Chiral superconductivity in heavy-fermion metal UTe2

Jiao, Lin; Howard, Sean; Ran, Sheng; Wang, Zhenyu; Rodriguez, Jorge Olivares; Sigrist, Manfred; Wang, Ziqiang; Butch, Nicholas P.; Madhavan, Vidya

doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2122-2

Cited by 287 publications

(204 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…3(e)], lead to an indication that the orbital part of the order parameter for UTe 2 is a chiral state k b + ik c or a helical state k b c + k c b belonging to the B 3u representation classified for strong spin-orbit coupling [34][35][36][37]. The former is consistent with a chiral p + ip-type pairing concluded from STM experiments [18].…”

supporting

confidence: 57%

“…The presence of linear point nodes in the superconducting gap has been suggested from specific heat [9], nuclear spinlattice relaxation rate 1/T 1 [13], penetration depth [17], and thermal conductivity [17] measurements. Although the results of recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments suggest a chiral order parameter [18], broken time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting state has not yet been detected from muon-spin-relaxation measurements [19]. Meanwhile, a recent surface impedance measurement suggests the presence of point nodes somewhere within the ab plane [20].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Kittaka

Shimizu

Sakakibara

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Research

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The gap structure of a novel uranium-based superconductor UTe 2 , situated in the vicinity of ferromagnetic quantum criticality, has been investigated via specific-heat C(T, H,) measurements in various field orientations. Its angular (φ, θ) variation shows a characteristic shoulder anomaly with a local minimum in H a at moderate fields rotated within the ab and ac planes. Based on theoretical calculations, these features can be attributed to the presence of point nodes in the superconducting gap along the a direction. Under the field orientation along the easy-magnetization a axis, an unusual temperature dependence of the upper critical field at low fields together with a convex downward curvature in C(H) were observed. These anomalous behaviors can be explained on the basis of a nonunitary triplet state model with equal-spin pairing whose T c is tuned by the magnetization along the a axis. From these results, the gap symmetry of UTe 2 is most likely described by a vector order parameter of d(k) = (b + ic)(k b + ik c).

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supporting

confidence: 57%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Kittaka

Shimizu

Sakakibara

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Research

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“…As a result of the arc surface states the system shows anomalous thermal and spin Hall effects 181 . Other prominent examples of TRS breaking chiral superconductors include the chiral f -wave pairing state 187 with pairing potential ∆(k) ∝ k z (k x + ik y ) 2 believed to be realized in UPt 3 and the chiral p-wave state proposed for UTe 2 188 .…”

Section: B Topological Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent progress on superconductors with time-reversal symmetry breaking

Ghosh

Smidman

Shang

et al. 2020

J. Phys.: Condens. Matter

104

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“…Moreover, observed superconductivity seems to survive the application of a very strong magnetic field, contrary to any intuitive expectation and even exhibits a separate re-entrant superconducting phase between 45 T and 60 T Knebel et al, 2019). The structural parameters of UTe 2 at low temperature (LT) are an important prerequisite for further studies and understanding of the intriguing phenomenon of FM superconductivity, especially by theoretical modelling and ab initio calculations (Jiao et al, 2019;Xu et al, 2019;Ishizuka et al, 2019;Shick & Pickett, 2019). To the best of our knowledge, the LT structure of UTe 2 has not been reported previously.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Low-temperature crystal structure of the unconventional spin-triplet superconductor UTe₂from single-crystal neutron diffraction

Hutanu

Deng

Ran

et al. 2020

Acta Crystallogr B Struct Sci Cryst Eng Mater

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The crystal structure of a new superconductor UTe 2 has been investigated using single-crystal neutron diffraction for the first time at the low temperature (LT) of 2.7 K, just above the superconducting transition temperature of $1.6 K, in order to clarify whether the orthorhombic structure of type Immm (No. 71), reported for the room-temperature (RT) structure persists down to the superconducting phase and can be considered as a parent symmetry for the development of spin-triplet superconductivity. In contrast to the previously reported phase transition at about 100 K [Stö we (1996). J. Solid State Chem. 127, 202-210], our high-precision LT neutron diffraction data show that the bodycentred RT symmetry is indeed maintained down to 2.7 K. No sign of a structural change from RT down to 2.7 K was observed. The most significant change depending on temperature was observed for the U ion position and the U-U distance along the c direction, implying its potential importance as a magnetic interaction path. No magnetic order could be deduced from the neutron diffraction data refinement at 2.7 K, consistent with bulk magnetometry. Assuming normal thermal evolution of the lattice parameters, moderately large linear thermal expansion coefficients of about = 2.8 (7) Â 10 À5 K À1 are estimated.

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Chiral superconductivity in heavy-fermion metal UTe2

Cited by 287 publications

References 41 publications

Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Recent progress on superconductors with time-reversal symmetry breaking

Low-temperature crystal structure of the unconventional spin-triplet superconductor UTe₂from single-crystal neutron diffraction

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Chiral superconductivity in heavy-fermion metal UTe2

Cited by 287 publications

References 41 publications

Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Orientation of point nodes and nonunitary triplet pairing tuned by the easy-axis magnetization in UTe2

Recent progress on superconductors with time-reversal symmetry breaking

Low-temperature crystal structure of the unconventional spin-triplet superconductor UTe2from single-crystal neutron diffraction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Low-temperature crystal structure of the unconventional spin-triplet superconductor UTe₂from single-crystal neutron diffraction