Electron transport measurements of candidate van der Waals topological superconductors in the two-dimensional limit

Abstract

Since the first devices made with mechanically exfoliated graphene in the early 2000s,van der Waals materials have exploded as a platform for studying and realizing com- plex, highly-correlated electronic phases of matter. One exciting prospect for these novel states of matter is the potential to realize an intrinsic topological supercon- ductor, whose boundary states may host particles which could realize topological quantum computing. Many such candidate materials have been introduced over the years. In this body of work, the author will present their contribution to the study of these materials through electronic transport measurements used to characterize the critical behavior of these superconducting materials in the two-dimensional limit. In particular, the author will focus on (1) Pauli limit enhancement in In-alloyed SnBi2Te4 and (2) signatures of broken time reversal symmetry in the superconducting state of 4Hb-TaS2, as well as the emergence of a weak Kondo insulating state in thin samples of 4Hb-TaS2.