Superconducting order parameter of the nodal-line semimetal NaAlSi

TL;DR

This study reveals that NaAlSi is a nodal-line semimetal with topologically protected band crossings, and its superconductivity features two fully gapped s-wave gaps, making it a potential platform for exploring topological quantum phases.

Contribution

First identification of NaAlSi as a nodal-line semimetal with topological protection and detailed characterization of its bulk superconductivity with two-gap s-wave symmetry.

Findings

NaAlSi is a nodal-line semimetal with protected band crossings.

Superconductivity in NaAlSi is bulk, fully gapped, and consistent with a two-gap s-wave model.

Time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state.

Abstract

Nodal-line semimetals are topologically non-trivial states of matter featuring band crossings along a closed curve, i.e. nodal-line, in momentum space. Through a detailed analysis of the electronic structure, we show for the first time that the normal state of the superconductor NaAlSi, with a critical temperature of $T_{\rm c} \approx$ 7 K, is a nodal-line semimetal, where the complex nodal-line structure is protected by non-symmorphic mirror crystal symmetries. We further report on muon spin rotation experiments revealing that the superconductivity in NaAlSi is truly of bulk nature, featuring a fully gapped Fermi-surface. The temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth can be well described by a two-gap model consisting of two $s$-wave symmetric gaps with $\Delta_1 =$ 0.6(2) meV and $\Delta_2 =$ 1.39(1) meV. The zero-field muon experiment indicates that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state. Our observations suggest that notwithstanding its topologically non-trivial band structure, NaAlSi may be suitably interpreted as a conventional London superconductor, while more exotic superconducting gap symmetries cannot be excluded. The intertwining of topological electronic states and superconductivity renders NaAlSi a prototypical platform to search for unprecedented topological quantum phases.