal conduction channels for dissipationless current transport. Transition metal tellurides XTe5X=Zr, Hf) are theoretically predicted to be large-gap two-dimensional topological insulators, and the experimental observations of their bulk insulating gap and in-gap edge states have been reported, but the topological nature of these edge states still remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report our low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy study on single crystals of HfTe5. We demonstrate a full energy gap of ~80 meV near the Fermi level on the surface monolayer of HfTe5 and that such an insulating energy gap gets filled with finite energy states when measured at the monolayer step edges. Remarkably, such states are absent at the edges of a narrow monolayer strip of one-unit-cell in width but persist at both step edges of a unit-cell wide monolayer groove. These experimental observations strongly indicate that the edge states of HfTe5 monolayers are not trivially caused by translational symmetry breaking, instead they are topological in nature protected by the 2 D nontrivial bulk properties.展开更多
We performed a combined angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy study of the electronic structure of electron-doped Ca_(0.83)La_(0.17)Fe_(2)As_(2).A surface reconstruction associate...We performed a combined angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy study of the electronic structure of electron-doped Ca_(0.83)La_(0.17)Fe_(2)As_(2).A surface reconstruction associated with the dimerization of As atoms is observed directly in the real space,as well as the consequent band folding in the momentum space.Besides this band folding effect,the Fermi surface topology of this material is similar to that reported previously for BaFe_(1.85)Co_(0.15)As_(2),with Γ-centered hole pockets quasi-nested to M-centered electron pockets by the antiferromagnetic wave vector.Although no superconducting gap is observed by ARPES possibly due to low superconducting volume fraction,a gap-like density of states depression of 7.7±2.9 meV is determined by scanning tunneling microscopy.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(Grant Nos.2017YFA0302903,2016YFA0300602,2016YFA0300604,and 2016YFJC010282)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11227903,12004416,and U2032204)+3 种基金the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission,China(Grant Nos.Z181100004218007 and Z191100007219011)the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2015CB921304)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant Nos.XDB07000000,XDB28000000 and XDB33000000)supported by the US Department of Energy(Basic Energy Sciences Grant No.DE-FG02-99ER45747).
文摘Theories and experiments on dirty superconductors are complex but important in terms of both theoretical fundamentals and practical applications.These activities are even more challenging when magnetic fields are present because the field distribution,electron density of states,and superconducting pairing potentials become nonuniform.Here,we present tunneling microspectroscopic experiments on NbC single crystals and demonstrate that NbC is a homogeneous dirty superconductor.When applying magnetic fields to the samples,we found that the zero-energy local density of states and the pairing energy gap followed the explicit scaling relation proposed by de Gennes for homogeneous dirty superconductors in high magnetic fields.More significantly,our experimental findings indicate that the validity of the scaling relation extends to magnetic field strengths far below the upper critical field,calling for a new nonperturbative understanding of this fundamental property in dirty superconductors.On the practical side,we used the observed scaling relation to derive a simple and straightforward experimental scheme for estimating the superconducting coherence length of a dirty superconductor in magnetic fields.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11227903the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant Nos 2015CB921300 and 2012CB933000+1 种基金the State of Texas through TcSUHthe Strategic Priority Research Program B of Chinese Academy of Sciences under Grant Nos XDB07030000,XDB04040300 and Y4VX092X81
文摘In CaFe2 As2, superconductivity can be achieved by applying a modest c-axis pressure of several kbar. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) to explore the STM tip pressure effect on single crystals of CaFe2 As2. When performing STM/S measurements, the tip-sample interaction can be controlled to act repulsive with reduction of the junction resistance, thus to apply a tip pressure on the sample. We find that an incoherent energy gap emerges at the Fermi level in the differential conductance spectrum when the tip pressure is increased. This energy gap is of the similar order of magnitude as the superconducting gap in the chemical doped compound Cao.4Nao.6Fe2As2 and disappears at the temperature well below that of the bulk magnetic ordering. Moreover, we also observe the rhombic distortion of the As lattice, which agrees with the orthorhombic distortion of the underlying Fe lattice. These findings suggest that the STM tip pressure can induce the local Cooper pairing in the orthorhombic phase of CaFe2As2.
基金Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11227903+4 种基金the BM-STC under Grant No Z181100004218007the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant Nos 2015CB921300and 2015CB921304National Key R&D Program of China under Grant No 2017YFA0302903the Strategic Priority Research Program B of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under Grant Nos XDB04040300 and XDB07000000Beijing Municipal Science&Technology Commission(Z181100004218007)
文摘The topological edge states of two-dimensional topological insulators with large energy gaps furnish ideal conduction channels for dissipationless current transport. Transition metal tellurides XTe5X=Zr, Hf) are theoretically predicted to be large-gap two-dimensional topological insulators, and the experimental observations of their bulk insulating gap and in-gap edge states have been reported, but the topological nature of these edge states still remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report our low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy study on single crystals of HfTe5. We demonstrate a full energy gap of ~80 meV near the Fermi level on the surface monolayer of HfTe5 and that such an insulating energy gap gets filled with finite energy states when measured at the monolayer step edges. Remarkably, such states are absent at the edges of a narrow monolayer strip of one-unit-cell in width but persist at both step edges of a unit-cell wide monolayer groove. These experimental observations strongly indicate that the edge states of HfTe5 monolayers are not trivially caused by translational symmetry breaking, instead they are topological in nature protected by the 2 D nontrivial bulk properties.
基金Supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences(2010Y1JB6)the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB923000 and 2011CBA001000)+3 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(11004232 and 11050110422)the Sino-Swiss Science and Technology Cooperation(No IZLCZ2138954)The work in Houston is supported in part by US Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Contract No FA9550-09-1-0656Department of Energy Subcontract No 4000086706 through ORNL,AFRL Subcontract No R15901(CONTACT)through Rice University,the T.L.L.Temple Foundation and the John J.and Rebecca Moores Endowment,and the State of Texas through TCSUH.
文摘We performed a combined angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy study of the electronic structure of electron-doped Ca_(0.83)La_(0.17)Fe_(2)As_(2).A surface reconstruction associated with the dimerization of As atoms is observed directly in the real space,as well as the consequent band folding in the momentum space.Besides this band folding effect,the Fermi surface topology of this material is similar to that reported previously for BaFe_(1.85)Co_(0.15)As_(2),with Γ-centered hole pockets quasi-nested to M-centered electron pockets by the antiferromagnetic wave vector.Although no superconducting gap is observed by ARPES possibly due to low superconducting volume fraction,a gap-like density of states depression of 7.7±2.9 meV is determined by scanning tunneling microscopy.