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Superconductivity in kagome metals due to soft loop-current fluctuations

Schultz, Daniel J. 1; Palle, Grgur ORCID iD icon 1; Mitra, Asimpunya; Kim, Yong Baek; Fernandes, Rafael M.; Schmalian, Jörg 1,2
1 Institut für Theorie der Kondensierten Materie (TKM), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
2 Institut für QuantenMaterialien und Technologien (IQMT), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract:

We demonstrate that soft fluctuations of translation symmetry-breaking loop currents provide a mechanism for unconventional superconductivity in kagome metals that naturally addresses the multiple superconducting phases observed under pressure. Focusing on the rich multi-orbital character of these systems, we show that loop currents involving both vanadium and antimony orbitals generate low-energy collective modes that couple efficiently to electrons near the Fermi surface and mediate attractive interactions in two distinct unconventional pairing channels. While loop-current fluctuations confined to vanadium orbitals favor chiral d + id superconductivity, which spontaneously breaks time-reversal symmetry, the inclusion of antimony orbitals stabilizes an s± state that is robust against disorder. We argue that these two states are realized experimentally as pressure increases and the antimony-dominated Fermi surface sheet undergoes a Lifshitz transition.


Verlagsausgabe §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000193545
Veröffentlicht am 26.05.2026
Originalveröffentlichung
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72806-w
Cover der Publikation
Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für QuantenMaterialien und Technologien (IQMT)
Institut für Theorie der Kondensierten Materie (TKM)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsjahr 2026
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 2041-1723
KITopen-ID: 1000193545
HGF-Programm 47.11.02 (POF IV, LK 01) Emergent Quantum Phenomena
Erschienen in Nature Communications
Verlag Nature Research
Band 17
Heft 1
Seiten 4557
Vorab online veröffentlicht am 21.05.2026
Nachgewiesen in OpenAlex
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