Determining the superconducting order parameter of UPt$_3$ using scanning tunneling microscopy
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866917153236582400 |
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| author | Bisset, Rebecca Rhodes, Luke C. Decitre, Hugo Neat, Matthew J. Maldonado, Ana Huxley, Andrew Marques, Carolina A. Wahl, Peter |
| author_facet | Bisset, Rebecca Rhodes, Luke C. Decitre, Hugo Neat, Matthew J. Maldonado, Ana Huxley, Andrew Marques, Carolina A. Wahl, Peter |
| contents | Superconductivity, a state in which electrical currents can flow without resistance, occurs because of pairing of electrons into quasiparticles with integer spin $S$. In practically all known superconducting materials, these pairs form a singlet with $S=0$. Finding a material that has triplet pairing, $S=1$, would have profound fundamental and technological implications. UPt$_3$ has been a key candidate material for spin-triplet superconductivity. Because of a lack of direct evidence for the pairing symmetry, the nature of the superconducting pairing remains under debate. Here, we use ultra-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to resolve this question. Our data reveals a zero-bias Andreev bound state within the gap for a surface normal to the $c$-axis of UPt$_3$. The superconducting origin of the features is confirmed through vortex imaging. For triplet pairing, such an Andreev state is fragile against Rashba spin-splitting, whereas for singlet pairing it remains robust, classifying UPt$_3$ as a spin-singlet superconductor with a chiral order parameter. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_15845 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Determining the superconducting order parameter of UPt$_3$ using scanning tunneling microscopy Bisset, Rebecca Rhodes, Luke C. Decitre, Hugo Neat, Matthew J. Maldonado, Ana Huxley, Andrew Marques, Carolina A. Wahl, Peter Superconductivity Strongly Correlated Electrons Superconductivity, a state in which electrical currents can flow without resistance, occurs because of pairing of electrons into quasiparticles with integer spin $S$. In practically all known superconducting materials, these pairs form a singlet with $S=0$. Finding a material that has triplet pairing, $S=1$, would have profound fundamental and technological implications. UPt$_3$ has been a key candidate material for spin-triplet superconductivity. Because of a lack of direct evidence for the pairing symmetry, the nature of the superconducting pairing remains under debate. Here, we use ultra-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to resolve this question. Our data reveals a zero-bias Andreev bound state within the gap for a surface normal to the $c$-axis of UPt$_3$. The superconducting origin of the features is confirmed through vortex imaging. For triplet pairing, such an Andreev state is fragile against Rashba spin-splitting, whereas for singlet pairing it remains robust, classifying UPt$_3$ as a spin-singlet superconductor with a chiral order parameter. |
| title | Determining the superconducting order parameter of UPt$_3$ using scanning tunneling microscopy |
| topic | Superconductivity Strongly Correlated Electrons |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15845 |