Applied magnetic fields underlie exotic quantum states, such as the fractional quantum Hall effect 1 and Bose-Einstein condensation of spin excitations 2 . Superconductivity, on the other hand, is inherently antagonistic towards magnetic fields. Only in rare cases 3-5 can these effects be mitigated over limited fields, leading to reentrant superconductivity. Here, we report the unprecedented coexistence of multiple high-field reentrant superconducting phases in the spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2 6 . Strikingly, we observe superconductivity in the highest magnetic field range identified for any reentrant superconductor, beyond 65 T. These extreme properties reflect a new kind of exotic superconductivity rooted in magnetic fluctuations 7 and boosted by a quantum dimensional crossover 8 .
Low-temperature electrical and thermal transport, heat capacity and magnetic penetration depth measurements were performed on single crystals of the actinide superconductor UTe2 to determine the structure of the superconducting energy gap. Millikelvin specific heat measurements reveal an upturn below 300 mK that is well described by a divergent quantum-critical contribution to the density of states (DOS). Modeling this contribution with a T −1/3 power law allows restoration of the full entropy balance in the superconducting state below Tc = 1.6 K, revealing a perfect T 3 power law for the electronic DOS below Tc. Heat transport measurements performed with currents directed along both crystallographic a-and b-axes reveal a vanishingly small residual fermionic component of the thermal conductivity that grows as T 3 for both directions and exhibits an a/b anisotropy ratio of ∼ 2.5 in the T = 0 limit. The magnetic field dependence of the residual term follows a quasilinear increase consistent with the presence of nodal quasiparticles, rising rapidly toward the a-axis upper critical field where the Wiedemann-Franz (WF) law is recovered. Together with a quadratic temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth up to T /Tc = 0.3, these measurements provide definitive evidence for an unconventional spin-triplet superconducting order parameter with point nodes positioned along the crystallographic a-axis.
Using inelastic neutron scattering, we map a 14 meV coherent resonant mode in the topological Kondo insulator SmB6 and describe its relation to the low energy insulating band structure. The resonant intensity is confined to the X and R high symmetry points, repeating outside the first Brillouin zone and dispersing less than 2 meV, with a 5d-like magnetic form factor. We present a slave-boson treatment of the Anderson Hamiltonian with a third neighbor dominated hybridized band structure. This approach produces a spin exciton below the charge gap with features that are consistent with the observed neutron scattering. We find that maxima in the wave vector dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering indicate band inversion.PACS numbers: 71.10. Li, 71.27.+a, 75.30.Mb Recent theoretical work suggests SmB 6 could be a topological Kondo insulator (TKI), with an insulating bulk at low temperatures and a topologically protected metallic surface [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] that was previously ascribed to impurities [8]. Because strong electron-electron interactions produce the insulating state, the surface may support exotic correlated physics [9][10][11].Experimental investigations [12][13][14][15][16][17][18], particularly spinresolved angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy (ARPES) [19], have provided compelling evidence that SmB 6 is a TKI. However, information about the band structure within ≈ 50 meV of the Fermi level is limited due to the polar surface, multiplet structure, and strong correlations. In this energy range the magnetic neutron scattering is sensitive to the renormalized band structure through the imaginary part of the momentum (Q) and energy ( ω) dependent generalized susceptibility.In this Letter, we present a comprehensive measurement of the inelastic magnetic neutron scattering cross section covering the full Brillouin zone of SmB 6 for energies below 50 meV. We pair our experimental results with a slave-boson treatment of an Anderson Hamiltonian, and discuss how pseudonesting conditions for the renormalized band structure can be examined to corroborate a topologically nontrivial band structure for SmB 6 . The low energy magnetic neutron scattering cross section for SmB 6 is dominated by a resonant mode near 14 meV with bandwidth < 2 meV. Previous publications reported intensity at R [ ( 1 2 1 2 1 2 )], and investigated it versus temperature and doping [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Here, we show the mode is also intense near the X [( 1 2 00)] point and present, albeit dramatically weaker, beyond the first zone. Through this mulitzone mapping, we provide evidence for an anomalous 5d form factor for the weakly dispersing mode, and develop a minimal band structure based on dominant third neighbor hopping. The hybridized tight-binding model goes beyond early two-band theoretical treatments [26,27] by allowing f -electron fluctuations as appropriate for a mixed valence compound and provides a link between the wave vector dependence of the magnetic neutron scattering and band inversion in Kondo insu...
We elucidate the role of magnon interaction and spontaneous decays in the spin dynamics of the triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet by calculating its dynamical structure factor within the spin-wave theory. Explicit theoretical results for neutron-scattering intensity are provided for spins S = 1/2 and S = 3/2. The dynamical structure factor exhibits unconventional features such as quasiparticle peaks broadened by decays, non-Lorentzian lineshapes, and significant spectral weight redistribution to the two-magnon continuum. This rich excitation spectrum illustrates the complexity of the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet and provides distinctive qualitative and quantitative fingerprints for experimental observation of decay-induced magnon dynamics.
Inelastic neutron scattering at low temperatures T≤30 K from a powder of LiZn2Mo3O8 demonstrates this triangular-lattice antiferromagnet hosts collective magnetic excitations from spin-1/2 Mo3O13 molecules. Apparently gapless (Δ<0.2 meV) and extending at least up to 2.5 meV, the low-energy magnetic scattering cross section is surprisingly broad in momentum space and involves one-third of the spins present above 100 K. The data are compatible with the presence of valence bonds involving nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor spins forming a disordered or dynamic state.
Samarium hexaboride (SmB6) is a Kondo insulator, with a narrow gap due to hybridization between localized and conduction electrons. Despite being an insulator, many samples show metal-like properties. Rare-earth purification is exceedingly difficult, and nominally pure samples may contain 2% or more of impurities. Here to determine the effects of rare-earth doping on SmB6, we synthesized and probed a series of gadolinium-doped samples. We found a relationship between specific heat and impurity moment screening which scales systematically. Consistent with this finding, our neutron scattering experiments of a high purity sample of doubly isotopic 154Sm11B6 show no intrinsic excitations below the well-established 13 meV spin-exciton. The result of introducing impurities into a Kondo insulator is incompletely understood, but it is clear from our measurements that there is a systematic relationship between rare-earth impurities and metal-like properties in SmB6.
Chiral superconductors have been proposed as one pathway to realize Majorana normal fluid at its boundary. However, the long-sought 2D and 3D chiral superconductors with edge and surface Majorana normal fluid are yet to be conclusively found. Here, we report evidence for a chiral spin-triplet pairing state of UTe2 with surface normal fluid response. The microwave surface impedance of the UTe2 crystal was measured and converted to complex conductivity, which is sensitive to both normal and superfluid responses. The anomalous residual normal fluid conductivity supports the presence of a significant normal fluid response. The superfluid conductivity follows the temperature behavior predicted for an axial spin-triplet state, which is further narrowed down to a chiral spin-triplet state with evidence of broken time-reversal symmetry. Further analysis excludes trivial origins for the observed normal fluid response. Our findings suggest that UTe2 can be a new platform to study exotic topological excitations in higher dimension.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.