Purely two-dimensional vortex matter in infinite-layer nickelates

Abstract: Characterizing the dimensionality of the superconducting state in the infinite-layer (IL) nickelates is crucial to understand its nature. Most studies have addressed the problem by studying the anisotropy of the upper critical fields. Yet, the dominance of Pauli-paramagnetism effects over orbital ones makes it challenging to interpret the experiments in terms of dimensionality. Here we address the question from a different perspective, by investigating the vortex phase diagram in the mixed-state. We demonstrate that superconducting Pr0.8Sr0.2NiO2 thin films present a vortex liquid-to-glass transition of a purely two-dimensional nature. The obtained results suggest that bidimensionality is an intrinsic property, and that superconductivity resides in fully-decoupled NiO2 planes. In this scenario, the coherence length along the c-axis must be shorter than the distance between those planes, while Josephson and magnetostatic coupling between them must be negligible. We believe that these conclusions are relevant for theories on the origin of superconductivity in the IL-nickelates.