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13h ago

MIT Team Directly Detects V‑Shaped Superconducting Gap in Magic‑Angle Tri‑Layer Graphene

A tunneling–transport platform provides a direct view of pairing in the material, pointing to electron interactions rather than lattice vibrations.

MIT researchers observed clear signatures of unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MATTG). The image illustrates pairs of superconducting electrons (yellow spheres) traveling through MATTG, as the team’s new method (represented by magnifying glass) probes the material’s unconventional superconducting gap (represented by the V-shaped beam).
This research paves the way for designing new superconductors and materials to power more efficient quantum computers.
(Image Credit: Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, et al)

Overview

  • Researchers combined electron tunneling spectroscopy with electrical transport in a single device to link spectral features unambiguously to the zero‑resistance state.
  • The measured superconducting gap shows a V‑shaped profile that departs from the flat gaps typical of conventional, phonon‑mediated superconductors.
  • Gap measurements tracked changes with temperature and magnetic field, strengthening the case for unconventional, electronically driven pairing.
  • The work, led by the MIT group of Pablo Jarillo‑Herrero with co‑lead authors Jeong Min Park and Shuwen Sun, is published in Science.
  • The team plans to use the same platform to probe other twisted 2D systems in the twistronics family, aiming to identify and compare additional superconducting candidates.