Momentum Structure of Superconductivity and Sublattice Effects from Quasiparticle Interference in CsV${}_3$Sb${}_5$

Abstract

Quantum interference encoded in the sublattice texture of kagome Bloch wavefunctions has been widely invoked as a route to correlated states, including chiral charge order, unconventional superconductivity, and their possible intertwining in pair-density-wave (PDW) states. Using sub-Kelvin scanning tunneling microscopy, we conducted spectroscopic mapping of the kagome material CsV${}_3$Sb${}_5$ with high energy resolution and dense energy sampling through the superconducting gap. Quasiparticle interference (QPI) analysis, aided by ab initio and symmetry calculations, reveals an isotropic superconducting gap on the Fermi surfaces derived from V $M_z$-even ($M_z^{+}$) $d$ orbitals, thereby constraining possible gap symmetries and limiting any gap anisotropy to the remaining V $M_z$-odd ($M_z^{-}$) and Sb $p_z$ bands. Meanwhile, the CDW-peak-selected d$I$/d$V$ spectra closely track the spatially averaged density of states and show no distinct enhancement restricted to subgap energies, which do not support an additional PDW modulation within our sensitivity. Finally, the selective absence of specific QPI scattering vectors points to a spectroscopic sensitivity to sublattice character on the Fermi surface. Together, these results provide a clearer experimental picture of the low-energy electronic structure relevant to kagome superconductivity in CsV${}_3$Sb${}_5$.

24 pages, 4 figures

Topics & keywords