Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Editors' Suggestion
  • Letter

Microscopic phase-transition framework for gate-tunable superconductivity in monolayer WTe2

F. Yang*, G. D. Zhao, Y. Shi, and L. Q. Chen†

  • Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA

  • *Contact author: fzy5099@psu.edu
  • †Contact author: lqc3@psu.edu

Phys. Rev. B 113, L100501 – Published 17 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/b6vp-zt8z

Abstract

The recently reported gate-tunable superconductivity in monolayer WTe2 [Science 362, 922 (2018); Science  362, 926 (2018); Nat. Phys. 20, 269 (2024); Phys. Rev. Res. 7, 013224 (2025)] exhibits several striking anomalies beyond the standard paradigm, including a contrasting carrier-density dependence of the transition temperature Tc in weakly and strongly disordered regimes, and more surprisingly, the sudden disappearance of superconducting fluctuations below a critical carrier density. To understand these features, we go beyond mean-field theory and develop a microscopic framework that treats the gap and superfluid density by explicitly and self-consistently incorporating both Nambu-Goldstone (NG) phase fluctuations and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) fluctuations. We show that these fluctuations are minimal in the weak-disorder regime but become crucial under strong disorder, where the zero-temperature gap renormalized by NG quantum fluctuations becomes density-dependent while the BKT fluctuations drive the Tc below the gap-closing temperature. Simulations within this unified framework combined with the density-functional-theory input to account for the excitonic instability quantitatively reproduced nearly all key experimental observations, providing a consistent understanding of reported anomalies.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation