「トポロジー」と「対称性の破れ」の交差点～鉄系超伝導体における新たな量子状態の発見～

2025-07-23 東京大学,東京都立大学,東北大学,弘前大学

図1：トポロジカル超伝導と表面電子状態

＜関連情報＞

• https://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/information/category/press/11685.html
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61651-y

FeSe1−xTex超伝導体におけるトポロジーと時間反転対称性破れの交わり Topology meets time-reversal symmetry breaking in FeSe1−xTex superconductors

Masaki Roppongi,Yipeng Cai,Koki Ogawa,Supeng Liu,Guoqiang Zhao,Mohamed Oudah,Takenori Fujii,Kumpei Imamura,Shengjie Fang,Kota Ishihara,Kenichiro Hashimoto,Kohei Matsuura,Yuta Mizukami,Mathew Pula,Cyrus Young,Igor Marković,Douglas A. Bonn,Takao Watanabe,Aichi Yamashita,Yoshikazu Mizuguchi,Graeme M. Luke,Kenji M. Kojima,Yasutomo J. Uemura & Tasakada Shibauch
Nature Communications  Published:23 July 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61651-y

Abstract

Time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) in magnetic topological insulators induces a Dirac gap in the topological surface state (TSS), leading to exotic phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect. Yet, the interplay between TRSB and topology in superconductors remains underexplored due to limited suitable materials. Here we employ zero-field muon spin relaxation (μSR) as a sensitive probe of TRSB to map out the electronic phase diagrams of iron-chalcogenide superconductors FeSe_1−xTe_x. For the Te composition x = 0.64 with the highest superconducting transition temperature T_c = 14.5 K, which is known to host a TSS and Majorana zero modes within vortices, we detect spontaneous magnetic fields below T_c distinct from a magnetic order. This signifies a TRSB superconducting state in the bulk, revealing the convergence of unconventional TRSB superconductivity with topologically nontrivial electronic structures in FeSe_1−xTe_x. Given the relatively high T_c and the tunability of the Fermi level through chemical substitution, iron-chalcogenide superconductors offer an intriguing platform for investigating the synergy between topological superconductivity and TRSB.