Nematic Ising superconductivity with hidden magnetism in few-layer 6R-TaS2
In van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), the manipulation of interlayer stacking/coupling allows for the construction of customizable quantum systems exhibiting exotic physics. An illustrative example is the diverse range of states of matter achieved through varying the proximity coupling between two-dimensional (2D) quantum spin liquid (QSL) and superconductors within the TaS<sub>2</sub> family. This study presents a demonstration of the intertwined physics of spontaneous rotational symmetry breaking, hidden magnetism, and Ising superconductivity (SC) in the three-fold rotationally symmetric, non-magnetic natural vdWHs 6R-TaS<sub>2</sub>. A distinctive phase emerges in 6R-TaS<sub>2</sub> below a characteristic temperature (T<sup>*</sup>) of approximately 30 K, which is characterized by a remarkable set of features, including a giant extrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE), Kondo screening, magnetic field-tunable thermal hysteresis, and nematic magneto-resistance. At lower temperatures, a coexistence of nematicity and Kondo screening with Ising superconductivity is observed, providing compelling evidence of hidden magnetism within a superconductor. This research not only sheds light on unexpected emergent physics resulting from the coupling of itinerant electrons and localized/correlated electrons in natural vdWHs but also emphasizes the potential for tailoring exotic quantum states through the manipulation of interlayer interactions.
Authors
- Shuang Jia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8705-6055)
- Xiaoming Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9891-6927)
- Jian Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4671-0115)
- Xinjian Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2612-8590)
- Fuqiang Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0526-5473)
- Jinhai Mao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9034-3642)
- Wen‐Yu He
- Jianhao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9485-1759)
- Kai Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3930-8294)
- Hongtao Rong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3763-7593)
- K. T. Law (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0501-6290)
- Congkuan Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7859-9576)
- Di Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0758-1763)
- Lu Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9549-8136)
- Shaobo Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7402-5606)
- Yuanjun Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9648-8519)
- Yuhang Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4842-4921)
- Jiankun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6443-3479)
- Mantang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7777-128X)
- Shuyue Guan
- Yuqiang Fang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1630-970X)
- Hang Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7823-403X)
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK)
- Peking University (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
- Hefei University (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter (CN)
- Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-08-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51631-z
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.80
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Shanghai Rising-Star Program
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities