Condensed Matter Seminar "Spin polarized half-gapped superconductivity"

Nonunitary superconductivity is a rare and striking phenomenon in which spin up and spin down electrons segregate into two different quantum condensates. In this talk, I'll describe the discovery of spin-triplet superconductivity in paramagnetic UTe2, in which electrons with parallel spins pair, yet only half of the available electrons participate, yielding a spin-polarized condensate that coexists with a spin-polarized metal. The superconducting order parameter arises from strong ferromagnetic fluctuations, yielding a very high upper critical field with similar anisotropy to established ferromagnetic superconductors. This novel superconductor is a promising platform for exploration of topological in-gap states and their further uses.