Superconductivity in a New High-Pressure Phase of Scandium

Abstract

A phase transformation is observed in scandium metal at a pressure of approximately 170 kbar as seen from a rise of the electrical resistance by a factor of 4. The high-pressure phase (Sc II) is a superconductor. ${T}_{c}$ is found to increase with pressure from \ensuremath{\simeq} 50 mK at 186 kbar to \ensuremath{\simeq} 0.35 K at 210 kbar. Experimentally, sintered diamond anvils have been used in a six-lead Bridgman setup with internal manometer.