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In light of breakthroughs in superconductivity under high pressure, and considering that record critical temperatures (Tcs) across various systems have been achieved under high pressure, the primary challenge for higher Tcshould no longer solely be to increase Tcunder extreme conditions but also to reduce, or ideally eliminate, the need for applied pressure in retaining pressure-induced or -enhanced superconductivity. The topological semiconductor Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3(BST) was chosen to demonstrate our approach to addressing this challenge and exploring its intriguing physics. Under pressures up to ~50 GPa, three superconducting phases (BST-I, -II, and -III) were observed. A superconducting phase in BST-I appears at ~4 GPa, without a structural transition, suggesting the possible topological nature of this phase. Using the pressure-quench protocol (PQP) recently developed by us, we successfully retained this pressure-induced phase at ambient pressure and revealed the bulk nature of the state. Significantly, this demonstrates recovery of a pressure-quenched sample from a diamond anvil cell at room temperature with the pressure-induced phase retained at ambient pressure. Other superconducting phases were retained in BST-II and -III at ambient pressure and subjected to thermal and temporal stability testing. Superconductivity was also found in BST with Tcup to 10.2 K, the record for this compound series. While PQP maintains superconducting phases in BST at ambient pressure, both depressurization and PQP enhance its Tc, possibly due to microstructures formed during these processes, offering an added avenue to raise Tc. These findings are supported by our density-functional theory calculations.more » « less
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- (Ed.)The cubic Laves phase compound CeRu2 with a Kagome substructure of Ru has been investigated to understand myriad fascinating phenomena resulting from competition among its various physical and geometric features. Such phenomena include flat bands, van Hove singularities, Dirac cones, reentrant superconductivity, magnetism, the Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov state, valence fluctuations, time-irreversible anisotropic s-state superconductivity, etc. Extensive studies have thus been carried out since 1958 when the highly unusual coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism was proposed for the mixed compounds (Ce,Gd)Ru2. Activity has accelerated in recent years due to increasing interest in topological states in superconductors. However, there has been little investigation of the mutual influence of these fascinating states. Therefore, we systematically investigated the superconductivity and possible Fermi surface topological change in CeRu2 via magnetic, resistivity, and structural measurements under pressure up to ~168 GPa. An unusual phase diagram that suggests an intriguing interplay between the compound’s superconducting order and Fermi surface topological order has been constructed. A resurgence in its superconducting transition temperature was observed above 28 GPa. Our experiments have identified a structural transition above 76 GPa and a few tantalizing phase transitions driven by high pressure. Our high-pressure results further suggest that superconductivity and Fermi surface topology in CeRu2 are strongly intertwined,more » « less
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null (Ed.)Abstract The Colorado Plateau has undergone as much as 1·8 km of uplift over the past 80 Myr, but never underwent the pervasive deformation common in the neighboring tectonic provinces of the western USA. To understand the source, timing and distribution of mantle hydration, and its role in plateau uplift, garnets from four eclogite xenoliths of the Moses Rock diatreme (Navajo Volcanic Field, Utah, USA) were analyzed in situ for δ18O by secondary ion mass spectrometry. These garnets have the largest reported intra-crystalline oxygen isotope zoning to date in mantle-derived xenoliths with core-to-rim variations of as much as 3 ‰. All samples have core δ18O values greater than that of the pristine mantle (∼5·3 ‰, mantle garnet as derived from mantle zircon in earlier work) consistent with an altered upper oceanic crust protolith. Oxygen isotope ratios decrease from core to rim, recording interaction with a low-δ18O fluid at high temperature, probably derived from serpentinite in the foundering Farallon slab. All zoned samples converge at a δ18O value of ∼6 ‰, regardless of core composition, suggesting that fluid infiltration was widely distributed. Constraints on the timing of this fluid influx, relative to diatreme emplacement, can be gained from diffusion modeling of major element zoning in garnet. Modeling using best estimates of peak metamorphic conditions (620 °C, 3·7 GPa) yields durations of <200 kyr, suggesting that fluid influx and diatreme emplacement were temporally linked. These eclogite xenoliths from the Colorado Plateau record extensive fluid influx, pointing to complex hydration–dehydration processes related to flat-slab subduction and foundering of the Farallon plate. Extensive hydration of the lithospheric mantle during this fluid influx may have contributed to buoyancy-driven uplift of the Colorado Plateau and melt-free emplacement of Navajo Volcanic Field diatremes.more » « less
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