Superconducting diode effect and interference patterns in kagome CsV3Sb5

Tian Le; Zhiming Pan; Zhuokai Xu; Jinjin Liu; Jialu Wang; Zhefeng Lou; Xiaohui Yang; Zhiwei Wang; Yugui Yao; Congjun Wu; Xiao Lin

doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07431-y

Superconducting diode effect and interference patterns in kagome CsV₃Sb₅

Nature. 2024 May 15. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07431-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tian Le^#^{1

2}, Zhiming Pan^#^{1

2

3}, Zhuokai Xu^{1

2}, Jinjin Liu^{4

5}, Jialu Wang^{1

2}, Zhefeng Lou^{1

2}, Xiaohui Yang^{1

2

6}, Zhiwei Wang^{7

8

9}, Yugui Yao^{4

5

10}, Congjun Wu^{11

12

13

14}, Xiao Lin^{15

16}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory for Quantum Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Physics, School of Science and Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
² Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
³ Institute for Theoretical Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Centre for Quantum Physics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum Architecture and Measurement (MOE), School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
⁵ Beijing Key Lab of Nanophotonics and Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
⁶ Department of Physics, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Centre for Quantum Physics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum Architecture and Measurement (MOE), School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China. zhiweiwang@bit.edu.cn.
⁸ Beijing Key Lab of Nanophotonics and Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China. zhiweiwang@bit.edu.cn.
⁹ Material Science Center, Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Jiaxing, China. zhiweiwang@bit.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Material Science Center, Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Jiaxing, China.
¹¹ Key Laboratory for Quantum Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Physics, School of Science and Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. wucongjun@westlake.edu.cn.
¹² Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. wucongjun@westlake.edu.cn.
¹³ Institute for Theoretical Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China. wucongjun@westlake.edu.cn.
¹⁴ New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China. wucongjun@westlake.edu.cn.
¹⁵ Key Laboratory for Quantum Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Physics, School of Science and Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. linxiao@westlake.edu.cn.
¹⁶ Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. linxiao@westlake.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38750364
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07431-y

Abstract

The interplay among frustrated lattice geometry, non-trivial band topology and correlation yields rich quantum states of matter in kagome systems^1,2. A series of recent members in this family, AV₃Sb₅ (A = K, Rb or Cs), exhibit a cascade of symmetry-breaking transitions³, involving the 3Q chiral charge ordering^4-8, electronic nematicity^9,10, roton pair density wave¹¹ and superconductivity¹². The nature of the superconducting order is yet to be resolved. Here we report an indication of dynamic superconducting domains with boundary supercurrents in intrinsic CsV₃Sb₅ flakes. The magnetic field-free superconducting diode effect is observed with polarity modulated by thermal histories, suggesting that there are dynamic superconducting order domains in a spontaneous time-reversal symmetry-breaking background. Strikingly, the critical current exhibits double-slit superconductivity interference patterns when subjected to an external magnetic field. The characteristics of the patterns are modulated by thermal cycling. These phenomena are proposed as a consequence of periodically modulated supercurrents flowing along certain domain boundaries constrained by fluxoid quantization. Our results imply a time-reversal symmetry-breaking superconducting order, opening a potential for exploring exotic physics, for example, Majorana zero modes, in this intriguing topological kagome system.