title: Superconductor-insulator transition in quasi-one-dimensional single-crystal Nb₂PdS₅ nanowires.
abstract: Superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in one-dimensional (1D) nanowires attracts great attention in the past decade and remains an open question since contrasting results were reported in nanowires with different morphologies (i.e., granular, polycrystalline, or amorphous) or environments. Nb2PdS5 is a recently discovered low-dimensional superconductor with typical quasi-1D chain structure. By decreasing the wire diameter in the range of 100-300 nm, we observed a clear SIT with a 1D transport character driven by both the cross-sectional area and external magnetic field. We also found that the upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) decreases with the reduction of nanowire cross-sectional area. The temperature dependence of the resistance below Tc can be described by the thermally activated phase slip (TAPS) theory without any signature of quantum phase slips (QPS). These findings demonstrated that the enhanced Coulomb interactions with the shrinkage of the wire diameter competes with the interchain Josephson-like coupling may play a crucial role on the SIT in quasi-1D system.
authors.affiliation: High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Hefei 230031 Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yequn
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiyong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Changjin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mingliang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yuheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Nb2PdS5; Superconductor−insulator transition; metallic chain; single-crystal nanowire; thermally activated phase slip