Investigation of specific heat in ultrathin two-dimensional superconducting Pb

Superconductivity in two dimensions is nontrivial. One way to achieve global superconductivity is via the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition due to proliferation of vortex-antivortex pairs. This transition is expected to have a clear signature on the specific heat. The singularity at the transition temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{BKT}}$ is predicted to be immeasurable, and a broad nonuniversal peak is expected at $Tg{T}_{\mathrm{BKT}}$. Up to date, this has not been observed in two-dimensional superconductors; this work is then dedicated to investigate ${c}_{p}$ signatures in the limit of ultrathin 2d superconductors. We use a unique highly sensitive technique to measure the specific heat of quench condensed ultrathin Pb films. We find that thick films exhibit a specific heat jump at ${T}_{C}$ that is consistent with BCS theory. As the film thickness is reduced below the superconducting coherence length and the systems enter the 2D limit, the specific heat reveals BKT-like behavior in what can appear as to be a continuous BCS-BKT crossover as a function of film thickness. However, a number of problems arise with this interpretation. We discuss the experimental results and the possible significance of various scenarios involving BKT physics.