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Unconventional superconductivity in UTe<sub>2</sub>

Invited

Abstract

Spin triplet superconductivity was recently discovered at temperatures below 1.6 K in the correlated electron compound UTe2 (1), with remarkably anisotropic and large upper critical field values, exceeding 35 T. Although it shares many characteristics with the ferromagnetic spin-triplet superconductors, UTe2 does not order magnetically; instead, it exhibits properties of a quantum critical ferromagnet. The attendant strong magnetic fluctuations likely play an important role in establishing the superconducting pairing and protecting it against the typical destabilizing effects of high magnetic fields. Accumulating evidence supports the notion of a spin-triplet, nodal order parameter. Moreover, an unprecedented reentrant superconducting phase has been identified in UTe2 at even higher magnetic fields, between 40 T and 65 T (2).

References:
(1) Science 365, 684 (2019)
(2) Nature Physics (2019), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0670-x

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Presenters

  • Nicholas Butch

    NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center of Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Center for Neutron Research, NIST center for neutron research, NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology,, University of Maryland, College Park & NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research

Authors

  • Nicholas Butch

    NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center of Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Center for Neutron Research, NIST center for neutron research, NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology,, University of Maryland, College Park & NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research