Emergent quantum phenomena via phase-coherence engineering in infinite-layer nickelate superconductors

Abstract

Dimensionality of a physical system, conventionally an invariant geometric characteristic, fundamentally governs the universality class of phase transitions and the landscape of emergent collective phenomena. In low-dimensional or layered high-temperature superconductors, the macroscopic phase coherence of superconducting orders is typically confined in two dimensions, underscoring the critical role of phase fluctuations in determining the overall phase diagrams. Here, we strategically enhance the phase fluctuations by fabricating periodically arranged nano-holes in the infinite-layer nickelate superconducting films, effectively constructing Josephson junction arrays. In the nano-patterned films, the weakening of macroscopic phase coherence drives a two-stage superconducting transition towards an anomalous metallic ground state with saturated resistance. The emergence of charge-2e quantum oscillations manifests the coherence across the array, while an anomalous zero-field magnetoresistance peak signifies the extreme quantum phase fluctuations persisting to ultralow temperatures. Remarkably, with quantum fluctuations enhanced synergistically by nano-patterning and magnetic fields, an anomalous reversal of superconducting anisotropy is observed in Nd-nickelates, where in-plane critical fields fall below out-of-plane values. The evolution of anisotropy may unmask an internal exchange-Zeeman field coupled to the collective electronic states. Our results unveil how superconductivity evolves in response to phase fluctuations, establishing nano-patterning as a powerful paradigm to uncover hidden intertwined orders in strongly correlated systems.