Broken time-reversal symmetry probed by muon spin relaxation in the caged type superconductor Lu$_5$Rh$_6$Sn$_{18}$

TL;DR

This study investigates the superconductor Lu$_5$Rh$_6$Sn$_{18}$, revealing broken time-reversal symmetry and an isotropic s-wave gap, suggesting a non-unitary triplet pairing with point nodes.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of broken time-reversal symmetry and characterizes the pairing symmetry in Lu$_5$Rh$_6$Sn$_{18}$ using muon-spin relaxation and other measurements.

Findings

Broken time-reversal symmetry confirmed by zero-field $$SR.

Superconducting gap consistent with isotropic s-wave behavior.

Indications of non-unitary triplet pairing with point nodes.

Abstract

The superconducting state of the caged type compound Lu$_5$Rh$_6$Sn$_{18}$ has been investigated by using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation ($\mu$SR) measurements and the results interpreted on the basis of the group theoretical classifications of the possible pairing symmetries and a simple model of the resulting quasiparticle spectra. Our zero-field $\mu$SR measurements clearly reveal the spontaneous appearance of an internal magnetic field below the transition temperature, which indicates that the superconducting state in this material is characterized by the broken time-reversal symmetry. Further the analysis of temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth measured using the transverse field $\mu$SR measurements suggest an isotropic $s$-wave character for the superconducting gap. This is in agreement with the heat capacity behavior and we show that it can be interpreted in terms of a non unitary triplet state with point nodes and an open Fermi surface.