Anomalous transverse resistance in the topological superconductor β-Bi2Pd

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 5321 - 5
• Main Authors: Xu, Xiaoying, Li, Yufan, Chien, C. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 09.09.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/766/119/1003; 639/766/119/2792; Chirality; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Crystal structure; Electric fields; Electromagnetism; Hall effect; Humanities and Social Sciences; Interfaces; Magnetic fields; multidisciplinary; Phase transitions; Physics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spectrum analysis; Superconducting properties and materials; Symmetry; Thin films; Topological matter; Topological superconductors; Voltage; Voltage drop; Vortices
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32877-x

A supercurrent flowing in a superconductor meets no resistance. Yet an electric field may still be established within the superconductor in the presence of dissipative processes, such as vortex motion. Here we report the observation of a transverse voltage drop in superconducting β- Bi 2 Pd thin films. Unlike the Hall effect in general or in other superconductors, the sign of the observed transverse voltage does not depend on the external magnetic field. Instead, it is dictated by the broken inversion symmetry on the film interfaces. This anomalous transverse voltage, or transverse resistance, is indicative of a chirality that likely resonates with the topological surface states reported in β- Bi 2 Pd. Centrosymmetric β- Bi 2 Pd is a candidate topological superconductor. Here, the authors observe a transverse voltage in β- Bi 2 Pd thin films and propose that this voltage is a result of chiral topological surface states.