Cooper-pair distribution function $$D_{cp}(\omega ,T_c)$$ for superconducting $$\hbox {D}_3\hbox {S}$$ and $$\hbox {H}_3\hbox {S}$$

Cooper-pair distribution function, $$D_{cp}(\omega ,T_c)$$ D cp ( ω , T c ) , is a recent theoretical proposal that reveals information about the superconductor state through the determination of the spectral regions where Cooper pairs are formed. This is built from the well-established Eliashberg spectral function and phonon density of states, calculated by first-principles. From this function is possible to obtain the $$N_{cp}$$ N cp parameter, which is proportional to the total number of Cooper pairs formed at a critical temperature $$T_c$$ T c . Herein, we reported $$D_{cp}(\omega ,T_c)$$ D cp ( ω , T c ) function of the compressed $$D_3S$$ D 3 S and $$H_3S$$ H 3 S high-$$T_c$$ T c conventional superconductors, including the effect of stable sulfur isotopes in $$H_3S$$ H 3 S . $$D_{cp}(\omega ,T_c)$$ D cp ( ω , T c ) suggests that the vibration energy range of 10–70 meV is where the Cooper pairs are possible for these superconductors, pointing out the possible importance of the low-energy region on the electron–phonon superconductivity. This has been confirmed by the fact that a simple variation in the low-frequency region induced for the substitution of S atoms in $$H_3S$$ H 3 S by its stable isotopes can lead to important changes in $$T_c$$ T c . The results also show proportionality between $$N_{cp}$$ N cp parameter and experimental or theoretical $$T_c$$ T c values.

Quantifying the Seawater Sulfate Concentration in the Cambrian Ocean

Although the earliest animals might have evolved in certain “sweet spots” in the last 10 million years of Ediacaran (550–541 Ma), the Cambrian explosion requires sufficiently high levels of oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere and diverse habitable niches in the substantively oxygenated seafloor. However, previous studies indicate that the marine redox landscape was temporally oscillatory and spatially heterogeneous, suggesting the decoupling of atmospheric oxygenation and oceanic oxidation. The seawater sulfate concentration is controlled by both the atmospheric O2 level and the marine redox condition, with sulfide oxidation in continents as the major source, and sulfate reduction and pyrite burial as the major sink of seawater sulfate. It is thus important to quantify the sulfate concentration on the eve of the Cambrian explosion. In this study, we measured the pyrite contents and pyrite sulfur isotopes of black shale samples from the Yurtus Formation (Cambrian Series 2) in the Tarim Block, northwestern China. A numerical model is developed to calculate the seawater sulfate concentration using the pyrite content and pyrite sulfur isotope data. We first calibrate some key parameters based on observations from modern marine sediments. Then, the Monte Carlo simulation is applied to reduce the uncertainty raised by loosely confined parameters. Based on the geochemical data from both Tarim and Yangtze blocks, the modeling results indicate the seawater sulfate concentration of 8.9–14 mM, suggesting the seawater sulfate concentration was already 30–50% of the present level (28 mM). High seawater sulfate concentration might be attributed to the enhanced terrestrial sulfate input and widespread ocean oxygenation on the eve of the Cambrian explosion.

A prolonged, two-step oxygenation of Earth’s early atmosphere: Support from confidence intervals

The Great Oxidation Event (GOE), among Earth’s most transformative events, marked the sustained presence of oxygen above 10–5 times the present atmospheric level. Estimates of the onset of the GOE span 2501–2225 Ma and are based primarily on the loss of mass-independent fractionation of sulfur isotopes (MIF-S) in pyrite. To better constrain the timing of the GOE, we apply probabilistic techniques to estimate the confidence intervals of four proxies: MIF-S, redox-sensitive detrital minerals, "red beds," and I/(Ca + Mg). These GOE proxies are drawn from a highly fragmentary geologic record, and consequently, estimates of the 95% confidence intervals span tens to hundreds of millions of years—orders of magnitude larger than suggested by radiometric constraints on individual successions. Confidence interval results suggest that red beds and nonzero I/(Ca + Mg) values may have appeared earlier than 2480 Ma and 2460 Ma, respectively, whereas redox-sensitive detrital minerals and MIF-S may have disappeared after 2210 Ma and 2190 Ma, respectively. These data suggest a delay of potentially >300 m.y. between initial and permanent oxygenation of the atmosphere and a delay of tens of millions of years between onset of the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon isotope excursion and permanent oxygenation of the atmosphere.

New insights into the ∼ 74 ka Toba eruption from sulfur isotopes of polar ice cores

The ∼74 ka Toba eruption was one of the largest volcanic events of the Quaternary. There is much interest in determining the impact of such a large event, particularly on the climate and hominid populations at the time. Although the Toba eruption has been identified in both land and marine archives as the Youngest Toba Tuff, its precise place in the ice core record is ambiguous. Several volcanic sulfate signals have been identified in both Antarctic and Greenland ice cores and span the Toba eruption 40Ar/39Ar age uncertainty. Here, we measure sulfur isotope compositions in Antarctic ice samples from the Dome C (EDC) and Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice cores at high temporal resolution across 11 of these potential Toba sulfate peaks to identify candidates with sulfur mass-independent fractionation (S-MIF), indicative of an eruption whose plume reached altitudes at or above the stratospheric ozone layer. Using this method, we identify several candidate sulfate peaks that contain stratospheric sulfur. We further narrow down potential candidates based on the isotope signatures by identifying sulfate peaks that are due to a volcanic event at tropical latitudes. In one of these sulfate peaks at 73.67 ka, we find the largest ever reported magnitude of S-MIF in volcanic sulfate in polar ice, with a Δ33S value of −4.75 ‰. As there is a positive correlation between the magnitude of the S-MIF signal recorded in ice cores and eruptive plume height, this could be a likely candidate for the Toba super-eruption, with a plume top height in excess of 45 km. These results support the 73.7±0.3 ka (1σ) 40Ar/39Ar age estimate for the eruption, with ice core ages of our candidates with the largest magnitude S-MIF at 73.67 and 73.74 ka. Finally, since these candidate eruptions occurred on the transition into Greenland Stadial 20, the relative timing suggests that Toba was not the trigger for the large Northern Hemisphere cooling at this time although we cannot rule out an amplifying effect.