In the kagome metal CsV₃Sb₅, uniaxial tensile strain appears to separate two superconducting states that may be difficult to distinguish under ordinary conditions. An Okayama University account of a 2026 study reports that stretching raised the superconducting transition temperature while leaving the material’s charge-density-wave order essentially unchanged. At the greatest strain tested, the team observed transitions it associated with both nodal and nodeless superconductivity—a possible explanation for why earlier experiments pointed to different gap structures.
Why CsV₃Sb₅’s superconducting gap has been debated
CsV₃Sb₅ is a kagome metal: its atoms form a lattice pattern associated with the kagome geometry. The Okayama University highlight describes charge-density-wave order emerging at about 94 K and superconductivity at about 2.5 K. A charge-density wave is an ordered modulation of electronic charge within a material.
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The key question is whether the superconducting gap—the energy range associated with superconducting electrons—has nodes, where the gap falls to zero at some points, or is nodeless. The university says previous measurements had suggested apparently different answers. Professor Shinji Kawasaki, quoted in the highlight, summarized the problem: “For years, different measurements of CsV₃Sb₅ have pointed toward seemingly different superconducting states,”
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHow the team tested the material under strain
The researchers used high-quality single crystals and a custom piezoelectric-driven strain cell to apply uniaxial strain along one crystallographic direction. They made nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements in situ, while the strain was applied, to monitor superconducting transitions and local electronic properties.
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The approach let the team change the material’s conditions mechanically and observe its response without relying only on measurements after the strain was removed. The university’s account does not provide the detailed strain calibration, geometry, or uncertainty estimates, so those experimental specifics cannot be assessed from the highlight alone.
What stretching changed—and what it did not
According to the Okayama University highlight, the superconducting transition began near 3.0 K at zero strain and reached about 3.6 K at +0.90% tensile strain. The same account says the charge-density-wave order remained essentially unchanged as tensile strain increased.
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The highlight also gives about 2.5 K as the material’s superconducting temperature in its general overview. It separately reports a zero-strain transition beginning near 3.0 K. Those figures appear in different parts of the university’s account; it does not explain their relationship, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measurements of the same transition.
The university contrasts this result with hydrostatic pressure, which it says changes superconductivity largely through its effect on charge order. The reported uniaxial-strain result is notable because superconductivity changed without a detectable corresponding change in bulk charge-density-wave order. That is the qualitative comparison the highlight supports; it does not establish a broader pressure-versus-strain phase diagram.
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Two transitions point to nodal and nodeless states
At the largest tensile strain, +0.90%, the researchers reported transitions at about 3.6 K and 3.0 K, which they associated with nodal and nodeless superconducting states, respectively. In the team’s interpretation, tensile strain strengthens the nodal component enough to make it discernible as a separate transition from the nodeless state.
| Reported feature | At zero strain | At +0.90% tensile strain |
|---|---|---|
| Transition associated with the nodal state | About 3.0 K transition onset; nodal contribution about 10% | About 3.6 K transition; nodal contribution about 26% |
| Transition associated with the nodeless state | No separate transition reported in the highlight | About 3.0 K transition |
The temperature and contribution figures are approximate values reported by the university. The highlight does not define precisely how the nodal contribution was calculated, nor does it give uncertainties or sample-to-sample variation. The table therefore presents the reported interpretation, not a reanalysis of the underlying measurements.
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How the result could reconcile earlier experiments
If two superconducting states are close in energy under ambient conditions, measurements may emphasize different aspects of the material and appear to favor different gap structures. The team interprets its strain results as showing that the states can coexist and that tensile strain can separate them sufficiently to distinguish their transitions.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →This offers a plausible way to understand conflicting observations; it does not show that strain alone caused every disagreement in earlier studies or that other measurement methods were wrong. Kawasaki said, as quoted in the university highlight: “Our results show that these states can coexist and that uniaxial strain can separate them, giving us a direct way to study each state.”
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What the finding establishes—and what remains open
The result, as described by Okayama University, shows a useful experimental control: tensile strain increased the reported superconducting transition temperature while leaving charge-density-wave order essentially unchanged, and the most strained sample showed two transitions attributed to distinct gap structures. Kawasaki characterized strain as “an independent control knob in this material—it enhances superconductivity without changing the bulk charge density wave,” in the university’s account.
The university identifies the underlying paper as “Strain-Tuned Nodal Superconductivity in the Charge-Ordered Kagome Metal CsV₃Sb₅,” published in Physical Review Letters, volume 137, issue 9, on August 28, 2026, DOI 10.1103/mzgp-2lzb. The account cited here is the university’s research highlight, not the full paper; details such as the complete spectra, uncertainty estimates, sample count, and reproducibility are therefore not available in that account. Read the Okayama University research highlight.
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