Superconductivity of barium-VI synthesized via compression at low temperatures

TL;DR

This study investigates the superconducting properties of barium in the Ba-VI phase, synthesized under high pressure at low temperature, revealing a maximum Tc of about 8 K, higher than when pressure is applied at room temperature.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed characterization of the superconducting phase diagram of Ba-VI synthesized via low-temperature pressure application.

Findings

Ba-VI exhibits a maximum Tc near 8 K.

Superconductivity in Ba-VI is enhanced when synthesized at low temperature.

Pressure at low temperature significantly affects the superconducting properties.

Abstract

Using a membrane-driven diamond anvil cell and both ac magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements, we have characterized the superconducting phase diagram of elemental barium to pressures as high as 65 GPa. We have determined the superconducting properties of the recently discovered Ba-VI crystal structure, which can only be accessed via the application of pressure at low temperature. We find that Ba-VI exhibits a maximum Tc near 8 K, which is substantially higher than the maximum Tc found when pressure is applied at room temperature.