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Van Hove Singularities, Superconductivity, and the Josephson Diode Effect in NiTe2 and PdTe2

Emily C. McFarlane1, Antonio Sanna1,2, Matthew J. Gilbert3,*, Jonas A. Krieger1,†, Mihir Date1,4, Gabriele Domaine1, Banabir Pal1, Anirban Chakraborty1, Pranava K. Sivakumar1 et al.

Procopios C. Constantinou5, Anna Hartl5, Enrico G. Della Valle5, Camilla Pellegrini1, Vladimir N. Strocov5, Stuart S. P. Parkin1, and Niels B. M. Schröter1,2,6,‡

  • *Contact author: matthewg@illinois.edu
  • †Present address: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
  • ‡Contact author: niels.schroeter@mpi-halle.mpg.de
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 086401 – Published 25 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/hp1t-zd7y

Abstract

Superconductivity in the transition-metal dichalcogenide PdTe2 has been attributed to the proximity of a three-dimensional Van Hove singularity to the Fermi level. In isostructural NiTe2, recently used as the weak link in a Josephson diode, a similar Van Hove singularity has been predicted to occur, but superconductivity is mysteriously absent. Using bulk-sensitive soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we reveal that this Van Hove singularity lies even closer to the Fermi level in NiTe2 than in PdTe2. To explain the lack of superconductivity in NiTe2, we perform ab initio calculations incorporating the Kukkonen Overhauser interaction, showing that an incipient magnetic instability suppresses superconductivity at an unprecedented scale. Finally, we present a tight-binding model that links the Van Hove singularity to a sign change in the Josephson diode effect at small magnetic fields, suggesting a new mechanism for Josephson diodes.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 086401– Published 25 February, 2026
  • Received 28 February 2025
  • Accepted 14 January 2026
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