Extremely high upper critical field in BiCh2-based (Ch: S and Se) layered superconductor LaO0.5F0.5BiS2−xSex (x = 0.22 and 0.69)

Centrosymmetric compounds with local inversion symmetry breaking have tremendously interesting and intriguing physical properties. In this study, we focus on a BiCh2-based (Ch: S, Se) layered superconductor, as a system with local inversion asymmetry, because spin polarisation based on the Rashba–Dresselhaus-type spin–orbit coupling has been observed in centrosymmetric BiCh2-based LaOBiS2 systems, while the BiCh2 layer lacks local inversion symmetry. Herein, we report the existence of extremely high in-plane upper critical fields in the BiCh2-based system LaO0.5F0.5BiS2−xSex (x = 0.22 and 0.69). The superconducting states are not completely suppressed by the applied magnetic fields with strengths up to 55 T. Thus, we consider that the in-plane upper critical field is enhanced by the local inversion symmetry breaking and its layered structure. Our study will open a new pathway for the discovery of superconductors that exhibit a high upper critical field by focusing on the local inversion symmetry breaking.

Predicting doped Fe-based superconductor critical temperature from structural and topological parameters using machine learning

Recently, Fe-based superconductors have shown promising properties of high critical temperature and high upper critical fields, which are prerequisites for applications in high-field magnets. Critical temperature, T c, is an important characteristic correlated with crystallographic and electronic structures. By doping with foreign ions in the crystal structure, T c can be modified, which however requires significant manpower and resources for materials synthesis and characterizations. In this study, we develop the Gaussian process regression model to predict T c of doped Fe-based superconductors based on structural and topological parameters, including the lattice constants, volume, and bonding parameter topological index H 31. The model is stable and accurate, contributing to fast T c estimations.

Extent of Fermi-surface reconstruction in the high-temperature superconductor HgBa2CuO4+δ

High magnetic fields have revealed a surprisingly small Fermi surface in underdoped cuprates, possibly resulting from Fermi-surface reconstruction due to an order parameter that breaks translational symmetry of the crystal lattice. A crucial issue concerns the doping extent of such a state and its relationship to the principal pseudogap and superconducting phases. We employ pulsed magnetic-field measurements on the cuprate HgBa2CuO4+δ to identify signatures of Fermi-surface reconstruction from a sign change of the Hall effect and a peak in the temperature-dependent planar resistivity. We trace the termination of Fermi-surface reconstruction to two hole concentrations where the superconducting upper critical fields are found to be enhanced. One of these points is associated with the pseudogap endpoint near optimal doping. These results connect the Fermi-surface reconstruction to both superconductivity and the pseudogap phenomena.

Self-Consistent Two-Gap Description of MgB2 Superconductor

A self-consistent two-gap γ -model is used to quantitatively describe several thermodynamic properties of MgB 2 superconductor. The superconducting coupling matrix, ν i j , was obtained from the fitting of the superfluid density in the entire superconducting temperature range. Using this input, temperature-dependent superconducting gaps, specific heat, and upper critical fields were calculated with no adjustable parameters and compared with the experimental data as well as with the first-principles calculations. The observed agreement between fit and data shows that γ -model provides adequate quantitative description of the two-gap superconductivity in MgB 2 and may serve as a relatively simple and versatile self-consistent description of the thermodynamic quantities in multi-gap superconductors.