Pair Wavefunction Symmetry in UTe2 from Zero-Energy Surface State Visualization

Published

May 29, 2025

Author(s)

Qiangqiang Gu, Shuqiu Wang, Joseph Carroll, Kuanysh Zhussupbekov, Christopher Broyles, Sheng Ran, Nicholas Butch, Jarryd Horn, Shanta Saha, Johnpierre Paglione, Xiaolong Liu, J. Davis, Dung-Hai Lee

Abstract

Although nodal spin-triplet topological superconductivity appears probable in uranium ditelluride (UTe2), its superconductive order parameter Δk remains unestablished. In theory, a distinctive identifier would be the existence of a superconductive topological surface band, which could facilitate zero-energy Andreev tunneling to an s-wave superconductor and also distinguish a chiral from a nonchiral Δk through enhanced s-wave proximity. In this study, we used s-wave superconductive scan tips and detected intense zero-energy Andreev conductance at the UTe2 (0-11) termination surface. Imaging revealed subgap quasiparticle scattering interference signatures with a-axis orientation. The observed zero-energy Andreev peak splitting with enhanced s-wave proximity signifies that Δk of UTe2 is a nonchiral state: B1u, B2u, or B3u. However, if the quasiparticle scattering along a axis is internodal, then a nonchiral B3u state is the most consistent for UTe2.

Citation

Science

Volume

388

Issue

6750

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7219

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Keywords

spin triplet superconductivity, scanning tunneling microscopy

Citation

Gu, Q. , Wang, S. , Carroll, J. , Zhussupbekov, K. , Broyles, C. , Ran, S. , Butch, N. , Horn, J. , Saha, S. , Paglione, J. , Liu, X. , Davis, J. and Lee, D. (2025), Pair Wavefunction Symmetry in UTe2 from Zero-Energy Surface State Visualization, Science, [online], https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7219, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960407 (Accessed July 8, 2025)