56,354 research outputs found

    Superconductivity in Ca-doped graphene

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    Graphene, a zero-gap semimetal, can be transformed into a metallic, semiconducting or insulating state by either physical or chemical modification. Superconductivity is conspicuously missing among these states despite considerable experimental efforts as well as many theoretical proposals. Here, we report superconductivity in calcium-decorated graphene achieved by intercalation of graphene laminates that consist of well separated and electronically decoupled graphene crystals. In contrast to intercalated graphite, we find that Ca is the only dopant that induces superconductivity in graphene laminates above 1.8 K among intercalants used in our experiments such as potassium, caesium and lithium. Ca-decorated graphene becomes superconducting at ~ 6 K and the transition temperature is found to be strongly dependent on the confinement of the Ca layer and the induced charge carrier concentration. In addition to the first evidence for superconducting graphene, our work shows a possibility of inducing and studying superconductivity in other 2D materials using their laminates

    Strong electronic correlations in superconducting organic charge transfer salts

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    We review the role of strong electronic correlations in quasi--two-dimensional organic charge transfer salts such as (BEDT-TTF)2X_2X, (BETS)2Y_2Y and β′\beta'-[Pd(dmit)2_2]2Z_2Z. We begin by defining minimal models for these materials. It is necessary to identify two classes of material: the first class is strongly dimerised and is described by a half-filled Hubbard model; the second class is not strongly dimerised and is described by a quarter filled extended Hubbard model. We argue that these models capture the essential physics of these materials. We explore the phase diagram of the half-filled quasi--two-dimensional organic charge transfer salts, focusing on the metallic and superconducting phases. We review work showing that the metallic phase, which has both Fermi liquid and `bad metal' regimes, is described both quantitatively and qualitatively by dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The phenomenology of the superconducting state is still a matter of contention. We critically review the experimental situation, focusing on the key experimental results that may distinguish between rival theories of superconductivity, particularly probes of the pairing symmetry and measurements of the superfluid stiffness. We then discuss some strongly correlated theories of superconductivity, in particular, the resonating valence bond (RVB) theory of superconductivity. We conclude by discussing some of the major challenges currently facing the field.Comment: A review: 52 pages; 10 fig

    Fully gapped topological surface states in Bi2_2Se3_3 films induced by a d-wave high-temperature superconductor

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    Topological insulators are a new class of materials, that exhibit robust gapless surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. The interplay between such symmetry-protected topological surface states and symmetry-broken states (e.g. superconductivity) provides a platform for exploring novel quantum phenomena and new functionalities, such as 1D chiral or helical gapless Majorana fermions, and Majorana zero modes which may find application in fault-tolerant quantum computation. Inducing superconductivity on topological surface states is a prerequisite for their experimental realization. Here by growing high quality topological insulator Bi2_2Se3_3 films on a d-wave superconductor Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta} using molecular beam epitaxy, we are able to induce high temperature superconductivity on the surface states of Bi2_2Se3_3 films with a large pairing gap up to 15 meV. Interestingly, distinct from the d-wave pairing of Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta}, the proximity-induced gap on the surface states is nearly isotropic and consistent with predominant s-wave pairing as revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our work could provide a critical step toward the realization of the long sought-after Majorana zero modes.Comment: Nature Physics, DOI:10.1038/nphys274

    A Common Thread

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    The structures, the phase diagrams, and the appearance of a neutron resonance in the superconducting state provide phenomenological evidence which relate the heavy fermion, cuprate and Fe superconductors. Single- and multi-band Hubbard models have been found to describe a number of the observed properties of these materials so that it is reasonable to examine the origin of the pairing interaction in these models. Here based on the experimental phenomenology and studies of the momentum and frequency dependence of the pairing interaction for Hubbard-like models, we suggest that spin-fluctuation mediated pairing is the common thread linking this broad class of superconducting materials.Comment: This work arose from an invitation to present an overview regarding "the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity including the cuprates and Fe- pnictides" at the 9th International Conference on Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity held in Tokyo (September 7-12, 2009
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