Atomic-layer Rashba-type superconductor protected by dynamic spin-momentum locking

Spin-momentum locking is essential to the spin-split Fermi surfaces of inversion-symmetry broken materials, which are caused by either Rashba-type or Zeeman-type spin-orbit coupling (SOC). While the effect of Zeeman-type SOC on superconductivity has experimentally been shown recently, that of Rashba-type SOC remains elusive. Here we report on convincing evidence for the critical role of the spin-momentum locking on crystalline atomic-layer superconductors on surfaces, for which the presence of the Rashba-type SOC is demonstrated. In-situ electron transport measurements reveal that in-plane upper critical magnetic field is anomalously enhanced, reaching approximately three times the Pauli limit at T = 0. Our quantitative analysis clarifies that dynamic spin-momentum locking, a mechanism where spin is forced to flip at every elastic electron scattering, suppresses the Cooper pair-breaking parameter by orders of magnitude and thereby protects superconductivity. The present result provides a new insight into how superconductivity can survive the detrimental effects of strong magnetic fields and exchange interactions. The effect of Rashba spin orbit coupling (SOC) on superconductivity remains elusive. Here, the authors report largely enhanced in-plane upper critical magnetic field due to Rashba SOC induced dynamic spin-momentum locking on the surfaces of an atomic-layer superconductor.

Automated summary

The research provides evidence that spin-momentum locking plays a crucial role in the superconductivity of crystalline atomic-layer superconductors on surfaces, with Rashba spin orbit coupling enhancing the critical magnetic field and protecting superconductivity.