Events at Physics |
Events on Thursday, April 28th, 2022
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Few-layer MoTe2: an Unconventional, Ferroelectric Superconductor
- Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Prof. Daniel Rhodes, UW-Madison Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
- Abstract: Two dimensional materials are layered materials that may be readily exfoliated down to a single atomic layer, presenting an opportunity to noninvasively, and efficiently, control electrical and magnetic ordering, as well as topology. In this talk, I discuss how topology emerges from the bulk, down to the monolayer and how the influence of an electrostatic gate allows us to identify a unique superconducting state in few-layer Td-MoTe2. First, I will discuss how in the clean limit the superconducting transition temperature is enhanced by a factor of 60x, as compared to bulk, in monolayer Td-MoTe2, while still retaining a low carrier density (~1013/cm2), and a density of states that is comparable to the bulk. I will show how the crystal structure factors into the behavior of the superconducting state under external in-plane magnetic fields and how this can be used to quantify of the spin-orbit coupling, an important factor for determining topology and realizing topological superconducting states. After discussion of the monolayer, I will show that this enhancement remains in bilayer MoTe2, despite the change in symmetry. Strangely, our results indicate that superconductivity in bilayer MoTe2 is much more tunable by an electrostatic gate than that of monolayer MoTe2. Not only, we will show that due to the stacking of two layers as compared to one, a ferroelectric switching is allowed - demonstrating the first observation of a 2D ferroelectric superconductor. These findings have profound implications on 2D superconductivity and offer an avenue for future exploration into similarly structured materials.
- Host: Robert McDermott