We report superconductivity in the ternary half-Heusler compound LuPtBi, with Tc = 1.0 K and Hc2 = 1.6 T. The crystal structure of LuPtBi lacks inversion symmetry, hence the material is a noncentrosymmetric superconductor. Magnetotransport data show semimetallic behavior in the normal state, which is evidence for the importance of spin-orbit interaction. Theoretical calculations indicate that the strong spin-orbit interaction in LuPtBi should cause strong band inversion, making this material a promising candidate for 3D topological superconductivity.
@article{arxiv.1302.1943,
title = {Superconductivity in the noncentrosymmetric half-Heusler compound LuPtBi : A possible topological superconductor},
author = {F. F. Tafti and Takenori Fujii and A. Juneau-Fecteau and S. Rene de Cotret and N. Doiron-Leyraud and Atsushi Asamitsu and Louis Taillefer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1302.1943},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures, Table I revised, discussion of the Pauli limit revised