Directional-dependent Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at EuO/KTaO$_3$(111) interfaces

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huang, Zongyao, Wang, Zhengjie, Hua, Xiangyu, Wang, Huiyu, Li, Zhaohang, Liu, Shihao, Wang, Zhiwei, Quan, Feixiong, Wang, Zhen, Tao, Jing, He, James Jun, Xiang, Ziji, Chen, Xianhui
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915905225621504
author Huang, Zongyao
Wang, Zhengjie
Hua, Xiangyu
Wang, Huiyu
Li, Zhaohang
Liu, Shihao
Wang, Zhiwei
Quan, Feixiong
Wang, Zhen
Tao, Jing
He, James Jun
Xiang, Ziji
Chen, Xianhui
author_facet Huang, Zongyao
Wang, Zhengjie
Hua, Xiangyu
Wang, Huiyu
Li, Zhaohang
Liu, Shihao
Wang, Zhiwei
Quan, Feixiong
Wang, Zhen
Tao, Jing
He, James Jun
Xiang, Ziji
Chen, Xianhui
contents In two dimensions, a phase-coherent superconducting state is established via a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition, whose critical temperature $T_{\rm BKT}$ is determined by the global superfluid stiffness in uniform superconducting systems. We report that at the interface between (111)-oriented KTaO$_3$ and ferromagnetic EuO, the two-dimensional superconducting state exhibits a BKT transition relying on the direction of in-plane bias current. The highest $T_{\rm BKT}$ occurs when current is applied along one of the [11$\bar{2}$] axes of KTaO$_3$, underscoring a spontaneous breaking of the threefold lattice rotational symmetry. Such directional dependence of $T_{\rm BKT}$ is consistently reflected in the nonreciprocal signals stemming from superconducting fluctuations above the transition. We attribute this phenomenon to an interfacial phase segregation; the phase with higher $T_{\rm BKT}$ self-organizes into quasi-one-dimensional textures that stretch along one of the [11$\bar{2}$] directions. Our results point toward the emergence of exotic phases of matter beyond the description of conventional BKT physics at a superconducting interface that is subjected to ferromagnetic proximity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_00608
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Directional-dependent Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at EuO/KTaO$_3$(111) interfaces
Huang, Zongyao
Wang, Zhengjie
Hua, Xiangyu
Wang, Huiyu
Li, Zhaohang
Liu, Shihao
Wang, Zhiwei
Quan, Feixiong
Wang, Zhen
Tao, Jing
He, James Jun
Xiang, Ziji
Chen, Xianhui
Superconductivity
In two dimensions, a phase-coherent superconducting state is established via a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition, whose critical temperature $T_{\rm BKT}$ is determined by the global superfluid stiffness in uniform superconducting systems. We report that at the interface between (111)-oriented KTaO$_3$ and ferromagnetic EuO, the two-dimensional superconducting state exhibits a BKT transition relying on the direction of in-plane bias current. The highest $T_{\rm BKT}$ occurs when current is applied along one of the [11$\bar{2}$] axes of KTaO$_3$, underscoring a spontaneous breaking of the threefold lattice rotational symmetry. Such directional dependence of $T_{\rm BKT}$ is consistently reflected in the nonreciprocal signals stemming from superconducting fluctuations above the transition. We attribute this phenomenon to an interfacial phase segregation; the phase with higher $T_{\rm BKT}$ self-organizes into quasi-one-dimensional textures that stretch along one of the [11$\bar{2}$] directions. Our results point toward the emergence of exotic phases of matter beyond the description of conventional BKT physics at a superconducting interface that is subjected to ferromagnetic proximity.
title Directional-dependent Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at EuO/KTaO$_3$(111) interfaces
topic Superconductivity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.00608