Local Probe Insight into Kagome Lattice Magnets and Superconductors featuring Charge Order

In condensed matter physics, the intertwining of quantum phases such as superconducting, magnetic, and topological states can give rise to a high degree of tunability driven by competing interactions. One of the most important and versatile structural platforms which has allowed for the exploration of novel physical emergent phenomena is the kagome lattice, an atomic structural motif comprised of an interlocking network of corner sharing triangles. This lattice hosts diverse and exciting phases from unconventional superconductivity [1,2] to time-reversal symmetry-breaking charge order [3] and topological magnetism [4]. My research has reevaluated superconductivity in LaRu₃Si₂ considering the Ru kagome lattice and found significant enhancement of the critical temperature and superfluid density resulting from the correlation effect of kagome band structures found near the Fermi energy [1], thus identifying a novel class of unconventional superconductors. Additionally, time-reversal symmetry-breaking charge order has been uncovered in KV₃Sb₅ [3] and then in RbV₃Sb₅ [2] and CsV₃Sb₅ [5] for the first time, another family of kagome superconductors. All these results have come together in my doctoral thesis [6], utilizing a highly sensitive local magnetic probe to shed light on the complex interplay of electronic and magnetic order which make kagome materials so unique.