Change of superconducting character in UTe2induced by magnetic field

TL;DR

This study investigates the high magnetic field-induced superconducting state in UTe2, revealing that its superconducting properties and spin configuration change significantly under strong magnetic fields aligned with the b axis.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed analysis of the intrinsic high-field superconducting state in UTe2 and its dependence on magnetic field orientation, highlighting a change in spin-triplet pairing characteristics.

Findings

High-H SC state exists up to 24.8 T and is sensitive to H angle.

The spin component of pairing shifts from along the a axis to the b axis in the high-H SC state.

Multiple superconducting states are driven by residual spin degrees of freedom.

Abstract

UTe2 is a recently discovered spin-triplet superconductor. One of the characteristic features of UTe2 is a magnetic field (H)-boosted superconductivity above 16 T when H is applied exactly parallel to the b axis. To date, this superconducting (SC) state has not been thoroughly investigated, and the SC properties as well as the spin state of this high-H SC (HHSC) phase are not well understood. In this study, we performed AC magnetic susceptibility and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements and found that, up to 24.8 T, the HHSC state is intrinsic to UTe2 and quite sensitive to the H angle, and that its SC character is different from that in the low-H SC (LHSC) state. The dominant spin component of the spin-triplet pair is along the a axis in the LHSC state but is changed in the HHSC state along the b axis. Our results indicate that H-induced multiple SC states originate from the remaining spin degrees of freedom.