The electric-field-driven intermediate state of three-dimensional superconductors

Abstract

The coexistence of superconductivity and finite electric fields may enable access to intriguing forms of electronic states. We demonstrate the emergence of an intermediate state in which electric fields penetrate the system while superconductivity still persists. Our measurements reveal a nonclassical regime characterized by the simultaneous presence of supercurrent and dissipative charge transport. This state, realized in a pristine unpatterned three-dimensional system, arises from electric-field-driven order parameter fluctuations. It provides a platform to explore dissipative states of charged quantum fluids far from equilibrium.