IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v12y2021i1d10.1038_s41467-021-21642-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Atomic-layer Rashba-type superconductor protected by dynamic spin-momentum locking

Author

Listed:
  • Shunsuke Yoshizawa

    (Research Center for Advanced Measurement and Characterization, National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Takahiro Kobayashi

    (Osaka University)

  • Yoshitaka Nakata

    (Chiba University)

  • Koichiro Yaji

    (The University of Tokyo
    Research Center for Advanced Measurement and Characterization, National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Kenta Yokota

    (National Institute for Materials Science
    Hokkaido University)

  • Fumio Komori

    (The University of Tokyo)

  • Shik Shin

    (The University of Tokyo
    The University of Tokyo)

  • Kazuyuki Sakamoto

    (Chiba University
    Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
    Osaka University
    Chiba University)

  • Takashi Uchihashi

    (National Institute for Materials Science
    Hokkaido University)

Abstract

Spin-momentum locking is essential to the spin-split Fermi surfaces of inversion-symmetry broken materials, which are caused by either Rashba-type or Zeeman-type spin-orbit coupling (SOC). While the effect of Zeeman-type SOC on superconductivity has experimentally been shown recently, that of Rashba-type SOC remains elusive. Here we report on convincing evidence for the critical role of the spin-momentum locking on crystalline atomic-layer superconductors on surfaces, for which the presence of the Rashba-type SOC is demonstrated. In-situ electron transport measurements reveal that in-plane upper critical magnetic field is anomalously enhanced, reaching approximately three times the Pauli limit at T = 0. Our quantitative analysis clarifies that dynamic spin-momentum locking, a mechanism where spin is forced to flip at every elastic electron scattering, suppresses the Cooper pair-breaking parameter by orders of magnitude and thereby protects superconductivity. The present result provides a new insight into how superconductivity can survive the detrimental effects of strong magnetic fields and exchange interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Shunsuke Yoshizawa & Takahiro Kobayashi & Yoshitaka Nakata & Koichiro Yaji & Kenta Yokota & Fumio Komori & Shik Shin & Kazuyuki Sakamoto & Takashi Uchihashi, 2021. "Atomic-layer Rashba-type superconductor protected by dynamic spin-momentum locking," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21642-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21642-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21642-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-21642-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21642-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.