The curious case of the magnetic field-sensitive charge density waves in UTe₂

In the ongoing search for new phases of matter, UTe₂ which combines strong correlations and unconventional superconductivity with possible non-trivial topology, is an extremely promising system. A plethora of surprising and confounding experimental phenomenology have been reported in this material, since its re-emergence in 2019. In this talk, I am going to present our discovery of a multicomponent, incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) order in UTe₂ using high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at 300 mK. The CDWs show an unexpected and unusual sensitivity to magnetic field, with the strength of the CDW order decreasing, and eventually disappearing close to the superconducting H_c2 indicating that the CDWs are strongly intertwined with superconductivity. In addition, the response of the CDWs is sensitive to the field orientation, similar to the behavior of superconductivity in this system. I will also discuss the possible implications and origin of such a CDW state and its connection to the underlying exotic superconducting state.