Aoki D, Brison J-P, Flouquet J, Ishida K, Knebel G, Tokunaga Y, Yanase Y
IMR, Tohoku University, Oarai, Ibaraki, 311-1313, Japan.
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Grenoble INP, IRIG, PHELIQS, F-38000 Grenoble, France.
J Phys Condens Matter. 2022 Apr 13;34(24). doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ac5863.
The novel spin-triplet superconductor candidate UTewas discovered only recently at the end of 2018 and already attracted enormous attention. We review key experimental and theoretical progress which has been achieved in different laboratories. UTeis a heavy-fermion paramagnet, but following the discovery of superconductivity, it has been expected to be close to a ferromagnetic instability, showing many similarities to the U-based ferromagnetic superconductors, URhGe and UCoGe. This view might be too simplistic. The competition between different types of magnetic interactions and the duality between the local and itinerant character of the 5Uranium electrons, as well as the shift of the U valence appear as key parameters in the rich phase diagrams discovered recently under extreme conditions like low temperature, high magnetic field, and pressure. We discuss macroscopic and microscopic experiments at low temperature to clarify the normal phase properties at ambient pressure for field applied along the three axis of this orthorhombic structure. Special attention will be given to the occurrence of a metamagnetic transition at= 35 T for a magnetic field applied along the hard magnetic axis. Adding external pressure leads to strong changes in the magnetic and electronic properties with a direct feedback on superconductivity. Attention is paid on the possible evolution of the Fermi surface as a function of magnetic field and pressure. Superconductivity in UTeis extremely rich, exhibiting various unconventional behaviors which will be highlighted. It shows an exceptionally huge superconducting upper critical field with a re-entrant behavior under magnetic field and the occurrence of multiple superconducting phases in the temperature-field-pressure phase diagrams. There is evidence for spin-triplet pairing. Experimental indications exist for chiral superconductivity and spontaneous time reversal symmetry breaking in the superconducting state. Different theoretical approaches will be described. Notably we discuss that UTeis a possible example for the realization of a fascinating topological superconductor. Exploring superconductivity in UTereemphasizes that U-based heavy fermion compounds give unique examples to study and understand the strong interplay between the normal and superconducting properties in strongly correlated electron systems.
新型自旋三重态超导候选材料UTe直到2018年底才被发现,却已引起了极大关注。我们回顾了不同实验室取得的关键实验和理论进展。UTe是一种重费米子顺磁体,但在发现超导性之后,人们预计它接近铁磁不稳定性,与基于U的铁磁超导体URhGe和UCoGe有许多相似之处。这种观点可能过于简单。不同类型磁相互作用之间的竞争、5f铀电子的局域和巡游特性之间的二元性以及U价态的变化,似乎是最近在低温、高磁场和压力等极端条件下发现的丰富相图中的关键参数。我们讨论了低温下的宏观和微观实验,以阐明沿这种正交结构的三个轴施加磁场时在常压下的正常相特性。特别要关注沿硬磁轴施加磁场时在35 T出现的变磁转变。施加外部压力会导致磁和电子性质发生强烈变化,并对超导性产生直接反馈。我们关注费米面随磁场和压力的可能演变。UTe中的超导性极其丰富,表现出各种非常规行为,将予以重点介绍。它表现出异常巨大的超导上临界场,在磁场下具有重入行为,并且在温度 - 场 - 压力相图中出现多个超导相。有证据表明存在自旋三重态配对。在超导态下存在手征超导和自发时间反演对称性破缺的实验迹象。将描述不同的理论方法。值得注意的是,我们讨论了UTe可能是实现迷人的拓扑超导体的一个例子。探索UTe中的超导性再次强调,基于U的重费米子化合物为研究和理解强关联电子系统中正常和超导性质之间的强相互作用提供了独特的例子。