Connection between f-electron correlations and magnetic excitations in UTe2

Published

January 4, 2025

Author(s)

Thomas Halloran, Peter Czajka, Gicela Saucedo Salas, Corey Frank, Jose Rodriguez Rivera, Daniel Mazzonne, Jakob Lass, Nicholas Butch

Abstract

AbstractThe detailed anisotropic dispersion of the low-temperature, low-energy magnetic excitations of the candidate spin-triplet superconductor UTe2 is revealed using inelastic neutron scattering. The magnetic excitations emerge from the Brillouin zone boundary at the high symmetry Y and T points and disperse along the crystallographic $$\hatb}$$ b ̂ -axis. In applied magnetic fields to at least μ0H = 11 T along the $$\hatc}-\rmaxis}}$$ c ̂ − axis , the magnetism is found to be field-independent in the (hk0) plane. The scattering intensity is consistent with that expected from U3+/U4+ f-electron spins with preferential orientation along the crystallographic $$\hata}$$ a ̂ -axis, and a fluctuating magnetic moment of μeff=1.7(5) μB. We propose interband spin excitons arising from f-electron hybridization as a possible origin of the magnetic excitations in UTe2.

Citation

npj Quantum Materials

Volume

10

Issue

1

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-024-00720-9

Local Download

Keywords

Superconductivity, Inelastic Neutron Scattering, Topological Superconductivity, Magnetism

Citation

Halloran, T. , Czajka, P. , Saucedo Salas, G. , Frank, C. , Rodriguez Rivera, J. , Mazzonne, D. , Lass, J. and Butch, N. (2025), Connection between f-electron correlations and magnetic excitations in UTe2, npj Quantum Materials, [online], https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-024-00720-9, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957726 (Accessed October 10, 2025)