Wang Kui, Zhao Hongjian, Liu Guangtao, Zhou Mi, Chen Yinqi, Li Qiushi, Ma Guangchen, Wang Hongbo, Hemley Russell J, Ma Yanming
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods and Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jan 7;122(1):e2420904122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420904122. Epub 2024 Dec 30.
The abrupt drop of resistance to zero at a critical temperature is a key signature of the current paradigm of the metal-superconductor transition. However, the emergence of an intermediate bosonic insulating state characterized by a resistance peak preceding the onset of the superconducting transition has challenged this traditional understanding. Notably, this phenomenon has been predominantly observed in disordered or chemically doped low-dimensional systems, raising intriguing questions about the generality of the effect and its underlying fundamental physics. Here, we present a systematic experimental study of compressed elemental sulfur, an undoped three-dimensional (3D) high-pressure superconductor, with detailed measurements of electrical resistance as a function of temperature, magnetic field, and current. The anomalous resistance peak observed in this 3D system is interpreted based on an empirical model of a metal-bosonic insulator-superconductor transition, potentially driven by vortex dynamics under magnetic field and energy dissipation processes. These findings offer a fresh platform for theoretical analysis of the decades-long enigmatic of the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon.
在临界温度下电阻突然降至零是当前金属 - 超导体转变范式的一个关键特征。然而，一种以超导转变开始之前的电阻峰值为特征的中间玻色绝缘态的出现，对这种传统理解提出了挑战。值得注意的是，这种现象主要在无序或化学掺杂的低维系统中被观察到，这引发了关于该效应的普遍性及其潜在基础物理的有趣问题。在这里，我们展示了对压缩元素硫（一种未掺杂的三维（3D）高压超导体）的系统实验研究，并详细测量了电阻随温度、磁场和电流的变化。基于金属 - 玻色绝缘体 - 超导体转变的经验模型对在这个3D系统中观察到的异常电阻峰值进行了解释，该转变可能由磁场下的涡旋动力学和能量耗散过程驱动。这些发现为对这一现象潜在机制长达数十年的谜团进行理论分析提供了一个新的平台。
