Observation of cupratelike nonlinear terahertz responses in superconducting infinite-layer nickelates via two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy

Abstract

The d-wave pairing symmetry in newly discovered infinite-layer nickelates remains highly debated compared to the widely accepted d-wave superconductivity in cuprates, despite recent intense efforts using equilibrium optical and electrical transport measurements. A complementary approach involves characterizing THz coherent nonlinear responses, which is currently lacking but needed, as it would offer new insights into the superconducting gap structure by characterizing Higgs modes and quasiparticle excitations. Here, we report THz 2D coherent spectroscopy (THz-2DCS) responses from the superconducting state in an infinite-layer nickelate. The 2D spectra clearly demonstrate the absence of hallmark signatures of s-wave pairing symmetry, such as resonant 2Δ peaks at superconducting gaps. Instead, we observe gapless 2D spectra in the nickelate, centered around the THz driving frequency, with no noticeable shift as the temperature increases. These findings closely resemble the nodal superconductivity behavior expected in cuprates. Together with our simulations, these findings suggest that 2Δ signatures in the 2D spectra of d-wave gap structures can be obscured by significant nodal quasiparticle excitations at arbitrarily low energies. This contrasts with the long-lived Higgs modes, observed as distinct 2Δ peaks in a controlled THz-2DCS experiment on niobium, a representative example of dirty-limit s-wave superconductors. Our results have implications for understanding the unconventional superconductivity in nickelates and highlight the need to explore their coherent nonlinear dynamics.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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