Restoring Superconductivity in the Quantum Metal Phase of NbSe₂ Using Dissipative Coupling

Localization arguments forbid the appearance of a metallic ground state in two dimensions. Yet, a large variety of disordered superconductors are known to manifest an anomalous metal phase in the zero temperature limit. While previous observations were confined to noncrystalline "dirty" superconductors, the recent observation of the so-called Bose metal phase in crystalline thin flakes of NbSe₂ has sparked off intense debate. While the exact nature of this phase remains unknown, it is thought that quantum fluctuations play a decisive role in Bose metal physics. In this work, we study the response of the anomalous metal phase in thin flakes of NbSe₂ to dissipative coupling. We evince a dramatic quenching of the Bose metal phase when dissipative coupling is strong, fully restoring a zero resistance superconducting state in the entire region of the magnetic field (H)-temperature (T) phase diagram where the Bose metal phase is otherwise observed. The suppression of the Bose metal phase by dissipative coupling is possible only in a quantum system where dissipation can directly affect system thermodynamics. Our observation of a dissipative phase transition in two-dimensional NbSe₂ firmly establishes the quantum nature of the anomalous metal phase in this class of "clean" superconductors.