Evidence for a Spin-Triplet Pair Density Wave State in UTe<sub>2</sub>

ORAL  · Invited

Abstract

Spin-triplet topological superconductors should exhibit many unprecedented electronic properties including fractionalized electronic states relevant to quantum information processing. Although UTe2 may embody such bulk topological superconductivity its superconductive order-parameter remains unknown. Moreover, intertwined density waves of spin (SDW), charge (CDW) and pairs (PDW) may interpose, with the latter exhibiting spatially modulating superconductive order-parameter , electron pair density and pairing energy-gap. Hence, the newly discovered CDW state in UTe2 (1) motivates the prospect that a PDW state could exist in this material. To search for it, we visualize the pairing energy-gap with energy-resolution using superconductive STM tips. We detect three PDWs, each with peak-peak gap modulations circa and at incommensurate wavevectors that are indistinguishable from the wavevectors of the prevenient CDW. Concurrent visualization of the UTe2 superconductive PDWs and the non-superconductive CDWs reveals that every pair exhibits a relative spatial phase From these observations and given UTe2 as a spin-triplet superconductor, this PDW state should be a spin-triplet pair density wave (2).

References

1. A. Aishwarya, J. May-mann, A. Raghavan, L. Nie, M. Romanelli, Magnetic-field-sensitive charge density waves in the superconductor UTe 2. Nature. 618 (2023).

2. Q. Gu+, J. P. Carroll+, S. Wang+, S. Ran, C. Broyles, H. Siddiquee, N. P. Butch, S. R. Saha, J. Paglione, J. C. S. Davis, X. Liu, Detection of a Pair Density Wave State in UTe2. Nature. 618, 921 (2023).

*S.W. and J.C.S.D. acknowledge support from the European Research Council (ERC) under award DLV-788932. Q.G., X.L., J.P.C. and J.C.S.D. acknowledge support from the Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through grant GBMF9457. J.C.S.D. acknowledges support from the Royal Society under award R64897. J.P.C. and J.C.S.D. acknowledge support from Science Foundation Ireland under award SFI 17/RP/5445. Research at the University of Maryland was supported by the Department of Energy Award No. DE-SC-0019154, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through grant no.GBMF9071, NIST and the Maryland Quantum Materials Center.

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Publication: Detection of a Pair Density Wave State in UTe2. Nature. 618, 921 (2023).

Presenters

  • Shuqiu Wang

    • University of Bristol
    • University of Bristol, University of Oxford, Cornell University

Authors

  • Shuqiu Wang

    • University of Bristol
    • University of Bristol, University of Oxford, Cornell University

  • Qiangqiang Gu

    • Cornell University

  • Joseph Carroll

    • University College Cork

  • Sheng Ran

    • Washington University in St. Louis

  • Christopher Broyles

    • Washington University in St. Louis

  • Hasan Siddiquee

    • Washington University in St. Louis

  • Nicholas P Butch

    • National Institute of Standards and Tech

  • 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

  • Seamus S Davis

    • University of Oxford
    • University of Oxford, Cornell University, University College Cork
    • Univeristy of Oxford

  • Xiaolong Liu

    • University of Notre Dame
    • Notre Dame University