Kinetic approach to superconductivity hidden behind a competing order

TL;DR

This paper introduces a kinetic method using rapid cooling and electric pulses to induce and control metastable superconductivity in IrTe2, bypassing thermodynamic constraints and enabling reversible switching.

Contribution

It presents a novel kinetic approach to realize and manipulate superconductivity by avoiding competing orders through rapid thermal quenching and electric pulse techniques.

Findings

Successful kinetic avoidance of charge order in IrTe2

Reversible switching of metastable superconductivity

Non-volatile control enabled by thermal history

Abstract

Exploration for superconductivity is one of the research frontiers in condensed matter physics. In strongly correlated electron systems, the emergence of superconductivity is often inhibited by the formation of a thermodynamically more stable magnetic/charge order. Thus, to develop the superconductivity as the thermodynamically most stable state, the free-energy balance between the superconductivity and the competing order has been controlled mainly by changing thermodynamic parameters, such as the physical/chemical pressure and carrier density. However, such a thermodynamic approach may not be the only way to materialize the superconductivity. Here, we present a new kinetic approach to avoiding the competing order and thereby inducing persistent superconductivity. In the transition-metal dichalcogenide IrTe2 as an example, by utilizing current-pulse-based rapid cooling up to 10^7 K/s, we successfully kinetically avoid a first-order phase transition to a competing charge order and uncover metastable superconductivity hidden behind. Because the electronic states at low temperatures depend on the history of thermal quenching, electric pulse applications enable non-volatile and reversible switching of the metastable superconductivity, a unique advantage of the kinetic approach. Thus, our findings provide a new approach to developing and manipulating superconductivity beyond the framework of thermodynamics.