- Editors' Suggestion
- Letter
Multigap nodeless superconductivity in the Dirac intermetallic alloy with one-dimensional vanadium chains
Phys. Rev. B 109, L100506 – Published 21 March, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.L100506
Abstract
Superconductors possessing diverse symmetry-enforced topological states have been a subject of intense interest as they are arguably one of the most feasible candidates to realize so-called topological superconductivity, a source of Majorana fermions that hold great promise for topological quantum computing. Here we study the low-lying quasiparticle excitations in the superconducting intermetallic alloy by low-temperature heat capacity and ultra-low-temperature thermal conductivity measurements. It is found that its electronic specific heat can be fitted by either a -wave gap or two -wave gaps. However, the low- thermal conductivity clearly points to the multiple nodeless energy gaps in its low-lying excitation spectrum. On the other hand, first-principles calculations reveal a multitude of topological fermions near the Fermi level, involving discrete Dirac nodes as well as Dirac nodal lines. These topological carriers, when condensed into Cooper pairs, provide a natural platform for achieving topologically nontrivial phases and possible Majorana fermions.