Revealing superconducting gap in La3Ni2O7-δ by Andreev reflection spectroscopy under high pressure

The recent discovery of compressed superconductivity at 80 K in La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7-δ</sub> has brought nickelates into the family of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, due to the challenges of directly probing the superconducting pairing mechanism under high-pressure, the pairing symmetry and gap structures of nickelate superconductors remain under intense debate. In this work, we successfully determine the microscopic information on the superconducting gap structure of La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7-δ</sub> samples subjected to pressures exceeding 20 GPa, by constructing different conductance junctions within diamond anvil cells. By analyzing the temperature-dependent differential conductance spectra within the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model, we have determined the superconducting energy gap at high pressure. The differential conductance curves reveal a two-gap structure with Δ<sub>s1</sub> = 23 meV and Δ<sub>s2</sub> = 6 meV, while the BTK fitting consistent with an s-like, two-gap spectrum. The gap ratio 2Δ<sub>s1</sub>(0)/k<sub>B</sub>T<sub>c</sub> is found to be 7.41, belonging to a family of strongly coupled superconductors. Our findings provide valuable insights into the superconducting gap structures of the pressure-induced superconducting nickelates.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-12-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65865-y
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.85

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article

Revealing superconducting gap in La3Ni2O7-δ by Andreev reflection spectroscopy under high pressure

Xiaoli Huang, Yuzhi Chen, Jianning Guo, De‐Yuan Hu et al.
2 citations
Nature Communications
Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials
0.85
article

Revealing superconducting gap in La3Ni2O7-δ by Andreev reflection spectroscopy under high pressure

Xiaoli Huang, Yuzhi Chen, Jianning Guo, De‐Yuan Hu, Tian Cui, Meng Wang, Yulong Wang, Hualei Sun
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The recent discovery of compressed superconductivity at 80 K in La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7-δ</sub> has brought nickelates into the family of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, due to the challenges of directly probing the superconducting pairing mechanism under high-pressure, the pairing symmetry and gap structures of nickelate superconductors remain under intense debate. In this work, we successfully determine the microscopic information on the superconducting gap structure of La<sub>3</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7-δ</sub> samples subjected to pressures exceeding 20 GPa, by constructing different conductance junctions within diamond anvil cells. By analyzing the temperature-dependent differential conductance spectra within the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model, we have determined the superconducting energy gap at high pressure. The differential conductance curves reveal a two-gap structure with Δ<sub>s1</sub> = 23 meV and Δ<sub>s2</sub> = 6 meV, while the BTK fitting consistent with an s-like, two-gap spectrum. The gap ratio 2Δ<sub>s1</sub>(0)/k<sub>B</sub>T<sub>c</sub> is found to be 7.41, belonging to a family of strongly coupled superconductors. Our findings provide valuable insights into the superconducting gap structures of the pressure-induced superconducting nickelates.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Ningbo University (CN), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Jilin University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials
0.85
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