Disorder-induced suppression of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates
Abhishek Ranna, Romain Grasset, Martin Gonzalez, Kyuho Lee, Bai Yang Wang, Edgar Abarca Morales, Florian Theuss, Zuzanna H. Filipiak, Michal Moravec, Marcin Konczykowski, Harold Y. Hwang, Andrew P. Mackenzie, Berit H. Goodge
Published: 2025/6/11
Abstract
The pairing symmetry of superconducting infinite-layer nickelates is a fundamental yet experimentally challenging question. We employ high-energy electron irradiation to induce disorder in superconducting Nd$_{0.825}$Sr$_{0.175}$NiO$_2$ thin films and examine the impact of pair-breaking defects on superconductivity and elucidate the nature of the superconducting gap. Our measurements reveal a complete suppression of superconductivity with increasing disorder, suggesting an unconventional, sign-changing order parameter.