Charge- 4e and Charge- 6e Flux Quantization and Higher Charge Superconductivity in Kagome Superconductor Ring Devices

Abstract

The flux quantization is a key indication of electron pairing in superconductors. For example, the well-known h/2e flux quantization is considered strong evidence for the existence of charge-2e, two-electron Cooper pairs. Here we report evidence for multicharge flux quantization in mesoscopic ring devices fabricated using the transition-metal kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5. We perform systematic magnetotransport measurements and observe unprecedented quantization of magnetic flux in units of h/4e and h/6e in magnetoresistance oscillations. Specifically, at low temperatures, magnetoresistance oscillations with period h/2e are detected, as expected from the flux quantization for charge-2e superconductivity. We find that the h/2e oscillations are suppressed and replaced by resistance oscillations with h/4e periodicity when the temperature is increased. Increasing the temperature further suppresses the h/4e oscillations, and robust resistance oscillations with h/6e periodicity emerge as evidence for charge-6e flux quantization. Our observations provide the first experimental evidence for the existence of multicharge flux quanta and emergent quantum matter exhibiting higher-charge superconductivity in the strongly fluctuating region above the charge-2e Cooper pair condensate, revealing new insights into the intertwined and vestigial electronic order in kagome superconductors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024