Enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature due to multiband effect in the topological nodal-line semimetal Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$TaSe$_{2}$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that Sn doping in PbTaSe$_{2}$ enhances its superconducting transition temperature by inducing multiband effects and increasing electron-phonon coupling, supported by experimental and theoretical analyses.

Contribution

It reveals that multiband effects due to Sn doping significantly enhance $T_c$ in Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$TaSe$_{2}$, combining experimental data with density functional theory calculations.

Findings

Sn doping increases $T_c$ up to 5.1 K.

Specific heat data fit a two-gap model for moderate Sn doping.

Emergence of Fermi pockets enhances electron-phonon coupling.

Abstract

We report a systematic study of the normal-state and superconducting properties of single crystal Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$TaSe$_{2}$ $(0\leq x \leq 0.23)$. Sn doping enhances the superconducting temperature $T_{c}$ up to 5.1 K while also significantly increasing impurity scattering in the crystals. For $x=0$ and 0.018, the specific heat jump at $T_{c}$ exceeds the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) weak-coupling value of 1.43, indicating the realization of strong-coupling superconductivity in undoped and slightly Sn-doped PbTaSe$_{2}$. Substituting Pb with more Sn lowers the specific heat jump at $T_{c}$ below the BCS value of 1.43, which cannot be explained by a single-gap model. Rather, the observed specific heat data of moderately Sn-doped PbTaSe$_{2}$ ($x= 0.08$ and 0.15) are reproduced by a two-gap model. Our density functional theory calculations suggest that three-dimensional Fermi pockets appear due to a reduction of the spin-orbit gap with Sn doping, and the multiband effect arising from these emergent Fermi pockets enhances the effective electron-phonon coupling strength, leading to the increase in $T_{c}$ of Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$TaSe$_{2}$.