Unconventional superconductivity in topological Kramers nodal-line semimetals
Tian Shang, Jianzhou Zhao, Lun‐Hui Hu, Junzhang Ma, Dariusz Jakub Gawryluk, Xiaoyan Zhu, Hui Zhang, Zhixuan Zhen, Bocheng Yu, Yang Xu, Qingfan Zhan, E. Pomjakushina, M. Shi, T. Shiroka
Abstract
Crystalline symmetry is a defining factor of the electronic band topology in solids, where many-body interactions often induce a spontaneous breaking of symmetry. Superconductors lacking an inversion center are among the best systems to study such effects or even to achieve topological superconductivity. Here, we demonstrate that T RuSi materials (with T a transition metal) belong to this class. Their bulk normal states behave as three-dimensional Kramers nodal-line semimetals, characterized by large antisymmetric spin-orbit couplings and by hourglass-like dispersions. Our muon-spin spectroscopy measurements show that certain T RuSi compounds spontaneously break the time-reversal symmetry at the superconducting transition, while unexpectedly showing a fully gapped superconductivity. Their unconventional behavior is consistent with a unitary ( s + ip ) pairing, reflecting a mixture of spin singlets and spin triplets. By combining an intrinsic time-reversal symmetry-breaking superconductivity with nontrivial electronic bands, T RuSi compounds provide an ideal platform for investigating the rich interplay between unconventional superconductivity and the exotic properties of Kramers nodal-line/hourglass fermions.