Interplay between Charge-Density-Wave, Superconductivity, and Ferromagnetism in CuIr2-xCrxTe4 Chalcogenides

Superconductivity in the High-Entropy Ceramics Ti0.2 Zr0.2 Nb0.2 Mo0.2 Ta0.2 Cx with Possible Nontrivial Band Topology

Topological superconductors have drawn significant interest from the scientific community due to the accompanying Majorana fermions. Here, the discovery of electronic structure and superconductivity (SC) in high-entropy ceramics Ti0.2 Zr0.2 Nb0.2 Mo0.2 Ta0.2 Cx (x = 1 and 0.8) combined with experiments and first-principles calculations is reported. The Ti0.2 Zr0.2 Nb0.2 Mo0.2 Ta0.2 Cx high-entropy ceramics show bulk type-II SC with Tc ≈ 4.00 K (x = 1) and 2.65 K (x = 0.8), respectively. The specific heat jump (∆C/γTc ) is equal to 1.45 (x = 1) and 1.52 (x = 0.8), close to the expected value of 1.43 for the BCS superconductor in the weak coupling limit. The high-pressure resistance measurements show a robust SC against high physical pressure in Ti0.2 Zr0.2 Nb0.2 Mo0.2 Ta0.2 C, with a slight Tc variation of 0.3 K within 82.5 GPa. Furthermore, the first-principles calculations indicate that the Dirac-like point exists in the electronic band structures of Ti0.2 Zr0.2 Nb0.2 Mo0.2 Ta0.2 C, which is potentially a topological superconductor. The Dirac-like point is mainly contributed by the d orbitals of transition metals M and the p orbitals of C. The high-entropy ceramics provide an excellent platform for the fabrication of novel quantum devices, and the study may spark significant future physics investigations in this intriguing material.

The Type-II/Type-I Crossover in Dirty Ferromagnetic Superconductors

In this work, we investigate the intertype (IT) domain in strongly disordered ferromagnetic superconductors with a Curie temperature lower than the superconducting critical temperature. In such unique materials, the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism allows for the exploration of both unconventional superconductivity and the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity. The study utilizes an extended Ginzburg-Landau model for the dirty limit to calculate the boundaries of the IT domain, which is characterized by a complex vortex-vortex interaction and exotic vortex configurations. The analysis reveals that the IT domain in dirty ferromagnetic superconductors is not qualitatively different from that in the clean case and remains similarly large, suggesting that disorder does not hinder the exploration of the rich variety of IT superconductivity in ferromagnetic superconductors. This work expands our understanding of the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in complex materials and could guide future experimental studies.

Five coordinated Mn in Ba4Mn2Si2Te9: synthesis, crystal structure, physical properties, and electronic structure

A new structure type Ba4Mn2Si2Te9 containing unique MnTe5 units is synthesized. The structure comprises two independent Mn atoms, each with 50% occupancy. It is a narrow bandgap semiconductor (Eg = 0.6(1) eV) consistent with the DFT studies.