Nodal-line semimetals are topologically non-trivial states of matter featuring band crossings along a closed curve, i.e. nodal-line, in momentum space. Through a detailed analysis of the electronic structure, we show for the first time that the normal state of the superconductor NaAlSi, with a critical temperature of Tc≈ 7 K, is a nodal-line semimetal, where the complex nodal-line structure is protected by non-symmorphic mirror crystal symmetries. We further report on muon spin rotation experiments revealing that the superconductivity in NaAlSi is truly of bulk nature, featuring a fully gapped Fermi-surface. The temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth can be well described by a two-gap model consisting of two s-wave symmetric gaps with Δ1= 0.6(2) meV and Δ2= 1.39(1) meV. The zero-field muon experiment indicates that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state. Our observations suggest that notwithstanding its topologically non-trivial band structure, NaAlSi may be suitably interpreted as a conventional London superconductor, while more exotic superconducting gap symmetries cannot be excluded. The intertwining of topological electronic states and superconductivity renders NaAlSi a prototypical platform to search for unprecedented topological quantum phases.
@article{arxiv.1909.06875,
title = {Superconducting order parameter of the nodal-line semimetal NaAlSi},
author = {Lukas Muechler and Zurab Guguchia and Jean-Christophe Orain and Jürgen Nuss and Leslie M. Schoop and Ronny Thomale and Fabian O. von Rohr},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.06875},
year = {2019}
}