A recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), titled “Superconducting critical temperature elevated by intense magnetic fields,” explores how intense magnetic fields influence superconductivity in unconventional systems, shedding new light on the physics of superconductors.
The research focuses on the unconventional superconductor UTe2, a promising candidate for spin-triplet pairing. Using pulsed magnetic fields up to 70 Tesla, researchers observed that the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) increases to approximately 2.4 K under magnetic fields near 40 Tesla. This finding is counterintuitive, as magnetic fields typically suppress superconductivity; however, in this case, they appear to stabilize and enhance it under specific conditions.
While these extreme conditions are far from practical for technological applications, this work provides critical insights into the unique mechanisms driving superconductivity in UTe2 and related materials. By advancing our understanding of the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity, this study contributes to the broader effort to unravel the physics of unconventional superconductors.
The high-quality single crystals of UTe2 used in this study were prepared by Dr. M. Vališka’s team at MGML. For more details, see our previous posts tagged UTe2.
This large-scale collaboration was made possible through dual access provided by the ISABEL project.