Thermodynamic evidence for nematic superconductivity in Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$
| Autor: | Yonezawa, Shingo, Tajiri, Kengo, Nakata, Suguru, Nagai, Yuki, Wang, Zhiwei, Segawa, Kouji, Ando, Yoichi, Maeno, Yoshiteru |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Nature Phys. 17, 123-126 (2017). (published online: 10 Oct 2016) |
| Druh dokumentu: | Working Paper |
| DOI: | 10.1038/nphys3907 |
| Popis: | Unconventional superconductivity is characterized by the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the macroscopic superconducting wavefunction in addition to the gauge symmetry breaking, such as rotational-symmetry breaking with respect to the underlying crystal-lattice symmetry. Particularly, superconductivity with spontaneous rotational-symmetry breaking in the wavefunction amplitude and thus in bulk properties, not yet reported previously, is intriguing and can be termed "nematic" superconductivity in analogy to nematic liquid-crystal phases. Here, based on specific-heat measurements of the single-crystalline Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$ under accurate magnetic-field-direction control, we report thermodynamic evidence for nematic superconductivity, namely, clear two-fold-symmetric behavior in a trigonal lattice. The results indicate realization of an "odd-parity nematic" state, feasible only by macroscopic quantum condensates and distinct from nematic states in liquid crystals. The results also confirm topologically non-trivial superconductivity in Cu$_x$Bi$_2$Se$_3$. Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; plus 18 pages of Supplementary Materials (incl. 10 figures) |
| Databáze: | arXiv |
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