A Strongly Anisotropic Superconducting Gap in the Kagome Superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$: A Study of Directional Point-Contact Andreev Reflection Spectroscopy

Abstract

In the recently discovered V-based kagome superconductors AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, and Cs), superconductivity is intertwined with an unconventional charge density wave (CDW) order, raising a fundamental concern on the superconducting gap structure of such kagome superconductors in the presence of CDW orders. Here, we report directional soft point-contact Andreev reflection (SPCAR) spectroscopy measurements on the kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, revealing compelling evidence for the existence of a strongly anisotropic superconducting gap pairing state. The SPCAR spectra measured with current injected parallel to the $ab$-plane exhibit an in-gap single conductance peak, in contrast to those of SPCAR spectra: a double-peak structure in the perpendicular direction. These spectra are well described by an anisotropic single-gap BTK model. The extracted superconducting gaps comprise an isotropic large gap and a strongly anisotropic gap, originating from different Fermi surface sheets. Quantitative analysis reveals an anisotropy around $\ sim$70\% with a gap minimum of about 0.15 meV. These results shed new light on the unconventional multiband pairing states in kagome superconductors.