Signatures of two-dimensional superconductivity emerging within a three-dimensional host superconductor

发布时间: 2021-04-20 00:00:00
期刊: PNAS
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2017810118
作者: Carolina Parra,Francis C. Niestemski,Alex W. Contryman,Paula Giraldo-Gallo,Theodore H. Geballe,Ian R. Fisher,Hari C. Manoharan
摘要: We report signatures of a new phenomenon wherein a hidden “interdimensional” order emerges from a bulk three-dimensional superconductor tuned to approach a phase transition to an insulator. Prior electrical transport measurements found that the superconductor–insulator transition of BaPb1− x Bi x O3 demonstrated critical scaling behavior but inexplicably required parameters consistent only with two dimensions. Here, we directly image the three-dimensional superconducting state as it approaches an insulating phase and discover that signatures of a two-dimensional granular superconducting phase spontaneously emerge at the transition. Moreover, the properties of this phase precisely match the theory of emergent electronic granularity specific to two-dimensional materials. These findings posit that a three-dimensional superconductor electronically reorganizes itself into a two-dimensional granular superconductor before ultimately transforming to an insulator. All study data are included in the article and/or [ SI Appendix ][1]. [1]: https://www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.2017810118/-/DCSupplemental
关键字标签: 
superconductivity ; superconductor–insulator transition ; phase transitions ; reduced dimensions ; scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy