Topological Dirac line nodes and superconductivity coexist in SnSe at high pressure

TL;DR

This study discovers pressure-induced topological Dirac line nodes and superconductivity in SnSe, revealing a new phase with potential implications for quantum computing and topological physics.

Contribution

It reports the first observation of a pressure-induced topological and superconducting phase in SnSe, combining experimental and theoretical insights.

Findings

Superconductivity appears above 27 GPa with a maximum Tc of 3.2 K.

SnSe adopts a CsCl-type structure under high pressure.

The CsCl-type SnSe hosts Dirac line nodes protected by symmetries.

Abstract

Due to fundamental interest and potential applications in quantum computation, tremendous efforts have been invested to study topological superconductivity. However, bulk topological superconductivity seems to be difficult to realize and its mechanism is still elusive. Several possible routes to induce topological superconductivity have been proposed, including proximity efforts, doping or pressurizing a topological insulator or semimetal. Among them, the pressurizing is considered to be a clean way to tune the electronic structures. Here we report the discovery of a pressure-induced topological and superconducting phase of SnSe, a material which is highly focused recently due to its superior thermoelectric properties. In situ high-pressure electrical transport and synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements show that the superconductivity emerges along with the formation of a CsCl-type structural symmetry of SnSe above around 27 GPa, with a maximum critical temperature of 3.2 K at 39 GPa. Based on ab initio calculations, this CsCl-type SnSe is predicted to be a Dirac line nodes (DLN) semimetal in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, whose DLN states are protected by the coexistence of time-reversal and inversion symmetries. These results make CsCl-type SnSe an interesting model platform with simple crystal symmetry to study the interplay of topological physics and superconductivity.