Coexistence of near- EF Flat Band and Van Hove Singularity in a Two-Phase Superconductor

Abstract

Quantum many-body systems, particularly, the ones with large near-EF density states, are well known for exhibiting rich phase diagrams as a result of enhanced electron correlations. The recently discovered locally noncentrosymmetric heavy fermion superconductor CeRh2As2 has stimulated extensive attention due to its unusual H−T phase diagram consisting of two-phase superconductivity, antiferromagnetic order, and possible quadrupole-density wave orders. However, the critical near-EF electronic structure remains experimentally elusive. Here, we provide this key information by combining soft-x-ray and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) angle-resolved-photoemission-spectroscopy measurements and atom-resolved density-functional-theory (DFT)+U calculations. With bulk-sensitive soft x ray, we reveal quasi-2D hole and electron pockets near the EF. On the other hand, under VUV light, the Ce flat bands are resolved with the c−f hybridization persisting up to well above the Kondo temperature. Most importantly, we observe a symmetry-protected fourfold Van Hove singularity (VHS) coexisting with the Ce   4f5/21 flat bands at the X point, which, to the best of our knowledge, has never been reported before. Such a rare coexistence is expected to lead to a large density of states at the zone edge, a large upper critical field of the odd-parity phase, as well as spin and/or charge instabilities with a vector of (1/2, 1/2, 0). Uniquely, it will also result in a new type of f-VHS hybridization that alters the order and fine electronic structure of the VHS and flat bands. Our findings provide not only key insights into the nature of multiple phases in CeRh2As2 but also open up new prospects for exploring the novelties of many-body systems with f-VHS hybridization. Published by the American Physical Society 2024