Publication Date:
2015-06-07
Description:
We report superconductivity and magnetism in a new family of topological semimetals, the ternary half-Heusler compound R PdBi ( R : rare earth). In this series, tuning of the rare earth f -electron component allows for simultaneous control of both lattice density via lanthanide contraction and the strength of magnetic interaction via de Gennes scaling, allowing for a unique tuning of the normal-state band inversion strength, superconducting pairing, and magnetically ordered ground states. Antiferromagnetism with ordering vector (1/2,1/2,1/2) occurs below a Néel temperature that scales with de Gennes factor dG, whereas a superconducting transition is simultaneously supressed with increasing dG . With superconductivity appearing in a system with noncentrosymmetric crystallographic symmetry, the possibility of spin-triplet Cooper pairing with nontrivial topology analogous to that predicted for the normal-state electronic structure provides a unique and rich opportunity to realize both predicted and new exotic excitations in topological materials.
Electronic ISSN:
2375-2548
Topics:
Natural Sciences in General
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