Antiferromagnetism-driven two-dimensional topological nodal-point superconductivity

Maciej Bazarnik (), Roberto Lo Conte (), Eric Mascot (), Kirsten Bergmann, Dirk K. Morr and Roland Wiesendanger
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Maciej Bazarnik: University of Hamburg
Roberto Lo Conte: University of Hamburg
Eric Mascot: University of Hamburg
Kirsten Bergmann: University of Hamburg
Dirk K. Morr: University of Illinois at Chicago
Roland Wiesendanger: University of Hamburg

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Magnet/superconductor hybrids (MSHs) hold the promise to host emergent topological superconducting phases. Both one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) magnetic systems in proximity to s-wave superconductors have shown evidence of gapped topological superconductivity with zero-energy end states and chiral edge modes. Recently, it was proposed that the bulk transition-metal dichalcogenide 4Hb-TaS2 is a gapless topological nodal-point superconductor (TNPSC). However, there has been no experimental realization of a TNPSC in a MSH system yet. Here we present the discovery of TNPSC in antiferromagnetic (AFM) monolayers on top of an s-wave superconductor. Our calculations show that the topological phase is driven by the AFM order, resulting in the emergence of a gapless time-reversal invariant topological superconducting state. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy we observe a low-energy edge mode, which separates the topological phase from the trivial one, at the boundaries of antiferromagnetic islands. As predicted by the calculations, we find that the relative spectral weight of the edge mode depends on the edge’s atomic configuration. Our results establish the combination of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity as a novel route to design 2D topological quantum phases.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36201-z

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