Muon Knight Shift as a Precise Probe of the Superconducting Symmetry of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>Sr</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:m

Muon spin rotation (μSR) measurements of internal magnetic field shifts, known as the muon Knight shift, are used for determining pairing symmetries in superconductors. While this technique has been especially effective for f-electron-based heavy-fermion superconductors, it remains challenging in d-electron-based superconductors such as Sr_{2}RuO_{4}, where the Knight shift is intrinsically small. Here, we report high-precision muon Knight shift measurements of superconducting Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. We observe that using multiple pieces of crystals, a common practice in μSR measurements, induces a substantial paramagnetic shift below the superconducting transition temperature, T_{c}, when a weak magnetic field is applied. We attribute such an unresolved paramagnetic shift to stray fields generated by neighboring diamagnetic crystals. To avoid this, one piece of crystal was used in this Letter. We experimentally determine the muon Knight shift of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} in the normal state to be -116±7 ppm. By combining the observed muon Knight shift with independently determined bulk magnetization data from the same crystal used in μSR and carefully separating various contributions to the shift, we confirm a significant reduction in the spin Knight shift below T_{c}, consistent with spin-singlet-like pairing. This result constitutes the precise muon Knight shift measurement in a d-electron-based superconductor. Our results highlight the potential of μSR as a powerful complementary technique to the established method of nuclear magnetic resonance for probing the spin susceptibility in superconductors.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2025-12-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/sgcz-9rc7
Primary Topic
Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Muon Knight Shift as a Precise Probe of the Superconducting Symmetry of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>Sr</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:m

J. S. Bobowski, Y. Maeno, Rustem Khasanov, Giordano Mattoni et al.
Physical Review Letters
Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
article

Muon Knight Shift as a Precise Probe of the Superconducting Symmetry of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>Sr</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:m

J. S. Bobowski, Y. Maeno, Rustem Khasanov, Giordano Mattoni, Ryutaro Okuma, Hubertus Luetkens, T. J. Hicken, Hisakazu Matsuki, Jonas A. Krieger, Atsutoshi Ikeda, Kosuke Yuchi
article en

Abstract

Muon spin rotation (μSR) measurements of internal magnetic field shifts, known as the muon Knight shift, are used for determining pairing symmetries in superconductors. While this technique has been especially effective for f-electron-based heavy-fermion superconductors, it remains challenging in d-electron-based superconductors such as Sr_{2}RuO_{4}, where the Knight shift is intrinsically small. Here, we report high-precision muon Knight shift measurements of superconducting Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. We observe that using multiple pieces of crystals, a common practice in μSR measurements, induces a substantial paramagnetic shift below the superconducting transition temperature, T_{c}, when a weak magnetic field is applied. We attribute such an unresolved paramagnetic shift to stray fields generated by neighboring diamagnetic crystals. To avoid this, one piece of crystal was used in this Letter. We experimentally determine the muon Knight shift of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} in the normal state to be -116±7 ppm. By combining the observed muon Knight shift with independently determined bulk magnetization data from the same crystal used in μSR and carefully separating various contributions to the shift, we confirm a significant reduction in the spin Knight shift below T_{c}, consistent with spin-singlet-like pairing. This result constitutes the precise muon Knight shift measurement in a d-electron-based superconductor. Our results highlight the potential of μSR as a powerful complementary technique to the established method of nuclear magnetic resonance for probing the spin susceptibility in superconductors.

Physical Review LettersVol. 136(6)
University of British Columbia (CA), Kyoto University (JP), The University of Tokyo (JP)
Kyoto University Foundation, University of Tokyo, Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
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