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The properties of quantum materials are commonly tuned using experimentalvariables such as pressure, magnetic field and doping. Here we explore adifferent approach: irreversible, plastic deformation of single crystals. Weshow for the superconductor SrTiO$_3$ that compressive plastic deformationinduces low-dimensional superconductivity significantly above thesuperconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) of undeformed samples, withevidence of superconducting correlations at temperatures two orders ofmagnitude above the bulk $T_c$. The superconductivity enhancement is correlatedwith the appearance of self-organized dislocation structures, as revealed bydiffuse neutron and X-ray scattering. We also observe signatures ofdeformation-induced quantum-critical ferroelectric fluctuations andinhomogeneous ferroelectric order via Raman scattering. These results suggestthat the strain surrounding the self-organized dislocation structures induceslocal ferroelectricity and quantum-critical dynamics that strongly influence$T_c$, consistent with a theory of superconductivity enhanced by soft polarfluctuations. More broadly, our results demonstrate the promise of plasticdeformation and dislocation engineering as tools to manipulate electronicproperties of quantum materials.

Ferroelectric quantum criticality and enhanced superconductivity in plastically deformed strontium titanate