Transmission of Radio-Frequency Waves and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Lanthanum Superhydrides

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Beitragende

Abstract

The discovery of near-room-temperature superconductivity in the lanthanum hydride LaH10 has revolutionized this research field. However, the need to use diamond anvils for the synthesis of hydride superconductors severely limits the experimental techniques to study these materials. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the key methods for probing spin systems of superconductors. Here we show how 1H NMR can be realized in diamond anvil cells to study lanthanum polyhydrides at pressures up to 165 GPa. In the newly discovered superhydride LaH12, we observed a pronounced suppression of the 1H NMR signal intensity below Tconset = 260 K in a magnetic field of 7 T, corresponding to the screening of the radio-frequency pulses. Below the critical temperature, all 1H NMR characteristics, including the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1T, exhibit pronounced features that may be associated with superconductivity. In zero field, the radio-frequency signal transmission shows a pronounced drop below Tconset ≈ 267‒279 K, indicating the very beginning of the transition in the most ideal microcrystals. A description of the 1/T1T data with an exponential form allows the estimation of the superconducting gap Δ(0) = 427‒671 K (corresponding to 36.8‒57.8 meV), and the ratio RΔ = 2Δ(0)/kBTc between 3.76 and 5.16 in the synthesized polyhydride.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere20701
FachzeitschriftAdvanced science
PublikationsstatusElektronische Veröffentlichung vor Drucklegung - 8 Feb. 2026
Peer-Review-StatusJa