Stabilizing the U 5f <sup>2</sup> configuration in the U<sup>3+</sup> compound UTe<sub>2</sub>: importance of U 6d

ORAL

Abstract

We have investigated UTe2, proposed to be a topological spin-triplet superconductor, with high-resolution valence band resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the U M4,5-edges. We observe atomic-like low energy excitations which establish the correlated nature of the material. These excitations originate from the U 5f 2 configuration, which is surprising in view of the expected formal U3+ valence based on the presence of short Te2-Te2 distances in the crystal. Supported by band structure calculations, we infer that the stabilization of the U 5f 2 configuration is the result of the U 6d states acting as a reservoir to absorb the extra charge from the Te2 sublattice. We suggest that the formal configuration of uranium in UTe2 should be written as 5f26d1, thereby indicating that the description of the physical properties should start from a 5f 2 Ansatz.

*We acknowledge the German Research Foundation (DFG) - grant N◦ 387555779, and DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities. Work at Los Alamos National Laboratory was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science and Engineering under project "Quantum Fluctuations in Narrow-Band Systems". A.V.A. and L.H. benefited from financial support of the Czech Science Foundation - project N◦ 21-09766S.

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Publication: Denise S. Christovam, ..., Priscila. F. S. Rosa, Andrea Severing, and Liu Hao Tjeng, "Stabilizing the U 5f 2 configuration in the U3+ compound UTe2: importance of U 6d" (in preparation)

Presenters

  • Denise S Christovam

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

Authors

  • Denise S Christovam

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

  • Martin Sundermann

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solid; PETRA III, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

  • Andrea Marino

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physic

  • Daisuke Takegami

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

  • Johannes Falke

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

  • Paulius Dolmantas

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

  • Hlynur Gretarsson

    • PETRA III, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

  • Bernhard Keimer

    • Max Planck Institute for Solid State Physics
    • Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

  • Maurits W Haverkort

    • Heidelberg University
    • Institute of theoretical physics Heidelberg University
    • Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University

  • Ilya Elfimov

    • Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia

  • Alexander V Andreev

    • Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

  • Ladislav Havela

    • Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University

  • Eric D Bauer

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

  • Priscila Rosa

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Andrea Severing

    • Univ Cologne

  • Liu Hao Tjeng

    • Max Planck for Chemical Physics of Solids