Evolution of the charge density wave superstructure in ZrTe3 under pressure

The material ZrTe3 is a well-known example of an incommensurate periodic lattice distortion (PLD) at low temperatures due to a charge density wave (CDW). Previous studies have found a sharp boundary as a function of pressure between CDW below 5 GPa and bulk superconductivity above this value. We present a study of low-temperature-high-pressure single crystal x-ray diffraction along with ab initio density functional theory calculations. The modulation vector q(CDW) is found to change smoothly with pressure until the PLD is lost. Fermi surface calculations reproduce these changes, but neither these nor the experimental crystal lattice structure show a particular step change at 5 GPa, thus leading to the conclusion that the CDW is lost accidentally by tipping the balance of CDW formation in the Fermi surface nesting that stabilizes it.

Pressure Induced Superconductivity in Pristine 1T-TiSe2

Helmuth Berger, László Forró, Balazs Sipos, Eduard Tutis

The interplay between superconductivity and the charge-density wave (CDW) state in pure 1T-TiSe2 is examined through a high-pressure study extending up to pressures of 10 GPa between sub-Kelvin and room temperatures. At a critical pressure of 2 GPa a superconducting phase sets in and persists up to pressures of 4 GPa. The maximum superconducting transition temperature is 1.8 K. These findings complement the recent discovery of superconductivity in copper-intercalated 1T-TiSe2. The comparisons of the normal state and superconducting properties of the two systems reveal the possibility that the emergent electronic state qualitatively depends on the manner in which the CDW state is destabilized, making this a unique example where two different superconducting domes are obtained by two different methods from the same parent compound.

2009

From Mott state to superconductivity in 1T-TaS2

Ana Akrap, Helmuth Berger, László Forró, Balazs Sipos, Eduard Tutis

The search for the coexistence between superconductivity and other collective electronic states in many instances promoted the discovery of novel states of matter. The manner in which the different types of electronic order combine remains an ongoing puzzle. 1T-TaS2 is a layered material, and the only transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) known to develop the Mott phase. Here, we show the appearance of a series of low-temperature electronic states in 1T-TaS2 with pressure: the Mott phase melts into a textured charge-density wave (CDW); superconductivity develops within the CDW state, and survives to very high pressures, insensitive to subsequent disappearance of the CDW state and, surprisingly, also the strong changes in the normal state. This is also the first reported case of superconductivity in a pristine 1T-TMD compound. We demonstrate that superconductivity first develops within the state marked by a commensurability-driven, Coulombically frustrated, electronic phase separation.

2008

Snapshots of cooperative atomic motions in the optical suppression of charge density waves

Helmuth Berger

Macroscopic quantum phenomena such as high-temperature superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, ferrimagnetism and ferromagnetism arise from a delicate balance of different interactions among electrons, phonons and spins on the nanoscale(1). The study of the interplay among these various degrees of freedom in strongly coupled electron-lattice systems is thus crucial to their understanding and for optimizing their properties. Charge-density-wave (CDW) materials(2), with their inherent modulation of the electron density and associated periodic lattice distortion, represent ideal model systems for the study of such highly cooperative phenomena. With femtosecond time-resolved techniques, it is possible to observe these interactions directly by abruptly perturbing the electronic distribution while keeping track of energy relaxation pathways and coupling strengths among the different subsystems(3-7). Numerous time-resolved experiments have been performed on CDWs(8-13), probing the dynamics of the electronic subsystem. However, the dynamics of the periodic lattice distortion have been only indirectly inferred(14). Here we provide direct atomic-level information on the structural dynamics by using femtosecond electron diffraction(15) to study the quasi two-dimensional CDW system 1T-TaS2. Effectively, we have directly observed the atomic motions that result from the optically induced change in the electronic spatial distribution. The periodic lattice distortion, which has an amplitude of similar to 0.1 angstrom, is suppressed by about 20% on a timescale (similar to 250 femtoseconds) comparable to half the period of the corresponding collective mode. These highly cooperative, electronically driven atomic motions are accompanied by a rapid electron-phonon energy transfer (similar to 350 femtoseconds) and are followed by fast recovery of the CDW (similar to 4 picoseconds). The degree of cooperativity in the observed structural dynamics is remarkable and illustrates the importance of obtaining atomic-level perspectives of the processes directing the physics of strongly correlated systems.

2010

Snapshots of cooperative atomic motions in the optical suppression of charge density waves

Helmuth Berger

2010