Professor Tao Wu Discusses Kagome Superconductivity at Shenzhen International Quantum Academy
Professor Tao Wu is an experimental condensed-matter physicist at the Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China. His research uses nuclear magnetic resonance and complementary experimental techniques to investigate correlated electron systems and unconventional superconductivity.
On November 15, 2025, Professor Wu visited the Shenzhen International Quantum Academy for the 95th Zhuoyue Quantum Salon. Speaking to researchers and students at the Academy, he presented a seminar titled Novel Charge-Density-Wave States in Vanadium-Based Kagome Superconductors.
The seminar was co-hosted by Dr. Ben-Chuan LIN and Academician Dapeng YU. With kagome materials and unconventional superconductivity also at the heart of LinLab’s research, Professor Wu’s visit opened a timely conversation about how different experimental probes can be brought together to understand the unusual electronic states in these materials.
Following intertwined orders in AV3Sb5
Professor Wu introduced his team’s work on the AV3Sb5 family (A = K, Rb, or Cs). His team combines nuclear magnetic resonance with scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, first-principles calculations, and high-pressure transport measurements. Together, these techniques make it possible to follow the material from its charge-density-wave transitions into the superconducting state.
The NMR measurements reveal a sequence of charge-density-wave states as the material is cooled. At still lower temperatures, a two-dimensional electronic nematic state emerges, offering a possible clue to the origin of unconventional superconductivity. Professor Wu also discussed how several ordered states are intertwined, with superconductivity and charge-density-wave order showing a particularly rich pattern of competition and coexistence.
A lively exchange after the seminar
Dr. Lin and Academician Yu guided the discussion that followed, inviting questions about the practical details of NMR measurements, possible magnetism and time-reversal symmetry breaking, and the connections between the different charge-density-wave phases and superconductivity.
The exchange brought Professor Wu’s NMR-based view of kagome superconductors into direct dialogue with LinLab’s experiments on unconventional and topological superconducting states, giving both sides an opportunity to compare results and identify questions for future study.
This article is based on the Chinese-language story published by the Shenzhen International Quantum Academy.