(c\)-axis transport in UTe\(_{2}\): Evidence of Three Dimensional Conductivity Component

• Published in: arXiv.org 2022-08
• Main Authors: Eo, Yun Suk, Liu, Shouzheng, Saha, Shanta R, Kim, Hyunsoo, Sheng Ran, Horn, Jarryd A, Hodovanets, Halyna, Collini, John, Metz, Tristin, Fuhrman, Wesley T, Nevidomskyy, Andriy H, Denlinger, Jonathan D, Butch, Nicholas P, Fuhrer, Michael S, Wray, L Andrew, Paglione, Johnpierre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Axes (reference lines); Crystallography; Electrical resistivity; Electronic structure; Temperature; Temperature dependence; Transport phenomena
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2101.03102

We study the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity for currents directed along all crystallographic axes of the spin-triplet superconductor UTe\(_{2}\). We focus particularly on an accurate determination of the resistivity along the \(c\)-axis (\(\rho_c\)) by using a generalized Montgomery technique that allows extraction of crystallographic resistivity components from a single sample. In contrast to expectations from the observed highly anisotropic band structure, our measurement of the absolute values of resistivities in all current directions reveals a surprisingly nearly isotropic transport behavior at temperatures above Kondo coherence, with \(\rho_c \sim \rho_b \sim 2\rho_a\), that evolves to reveal qualitatively distinct behaviors on cooling. The temperature dependence of \(\rho_c\) exhibits a peak at a temperature much lower than the onset of Kondo coherence observed in \(\rho_a\) and \(\rho_b\), consistent with features in magnetotransport and magnetization that point to a magnetic origin. A comparison to the temperature-dependent evolution of the scattering rate observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments provides important insights into the underlying electronic structure necessary for building a microscopic model of superconductivity in UTe\(_{2}\).