Superconductivity from Spin-Canting Fluctuations in Rhombohedral Graphene

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Authors: Zhiyu Dong, Étienne Lantagne-Hurtubise, Jason Alicea
Cited by: 3
References: 77

Abstract

Rhombohedral graphene multilayers host various broken-symmetry metallic phases as well as superconductors whose pairing mechanism and order parameter symmetry remain unsettled. Strikingly, experiments have revealed prominent superconducting regions in rhombohedral bilayer and trilayer graphene devices with proximity-induced Ising spin-orbit coupling. We propose that these superconductors descend from a common spin-canted normal state that spontaneously breaks a U(1) spin symmetry and thus supports soft magnon modes. In particular, we show that these soft modes can mediate pairing through interband scattering events that are symmetry forbidden in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, thus providing a promising explanation for spin-orbit-enabled pairing. Numerous other experimental observations—including nontrivial dependence of superconductivity on the spin-orbit coupling strength, in-plane magnetic fields, and Fermi surface structure—also naturally follow from our scenario.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Graphene research and applications Advanced Physical and Chemical Molecular Interactions Quantum and electron transport phenomena

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical Review X
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
16
Issue
1
Publication date
12 February 2026
Language
EN