Robust anomalous metallic states and vestiges of self duality in two-dimensional granular In composites

Many experiments investigating magnetic field tuned superconductor-insulator transition (H-SIT), often exhibit low-temperature resistance saturation, which is interpreted as an anomalous metallic phase emerging from a "failed superconductor," thus challenging conventional theory. Here we use a random granular array of indium islands grown on a gateable layer of indium-oxide. Tuning the intergrain couplings, we reveal a wide range of magnetic fields where resistance saturation is observed, under conditions of careful electromagnetic filtering and within a wide range of linear response. Exposure to external broadband noise or microwave radiation is shown to strengthen the tendency of superconductivity, where at low field a global superconducting phase is restored. Increasing magnetic field unveils an "avoided H-SIT," exhibiting granularity-induced logarithmic divergence of the resistance/conductance above/below that transition respectively, pointing to possible vestiges of the original emergent duality observed in a true H-SIT. We conclude that anomalous metallic phase is intimately associated with inherent inhomogeneities, exhibiting robust behavior at attainable temperatures for strongly granular two-dimensional systems.