Detection of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Re6Zr Using Muon-Spin Spectroscopy

R.P. Singh; Hillier Adrian D.; Bayan Mazidian; J Quintanilla; James F Annett; Martin Lees; DMCK Paul; G Balakrishnan

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.107002

Detection of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Re6Zr Using Muon-Spin Spectroscopy

R.P. Singh, Hillier Adrian D., Bayan Mazidian, J Quintanilla, James F Annett, Martin Lees, DMCK Paul, G Balakrishnan

School of Physics

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157 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have investigated the superconducting state of the noncentrosymmetric compound Re6Zr using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation (μSR) measurements. Re6Zr has a superconducting transition temperature, Tc=6.75±0.05 K. Transverse-field μSR experiments, used to probe the superfluid density, suggest an s-wave character for the superconducting gap. However, zero and longitudinal-field μSR data reveal the presence of spontaneous static magnetic fields below Tc indicating that time-reversal symmetry is broken in the superconducting state and an unconventional pairing mechanism. An analysis of the pairing symmetries identifies the ground states compatible with time-reversal symmetry breaking.

Original language	English
Pages	107002
Number of pages	5
Volume	112
No.	10-14
Specialist publication	Physical Review Letters
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.107002
Publication status	Published - 13 Mar 2014

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title = "Detection of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Re6Zr Using Muon-Spin Spectroscopy",

abstract = "We have investigated the superconducting state of the noncentrosymmetric compound Re6Zr using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation (μSR) measurements. Re6Zr has a superconducting transition temperature, Tc=6.75±0.05 K. Transverse-field μSR experiments, used to probe the superfluid density, suggest an s-wave character for the superconducting gap. However, zero and longitudinal-field μSR data reveal the presence of spontaneous static magnetic fields below Tc indicating that time-reversal symmetry is broken in the superconducting state and an unconventional pairing mechanism. An analysis of the pairing symmetries identifies the ground states compatible with time-reversal symmetry breaking.",

author = "R.P. Singh and {Adrian D.}, Hillier and Bayan Mazidian and J Quintanilla and Annett, {James F} and Martin Lees and DMCK Paul and G Balakrishnan",

year = "2014",

month = mar,

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doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.107002",

language = "English",

volume = "112",

pages = "107002",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

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T1 - Detection of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Re6Zr Using Muon-Spin Spectroscopy

AU - Singh, R.P.

AU - Adrian D., Hillier

AU - Mazidian, Bayan

AU - Quintanilla, J

AU - Annett, James F

AU - Lees, Martin

AU - Paul, DMCK

AU - Balakrishnan, G

PY - 2014/3/13

Y1 - 2014/3/13

N2 - We have investigated the superconducting state of the noncentrosymmetric compound Re6Zr using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation (μSR) measurements. Re6Zr has a superconducting transition temperature, Tc=6.75±0.05 K. Transverse-field μSR experiments, used to probe the superfluid density, suggest an s-wave character for the superconducting gap. However, zero and longitudinal-field μSR data reveal the presence of spontaneous static magnetic fields below Tc indicating that time-reversal symmetry is broken in the superconducting state and an unconventional pairing mechanism. An analysis of the pairing symmetries identifies the ground states compatible with time-reversal symmetry breaking.

AB - We have investigated the superconducting state of the noncentrosymmetric compound Re6Zr using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation (μSR) measurements. Re6Zr has a superconducting transition temperature, Tc=6.75±0.05 K. Transverse-field μSR experiments, used to probe the superfluid density, suggest an s-wave character for the superconducting gap. However, zero and longitudinal-field μSR data reveal the presence of spontaneous static magnetic fields below Tc indicating that time-reversal symmetry is broken in the superconducting state and an unconventional pairing mechanism. An analysis of the pairing symmetries identifies the ground states compatible with time-reversal symmetry breaking.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.107002

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.107002

M3 - Article (Specialist Publication)

C2 - 24679322

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 112

SP - 107002

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

ER -

Detection of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Noncentrosymmetric Superconductor Re6Zr Using Muon-Spin Spectroscopy

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