Incommensurate antiferromagnetism in UTe under pressure

UTeの圧力下における非整合反強磁性

Knafo, W.*; Thebault, T.*; Raymond, S.*; Manuel, P.*; Khalyavin, D. D.*; Orlandi, F.*; Ressouche, E.*; Beauvois, K.*; Lapertot, G.*; 金子 耕士   ; 青木 大*; Braithwaite, D.*; Knebel, G.*

Knafo, W.*; Thebault, T.*; Raymond, S.*; Manuel, P.*; Khalyavin, D. D.*; Orlandi, F.*; Ressouche, E.*; Beauvois, K.*; Lapertot, G.*; Kaneko, Koji; Aoki, Dai*; Braithwaite, D.*; Knebel, G.*

The discovery of multiple superconducting phases in UTe boosted research on correlated-electron physics. This heavy-fermion paramagnet was rapidly identified as a reference compound to study the interplay between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity with multiple degrees of freedom. The proximity to a ferromagnetic quantum phase transition was initially proposed as a driving force to triplet-pairing superconductivity. However, we find here that long-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic order is established under pressure. The propagation vector k = (0.07, 0.33, 1) of the antiferromagnetic phase is close to a wavevector where antiferromagnetic fluctuations have previously been observed at ambient pressure. These elements support that UTe is a nearly-antiferromagnet at ambient pressure. Our work appeals for theories modelling the evolution of the magnetic interactions and electronic properties, driving a correlated paramagnetic regime at ambient pressure to a long-range antiferromagnetic order under pressure. A deeper understanding of itinerant-f-electrons magnetism in UTe will be a key for describing its unconventional superconducting phases.