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Observation of Vortex Stripes in UTe2
Youfang Wang1, Hongxu Yao1, Thomas Winyard2
1State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Nano Letters
|August 15, 2025
Summary
Researchers studied vortices in Uranium Ditelluride (UTe2) superconductors using scanning SQUID microscopy. They observed stripe patterns in magnetic fields, suggesting a complex, multi-component superconducting state.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Superconductivity Research
- Materials Science
Background:
- Conventional type-II superconductors exhibit quantum vortices forming regular lattices, dictating magnetic response.
- Uranium Ditelluride (UTe2) is a heavy fermion superconductor with anomalous properties, but its order parameter remains debated.
- Understanding the vortex behavior in UTe2 is crucial for elucidating its unconventional superconductivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nature of quantum vortices in UTe2 under varying magnetic fields.
- To determine if UTe2 possesses a multicomponent superconducting order parameter.
- To characterize the spatial arrangement and evolution of vortices in UTe2.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy to image vortices.
- Applying controlled out-of-plane magnetic fields along different crystallographic axes (b and c).
- Performing simulations based on an anisotropic two-component order parameter model.
Main Results:
- At low fields, isolated vortices were observed, typical of type-II superconductors.
- Higher magnetic fields induced stripe patterns of vortices, which changed with vortex density.
- Vortex stripe formation occurred along different directions depending on the magnetic field's orientation (b or c axis).
- Simulations using an anisotropic two-component order parameter successfully reproduced the observed stripe patterns.
Conclusions:
- The observed vortex stripe patterns provide strong evidence for a multicomponent order parameter in UTe2.
- UTe2 exhibits a complex interplay of multiple length scales, characteristic of nontrivial superconducting states.
- These findings constrain theoretical models and advance the understanding of exotic superconductivity in heavy fermion materials.
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