Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures
Abstract Over the last decade, the possibility of realizing topological superconductivity (TSC) has generated much excitement. TSC can be created in electronic systems where the topological and superconducting orders coexist, motivating the continued exploration of candidate material platforms to th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42902-2 |
| _version_ | 1797630137608437760 |
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| author | Hemian Yi Lun-Hui Hu Yi-Fan Zhao Ling-Jie Zhou Zi-Jie Yan Ruoxi Zhang Wei Yuan Zihao Wang Ke Wang Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey Anthony R. Richardella John Singleton Laurel E. Winter Xianxin Wu Moses H. W. Chan Nitin Samarth Chao-Xing Liu Cui-Zu Chang |
| author_facet | Hemian Yi Lun-Hui Hu Yi-Fan Zhao Ling-Jie Zhou Zi-Jie Yan Ruoxi Zhang Wei Yuan Zihao Wang Ke Wang Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey Anthony R. Richardella John Singleton Laurel E. Winter Xianxin Wu Moses H. W. Chan Nitin Samarth Chao-Xing Liu Cui-Zu Chang |
| author_sort | Hemian Yi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Over the last decade, the possibility of realizing topological superconductivity (TSC) has generated much excitement. TSC can be created in electronic systems where the topological and superconducting orders coexist, motivating the continued exploration of candidate material platforms to this end. Here, we use molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize heterostructures that host emergent interfacial superconductivity when a non-superconducting antiferromagnet (FeTe) is interfaced with a topological insulator (TI) (Bi, Sb)2Te3. By performing in-vacuo angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and ex-situ electrical transport measurements, we find that the superconducting transition temperature and the upper critical magnetic field are suppressed when the chemical potential approaches the Dirac point. We provide evidence to show that the observed interfacial superconductivity and its chemical potential dependence is the result of the competition between the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-type ferromagnetic coupling mediated by Dirac surface states and antiferromagnetic exchange couplings that generate the bicollinear antiferromagnetic order in the FeTe layer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:03:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e46cfcc9403f494d974702d31c5a0458 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:03:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-e46cfcc9403f494d974702d31c5a04582023-11-12T12:23:57ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-11-011411910.1038/s41467-023-42902-2Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructuresHemian Yi0Lun-Hui Hu1Yi-Fan Zhao2Ling-Jie Zhou3Zi-Jie Yan4Ruoxi Zhang5Wei Yuan6Zihao Wang7Ke Wang8Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey9Anthony R. Richardella10John Singleton11Laurel E. Winter12Xianxin Wu13Moses H. W. Chan14Nitin Samarth15Chao-Xing Liu16Cui-Zu Chang17Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityMaterials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State UniversityMaterials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityNational High Magnetic Field LaboratoryNational High Magnetic Field LaboratoryCAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, The Pennsylvania State UniversityAbstract Over the last decade, the possibility of realizing topological superconductivity (TSC) has generated much excitement. TSC can be created in electronic systems where the topological and superconducting orders coexist, motivating the continued exploration of candidate material platforms to this end. Here, we use molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize heterostructures that host emergent interfacial superconductivity when a non-superconducting antiferromagnet (FeTe) is interfaced with a topological insulator (TI) (Bi, Sb)2Te3. By performing in-vacuo angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and ex-situ electrical transport measurements, we find that the superconducting transition temperature and the upper critical magnetic field are suppressed when the chemical potential approaches the Dirac point. We provide evidence to show that the observed interfacial superconductivity and its chemical potential dependence is the result of the competition between the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-type ferromagnetic coupling mediated by Dirac surface states and antiferromagnetic exchange couplings that generate the bicollinear antiferromagnetic order in the FeTe layer.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42902-2 |
| spellingShingle | Hemian Yi Lun-Hui Hu Yi-Fan Zhao Ling-Jie Zhou Zi-Jie Yan Ruoxi Zhang Wei Yuan Zihao Wang Ke Wang Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey Anthony R. Richardella John Singleton Laurel E. Winter Xianxin Wu Moses H. W. Chan Nitin Samarth Chao-Xing Liu Cui-Zu Chang Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures Nature Communications |
| title | Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures |
| title_full | Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures |
| title_fullStr | Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures |
| title_short | Dirac-fermion-assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological-insulator/iron-chalcogenide heterostructures |
| title_sort | dirac fermion assisted interfacial superconductivity in epitaxial topological insulator iron chalcogenide heterostructures |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42902-2 |
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