Surface superconductivity in the topological Weyl semimetal t-PtBi2

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sebastian Schimmel - , University of Wuppertal, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Yanina Fasano - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Author)
  • Sven Hoffmann - , University of Wuppertal, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Julia Besproswanny - , University of Wuppertal, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Laura Teresa Corredor Bohorquez - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Joaquín Puig - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Author)
  • Bat Chen Elshalem - , Bar-Ilan University (Author)
  • Beena Kalisky - , Bar-Ilan University (Author)
  • Grigory Shipunov - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, University of Amsterdam (Author)
  • Danny Baumann - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Saicharan Aswartham - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Bernd Büchner - , Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, Chair of Experimental Solid State Physics, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Christian Hess - , University of Wuppertal, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)

Abstract

Topological superconductivity is a promising concept for generating fault-tolerant qubits. Early experimental studies looked at hybrid systems and doped intrinsic topological or superconducting materials at very low temperatures. However, higher critical temperatures are indispensable for technological exploitation. Recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy results have revealed that superconductivity in the type-I Weyl semimetal—trigonal PtBi2 (t-PtBi2)—is located at the Fermi-arc surface states, which renders the material a potential candidate for intrinsic topological superconductivity. Here we show, using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, that t-PtBi2 presents surface superconductivity at elevated temperatures (5 K). The gap magnitude is elusive: it is spatially inhomogeneous and spans from 0 to 20 meV. In particular, the large gap value and the shape of the quasiparticle excitation spectrum resemble the phenomenology of high-Tc superconductors. To our knowledge, this is the largest superconducting gap so far measured in a topological material. Moreover, we show that the superconducting state at 5 K persists in magnetic fields up to 12 T.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number9895
JournalNature communications
Volume15
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024
Peer-reviewedYes