Superconducting Phase Diagram of Rh17S15


Superconducting Phase Diagram of Rh17S15

Uhlarz, M.; Ignatchik, O.; Wosnitza, J.; Daou, R.; Doerr, M.; Haase, A.; Naren, H. R.; Thamizhavel, A.; Ramakrishnan, S.

Rh17S15 is a 4d-electron metal which becomes superconducting below Tc = 5.4 K at zero field. The upper critical field is 19.2 T at T = 0.07 K. Above Tc, Rh17S15 is a paramagnet. The crystallographic structure (Pm3m) of Rh17S15 features a nearest-neighbor Rh-Rh distance even less than in elementary (fcc) Rh, possibly resulting in a high density of 4d-electron states at the Fermi level. Using a polycrystalline sample, we measured the specific heat, resistivity, magnetization, and magnetostriction in fields up to 14 T as well as the magnetic susceptibility in fields up to 20 T. Our data allow us to present the complete superconducting phase diagram. The assumption of narrow 4d band states (and thus of strong electronic correlations not providing magnetic correlations) is supported by the moderately enhanced electronic contribution to the specific heat of 107 mJ/molK2 and favors the existence of a strong superconducting interaction. Together with the remarkably high upper critical field (exceeding the Pauli limit by a factor of two), our findings make Rh17S15 a likely candidate for unconventional superconductivity.

  • Poster
    DPG Frühjahrstagung der Sektion Kondensierte Materie (SKM) 2010, 21.-26.03.2010, Regensburg, Deutschland

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Publ.-Id: 14067