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Leveraging the reciprocal-space proximity effect between superconducting bulk and topological surface states (TSSs) offers a promising way to topological superconductivity. However, elucidating the mutual influence of bulk and TSSs on topological superconductivity remains a challenge. Here, we report pioneering transport evidence of a thickness-dependent transition from conventional to unconventional superconductivity in 2M-phase WS2 (2M-WS2). As the sample thickness reduces, we see clear changes in key superconducting metrics, including critical temperature, critical current, and carrier density. Notably, while thick 2M-WS2 samples show conventional superconductivity, with an in-plane (IP) upper critical field constrained by the Pauli limit, samples under 20 nm exhibit a pronounced IP critical field enhancement, inversely correlated with 2D carrier density. This marks a distinct crossover to unconventional superconductivity with strong spin-orbit-parity coupling. Our findings underscore the crucial role of sample thickness in accessing topological states in 2D topological superconductors, offering pivotal insights into future studies of topological superconductivity.
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Unusual superconductivity in the topological nodal-line semimetal candidate Sn x NbSe 2-δ
Abstract We report the superconductivity of the topological nodal-line semimetal candidate Sn x NbSe 2- δ with a noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. The superconducting transition temperature T c of Sn x NbSe 2- δ drastically varies with the Sn concentration x and the Se deficiency δ , and reaches 12 K, relatively higher than those of known topological superconductors. The upper critical field of this compound shows unusual temperature dependence, inconsistent with the WHH theory for conventional type-II superconductors. In a low-T c sample, the zero-temperature limit of the upper critical field parallel to the ab plane exceeds the Pauli paramagnetic limit estimated from the simple BCS weak coupling model by a factor of ∼ 2, suggestive of unusual superconductivity stabilized in Sn x NbSe 2- δ . Together with the robust superconductivity against disorder, these observations indicate that Sn x NbSe 2- δ is a promising candidate to explore topological superconductivity.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1944975
- PAR ID:
- 10326010
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physics: Conference Series
- Volume:
- 2164
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1742-6588
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 012008
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2164/1/012008
