Superconductivity and a van Hove singularity confined to the surface of a topological semimetal

Md Shafayat Hossain (), Rajibul Islam, Zi-Jia Cheng, Zahir Muhammad, Qi Zhang, Zurab Guguchia, Jonas A. Krieger, Brian Casas, Yu-Xiao Jiang, Maksim Litskevich, Xian P. Yang, Byunghoon Kim, Tyler A. Cochran, Ilias E. Perakis, Thomas Hicken, Hubertus Luetkens, Fei Xue, Mehdi Kargarian, Weisheng Zhao, Luis Balicas and M. Zahid Hasan ()
Additional contact information
Md Shafayat Hossain: Princeton University
Rajibul Islam: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Zi-Jia Cheng: Princeton University
Zahir Muhammad: Beihang University
Qi Zhang: Princeton University
Zurab Guguchia: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM
Jonas A. Krieger: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM
Brian Casas: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Yu-Xiao Jiang: Princeton University
Maksim Litskevich: Princeton University
Xian P. Yang: Princeton University
Byunghoon Kim: Princeton University
Tyler A. Cochran: Princeton University
Ilias E. Perakis: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Thomas Hicken: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM
Hubertus Luetkens: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM
Fei Xue: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Mehdi Kargarian: Sharif University of Technology
Weisheng Zhao: Beihang University
Luis Balicas: PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM
M. Zahid Hasan: Princeton University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The interplay between topology and superconductivity generated great interest in condensed matter physics. Here, we unveil an unconventional two-dimensional superconducting state in the Dirac nodal line semimetal ZrAs2 which is exclusively confined to the top and bottom surfaces within the crystal’s ab plane. As a remarkable consequence, we present the first clear evidence of a Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) transition occurring solely on a material’s surface—specifically, ZrAs₂—unlike the inconsistent reports on PtBi₂, CaAgP, and CaAg₁₋ₓPdₓP. Furthermore, we find that these same surfaces also host a two-dimensional van Hove singularity near the Fermi energy. This leads to enhanced electronic correlations that contribute to the stabilization of superconductivity at the surface of ZrAs2. The`surface-confined nature of the van Hove singularity and associated superconductivity, realized for the first time, allows exploring the interplay between low-dimensional quantum topology and superconductivity in a bulk material without resorting to the superconducting proximity effect.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58024-w

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