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arXiv · 2206.02580

Bulk evidence of anisotropic $s$-wave pairing with no sign change in the kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

Abstract

The recently discovered kagome superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs) possess a unique band structure with van Hove singularities and Dirac dispersions, in which unusual charge-density-wave (CDW) orders with time-reversal and rotational symmetry breaking have been reported. One of the most crucial unresolved issues is identifying the symmetry of the superconductivity that develops inside the CDW phase. Theory predicts a variety of unconventional superconducting symmetries, including exotic states with chiral and topological properties accompanied by a sign-changing superconducting gap. Experimentally, however, the phase information on the superconducting gap in $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ is still lacking. Here we report the electron irradiation effects in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ using introduced impurities as a phase-sensitive probe of superconductivity. Our magnetic penetration depth measurements reveal that with increasing impurities, a highly anisotropic fully-gapped state changes gradually to an isotropic full-gap state without passing through a nodal state. Furthermore, transport measurements under high pressure show that the double superconducting dome in the pressure-temperature phase diagram survives against sufficient impurities. These results are strong bulk evidence that CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ is a non-chiral, anisotropic $s$-wave superconductor with no sign change both at ambient and high pressure, which provides a clue to understanding the relationship between CDW and superconductivity in kagome superconductors.

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M. Roppongi, K. Ishihara, Y. Tanaka, K. Ogawa, K. Okada, S. Liu, K. Mukasa, Y. Mizukami, Y. Uwatoko, R. Grasset, M. Konczykowski, B. R. Ortiz, S. D. Wilson, K. Hashimoto, T. Shibauchi. 2022-06-06. Bulk evidence of anisotropic $s$-wave pairing with no sign change in the kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36273-x

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