Anomalous Superfluid Density in a Disordered Charge-Density-Wave Material: Pd-Intercalated ErTe_{3}.

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Superconductivity research
• Materials science

Background:

• Superconductivity and charge-density-wave (CDW) order can coexist in certain materials.
• Understanding the interplay between these phenomena is crucial for novel electronic applications.
• Pd-intercalated ErTe_{3} presents a unique system to study this interplay.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the local superfluid density in Pd-intercalated ErTe_{3} single crystals.
• To determine the spatial homogeneity of superconductivity below the critical temperature (T_{c}).
• To analyze the temperature dependence of superfluid density and compare it with theoretical models.

Main Methods:

• Imaging local superfluid density using sensitive techniques.
• Measurements performed on single crystals of Pd-intercalated ErTe_{3}.
• Analysis of data below the superconducting critical temperature (T_{c}) and charge-density-wave onset temperature (T_{CDW}).

Main Results:

• No detectable inhomogeneities in superfluid density were observed on micron scales.
• A rapid increase in superfluid density below T_{c} was measured.
• The observed temperature dependence deviates from conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductor behavior.

Conclusions:

• The superfluid density in Pd-intercalated ErTe_{3} is spatially homogeneous.
• The temperature dependence suggests that quantum and thermal phase fluctuations significantly impact the superconducting state.
• This finding offers insights into unconventional superconductivity mechanisms.