Phys.org May 9, 2024
Uranium ditelluride (UTe2) has previously been inferred to have a multi-component order parameter, in part due to the apparent presence of a two-step superconducting transition in some samples. However, recent experimental observations in newer-generation samples have raised questions about this interpretation, pointing to the need for a direct probe of the order parameter symmetry. An international team of researchers (USA – Cornell University, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, NIST, France, Canada) measured the elastic moduli of UTe2 in samples that exhibited both one and two superconducting transitions. They demonstrated the absence of thermodynamic discontinuities in the shear elastic moduli of both single- and double-transition samples, providing direct evidence that UTe2 has a single-component superconducting order parameter. They also showed that superconductivity was highly sensitive to compression strain along the a and c axes but insensitive to strain along the b axis. They suggested a single-component odd-parity order parameter as most compatible with their data… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
The influence of strain on one- and two-component superconductors. Credit: Nature Physics, 9 May, 2024