Bulk superconductivity and non-trivial band topology analysis of Pb<sub>2</sub>Pd
M. M. Sharma, N. K. Karn, Poonam Rani, R N Bhowmik, V. P. S. Awana
Abstract
Abstract In this article, we report single crystal growth of superconducting binary compound Pb 2 Pd. The crystal is well characterized through x-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The bulk superconducting nature of the synthesized crystal is determined through AC susceptibility and magneto-heat capacity measurements. The specific heat jump at superconducting transition suggests Pb 2 Pd to be a moderately coupled s-wave superconductor. The topological non-trivial character of Pb 2 Pd is evidenced through bulk electronic band structure and Z 2 invariants, which are calculated under the protocols of density functional theory. Surface states spectrum of Pb 2 Pd is also studied, which further claims Pb 2 Pd to have topological non-trivial band structure.