A topological superconductor tuned by electronic correlations

A topological superconductor, characterized by either a chiral order parameter or a topological surface state in proximity to bulk superconductivity, is foundational to topological quantum computing. A key open challenge is whether electron-electron interactions can tune such topological superconducting phases. Here, we provide experimental signatures of a unique topological superconducting phase in competition with electronic correlations in 10-unit-cell thick FeTe<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>1-x</sub> films grown on SrTiO<sub>3</sub> substrates. When the Te content x exceeds 0.7, we observe a topological transition marked by the emergence of a superconducting surface state. Near the FeTe limit, the system undergoes another transition where the surface state disappears, and superconductivity is suppressed. Theory suggests that electron-electron interactions in the odd-parity xy<sup>-</sup> band drives this second topological transition. The flattening and eventual decoherence of d<sub>xy</sub>-derived bands track the superconducting dome, linking correlation effects directly to superconducting coherent transport. Our work establishes many-body electronic correlations as a sensitive knob for tuning topology and superconductivity, offering a pathway to engineer new topological phases in correlated materials.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-12-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67957-1
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

A topological superconductor tuned by electronic correlations

Gangbin Yan, Patrick A. Singleton, Gillian Nolan, Nathan P. Guisinger et al.
Nature Communications
Topological Materials and Phenomena
article

A topological superconductor tuned by electronic correlations

Gangbin Yan, Patrick A. Singleton, Gillian Nolan, Nathan P. Guisinger, Xianxin Wu, Yunhe Bai, Subhasish Mandal, Pinshane Y. Huang, Shuolong Yang, Gabriele Berruto, Chenhui Yan, C. -X. Liu, Chong Liu, Haoran Lin, Khanh Duy Nguyen, Suin Choi, Qiang Gao, Christopher L. Jacobs
article en

Abstract

A topological superconductor, characterized by either a chiral order parameter or a topological surface state in proximity to bulk superconductivity, is foundational to topological quantum computing. A key open challenge is whether electron-electron interactions can tune such topological superconducting phases. Here, we provide experimental signatures of a unique topological superconducting phase in competition with electronic correlations in 10-unit-cell thick FeTe<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>1-x</sub> films grown on SrTiO<sub>3</sub> substrates. When the Te content x exceeds 0.7, we observe a topological transition marked by the emergence of a superconducting surface state. Near the FeTe limit, the system undergoes another transition where the surface state disappears, and superconductivity is suppressed. Theory suggests that electron-electron interactions in the odd-parity xy<sup>-</sup> band drives this second topological transition. The flattening and eventual decoherence of d<sub>xy</sub>-derived bands track the superconducting dome, linking correlation effects directly to superconducting coherent transport. Our work establishes many-body electronic correlations as a sensitive knob for tuning topology and superconductivity, offering a pathway to engineer new topological phases in correlated materials.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 17(1)
West Virginia University (US), Argonne National Laboratory (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), University of Chicago (US), Institute of Theoretical Physics (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Topological Materials and Phenomena
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