Tunable phase transition and superconductivity in the Weyl semimetal Mo<sub>1-x</sub>W<sub>x</sub>Te<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Weyl semimetals research has been slower than desired for many years due to the lack of experimentally feasible candidate materials. While transition-metal chalcogenides have been theoretically predicted, new Weyl semimetals are being experimentally discovered. One example is WTe2, which has recently attracted significant interest due to its very large, non-saturating magnetoresistance up to 60 T and pressure-induced superconductivity. From this discovery, a tunable Weyl state in MoxW1-xTe2 was then proposed. Our group systematically investigated MoxW1-xTe2 single crystals in terms of their doping-dependent magnetotransport properties, phase transitions, and high-pressure effects. A phase diagram under pressure up to 43 GPa was constructed. With an increase in pressure, the magnetoresistance of Mo0.5W0.5Te2 is suppressed, its Hall coefficient changes sign, and superconductivity emerges, suggesting a significant reconstruction of the Fermi surface. The Tc-P phase diagram shows dome-shaped superconducting behavior in Mo0.5W0.5Te2. Theoretical analysis will also be discussed.

*Supported in part by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grants FA9550-15-1-0236 and FA9550-20-1-0068, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, the John J. and Rebecca Moores Endowment, the State of Texas through the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TcSUH), and the Welch Foundation grant# E-1981.

Publication: 1. R. Dahal, L. Z. Deng et al, Phys. Rev. B 101, 140505 (R) (2020).
2. L. Z. Deng, R. Dahal et al, in preparation (2022).

Presenters

  • Liangzi Deng

    • University of Houston
    • Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston

Authors

  • Liangzi Deng

    • University of Houston
    • Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston
  • Rabin Dahal

    • University of Houston
  • Zheng Wu

    • University of Houston
  • Melissa J Gooch

    • University of Houston
  • Roy Arrieta

    • University of Houston
  • Jakoah Brgoch

    • University of Houston
  • Ching-Wu Chu

    • University of Houston