Phonon softening and superconductivity triggered by spin-orbit coupling in simple-cubic α-polonium crystals

Chang-Jong Kang; Kyoo Kim; B. I. Min

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.86.054115

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Phonon softening and superconductivity triggered by spin-orbit coupling in simple-cubic α-polonium crystals

Chang-Jong Kang, Kyoo Kim, B. I. Min

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.86.054115 · Physical Review B

T1

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Abstract

We have investigated the mechanism of stabilizing the simple-cubic (sc) structure in polonium (α-Po), based on the phonon dispersion calculations using the first-principles all-electron band method. We have demonstrated that the stable sc structure results from the suppression of the Peierls instability due to the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in α-Po. We have also discussed the structural chirality realized in β-Po, as a consequence of the phonon instability. Further, we have explored the possible superconductivity in α-Po, and predicted that it becomes a superconductor with Tc∼4 K. The transverse soft phonon mode at q≈23R, which is greatly influenced by the SOC, plays an important role both in the structural stability and the superconductivity in α-Po.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Po Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	4	Pressure not reported	unknown