Unconventional superconductivity in half-Heusler semimetals

ORAL

Abstract

We consider the superconductivity of the topological half-Heusler semimetals YPtBi and LuPtBi, where pairing occurs between $j = 3/2$ quasiparticles. This permits Cooper pairs with quintet or septet total angular momentum, in addition to singlet and triplet states. Purely on-site interactions can generate unconventional (quintet) time-reversal symmetry-breaking states with topologically nontrivial point or line nodes. Furthermore, due to the broken inversion symmetry in these materials, the usual $s$-wave singlet state can mix with a $p$-wave septet state, also with topologically stable line-nodes.

*We acknowledge support from Microsoft Station Q, LPS-CMTC, and JQI-NSF-PFC (P.M.R.B), J. Paglione and the U.S. Department of Energy Early Career award DE-SC-0010605 (L.W.), and the NSF via DMREF- 1335215 (D.F.A. and M.W.)

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Authors

  • Philip Brydon

    • University of Maryland College Park and University of Otago
    • Department of Physics, University of Otago

  • Limin Wang

    • Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, University of Maryland

  • Michael Weinert

    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

  • Daniel Agterberg

    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee