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Field-dependent superconducting gap in UTe<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

UTe₂ has emerged as a promising candidate for realizing spin-triplet superconductivity, characterized by critical ferromagnetic fluctuations and an extremely large, anisotropic upper critical field. Unexpectedly, for UTe2 with a superconducting transition temperature of 1.6K, unusual in-gap excitations are revealed in the tunneling conductance, alongside a significant residual density of states in specific heat measurements. Recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements have also suggested the presence of a tripet pair density wave that coexists with a charge density wave on the surface of the material. Here, we investigate field-dependent superconducting (SC) gap and charge density wave of UTe2 by STM. Utilizing a vector magnetic field, we visualize the distinct response of SC gap when fields are applied along different axes. Our results provide insights into the pairing mechanism in UTe2 from a microscopic perspective.

Presenters

  • Zhen Zhu

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Authors

  • Zhen Zhu

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Kaiming Liu

    University of illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Sheng Ran

    Washington University, St. Louis

  • Shanta R Saha

    University of Maryland College Park

  • Johnpierre Paglione

    University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Quantum Materials Center, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

  • Alexander Geoffrey Eaton

    Univ of Cambridge, University of Cambridge

  • Vidya Madhavan

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign