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Chiral superconductivity in UTe2 probed by anisotropic low-energy excitations

Author

Listed:
  • Kota Ishihara

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Masaki Roppongi

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Masayuki Kobayashi

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Kumpei Imamura

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Yuta Mizukami

    (University of Tokyo
    Tohoku University)

  • Hironori Sakai

    (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)

  • Petr Opletal

    (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)

  • Yoshifumi Tokiwa

    (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)

  • Yoshinori Haga

    (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)

  • Kenichiro Hashimoto

    (University of Tokyo)

  • Takasada Shibauchi

    (University of Tokyo)

Abstract

Chiral spin-triplet superconductivity is a topologically nontrivial pairing state with broken time-reversal symmetry, which can host Majorana quasiparticles. The heavy-fermion superconductor UTe2 exhibits peculiar properties of spin-triplet pairing, and the possible chiral state has been actively discussed. However, the symmetry and nodal structure of its order parameter in the bulk, which determine the Majorana surface states, remains controversial. Here we focus on the number and positions of superconducting gap nodes in the ground state of UTe2. Our magnetic penetration depth measurements for three field orientations in three crystals all show the power-law temperature dependence with exponents close to 2, which excludes single-component spin-triplet states. The anisotropy of low-energy quasiparticle excitations indicates multiple point nodes near the ky- and kz-axes in momentum space. These results can be consistently explained by a chiral B3u + iAu non-unitary state, providing fundamentals of the topological properties in UTe2.

Suggested Citation

  • Kota Ishihara & Masaki Roppongi & Masayuki Kobayashi & Kumpei Imamura & Yuta Mizukami & Hironori Sakai & Petr Opletal & Yoshifumi Tokiwa & Yoshinori Haga & Kenichiro Hashimoto & Takasada Shibauchi, 2023. "Chiral superconductivity in UTe2 probed by anisotropic low-energy excitations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-38688-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38688-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lin Jiao & Sean Howard & Sheng Ran & Zhenyu Wang & Jorge Olivares Rodriguez & Manfred Sigrist & Ziqiang Wang & Nicholas P. Butch & Vidya Madhavan, 2020. "Chiral superconductivity in heavy-fermion metal UTe2," Nature, Nature, vol. 579(7800), pages 523-527, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Corey E. Frank & Sylvia K. Lewin & Gicela Saucedo Salas & Peter Czajka & Ian M. Hayes & Hyeok Yoon & Tristin Metz & Johnpierre Paglione & John Singleton & Nicholas P. Butch, 2024. "Orphan high field superconductivity in non-superconducting uranium ditelluride," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.

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