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Electrodynamic properties and low energy excitations of UTe<sub>2 </sub>

ORAL

Abstract

We explore the microwave surface impedance of spin-triplet UTe2 single crystals as a function of temperature using resonant cavity perturbation measurements. Properties of a superconductor, such as the super- and normal-fluid responses, pairing mechanism, Fermi surface, and topological properties, influence its surface impedance. We employ a novel multi-modal analysis to gain insight into these properties. We focus on results which require minimal assumptions and analysis. We determine a composite surface impedance of the crystal for each mode using resonance data combined with the independently measured normal state dc resistivity tensor. The normal state surface impedance reveals the weighting of current flow directions in the crystal of each resonant mode. For UTe2, we find an isotropic △λ(T)∼Tα power-law temperature dependence for the magnetic penetration depth for T≤Tc/3 with α<2, which is inconsistent with a single pair of point nodes on the Fermi surface under weak scattering. Though our observed values of α are similar to those of other studies of UTe2, we find no systematic variation in α for currents flowing in different directions in the crystal. We also find a similar power-law temperature dependence for the low-temperature surface resistance Rs(T). We do, however, observe an anisotropy of the residual microwave loss across these modes. We explore the possibility of topological Weyl superconductivity in the context of our observed isotropic power-law and anisotropy of the residual loss.

Publication: S. Bae, H. Kim, S. Ran, Y. S. Eo, I-Lin Liu, W. Fuhrman, J. Paglione, N. P. Butch, S. M. Anlage, "Anomalous normal fluid response in a chiral superconductor," Nature Communications 12:2644 (2021).

Presenters

  • Arthur L Carlton-Jones

    University of Maryland College Park

Authors

  • Arthur L Carlton-Jones

    University of Maryland College Park

  • Braden Larsen

    University of Colorado Boulder

  • Alonso Suarez

    University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland College Park

  • Yun-Suk Eo

    University of Maryland, College Park

  • Ian M Hayes

    University of Maryland College Park

  • 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

  • Nicholas P Butch

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

  • Peter Y Zavalij

    University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland College Park

  • Steven M Anlage

    University of Maryland College Park