arXiv subjects

Stephen D. Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen D. Wilson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2026

Discovery of an odd-parity f-wave charge order in a kagome metal

The spontaneous breaking of symmetries is a cornerstone of physics, defining the phases of matter from the cosmological scale to the quantum realm. In condensed matter, electronic orders are classified by their behavior under fundamental symmetries like spatial inversion (parity). While even-parity orders, such as conventional superconductivity and charge density waves, are ubiquitous, their odd-parity counterparts--predicted to host exotic phenomena such as gapless quasiparticle excitations and novel collective modes--are comparatively elusive states of quantum matter. Here, using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on the kagome metal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, we report the discovery of an inversion symmetry-breaking $f$-wave charge bond order. We show that this phase, which preserves translation symmetry, is stabilized by the spontaneous opening of a spectral gap at a previously overlooked Dirac point, providing a textbook condensed-matter realization of the Gross-Neveu model for dynamical mass generation and parity breaking. Intriguingly, this $f$-wave order is itself a intervening phase, vanishing abruptly below a temperature of 10\,K and pointing to a subsequent transition into a `hidden' electronic state that is invisible to local STM probes. Our findings establish odd-parity charge order as a novel phase of matter, here, embedded within the intricate hierarchy of correlated electronic orders on the kagome lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Emergent Network of Josephson Junctions in a Kagome Superconductor

Materials with a Kagome lattice are intensely studied because they host exotic states that combine strong correlations and topology. Recently, critical current oscillations were observed in an unstructured flake of CsV3Sb5 . In this work, we show that the origin of these oscillations is a network of Josephson junctions intrinsic to the flake that emerges below its critical temperature. Under radio-frequency radiation, we observe quantized Shapiro steps. The sensitivity of the step height to the contact placement indicates a complex network of junctions. By performing interference studies along multiple field directions, we demonstrate that the interference effects are a result of small junctions and filamentary supercurrent flow. Upon nanostructuring the flake, prominent features of the interference pattern are preserved, illustrating the localized nature of these junctions and their stability to thermal cycles. These results pave the way for determining the exact nature of superconductivity in the AV3Sb5 family.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Collinear spin density wave state in distorted square-lattice GdNiSn$_4$

We characterize the magnetic ground state of the newly synthesized lanthanide intermetallic GdNiSn$_4$ via resonant elastic x-ray scattering measurements. This compound forms distorted square nets of Gd that initially order magnetically below 23 K followed by a lower temperature transition at 16 K. Our scattering data identify the ground state order as a single-$q$ incommensurate, collinear order that slides towards a commensurate wave vector above the 16 K transition. Magnetic symmetry analysis combined with azimuthal dependence resolves the ground state magnetic structure as a moment-modulated spin density wave state with Gd moments oriented parallel to the in-plane a-axis. We discuss connections between the observed magnetic order and electronic properties in this square-net compound.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Raman scattering spectroscopic observation of a ferroelastic crossover in bond-frustrated PrCd$_3$P$_3$

2D magnetism in triangular lattices has already shown potential for hosting exotic magnetic states. Control of these magnetic states, both in terms of magnetic properties and in terms of charge doping would be the next step. This makes materials which combine triangular lattice magnetic layers with layers hosting interesting structural or electronic properties particularly useful. PrCd$_3$P$_3$, studied in this work, is one of a family of materials where triangular lattice layers of magnetic rare earth ions alternate with semiconducting hexagonal CdP layers. Using Raman scattering spectroscopy we uncover a structural instability in the CdP layers, associated with a soft mode behavior of a phonon in these layers. Raman scattering detects crystal electric field excitations, and confirms a singlet ground state for Pr$^{3+}$ and splitting of the doublet levels as a result of the structural instability in CdP layers. While Pr$^{3+}$ is non-magnetic in PrCd$_3$P$_3$ we speculate that this family of materials can realize control of the magnetic layer through the CdP layer which can become ferroelectric under strain that would relieve frustration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of Room-temperature Charge Density Wave Correlations via Coherent Phonon Spectroscopy in Sn-doped Kagome Superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

In this work, we perform ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity measurements to track the evolution of charge density wave (CDW) correlations in Sn-doped Kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_{5-x}$Sn$_x$. By extracting the coherent phonon spectrum, we evidence robust signatures of CDW correlations at temperature and doping ranges far beyond the phase boundary of long-range CDW order. Remarkably, we unveil short-range CDW correlations survive up to room temperature in $x = 0.32$ Sn-doped CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, supported by synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements. We point out the introduction of quenched disorder by Sn doping can pin the CDW and form static short-range CDW, which can explain the observed persistent CDW signatures. Our results thus corroborate the ubiquity and robustness of CDW correlations in Sn-doped CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ and provide new insights on the role of disorders on the CDW correlations in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ family.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Revealing Rotational Symmetry Breaking Charge-density Wave Order in Kagome Superconductor (Rb, K)V$_3$Sb$_5$ by Ultrafast Pump-probe Experiments

The recently discovered Kagome superconductor AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (where A refers to K, Rb, Cs) has stimulated widespread research interest due to its interplay of non-trivial topology and unconventional correlated physics including charge-density waves (CDW) and superconductivity. The essential prerequisite to understanding the microscopic mechanisms of this complex electronic landscape is to unveil the configuration and symmetry of the charge-density wave order. As to now, little consensus has been made on what symmetry is broken. Herein, we clarify the microscopic structure and symmetry breaking of the CDW phase in RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ and KV$_3$Sb$_5$ by ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity. Our approach is based on extracting coherent phonon spectra induced by three-dimensional CDW and comparing them to calculated phonon frequencies via density-functional theory. The combination of these experimental results and calculations provides compelling evidence that the CDW structure of both compounds prevailing up to T$_{\text{CDW}}$ is the 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 staggered inverse Star-of-David pattern with interlayer $π$ phase shift, in which the six-fold rotational symmetry is broken. These observations thus corroborate six-fold rotational symmetry breaking throughout the CDW phase of RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ and KV$_3$Sb$_5$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Common sublattice-pure van Hove singularities in the kagome superconductors $\textit{A}$V$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ ($\textit{A}$ = K, Rb, Cs)

Kagome materials offer a versatile platform for exploring correlated and topological quantum states, where van Hove singularities (VHSs) play a pivotal role in driving electronic instabilities, exhibiting distinct behaviors depending on electron filling and interaction settings. In the recently discovered kagome superconductors $\textit{A}$V$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ ($\textit{A}$ = K, Rb, Cs), unconventional charge density wave order, superconductivity, and electronic chirality emerge, yet the nature of VHSs near the Fermi level ($\textit{E}$$_{F}$) and their connection to these exotic orders remain elusive. Here, using high-resolution polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we uncover a universal electronic structure across $\textit{A}$V$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ that is distinct from density-functional theory predictions that show noticeable discrepancies. We identify multiple common sublattice-pure VHSs near $\textit{E}$$_{F}$, arising from strong V-$\textit{d}$/Sb-$\textit{p}$ hybridization, which significantly promote bond-order fluctuations and likely drive the observed charge density wave order. These findings provide direct spectroscopic evidence for hybridization-driven VHS formation in kagome metals and establish a unified framework for understanding the intertwined electronic instabilities in $\textit{A}$V$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Interplay between charge correlations and superconductivity across the superconducting domes of CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5-x}$Sn$_x$

The kagome metal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ shows an unconventional interplay between charge density wave (CDW) order and superconductivity. Tuning the band filling is known to rapidly suppress long-range CDW order and drive the formation of two superconducting ``domes" upon increasing hole concentration. Here we determine the detailed evolution of charge correlations across this phase diagram and resolve their interplay with the superconducting state. Upon light hole-doping, the suppression of a metastable $2\times 2\times 4$ CDW state coincides with the suppression of superconducting fluctuations present in the parent CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ compound. Continued doping suppresses long-range $2\times 2\times 2$ CDW order, leaving remnant short-range, quasi-1D correlations that persist across the second superconducting dome. These higher temperature charge correlations are seemingly essential to the lower temperature superconducting state, as charge correlations vanish coincident with superconductivity as a function of hole-doping. A multidomain model of short-range V-V dimer formation within the kagome plane is proposed in the second superconducting dome, where rotational and translational symmetry remain locally broken even in the absence of long-range CDW order.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Observation of ubiquitous charge correlations and hidden quantum critical point in hole-doped kagome superconductors

The interplay between superconductivity and charge-density wave (CDW) order, and its evolution with carrier density, is central to the physics of many quantum materials, notably high-$T_c$ cuprates and kagome metals. Hole-doped kagome compounds exhibit puzzling double-dome superconductivity and, as chemical substitution inevitably introduces quenched disorder, their properties remain poorly understood. Here, by leveraging the sensitivity of nuclear quadrupole resonance to local and static orderings, we uncover new features, primarily the incipient and fragmented CDW phases, in the charge landscape of CsV$_3$Sb$_{5-x}$Sn$_x$. Static CDW puddles are observed well above the transition temperature, a hallmark of pinning by defects. Their doping and temperature evolution indicate that, in the absence of disorder, the inverse Star-of-David $π$-shifted (ISD-$π$) CDW order would vanish near $x=0.12$, between the two superconducting domes. This critical doping represents a hidden quantum critical point. Nevertheless, the ISD-$π$ pattern persists well beyond previous reports, although its volume fraction is progressively reduced up to the critical doping at which it saturates. We establish that carrier doping promotes fragmentation of the ISD-$π$ order, whereas randomness preserves the ISD-$π$ patches.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Pervasive electronic nematicity as the parent state of kagome superconductors

Kagome superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = Cs, K, Rb) have developed into an exciting playground for realizing and exploring exotic solid state phenomena. Abundant experimental evidence suggests that electronic structure breaks rotational symmetry of the lattice, but whether this may be a simple consequence of the symmetry of the underlying 2 $\times$ 2 charge density wave phase or an entirely different mechanism remains intensely debated. We use spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy to explore the phase diagram of the prototypical kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ as a function of doping. We intentionally suppress the charge density wave phase with chemical substitutions selectively introduced at two distinct lattice sites, and investigate the resulting system. We discover that rotational symmetry breaking of the electronic structure -- now present in short-range nanoscale regions -- persists in all samples, in a wide doping range long after all charge density waves have been suppressed. As such, our experiments uncover ubiquitous electronic nematicity across the $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ phase diagram, unrelated to the 2 $\times$ 2 charge density wave. This further points towards electronic nematicity as the intrinsic nature of the parent state of kagome superconductors, under which other exotic low-temperature phenomena subsequently emerge.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Kagome metals

Three important driving forces for creating qualitatively new phases in quantum materials are the topology of the materials' electronic band structures, frustration in the electrons' motion or magnetic interactions, and strong correlations between their charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom. In very few material systems do all of these aspects come together to contribute on an equal footing to stabilize new electronic states with unprecedented properties; however the search for such systems can be guided by models of configurational motifs or key sublattices that can host such physics. One of the most fascinating structural motifs for realizing this rich interplay of frustration, electronic topology, and electron correlation effects is the kagome lattice. In this review, we provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings driving the physics of kagome lattices, and we then discuss experimental progress in realizing novel states enabled by kagome networks in crystalline materials. Different material classes are discussed with an emphasis on the phenomenologies of their electronic states and how they map to interactions arising from their kagome lattices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Anomalous Nodal Gap in a Doped Spin-1/2 Antiferromagnetic Mott Insulator

Many emergent phenomena appear in doped Mott insulators near the insulator-to-metal transition. In high-temperature cuprate superconductors, superconductivity arises when antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is gradually suppressed by carrier doping, and a $\textit{d}$-wave superconducting gap forms when an enigmatic nodal gap evolves into a point node. Here, we examine electron-doped Sr$_{2}$IrO$_{4}$, the 5$\textit{d}$-electron counterpart of cuprates, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. At low doping levels, we observe the formation of electronic states near the Fermi level, accompanied by a gap at the AFM zone boundary, mimicking the AFM gap in electron-doped cuprates. With increasing doping, a distinct gap emerges along the (0,0)-($π$,$π$) nodal direction, paralleling that observed in hole-doped cuprates. This anomalous nodal gap persists after the collapse of the AFM gap and gradually decreases with further doping. It eventually vanishes into a point node of the reported $\textit{d}$-wave gap. These observations replicate the characteristic features in both electron- and hole-doped cuprates, indicating a unified route toward nodal metallicity in doped spin-1/2 AFM Mott insulators.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Interleaved bond frustration in a triangular lattice antiferromagnet

Frustration of long-range order via lattice geometries serves to amplify fluctuations of the order parameter and generate unconventional ground states that are highly sensitive to perturbations. Traditionally, this concept of geometric frustration is used to engineer unconventional magnetic states in a variety of materials; however, the charge degree of freedom and bond order can be similarly frustrated. Finding materials that host both frustrated magnetic and bond networks holds promise for engineering structural and magnetic states with the potential of coupling to one another via either the magnetic sector (via magnetic field) or via the lattice sector (via strain). In this paper, we identify an unusual instance of this coexistence in the triangular lattice antiferromagnetic compounds $Ln$Cd$_3$P$_3$ ($Ln$ = La, Ce, Pr, and Nd). These compounds feature two-dimensional planes of unique trigonal-planar CdP$_3$ units that manifest an underlying bond instability with its long-range ordering frustrated via emergent kagome ice bond correlations. Our results establish $Ln$Cd$_3$P$_3$ as a rare class of materials where frustrated magnetism across a tunable rare-earth triangular network is embedded within a dopable semiconductor with a frustrated bond order instability.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic dilution in the triangular lattice antiferromagnet NaYb$_{1-x}$Lu$_{x}$O$_2$

The delafossite-like compound NaYbO$_2$ hosts a triangular lattice of Yb$^{3+}$ moments and is a promising candidate for the realization of a quantum spin liquid ground state -- an exotic, quantum-disordered magnetic phase featuring long-range entanglement of spins. Tuning this system away from this quantum-disordered regime toward classical order or spin freezing is a powerful approach to shed light on the nature of the parent ground state. Here we leverage the substitution of nonmagnetic Lu$^{3+}$ onto the Yb$^{3+}$ sites to study the effects of magnetic disorder in NaYbO$_2$ using low-temperature ac susceptibility, heat capacity, and muon spin relaxation ($μ$SR) measurements. Our $μ$SR measurements reveal resilient, correlated magnetic fluctuations that persist to at least 15\% dilution, precluding conventional spin freezing and magnetic inhomogeneity. Heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility resolve a rapid suppression of the field-induced ``up-up-down'' magnetic order upon dilution and a crossover in the power-law behavior of the low-temperature magnetic excitations associated with the zero-field quantum disordered ground state. Taken together, these results support the notion of a robust network of entangled moments in NaYbO$_2$, and provides experimental validation of several models of a Heisenberg triangular lattice antiferromagnet in the presence of disorder.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Supercurrent interference and its transfer in a kagome superconductor

Superconductivity represents a macroscopic quantum state notable for its rich manifestations of electronic coherence and collective behavior. Kagome materials AV3Sb5 (A= K, Cs, Rb) possess cascade intertwined quantum phases including superconductivity, symmetry-breaking charge orders, nematic orders and topological states, making them attractive materials for exploring exotic superconducting states. However, the superconducting properties and the Cooper pairing behaviors have not been fully explored and understood. In this work, by studying both the magnetoresistance and critical current behaviors in KV3Sb5 ring and pristine flakes, we reveal the charge 2e paring in KV3Sb5 although anomalous oscillations with smaller periodicity were observed, and report the intrinsic superconducting phase coherence in KV3Sb5 flakes. The former is demonstrated by the careful verification of the Little-Parks oscillations in differential resistance colormaps, and the latter indicates the existence of superconducting domains in KV3Sb5. Moreover, we observed a special phenomenon: the transfer of supercurrent interference patterns between the superconducting ring and the superconducting flake, which demonstrates the global critical current effect of the superconducting phase coherence. These findings provide new insights into the Cooper pairing behaviors in KV3Sb5 and highlight the importance of global effect of superconducting phase coherence in the understanding of the superconducting behaviors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Reply to "Limitations of detecting structural changes and time-reversal symmetry breaking in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments"

In their comment, the authors attribute our observations of light- and magnetic-field-induced manipulation of the CDW state in RbV3Sb5 to random experimental artifacts such as tip changes, drift, and scan conditions, concluding that no intrinsic effect exists. In this reply, we clarify three points. First, our reported magnetic-field-induced CDW switching has been independently replicated in multiple STM studies and corroborated by transport measurements. Second, in our data, the switching of CDW intensities and Bragg vector ratios exhibit high fidelity (nearly 100 $\%$), and this cannot be explained by random artifacts. Lastly, we disprove the comment's unsubstantiated claim about magnetic field values by showing a system-dependent correlation between z-piezo shift and magnetic field. Taken together, our Reply reaffirms the reproducibility and intrinsic nature of light and magnetic field induced CDW manipulation in RbV3Sb5.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Coherent Phonon Pairs and Rotational Symmetry Breaking of Charge Density Wave Order in the Kagome Superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

In this work, we perform ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity measurements to study the symmetry breaking in the charge-density wave (CDW) phase of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. By extracting the coherent phonon spectrum in the CDW phase of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, we discover close phonon pairs near 1.3 THz and 3.1 THz, as well as a new mode at 1.84 THz. The 1.3 THz phonon pair and the 1.84 THz mode are observed up to the CDW transition temperature. Combining density-functional theory calculations, we point out these phonon pairs arise from the coexistence of Star-of-David and inverse Star-of-David distortions combined with six-fold rotational symmetry breaking. An anisotropy in the magnitude of transient reflectivity change is also revealed at the onset of CDW order. Our results thus indicate broken six-fold rotational symmetry in the charge-density wave state of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, along with the absence of nematic fluctuation above T$_{\text{CDW}}$. Meanwhile, the measured coherent phonon spectrum in the CDW phase of CsV$_3$Sb$_{5-\text{x}}$Sn$_\text{x}$ with x = 0.03-0.04 matches with staggered inverse Star-of-David with interlayer $π$ phase shift. This CDW structure contrasts with undoped CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ and explains the evolution from phonon pair to a single mode at 1.3 THz by x = 0.03-0.04 Sn-doping.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Observation of Anomalous Thermal Hall Effect in a Kagome Superconductor

Broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) in superconductors can induce not only spontaneous magnetization by the finite angular momentum of Cooper pairs, but also anomalous thermal Hall effects (ATHEs), whose detection has been extremely challenging. Here we report the successful observation of an ATHE developing below the superconducting transition temperature at zero magnetic field in the kagome-lattice superconductor CsV3Sb5. This finding is verified by the absence of a signal in a conventional type-II superconductor using the same setup and by ruling out the trapped-vortex effects through micro-Hall array measurements. Remarkably, both the temperature dependence and the magnitude of the observed anomalous thermal Hall conductivity are quite different from those expected for the quantized thermal edge current of an intrinsic ATHE, but consistent with extrinsic impurity-induced ATHEs in chiral superconductivity. Our study of ATHE offers an alternative approach to probe TRS breaking in the superconducting states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗