| TOPICAL REVIEW — Two-dimensional superconductivity |
Prev
Next
|
|
|
Spectroscopic studies of two-dimensional superconductivity |
| Qiang-Jun Cheng(程强军)1, Xu-Cun Ma(马旭村)1,2,3, Qi-Kun Xue(薛其坤)1,2,3,4, and Can-Li Song(宋灿立)1,2,3,† |
1 Department of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 2 Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information, Beijing 100084, China; 3 Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; 4 Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China |
|
|
|
|
Abstract Two-dimensional superconductivity has become a major frontier in condensed matter physics. It holds the key to understanding the mechanism of high-temperature superconductors and offers an exceptional arena for stabilizing emergent quantum states enabled by enhanced electron correlations in reduced dimensionality. These states are frequently characterized by spatial modulations and intertwined with competing orders, calling for studies that combine real-space imaging with local spectroscopy. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy meet this need by directly accessing the local density of states with lattice-scale resolution. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the study of several representative unconventional superconductors using this technique, focusing on the direct characterization of high-temperature super-conducting planes, pair-density waves, and topological superconductivity in both artificial heterostructures and intrinsic materials. We conclude by outlining current challenges and future directions motivated by these microscopic insights.
|
Received: 02 January 2026
Revised: 05 February 2026
Accepted manuscript online: 03 March 2026
|
|
PACS:
|
68.65.-k
|
(Low-dimensional, mesoscopic, nanoscale and other related systems: structure and nonelectronic properties)
|
| |
68.37.Ef
|
(Scanning tunneling microscopy (including chemistry induced with STM))
|
| |
71.27.+a
|
(Strongly correlated electron systems; heavy fermions)
|
|
| Fund: This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12474130, 12141403, and 12134008) and the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFA1403100). |
Corresponding Authors:
Can-Li Song
E-mail: clsong07@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
|
Cite this article:
Qiang-Jun Cheng(程强军), Xu-Cun Ma(马旭村), Qi-Kun Xue(薛其坤), and Can-Li Song(宋灿立) Spectroscopic studies of two-dimensional superconductivity 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 066801
|
[1] Onnes H K 1911 Proc. Kon. Akad. Wet. 14 818 [2] Meissner W and Ochsenfeld R 1933 Naturwiss. 21 787 [3] Yao C and Ma Y W 2021 iScience 24 102541 [4] Bardeen J, Cooper L N and Schrieffer J R 1957 Phys. Rev. 108 1175 [5] Bednorz J G and Muller K A 1986 Z. Phys. B: Condens. Matter 64 189 [6] Timusk T and Statt B W 1999 Rep. Prog. Phys. 62 61 [7] Damascelli A, Hussain Z and Shen Z X 2003 Rev. Mod. Phys. 75 473 [8] Fong H F, Keimer B, Anderson P W, Reznik D, Dogan F and Aksay I A 1995 Phys. Rev. Lett. 75 316 [9] Loeser A G, Shen Z X, Dessau D S, Marshall D S, Park C H, Fournier P and Kapitulnik A 1996 Science 273 325 [10] Valla T, Fedorov A V, Johnson P D, Glans P A, McGuinness C, Smith K E, Andrei E Y and Berger H 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 086401 [11] Xu Z A, Ong N P, Wang Y, Kakeshita T and Uchida S 2000 Nature 406 486 [12] Lanzara A, Bogdanov P V, Zhou X J, Kellar S A, Feng D L, Lu E D, Yoshida T, Eisaki H, Fujimori A, Kishio K, Shimoyama J I, Noda T, Uchida S, Hussain Z and Shen Z X 2001 Nature 412 510 [13] Pan S H, O’Neal J P, Badzey R L, Chamon C, Ding H, Engelbrecht J R, Wang Z, Eisaki H, Uchida S, Gupta A K, Ng K W, Hudson E W, Lang K M and Davis J C 2001 Nature 413 282 [14] Hoffman J E, McElroy K, Lee D H, Lang K M, Eisaki H, Uchida S and Davis J C 2002 Science 297 1148 [15] Anderson P W 1987 Science 235 1196 [16] Sheng D N, Chen Y C and Weng Z Y 1996 Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 5102 [17] Kamihara Y, Watanabe T, Hirano M and Hosono H 2008 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130 3296 [18] Dai P, Hu J and Dagotto E 2012 Nat. Phys. 8 709 [19] Hosono H, Yamamoto A, Hiramatsu H and Ma Y 2018 Mater. Today 21 278 [20] Lee P A, Nagaosa N and Wen X G 2006 Rev. Mod. Phys. 78 17 [21] Keimer B, Kivelson S A, Norman M R, Uchida S and Zaanen J 2015 Nature 518 179 [22] Paglione J and Greene R L 2010 Nat. Phys. 6 645 [23] Scalapino D J 2012 Rev. Mod. Phys. 84 1383 [24] Wen X G and Lee P A 1996 Phys. Rev. Lett. 76 503 [25] Dagotto E 1994 Rev. Mod. Phys. 66 763 [26] Shen Z X, Dessau D S, Wells B O, Olson C G, Mitzi D, Lindau I, Spicer W E and Kapitulnik A 1993 Phys. Rev. Lett. 70 1553 [27] Stewart G R 2011 Rev. Mod. Phys. 83 1589 [28] Wang Q Y, Li Z, Zhang W H, Zhang Z C, Zhang J S, Li W, Ding H, Ou H W, Deng P, Chang K, Wen J, Song C L, He K, Jia J F, Ji S H, Wang Y Y, Wang L L, Chen X, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2012 Chin. Phys. Lett. 29 037402 [29] He S L, He J F, Zhang W H, et al. 2013 Nat. Mater. 12 605 [30] Ge J F, Liu Z L, Liu C, Gao C L, Qian D, Xue Q K, Liu Y and Jia J F 2015 Nat. Mater. 14 285 [31] Lee J J, Schmitt F T, Moore R G, Johnston S, Cui Y T, Li W, Yi M, Liu Z K, Hashimoto M, Zhang Y, Lu D H, Devereaux T P, Lee D H and Shen Z X 2014 Nature 515 245 [32] Xu Y, Rong H, Wang Q, Ma Z, Cai P, Ge J F, Wang C, Zhang Y, Gu L, Liu K, Wen H H and Xue Q K 2021 Nat. Commun. 12 2840 [33] Gozar A, Logvenov G, Kourkoutis L F, Bollinger A T, Giannuzzi L A, Muller D A and Bozovic I 2008 Nature 455 782 [34] Shen J Y, Shi C Y, Pan Z M, et al. 2023 Nat. Commun. 14 7290 [35] Jungfleisch M B, Zhang W, Sklenar J, Jiang W, Pearson J E, Ketterson J B and Hoffmann A 2016 Phys. Rev. B 93 224419 [36] Presland M R, Tallon J L, Buckley R G, Liu R S and Flower N E 1991 Physica C 176 95 [37] Emery V J and Kivelson S A 1995 Nature 374 434 [38] Novoselov K S, Mishchenko A, Carvalho A and Castro Neto A H 2016 Science 353 aac9439 [39] Schaibley J R, Yu H, Clark G, Rivera P, Ross J S, Seyler K L, Yao W and Xu X 2016 Nat. Rev. Mater. 1 16055 [40] Agterberg D F, Davis J S, Edkins S D, et al. 2020 Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 11 231 [41] Fradkin E, Kivelson S A and Tranquada J M 2015 Rev. Mod. Phys. 87 457 [42] Lee P A 2014 Phys. Rev. X 4 031017 [43] Kitaev A Yu 2001 Phys.-Usp. 44 131 [44] Kitaev A Y 2003 Ann. Phys. 303 2 [45] Fischer Ø, Kugler M, Maggio-Aprile I, Berthod C and Renner C 2007 Rev. Mod. Phys. 79 353 [46] Yazdani A, da Silva Neto E H and Aynajian P 2016 Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 7 11 [47] Zhong Y, Wang Y, Han S, Lv Y F, Wang W L, Zhang D, Ding H, Zhang Y M, Wang L L, He K, Zhong R D, Schneeloch J A, Gu G D, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2016 Sci. Bull. 61 1239 [48] Anderson P W 1959 J. Phys. Chem. Solids 11 26 [49] Fan J Q, Yu X Q, Cheng F J, Wang H, Wang R F, Ma X B, Hu X P, Zhang D, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2022 Natl. Sci. Rev. 9 nwab225 [50] Niestemski F C, Kunwar S, Zhou S, et al. 2007 Nature 450 1058 [51] Tajima S, Ido T, Ishibashi S, Itoh T, Eisaki H, Mizuo Y, Arima T, Takagi H and Uchida S 1991 Phys. Rev. B 43 10496 [52] Eschrig M 2006 Adv. Phys. 55 47 [53] Zhu Q, Fan J Q, Yu X Q, Xiong Y L, Yan H, Wang R F, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2025 Phys. Rev. B 111 245410 [54] Zhong Y, Fan J Q, Wang R F, Wang S Z, Zhang X F, Zhu Y Y, Dou Z Y, Yu X Q, Wang Y, Zhang D, Zhu J, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2020 Phys. Rev. Lett. 125 077002 [55] Molegraaf H J A, Presura C, Van Der Marel D, Kes P H and Li M 2002 Science 295 2239 [56] Yu X Q, Yan H, Wei L X, Deng Z X, Xiong Y L, Fan J Q, Yu P, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2022 Phys. Rev. B 106 L100503 [57] Dingle R, Stormer H L, Gossard A C and Wiegmann W 1978 Appl. Phys. Lett. 33 665 [58] Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2020 MRS Bull. 45 366 [59] Wang R F, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2025 AAPPS Bull. 35 12 [60] Yin Y, Zech M, Williams T L, Wang X F, Wu G, Chen X H and Hoffman J E 2009 Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 097002 [61] Wei Z, Qin S, Ding C, Wu X, Hu J, Sun Y J, Zhao L X, Li J, Zhang Y, He K, Xue Q K and Chen X 2023 Nat. Commun. 14 5302 [62] Yuan Y, Fan X, Wang X, He K, Zhang Y, Xue Q K and Li W 2021 Nat. Commun. 12 2196 [63] Song C L, Wang Y L, Cheng P, et al. 2011 Science 332 1410 [64] Song C L, Zhang H M, Zhong Y, Hu X P, Ji S H, Wang L L, He K, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2016 Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 157001 [65] Ren M Q, Cheng Q J, He H H, Deng Z X, Cheng F J, Wang Y W, Lou C C, Zhang Q H, Gu L, Liu K, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2025 Phys. Rev. Lett. 134 246203 [66] Terashima K, Sekiba Y, Bowen J H, Nakayama K, Kawahara T, Sato T, Richard P, Uchiyama H, Souma S, Sato T, Takahashi T and Komatsu H 2009 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106 7330 [67] Cheng Q J, Wang Y W, Ren M Q, Deng Z X, Lou C C, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2025 Commun. Mater. 6 162 [68] Yi M, Lu D, Chu J H, Analytis J G, Sorini A P, Kemper A F, Moritz B, Mo S K, Moore R G, Hashimoto M, Lee W S, Hussain Z, Devereaux T P, Fisher I R and Shen Z X 2011 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108 6878 [69] Shao S, Zhang F, Zhang Z Y, Wang T, Wu Y W, Tu Y B, Hou J, Hou X Y, Hao N, Mu G and Shan L 2023 Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. 66 287412 [70] Fleming R M, Ramirez A P, Rosseinsky M J, Murphy D W, Haddon R C, Zahurak S M and Makhija A V 1991 Nature 352 787 [71] Takabayashi Y and Prassides K 2016 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 374 20150320 [72] Han S, Guan M X, Song C L, Wang Y L, Ren M Q, Meng S, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2020 Phys. Rev. B 101 085413 [73] Ren M Q, Han S, Wang S Z, Fan J Q, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2020 Phys. Rev. Lett. 124 187001 [74] Wang S Z, Ren M Q, Han S, Cheng F J, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2021 Commun. Phys. 4 114 [75] Ren M Q, Wang S Z, Han S, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2022 AAPPS Bull. 32 1 [76] Fulde P and Ferrell R A 1964 Phys. Rev. 135 A550 [77] Chen H D, Vafek O, Yazdani A and Zhang S C 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 187002 [78] Hoffman J E, Hudson E W, Lang K M, Madhavan V, Eisaki H, Uchida S I and Davis J C 2002 Science 295 466 [79] Ruan W, Li X, Hu C, Hao Z Q, Li H W, Cai P, Zhou X J, Lee D H and Wang Y Y 2018 Nat. Phys. 14 1178 [80] Edkins S D, Kostin A, Fujita K, Mackenzie A P, Eisaki H, Uchida S, Sachdev S, Lawler M J, Kim E A, Davis J C S and Hamidian M H 2019 Science 364 976 [81] Du Z, Li H, Joo S H, Donoway E P, Lee J, Davis J C S, Gu G, Johnson P D and Fujita K 2020 Nature 580 65 [82] Li X T, Zou C W, Ding Y, Yan H T, Ye S S, Li H W, Hao Z Q, Zhao L, Zhou X J and Wang Y Y 2021 Phys. Rev. X 11 011007 [83] Chen H, Yang H, Hu B, et al. 2021 Nature 599 222 [84] Deng H, Qin H, Liu G, et al. 2024 Nature 632 775 [85] Deng H, Liu G, Guguchia Z, et al. 2024 Nat. Mater. 23 1639 [86] Han X, Chen H, Tan H, Cao Z, Huang Z, Ye Y, Zhao Z, Shen C, Yang H, Yan B, Wang Z and Gao H J 2025 Nat. Nanotechnol. 20 1017 [87] Liu X, Chong Y X, Sharma R and Davis J S 2021 Science 372 1447 [88] Cao L, Xue Y, Wang Y, Zhang F C, Kang J, Gao H J, Mao J and Jiang Y 2024 Nat. Commun. 15 7234 [89] Gu Q, Carroll J P, Wang S, Ran S, Broyles C, Siddiquee H, Butch N P, Saha S R, Paglione J, Davis J C S and Liu X 2023 Nature 618 921 [90] Zhao H, Blackwell R, Thinel M, Handa T, Ishida S, Zhu X, Iyo A, Eisaki H, Pasupathy A N and Fujita K 2023 Nature 618 940 [91] Liu Y, Wei T, He G, Zhang Y, Wang Z and Wang J 2023 Nature 618 934 [92] Wei L X, Xiao P C, Li F S, Wang L, Deng B Y, Cheng F J, Zheng F W, Hao N, Zhang P, Ma X C, Xue Q K and Song C L 2025 Phys. Rev. B 112 L060503 [93] Cheng F J, Lou C C, Chen A X, Wei L X, Liu Y, Deng B Y, Li F, Wang Z, Xue Q K, Ma X C and Song C L 2025 Phys. Rev. Lett. 135 166201 [94] Wei T, Liu Y, Ren W, Liang Z, Wang Z and Wang J 2025 Chin. Phys. Lett. 42 027404 [95] Kong L, Papaj M, Kim H, Zhang Y, Baum E, Li H, Watanabe K, Taniguchi T, Gu G, Lee P A and Nadj-Perge S 2025 Nature 640 55 [96] Fu L and Kane C L 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 096407 [97] Kezilebieke S, Huda M N, Vano V, Aapro M, Ganguli S C, Silveira OJ, Głodzik S, Foster A S, Ojanen T and Liljeroth P 2020 Nature 588 424 [98] Xu J P, Wang M X, Liu Z L, Ge J F, Yang X, Liu C, Xu Z A, Guan D, Gao C L, Qian D, Liu Y, Wang Q H, Zhang F C, Xue Q K and Jia J F 2015 Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 017001 [99] Liu T, Wan C Y, Yang H, Zhao Y J, Xie B J, Zheng W Y, Yi Z X, Guan D D, Wang S Y, Zheng H, Liu C H, Fu L, Liu J W, Li Y Y and Jia J F 2024 Nature 633 71 [100] Sun H H, Wang M X, Zhu F, Wang G Y, Ma H Y, Xu Z A, Liao Q, Lu Y, Gao C L, Li Y Y, Liu C, Qian D, Guan D and Jia J F 2017 Nano Lett. 17 3035 [101] Ding S, Chen C, Cao Z, Wang D, Pan Y, Tao R, Zhao D, Hu Y, Jiang T, Yan Y, Shi Z, Wan X, Feng D and Zhang T 2022 Sci. Adv. 8 eabq4578 [102] Yuan W, Yan Z J, Yi H, Wang Z, Paolini S, Zhao Y F, Zhou L, Wang A G, Wang K, Prokscha T, Salman Z, Suter A, Balakrishnan P P, Grutter A J, Winter L E, Singleton J, Chan M H W and Chang C Z 2024 Nano Lett. 24 7962 [103] Yuan Y H, Pan J, Wang X T, Fang Y Q, Song C L, Wang L L, He K, Ma X C, Zhang H J, Huang F Q, Li W and Xue Q K 2019 Nat. Phys. 15 1046 [104] Fan X M, Sun X Q, Zhu P H, Fang Y Q, Ju Y K, Yuan Y H, Yan J M, Huang F Q, Hughes T L, Tang P Z, Xue Q K and Li W 2025 Natl. Sci. Rev. 12 nwae312 [105] Lv Y F, Wang W L, Zhang Y M, Ding H, Li W, Wang L L, He K, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2017 Sci. Bull. 62 852 [106] Wu X, Liu X, Thomale R and Liu C X 2022 Natl. Sci. Rev. 9 nwab087 [107] Zhang P, Yaji K, Hashimoto T, Ota Y, Kondo T, Okazaki K, Wang Z, Wen J, Gu G D, Ding H and Shin S 2018 Science 360 182 [108] Wang D, Kong L, Fan P, Chen H, Zhu S, Liu W, Cao L, Sun Y, Du S, Schneeloch J, Zhong R, Gu G, Fu L, Ding H and Gao H J 2018 Science 362 333 [109] Liu Q, Chen C, Zhang T, Peng R, Yan Y J, Wen C H P, Lou X, Huang Y L, Tian J P, Dong X L, Wang G W, Bao W C, Wang Q H, Yin Z P, Zhao Z X and Feng D L 2018 Phys. Rev. X 8 041056 [110] Chen C, Jiang K, Zhang Y, Liu C, Liu Y, Wang Z and Wang J 2020 Nat. Phys. 16 536 [111] Fan P, Yang F, Qian G, Chen H, Zhang Y Y, Li G, Huang Z, Xing Y, Kong L, Liu W, Jiang K, Shen C, Du S, Schneeloch J, Zhong R, Gu G, Wang Z, Ding H and Gao H J 2021 Nat. Commun. 12 1348 [112] Kong L, Cao L, Zhu S, Papaj M, Dai G, Li G, Fan P, Liu W, Yang F, Wang X, Du S, Jin C, Fu L, Gao H J and Ding H 2021 Nat. Commun. 12 4146 [113] Li M, Li G, Cao L, Zhou X, Wang X, Jin C, Chiu C K, Pennycook S J, Wang Z and Gao H J 2022 Nature 606 890 [114] Liu W, Cao L, Zhu S, Kong L, Wang G, Papaj M, Zhang P, Liu Y B, Chen H, Li G, Yang F, Kondo T, Du S, Cao G H, Shin S, Fu L, Yin Z, Gao H J and Ding H 2020 Nat. Commun. 11 5688 [115] Xiong Y L, Guan J Q, Wang R F, Song C L, Ma X C and Xue Q K 2022 Chin. Phys. B 31 067401 [116] Tan J H, Jiao N, Zheng M M, Zhang P and Lu H Y 2025 Chin. Phys. B 34 097402 [117] Qu J Y, Hu G J, Xiang C L, Guo H, Lv S H, Han Y C, Xian G Y, Qi Q, Zhao Z, Zhu K, Lin X, Bao L H, Zou Y J, Sun L X, Yang H T and Gao H J 2025 Chin. Phys. B 34 067401 |
| No Suggested Reading articles found! |
|
|
Viewed |
|
|
|
Full text
|
|
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
|
Cited |
|
|
|
|
Altmetric
|
|
blogs
Facebook pages
Wikipedia page
Google+ users
|
Online attention
Altmetric calculates a score based on the online attention an article receives. Each coloured thread in the circle represents a different type of online attention. The number in the centre is the Altmetric score. Social media and mainstream news media are the main sources that calculate the score. Reference managers such as Mendeley are also tracked but do not contribute to the score. Older articles often score higher because they have had more time to get noticed. To account for this, Altmetric has included the context data for other articles of a similar age.
View more on Altmetrics
|
|
|