Persistence of topological features under Pb/Bi substitution

Determine whether topological features persist across the doped Pb_{2-x}Bi_{x}Pd series and characterize their influence on superconductivity using electronic-structure calculations and microscopic probes.

Background

The study establishes that Pb_{2-x}Bi_{x}Pd undergoes a structural transition from the nonsymmorphic I4/mcm phase to the layered I4/mmm phase while retaining weakly coupled, isotropic s-wave superconductivity across the investigated compositions. However, the consequences of Pb/Bi substitution for the band topology are not resolved by the structural, transport, magnetization, and specific-heat measurements reported in the paper. The authors identify density-functional-theory calculations, muon spin rotation spectroscopy, thermal transport, point-contact spectroscopy, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy as approaches that could determine whether topological characteristics survive doping and how they affect superconductivity.