Ti4Ir2O: A time reversal invariant fully gapped unconventional superconductor

Abstract

Here we report muon spin rotation (μSR) experiments on the temperature and field dependence of the effective magnetic penetration depth λ(T) in the η-carbide-type suboxide Ti4Ir2O, a superconductor with a considerably high upper critical field. The temperature dependence of λ(T), obtained from transverse-field (TF)-μSR measurements, is in perfect agreement with an isotropic fully gaped superconducting state. Furthermore, our ZF μSR results confirm that the time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state. We find, however, a remarkably small ratio of Tc/λ0−2∼1.22. This value is close to most unconventional superconductors, showing that a very small superfluid density is present in the superconducting state of Ti4Ir2O. The presented results will pave the way for further theoretical and experimental investigations to obtain a microscopic understanding of the origin of such a high upper critical field in an isotropic single-gap superconducting system.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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