Superconductivity of Lanthanum Superhydride Investigated Using the Standard Four-Probe Configuration under High Pressures

Recently,the theoretically predicted lanthanum superhydride,LaH 10±δ,with a clathrate-like structure was successfully synthesized and found to exhibit a record high superconducting transition temperature T c≈250 K at∼170 GPa,opening a new route for room-temperature superconductivity.However,since in situ experiments at megabar pressures are very challenging,few groups have reported the∼250 K superconducting transition in LaH 10±δ.Here,we establish a simpler sample-loading procedure that allows a relatively large sample size for synthesis and a standard four-probe configuration for resistance measurements.Following this procedure,we successfully synthesized LaH 10±δwith dimensions up to 10×20μm^2 by laser heating a thin La flake and ammonia borane at∼1700 K in a symmetric diamond anvil cell under the pressure of 165 GPa.The superconducting transition at T c≈250 K was confirmed through resistance measurements under various magnetic fields.Our method will facilitate explorations of near-room-temperature superconductors among metal superhydrides.

Ultrafast Quasiparticle Dynamics and Electron-Phonon Coupling in(Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFe0.98Se

Distinctive superconducting behaviors between bulk and monolayer FeSe make it challenging to obtain a unified picture of all FeSe-based superconductors.We investigate the ultrafast quasiparticle(QP)dynamics of an intercalated superconductor(Li1-xFex)OHFe1-ySe,which is a bulk crystal but shares a similar electronic structure with single-layer FeSe on SrTiO3.We obtain the electron-phonon coupling(EPC)constant(0.22±0.04),which well bridges that of bulk FeSe crystal and single-layer FeSe on SrTiO3.Significantly,we find that such a positive correlation betweenλA1 g and superconducting Tc holds among all known FeSe-based superconductors,even in line with reported FeAs-based superconductors.Our observation indicates possible universal role of EPC in the superconductivity of all known categories of iron-based superconductors,which is a critical step towards achieving a unified superconducting mechanism for all iron-based superconductors.

Quasi-Two-Dimensional Nature of High-Tc Superconductivity in Iron-Based(Li,Fe)OHFeSe

The intercalated iron selenide(Li,Fe)OHFeSe has a strongly layered structure analogous to the quasi-twodimensional(2D)bismuth cuprate superconductors,and exhibits both high-temperature(Tc)and topological superconductivity.However,the issue of its superconductivity dimensionality has not yet been fully investigated so far.Here we report that the quasi-2D superconductivity features,including the high anisotropyγ=151 and the associated quasi-2D vortices,are also revealed for(Li,Fe)OHFeSe,based on systematic experiments of the electrical transport and magnetization and model fittings.Thus,we establish a new vortex phase diagram for(Li,Fe)OHFeSe,which delineates an emergent quasi-2D vortex-liquid state,and a subsequent vortex-solid dimensional crossover from a pancake-like to a three-dimensional state with decreasing temperature and magnetic field.Furthermore,we find that all the quasi-2D characteristics revealed here for the high-Tciron selenide superconductor are very similar to those reported for high-Tcbismuth cuprate superconductors.

Spatial distribution and inventory of natural gas hydrate in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea

Natural gas hydrate is a potential clean energy source and is related to submarine geohazard,climate change,and global carbon cycle.Multidisciplinary investigations have revealed the occurrence of hydrate in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea.However,the spatial distribution,controlling factors,and favorable areas are not well defined.Here we use the available high-resolution seismic lines,well logging,and heat flow data to explore the issues by calculating the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ)and estimating the inventory.Results show that the GHSZ thickness ranges between mostly~200 and 400 m at water depths>500 m.The gas hydrate inventory is~6.5×109-t carbon over an area of~6×104 km2.Three areas including the lower uplift to the south of the Lingshui sub-basin,the Songnan and Baodao sub-basins,and the Changchang sub-basin have a thick GHSZ of~250-310 m,250-330 m,and 350-400 m,respectively,where water depths are~1000-1600 m,1000-2000 m,and2400-3000 m,respectively.In these deep waters,bottom water temperatures vary slightly from~4 to 2℃.However,heat flow increases significantly with water depth and reaches the highest value of~80-100 mW/m2 in the deepest water area of Changchang sub-basin.High heat flow tends to reduce GHSZ thickness,but the thickest GHSZ still occurs in the Changchang sub-basin,highlighting the role of water depth in controlling GHSZ.The lower uplift to the south of the Lingshui sub-basin has high deposition rate(~270-830 m/Ma in 1.8-0 Ma);the thick Cenozoic sediment,rich biogenic and thermogenic gas supplies,and excellent transport systems(faults,diapirs,and gas chimneys)enables it a promising area of hydrate accumulation,from which hydrate-related bottom simulating reflectors,gas chimneys,and active cold seeps were widely revealed.

Unusual Normal and Superconducting State Properties Observed in Hydrothermal Fe_(1-δ)Se Flakes

The electronic and superconducting properties of Fe_(1-δ)Se single-crystal flakes grown hydrothermally are studied by the transport measurements under zero and high magnetic fields up to 38.5 T.The results contrast sharply with those previously reported for nematically ordered Fe Se by chemical-vapor-transport(CVT)growth.No signature of the electronic nematicity,but an evident metal-to-nonmetal crossover with increasing temperature,is detected in the normal state of the present hydrothermal samples.Interestingly,a higher superconducting critical temperature T_c of 13.2 K is observed compared to a suppressed T_c of 9 K in the presence of the nematicity in the CVT Fe Se.Moreover,the upper critical field in the zero-temperature limit is found to be isotropic with respect to the field direction and to reach a higher value of-42 T,which breaks the Pauli limit by a factor of 1.8.

Electronic Phase Separation in Iron Selenide(Li,Fe)OHFeSe Superconductor System

The phenomenon of phase separation into antiferromagnetic（AFM） and superconducting（SC） or normal-state regions has great implication for the origin of high-temperature（high-T_c） superconductivity. However, the occurrence of an intrinsic antiferromagnetism above the T_c of（Li,Fe）OHFe Se superconductor is questioned. Here we report a systematic study on a series of（Li,Fe）OHFe Se single crystal samples with T_c up to ～41 K. We observe an evident drop in the static magnetization at T_（afm） ～ 125 K, in some of the SC（T_c 38 K, cell parameter c■9.27 ？） and non-SC samples. We verify that this AFM signal is intrinsic to（Li,Fe）OHFe Se. Thus, our observations indicate mesoscopic-to-macroscopic coexistence of an AFM state with the normal（below T_（afm）） or SC（below T_c） state in（Li,Fe）OHFe Se. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation, similar to that in high-T_c cuprates and iron arsenides. However, such an AFM signal can be absent in some other samples of（Li,Fe）OHFe Se, particularly it is never observed in the SC samples of T_c 38 K, owing to a spatial scale of the phase separation too small for the macroscopic magnetic probe. For this case, we propose a microscopic electronic phase separation. The occurrence of two-dimensional AFM spin fluctuations below nearly the same temperature as T_（afm）, reported previously for a（Li,Fe）OHFe Se（T_c ～ 42 K） single crystal, suggests that the microscopic static phase separation reaches vanishing point in high T_c（Li,Fe）OHFe Se. A complete phase diagram is thus established. Our study provides key information of the underlying physics for high-T_c superconductivity.

Doping effects of transition metals on the superconductivity of (Li,Fe)OHFeSe films

The doping effects of transition metals(TMs = Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu) on the superconducting critical parameters are investigated in the films of iron selenide(Li,Fe)OHFe Se. The samples are grown via a matrix-assisted hydrothermal epitaxy method. Among the TMs, the elements of Mn and Co adjacent to Fe are observed to be incorporated into the crystal lattice more easily. It is suggested that the doped TMs mainly occupy the iron sites of the intercalated(Li,Fe)OH layers rather than those of the superconducting Fe Se layers. We find that the critical current density J_(c) can be enhanced much more strongly by the Mn dopant than the other TMs, while the critical temperature T_(c) is weakly affected by the TM doping.

Anisotropic Superconducting Properties of Kagome Metal CsV_3Sb_5

We systematically measure the superconducting(SC)and mixed state properties of high-quality CsV_3 Sb_5 single crystals with T_c-3.5 K.We find that the upper critical field H_(c2)(T)exhibits a large anisotropic ratio of H_(c2)^(ab)/H_(c2)^c^9 at zero temperature and fitting its temperature dependence requires a minimum two-band effective model.Moreover,the ratio of the lower critical field,H_(c1)^(ab)/H_(c1)^c,is also found to be larger than 1,which indicates that the in-plane energy dispersion is strongly renormalized near Fermi energy.Both H_(c1)(T)and SC diamagnetic signal are found to change little initially below T_c-3.5 K and then to increase abruptly upon cooling to a characteristic temperature of-2.8 K.Furthermore,we identify a two-fold anisotropy of in-plane angular-dependent magnetoresistance in the mixed state.Interestingly,we find that,below the same characteristic T-2.8 K,the orientation of this two-fold anisotropy displays a peculiar twist by an angle of 60°characteristic of the Kagome geometry.Our results suggest an intriguing superconducting state emerging in the complex environment of Kagome lattice,which,at least,is partially driven by electron-electron correlation.

Magnetic-Field-Induced Spin Nematicity in FeSe_(1-x)S_(x)and FeSe_(1-y)Te_(y)Superconductor Systems

The angular-dependent magnetoresistance(AMR)of the ab plane is measured on the single crystals of ironchalcogenide FeSe_(1-x)S_(x)(x=0,0.07,0.13 and 1)and FeSe_(1-y)Te_(y)(y=0.06,0.61 and 1)at various temperatures under fields up to 9 T.A pronounced twofold-anisotropic carrier-scattering effect is identified by AMR,and attributed to a magnetic-field-induced spin nematicity that emerges from the tetragonal normal-state regime below a characteristic temperature Tsn.This magnetically polarized spin nematicity is found to be ubiquitous in the isoelectronic FeSe_(1-x)S_(x)and FeSe_(1-y)Te_(y)systems,no matter whether the sample shows an electronic nematic order at T_(s)≤T_(sn),or an antiferromagnetic order at TN<T_(sn),or neither order.Importantly,we find that the induced spin nematicity shows a very different response to sulfur substitution from the spontaneous electronic nematicity:The spin-nematic T_(sn)is not suppressed but even enhanced by the substitution,whereas the electronicnematic T_(s)is rapidly suppressed,in the FeSe_(1-x)S_(x)system.Furthermore,we find that the superconductivity is significantly suppressed with the enhancement of the induced spin nematicity in both FeSe_(1-x)S_(x)and FeSe_(1-y)Te_(y)samples.

Formation of the Zengmu and Beikang Basins,and West Baram Line in the southwestern South China Sea margin

The Zengmu and Beikang basins,separated by the West Baram Line(WBL)in the southwestern South China Sea margin,display distinct geological and geophysical features.However,the nature of the basins and the WBL are debated.Here we explore this issue by conducting the stratigraphic and structural interpretation,faults and subsidence analysis,and lithospheric finite extension modelling using seismic data.Results show that the WBL is a trans-extensional fault zone comprising normal faults and flower structures mainly active in the Late Eocene to Early Miocene.The Zengmu Basin,to the southwest of the WBL,shows an overall synformal geometry,thick folded strata in the Late Eocene to Late Miocene(40.4-5.2 Ma),and pretty small normal faults at the basin edge,which imply that the Zengmu Basin is a foreland basin under the Luconia and Borneo collision in the Sarawak since the Eocene.Furthermore,the basin exhibits two stages of subsidence(fast in 40.4-30 Ma and slow in 30-0 Ma);but the amount of observed subsidence and heat flow are both greater than that predicted by crustal thinning.The Beikang Basin,to the NE of the WBL,consists of the syn-rift faulted sub-basins(45-16.4 Ma)and the post-rift less deformed sequences(16.4-0 Ma).The heat flow(~60 mW/m2)is also consistent with that predicted based on crustal thinning,inferring that it is a rifted basin.However,the basin shows three stages of subsidence(fast in 45-30 Ma,uplift in 30-16.4 Ma,and fast in 16.4-0 Ma).In the uplift stage,the strata were partly folded in the Late Oligocene and partly eroded in the Early Miocene,which is probably caused by the flexural bulging in response to the paleo-South China Sea subduction and the subsequent Dangerous Grounds and Borneo collision in the Sabah to the east of the WBL.

Different behavior of upper critical field in Fe1-xSe single crystals

The temperature dependences of upper critical field(Hc2) for a series of iron-deficient Fe1-xSe single crystals are obtained from the measurements of in-plane resistivity in magnetic fields up to 9 T and perpendicular to the ab plane. For the samples with lower superconducting transition temperature Tc(< 7.2 K), the temperature dependence of Hc2 is appropriately described by an effective two-band model. For the samples with higher Tc( 7.2 K), the temperature dependence can also be fitted by a single-band Werthamer–Helfand–Hohenberg formula, besides the two-band model. Such a Tc-dependent change in Hc2(T) behavior is discussed in connection with recent related experimental results, showing an inherent link between the changes of intrinsic superconducting and normal state properties in the Fe Se system.

Cenozoic tectonic subsidence in the Southern Continental Margin, South China Sea

We analyzed two recently acquired multi- channel seismic profiles across the Dangerous Grounds and the Reed Bank area in the South China Sea. Reconstruction of the tectonic subsidence shows that the southern continental margin can be divided into three stages with variable subsidence rate. A delay of tectonic subsidence existed in both areas after a break-up, which was likely related to the major mantle convection during seafloor spreading, that was triggered by the secondary mantle convection below the continental margin, in addition to the variation in lithospheric thickness. Mean-while, the stage with delayed subsidence rate differed along strikes. In the Reed Bank area, this stage is between 32-23.8 Ma, while in the Dangerous Grounds, it was much later （between 19-15.5 Ma）. We believe the propagated rifting in the South China Sea dominated the changes of this delayed subsidence rate stage.

Phase diagrams on composition-spread Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x) films

Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x),an archetypical iron-based high-temperature superconductor with a simple structure but rich physical properties,has attracted lots of attention because the two end compositions,Se content x=0 and 1,exhibit antiferromagnetism and nematicity,respectively,making it an ideal candidate for studying their interactions with superconductivity.However,what is clearly lacking to date is a complete phase diagram of Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x)as functions of its chemical compositions since phase separation usually occurs from x~0.6 to 0.9 in bulk crystals.Moreover,fine control of its composition is experimentally challenging because both Te and Se are volatile elements.Here we establish a complete phase diagram of Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x),achieved by high-throughput film synthesis and characterization techniques.An advanced combinatorial synthesis process enables us to fabricate an epitaxial composition-spread Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x)film encompassing the entire Se content x from 0 to 1 on a single piece of CaFsubstrate.The micro-region composition analysis and X-ray diffraction show a successful continuous tuning of chemical compositions and lattice parameters,respectively.The micro-scale pattern technique allows the mapping of electrical transport properties as a function of relative Se content with an unprecedented resolution of0.0074.Combining with the spin patterns in literature,we build a detailed phase diagram that can unify the electronic and magnetic properties of Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x).Our composition-spread Fe_(y)Te_(1-x)Se_(x) films,overcoming the challenges of phase separation and precise control of chemical compositions,provide an ideal platform for studying the relationship between superconductivity and magnetism.

The deep thermal structure of the lithosphere in the northwestern South China Sea and its control on the shallow tectonics

The northwestern sub-basin of South China Sea(SCS)is a unique tectonic unit formed in the early spreading of the SCS.The northwestern Sub-basin has a series of complex geological structures such as seamounts and fault zones surrounded by the Xisha Trough,the Zhongsha Massif,and the Pearl River Valley.These extensional structures and magmatic activity in the northwestern sub-basin are closely related to the lithospheric structure and its deformation.However,details of the deep lithosphere structure are still poorly known.Here,we obtained detailed data of water and Moho depth using sonar buoys,Extended Spread Profiles(ESP),Ocean Bottom Seismometer(OBS),both Multi-beam and land-sea joint seismic surveys in the northwestern sub-basin and its surrounding areas.Then we adopted a thermal isostasy method to calculate the depth of the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary(LAB)in the northwestern sub-basin of the SCS and its surrounding regions.Results show that the range of LAB depth is~25–110 km.The shallowest burial depth is 25–60 km occurring in the ocean basin.The depth increases to 60–110 km toward the continental margin.The lithospheric structure on the north and south sides of the Xisha Trough is symmetrical and shows the deep structure and thermal features of aborted rifts.The LAB depth in the Zhongsha Trough and the Zhongsha Massif increased from 60 to 70 km southwestwards,consistent with the trend of surface morphology.The LAB depth to the west side of the Pearl River Valley is 60–80 km,and the thinning of the lithosphere is related to the distribution of faults,depressions and the magmatic activity.The LAB depth in the northwestern sub-basin and the eastern subbasin is less than 60 km with the thinnest part being less than 46 km.Combining ocean drilling,seismic investigation,and seafloor topography,we show that the ocean basin of the northwestern sub-basin of the SCS locates within the 46 km isobath of the LAB.The formation of the rifted valleys and discrete blocks surrounding the ocean basins is both controlled by the regional tectonic movement and the deep thermal state,where their lithospheric structures show strong heterogeneity.

Observation of a bi-critical point between antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases in pressurized single crystal Ca0.73La0.27FeAs2

One of the most strikingly universal features of the high-temperature superconductors is that the super- conducting phase emerges in the close proximity of the antiferromagnetic phase, and the interplay between these two phases poses a long-standing challenge. It is commonly believed that, as the antifer- romagnetic transition temperature is continuously suppressed to zero, there appears a quantum critical point, around which the existence of antiferromagnetic fluctuation is responsible for the development of the superconductivity. In contrast to this scenario, we report the observation of a bi-critical point identified at 2,88 GPa and 26.02 K in the pressurized high-quality single crystal Cao.73Lao.27FeAs2 by com- plementary in-situ high pressure measurements. At the critical pressure, we find that the antiferromag- netism suddenly disappears and superconductivity simultaneously emerges at almost the same temperature, and that the external magnetic field suppresses the superconducting transition temperature but hardly affects the antiferromagnetic transition temperature.

Quantum phase transition and destruction of Kondo effect in pressurized SmB6

SmB_6 has been a well-known Kondo insulator for decades, but recently attracts extensive new attention as a candidate topological system. Studying SmB_6 under pressure provides an opportunity to acquire the much-needed understanding about the effect of electron correlations on both the metallic surface state and bulk insulating state. Here we do so by studying the evolution of two transport gaps(low temperature gap E_l and high temperature gap E_h) associated with the Kondo effect by measuring the electrical resistivity under high pressure and low temperature(0.3 K) conditions. We associate the gaps with the bulk Kondo hybridization, and from their evolution with pressure we demonstrate an insulator-tometal transition at ~4 GPa. At the transition pressure, a large change in the Hall number and a divergence tendency of the electron-electron scattering coefficient provide evidence for a destruction of the Kondo entanglement in the ground state. Our results raise the new prospect for studying topological electronic states in quantum critical materials settings.

Low-temperature magnetic anomalies of oxygen-doped T′-type 214 compounds

A new low_temperature anomalous magnetism at about 29 K for the oxygen doped (Eu 1- x Y x ) 2CuO 4 and Sm 2CuO 4, prepared under high pressure, has been investigated. This anomaly originated from different mechanisms to weak ferromagnetism (WF) behavior of T′ phase, and should be assigned to the ferromagnetic clusters formed by doped holes.