Topological surface states revealed by the Zeeman effect in superconducting UTe2
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910105993216000 |
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| author | Zhu, Zhen Christiansen, Hans Huang, Yudi Liu, Kaiming Wu, Zheyu Saha, Shanta R. Paglione, Johnpierre Eaton, Alexander G. Cabala, Andrej Vališka, Michal Fernandes, Rafael M. Kreisel, Andreas Andersen, Brian M. Madhavan, Vidya |
| author_facet | Zhu, Zhen Christiansen, Hans Huang, Yudi Liu, Kaiming Wu, Zheyu Saha, Shanta R. Paglione, Johnpierre Eaton, Alexander G. Cabala, Andrej Vališka, Michal Fernandes, Rafael M. Kreisel, Andreas Andersen, Brian M. Madhavan, Vidya |
| contents | Intrinsic topological superconductors with protected boundary modes obeying non-Abelian statistics constitute a vanishingly small class of quantum materials. A defining spectroscopic signature of such phases is the presence of in-gap topological surface states (TSS). However, despite extensive theoretical proposals, their unambiguous experimental identification has remained elusive. Here we use vector magnetic-field scanning tunnelling microscopy to obtain direct spectroscopic evidence of TSS in the spin-triplet superconductor UTe2. Atomic-scale spectroscopy reveals striking site-dependent superconductivity: Te sites host a large in-gap density of states that nearly fills the superconducting gap, whereas neighboring atomic sites remain gapped. Upon application of a magnetic field, the in-gap states on the Te sites are selectively suppressed, yielding a spatially homogeneous superconducting state with a markedly deeper gap relative to zero field. This site-selective gap evolution is in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions for TSS in UTe2 that possess dominant Te-orbital character. Spectral-function calculations incorporating the Zeeman coupling reproduce the observed magnetic-field response. Our results provide a spectroscopic fingerprint of the long-sought TSS in superconductors and establish UTe2 as a compelling system for exploring intrinsic topological superconductivity. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_04883 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Topological surface states revealed by the Zeeman effect in superconducting UTe2 Zhu, Zhen Christiansen, Hans Huang, Yudi Liu, Kaiming Wu, Zheyu Saha, Shanta R. Paglione, Johnpierre Eaton, Alexander G. Cabala, Andrej Vališka, Michal Fernandes, Rafael M. Kreisel, Andreas Andersen, Brian M. Madhavan, Vidya Superconductivity Strongly Correlated Electrons Intrinsic topological superconductors with protected boundary modes obeying non-Abelian statistics constitute a vanishingly small class of quantum materials. A defining spectroscopic signature of such phases is the presence of in-gap topological surface states (TSS). However, despite extensive theoretical proposals, their unambiguous experimental identification has remained elusive. Here we use vector magnetic-field scanning tunnelling microscopy to obtain direct spectroscopic evidence of TSS in the spin-triplet superconductor UTe2. Atomic-scale spectroscopy reveals striking site-dependent superconductivity: Te sites host a large in-gap density of states that nearly fills the superconducting gap, whereas neighboring atomic sites remain gapped. Upon application of a magnetic field, the in-gap states on the Te sites are selectively suppressed, yielding a spatially homogeneous superconducting state with a markedly deeper gap relative to zero field. This site-selective gap evolution is in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions for TSS in UTe2 that possess dominant Te-orbital character. Spectral-function calculations incorporating the Zeeman coupling reproduce the observed magnetic-field response. Our results provide a spectroscopic fingerprint of the long-sought TSS in superconductors and establish UTe2 as a compelling system for exploring intrinsic topological superconductivity. |
| title | Topological surface states revealed by the Zeeman effect in superconducting UTe2 |
| topic | Superconductivity Strongly Correlated Electrons |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.04883 |