• 文献标题:   Zero-field superconducting diode effect in small-twist-angle trilayer graphene
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   LIN JXZ, SIRIVIBOON P, SCAMMELL HD, LIU S, RHODES D, WATANABE K, TANIGUCHI T, HONE J, SCHEURER MS, LI JIA
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   NATURE PHYSICS
  • ISSN:   1745-2473 EI 1745-2481
  • 通讯作者地址:  
  • 被引频次:   26
  • DOI:   10.1038/s41567-022-01700-1 EA AUG 2022
  • 出版年:   2022

▎ 摘  要

A superconducting diode effect is observed at zero magnetic field in twisted trilayer graphene. This suggests that time-reversal symmetry is intrinsically broken and leads to pairing between electrons with non-zero centre-of-mass momentum. The critical current of a superconductor can be different for opposite directions of current flow when both time-reversal and inversion symmetry are broken. Such non-reciprocal behaviour creates a superconducting diode and has recently been experimentally demonstrated by breaking these symmetries with an applied magnetic field or by the construction of a magnetic tunnel junction. Here we report an intrinsic superconducting diode effect that is present at zero external magnetic field in mirror-symmetric twisted trilayer graphene. Such non-reciprocal behaviour, with sign that can be reversed through training with an out-of-plane magnetic field, provides direct evidence of the microscopic coexistence between superconductivity and time-reversal symmetry breaking. In addition to the magnetic-field trainability, we show that the zero-field diode effect can be controlled by varying the carrier density or twist angle. A natural interpretation for the origin of the intrinsic diode effect is an imbalance in the valley occupation of the underlying Fermi surface, which probably leads to finite-momentum Cooper pairing and nematicity in the superconducting phase.