Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The recently discovered heavy-fermion spin-triplet superconductor candidate UTe2 provides a rich platform for unconventional pairing and topological phenomena. However, limited has been known about its superconducting order parameters and their evolution with control parameters, largely due to the lack of appropriate symmetry-sensitive detection methods. Here, we report comprehensive point-contact spectroscopy measurements of pressurized UTe2 on the (0 0 1) surface. The observation of Andreev bound states strongly suggests the presence of a pz component in the superconducting order parameters. Quantitative analysis based on an extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model unveils the superconducting order parameters with a finite odd-kz component (e.g., B2u or B3u) for both ambient and pressurized UTe2. Remarkably, the multiple superconducting phases can be distinguished by a single parameter 〈Δz〉/〈Δx(y)〉, the relative weight between the pz-wave and px(y)-wave pairings. These findings place stringent constraints on the pairing symmetry and provide essential spectroscopic signatures for distinguishing pressure-induced multiple superconducting phases in UTe2. Point-contact spectroscopy under pressure reveals Andreev bound states on UTe2’s (001) surface, indicating an odd-kz pz component of the superconducting order parameter. The relative weights of pz- and px/y-wave pairing distinguish its multiple pressure-tuned superconducting phases.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Shuo Zou, Fengrui Shi, Zhuolun Qiu, Jia-Long Zhang, Yan Zhang, Weilong Qiu, Zhuo Wang, Hai Zeng, Yinina Ma, Zheyu Wu, Andrej Cabala, Michal Vališka, Ning Li, Zihan Yang, Kaixin Ye, Jiawen Zhang, Yanan Zhang, Kangjian Luo, Binbin Zhang, Alexander G. Eaton, Chaofan Zhang, Gang Li, Jianlin Luo, Wen Huang, Huiqiu Yuan, Xin Lu, Yongkang Luo
Institutions: Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Great Bay University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, University of Cambridge, Charles University, National University of Defense Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
OpenAlex ID: W7203865834
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: