Odd-parity quasiparticle interference in the superconductive surface state of UTe2
Although no known material exhibits intrinsic topological superconductivity, where a spin-triplet electron pairing potential has odd parity, UTe<sub>2</sub> is now the leading candidate. Generally, the parity of a superconducting order parameter can be established using Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference imaging. However, odd-parity superconductors should support a topological quasiparticle surface band at energies within the maximum superconducting energy gap. Quasiparticle interference should then be dominated by the electronic structure of the quasiparticle surface band and only reveal the characteristics of the bulk order parameter indirectly. Here we demonstrate that at the (0-11) cleave surface of UTe<sub>2</sub>, a band of Bogoliubov quasiparticles appears only in the superconducting state. Performing high-resolution quasiparticle interference measurements then allows us to explore the dispersion of states in this superconductive surface band, showing that they exist only within the range of Fermi momenta projected onto the (0-11) surface. Finally, we develop a theoretical framework to predict the quasiparticle interference signatures of this surface band at the (0-11) surface. Its predictions are consistent with the experimental results if the bulk superconducting order parameter exhibits time-reversal conserving, odd-parity, <i>a</i>-axis nodal, <i>B</i> <sub>3</sub> <sub><i>u</i></sub> symmetry.
Authors
- Kuanysh Zhussupbekov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1909-3270)
- Emile Pangburn
- Johnpierre Paglione (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7257-014X)
- Shuqiu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5960-2562)
- Joseph P. Carroll (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0434-4318)
- Adeline Crépieux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3720-697X)
- Qiangqiang Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9740-7429)
- Bin Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1578-021X)
- Nicholas P. Butch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6083-8388)
- Sheng Ran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1557-267X)
- Shanta Ranjan Saha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3706-8338)
- J. C. Davis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3783-1847)
- Christopher Broyles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9515-8801)
- Xiaolong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6186-5257)
- Cristina Bena (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-9433)
- C. Pépin
Institutions
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CA)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Toulon (FR)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- University College Cork (IE)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (DE)
- Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (US)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Institut de Physique Théorique (FR)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Physics
- Published
- 2025-09-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03000-w
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.73
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Leverhulme Trust
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Division of Materials Research