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Multiband superconductivity in the Chevrel phases SnMo6S8 and PbMo6S8.
A P Petrović1, R Lortz, G Santi
1DPMC-MaNEP, Université de Genève, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2011
Summary
Superconducting Chevrel phases, SnMo6S8 and PbMo6S8, exhibit two distinct energy gaps, confirmed by spectroscopy and heat capacity measurements. These findings support an anisotropic, two-band superconductivity model in these materials.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Superconductivity
Background:
- Chevrel phases are known for their unique superconducting properties.
- Understanding the nature of superconductivity in these materials is crucial for developing new superconducting technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the superconducting gap structure in SnMo6S8 and PbMo6S8 using sub-Kelvin scanning tunneling spectroscopy.
- To determine the anisotropy and number of superconducting gaps present in these materials.
Main Methods:
- Sub-Kelvin scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) was performed on SnMo6S8 and PbMo6S8.
- Electronic heat capacity measurements were conducted to corroborate STS findings.
Main Results:
- Two distinct superconducting gaps were observed in both SnMo6S8 (Δ1=3 meV, Δ2∼1.0 meV) and PbMo6S8 (Δ1=3.1 meV, Δ2∼1.4 meV).
- The superconducting gap distribution was found to be highly anisotropic, with Δ2 particularly evident on specific crystallographic planes.
- Spectroscopic data were accurately modeled using an anisotropic two-band Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) s-wave gap function.
Conclusions:
- The results strongly support a two-gap superconductivity scenario in Chevrel phases.
- The observed anisotropy provides insights into the momentum-dependent nature of superconductivity in these materials.
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