Twofold symmetry of c-axis resistivity in topological kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 with in-plane rotating magnetic field

Ying Xiang,Ying Xiang,Zhiwei Wang,Zhiwei Wang,Huan Yang,Huan Yang,Yugui Yao,Yugui Yao,Qing Li,Qing Li,Yongkai Li,Yongkai Li,Hai-Hu Wen,Wei Xie,Wei Xie

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-27084-z

Abstract

In transition metal compounds, due to the interplay of charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, many intertwined orders exist with close energies. One of the commonly observed states is the so-called nematic electron state, which breaks the in-plane rotational symmetry. This nematic state appears in cuprates, iron-based superconductor, etc. Nematicity may coexist, affect, cooperate or compete with other orders. Here we show the anisotropic in-plane electronic state and superconductivity in a recently discovered kagome metal CsV3Sb5 by measuring c-axis resistivity with the in-plane rotation of magnetic field. We observe a twofold symmetry of superconductivity in the superconducting state and a unique in-plane nematic electronic state in normal state when rotating the in-plane magnetic field. Interestingly these two orders are orthogonal to each other in terms of the field direction of the minimum resistivity. Our results shed new light in understanding non-trivial physical properties of CsV3Sb5.

Highlights

In transition metal compounds, due to the interplay of charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, many intertwined orders exist with close energies
The nematic electronic state breaks the symmetry of the crystal structure in many strongly correlated electron systems[49], including cuprates[50,51], iron-based superconductors[52,53], ultraclean quantum Hall systems[54], Sr3Ru2O755, etc
The twofold rotational symmetry of ρc(θ) curves may be related to the in-plane nematic electron state with the assistance of strong magnetic fields

Summary

Introduction

Due to the interplay of charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, many intertwined orders exist with close energies. We observe a twofold symmetry of superconductivity in the superconducting state and a unique in-plane nematic electronic state in normal state when rotating the in-plane magnetic field These two orders are orthogonal to each other in terms of the field direction of the minimum resistivity. By measuring the c-axis resistivity (ρc) using a Corbino-shape-like electrode configuration with in-plane rotating magnetic field, we observe a twofold rotational symmetry of angular dependent ρc(θ) both in the superconducting state and the normal state of the topological kagome metal CsV3Sb5. By applying a very strong in-plane magnetic field, we observe a twofold rotational symmetry of ρc(θ) curves in the normal state but with an orthogonal direction of the minimum resistivity comparing to that in the superconducting state. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the electronic state and the superconductivity in this topological kagome metal

Methods

Results

Conclusion