Resonance from Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations for Superconductivity in UTe2
January 4, 2022
(a) Energy dependence of the imaginary part of the dynamical susceptibility (c”(E)) centered at the wavevector Q=(0,0.59,0) for temperatures of 0.25 K and 2 K (below and above TC). (b) c”(E) as a function of temperature at (red circles) and below (blue squares) the resonance energy. The resonant peak appears below the superconducting transition temperature TC = 1.5 K.
Scientific Achievement
It is shown that superconductivity in UTe2, a putative topological spin triplet superconductor, is coupled with a sharp magnetic excitation, termed resonance, at a wavevector characteristic of antiferromagnetic (AF) order.
Significance and Impact
The discovery of a resonance suggests that AF spin fluctuations may drive spin-triplet superconductivity with the potential to host technologically promising topological states.
Research Details
- Single crystals were produced using an iodine vapor transport method.
- The wavevector and energy dependence of the magnetic excitation spectrum of UTe2 was explored with inelastic neutron scattering (INS).
“Resonance from Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations for Superconductivity in UTe2”
Chunruo Duan, R. E. Baumbach,Andrey Podlesnyak,Yuhang Deng, Camilla Moir, Alexander J. Breindel, M. Brian Maple, E. M. Nica, Qimiao Si, and Pengcheng Dai,
Nature 600, 636–640 (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04151-5
