Pressure-induced and Composition-induced Structural Quantum Phase Transition in the Cubic Superconductor (Sr/Ca)3Ir4Sn13
Abstract
We show that the quasi-skutterudite superconductor Sr3Ir4Sn13 undergoes a structural transition from a simple cubic parent structure, the I-phase, to a superlattice variant, the I'-phase, which has a lattice parameter twice that of the high temperature phase. We argue that the superlattice distortion is associated with a charge density wave transition of the conduction electron system and demonstrate that the superlattice transition temperature T* can be suppressed to zero by combining chemical and physical pressure. This enables the first comprehensive investigation of a superlattice quantum phase transition and its interplay with superconductivity in a cubic charge density wave system.
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