Anisotropic superconductivity in the quasi-one-dimensional superconductor VGa
arXiv:2503.17729 · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-94554-5
Abstract
The intermetallic quasi-one-dimensional binary superconductor VGa was recently found to exhibit a topologically nontrivial normal state, making it a natural candidate for a topological superconductor (TSC). By combining dc-magnetization, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and muon-spin rotation ({SR) measurements on high-quality VGa single crystals, we investigate the electronic properties of its normal- and superconducting (SC) ground states. NMR measurements in the normal state indicate a strong anisotropy in both the line shifts and the relaxation rates. Such anisotropy persists also in the superconducting state, as shown by the magnetization- and SR-spectroscopy results. In the latter case, data collected at different temperatures, pressures, and directions of the magnetic field evidence a fully-gapped, strongly anisotropic superconductivity. At the same time, hydrostatic pressure is shown to only lower the value, but not to change the superfluid density nor its temperature dependence. Lastly, we discuss the search for topological signatures in the normal state of VGa, as well as a peak splitting in the FFT of the SR spectrum, possibly related to an unconventional vortex lattice. Our results suggest that VGa is a novel system, whose anisotropy plays a key role in determining its unusual electronic properties.
14 pages, 11 figures, including Suppl. Information
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