Local condensation of charge-$4e$ superconductivity at a nematic domain wall

Abstract

In the fluctuation regime that precedes the onset of pairing in multi-component superconductors, such as nematic and chiral superconductors, the normal state is generally unstable towards the formation of charge-$4e$ order $-$ an exotic quantum state in which electrons form coherent quartets rather than Cooper pairs. However, charge-$4e$ order is often suppressed by other competing composite orders, such as nematics. Importantly, the formation of nematic domains is unavoidable due to the long-range strains generated, leading to one-dimensional regions where the competing nematic order is suppressed. Here, we employ a real-space variational approach to demonstrate that, in such nematic domain walls, charge-$4e$ order is locally condensed via a vestigial-order mechanism. We explore the experimental manifestations of this effect and discuss materials in which it can be potentially observed.

arXiv comment8 pages, 3 figures

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Nematic Superconductivity and Its Critical Vestigial Phases in the Quasi-crystal
• Vestigial $d$-wave charge-$4e$ Superconductivity from Bidirectional Pair Density Waves