Superconductivity in the solid phases of Bi. Is Bi-IV a superconductor?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential superconductivity of the Bi-IV phase of Bismuth using a BCS-based theoretical approach, predicting a transition temperature of 4.25 K if cooled to liquid helium temperatures.

Contribution

It provides the first theoretical prediction that the Bi-IV phase of Bismuth could be a superconductor at low temperatures, addressing an open question in the field.

Findings

Bi-IV may superconduct at 4.25 K under liquid helium cooling.

The study uses electronic and vibrational property analysis within a BCS framework.

It explains why Bi-IV has been elusive as a superconductor in previous experiments.

Abstract

The first successful theory of superconductivity was the one proposed by Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer in 1957. This breakthrough fostered a remarkable growth of the field that propitiated progress and questionings, generating alternative theories to explain specific phenomena. For example, it has been argued that Bismuth, being a semimetal with a low number of carriers, does not comply with the basic hypotheses underlying BCS and therefore a different approach should be considered. Nevertheless, in 2016 based on BCS we put forth a prediction that Bi at ambient pressure becomes a superconductor at 1.3 mK [1]. A year later an experimental group corroborated that in fact Bi is a superconductor with a transition temperature of 0.53 mK [2], a result that eluded previous work. So, since Bi is superconductive in almost all the different structures and phases, the question is why Bi-IV has been elusive and has not been found yet to superconduct? Here we present a study of the electronic and vibrational properties of Bi-IV and infer its possible superconductivity using a BCS approach. We predict that if the Bi-IV phase structure were cooled down to liquid helium temperatures it would also superconduct at a Tc of 4.25 K.