Probing nodeless superconductivity in LaMSi (M = Ni, Pt) using muon-spin rotation and relaxation

TL;DR

This study investigates the superconducting properties of LaMSi (M = Ni, Pt) compounds with strong spin-orbit coupling, revealing fully gapped s-wave superconductivity and preserved time-reversal symmetry through muon-spin rotation and relaxation techniques.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed muon-spin rotation and relaxation analysis of LaMSi compounds, demonstrating nodeless superconductivity with conventional pairing and preserved time-reversal symmetry.

Findings

Superconductivity is fully gapped with s-wave symmetry.

Time-reversal symmetry is preserved in both compounds.

Small magnetic fluctuations are observed at low temperatures.

Abstract

Systems with strong spin-orbit coupling have been a topic of fundamental interest in condensed matter physics due to the exotic topological phases and the unconventional phenomenon they exhibit. In this particular study, we have investigated the superconductivity in the transition-metal ternary noncentrosymmetric compounds LaMSi (M = Ni, Pt) with different spin-orbit coupling strength, using muon-spin rotation and relaxation measurements. Transverse-field measurements made in the vortex state indicate that the superconductivity in both materials is fully gapped, with a conventional s-wave pairing symmetry and BCS-like magnitudes for the zero-temperature gap energies. Zero field measurements suggest a time-reversal symmetry preserved superconductivity in both the systems, though a small increase in muon depolarization is observed upon decreasing temperature. However, this has been attributed to quasi-static magnetic fluctuations.