Two-fold anisotropic superconducting state in topological superconductor Sn₄Au

¹ Academy of Scientific Innovative Research (AcSIR) - Ghaziabad-201002, India
² CSIR- National Physical Laboratory - New Delhi-110012, India
³ School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University - New Delhi-110067, India
⁴ Ramjas College - New Delhi-110007, India

^(a) E-mail: smanishmani@gmail.com (corresponding author)
^(b) E-mail: awana@nplinida.org

Received: 16 January 2023
Accepted: 30 March 2023

Abstract

Here we report the anisotropic magnetotransport properties in the superconducting state of a Sn₄Au single crystal. The Sn₄Au single crystal is synthesized through an easy melt growth method. Superconducting properties are evidenced from resistivity vs. temperature (ρ-T) and DC magnetization measurements. Isothermal magnetization measurements (M-H) hint toward type-II superconductivity in Sn₄Au. In-plane and out-of-plane ρ-H measurements show anisotropic behavior of the upper critical field at temperatures below superconducting transition (T_c = 2.3 K). The observed anisotropy is more elucidated in ρ-H measurements performed below at different tilt angles. The anisotropy parameter is found to be 1.26. The observed results show the presence of a two-fold anisotropic superconducting state in the Sn₄Au single crystal, which may be induced due to the layered structure of the synthesized Sn₄Au single crystal.