Open AccessDiscovery of superconductivity in AlB2-type hexagonal YGa2
Author(s) -
V.H. Tran,
M. Sahakyan,
Z. Bukowski
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. condensed matter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 228
eISSN - 1361-648X
pISSN - 0953-8984
DOI - 10.1088/1361-648x/ac02e3
Subject(s) - superconductivity , condensed matter physics , crystal twinning , electrical resistivity and conductivity , critical field , fermi surface , hexagonal crystal system , fermi level , materials science , crystal structure , type ii superconductor , physics , chemistry , crystallography , microstructure , quantum mechanics , metallurgy , electron
A crystalline sample YGa 2 with the AlB 2 -type hexagonal structure has been synthesized using the self-flux method. We measured electrical resistivity and specific heat down to 0.4 K and in fields up to 200 mT. The obtained data reveal type-II superconductivity. Unusual behaviour of the temperature dependence of upper critical field H c 2 ( T c ) was attributed to the crystal twinning of two phases possessing close lattice parameters. We determined thermodynamic parameters in the superconducting and normal states of YGa 2 . DFT calculations indicated a large change in the Fermi velocity of carriers nearby cylinder-like structured Fermi surface along the Γ − A line.