Metamagnetism in UTe2: the roles of itinerancy and localization

Theodore I. Weinberger; Daniel Shaffer; Zheyu Wu; Dmitry V. Chichinadze; Jinxu Pu; Gang Li; Rui Zhou; Yurii Skourski; Dave Graf; Andrej Cabala; Vladimir Sechovsky; Michal Valiska; Michal P. Kwasigroch; F. Malte Grosche; Alexander G. Eaton

arXiv · 2606.27913

Metamagnetism in UTe2: the roles of itinerancy and localization

Theodore I. Weinberger·Daniel Shaffer·Zheyu Wu·Dmitry V. Chichinadze·Jinxu Pu·Gang Li·Rui Zhou·Yurii Skourski·Dave Graf·Andrej Cabala·Vladimir Sechovsky·Michal Valiska·Michal P. Kwasigroch·F. Malte Grosche·Alexander G. Eaton

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Abstract

The metamagnetic transition in UTe$_2$ plays a key role in stabilizing two enigmatic field-induced superconducting phases. One of these phases (SC2) is truncated by the transition, lying directly below it, while the other (SC3) sits predominantly above it and appears to be stabilized because of it. While numerous pulsed field studies have examined this transition, comparatively few steady field experiments have investigated it. Here we report a suite of measurements of metamgnetism in UTe$_2$, at ambient pressure by torque magnetometry and extraction magnetometry techniques, and of the magnetoconductance under pressure. Our steady field measurements resolve a complex sub-structure within the transition, with separate features that possess different temperature evolutions, pointing to distinct contributions from itinerant and localized moments. The itinerant contribution might relate to a possible spin-density wave state. We theoretically model the evolution of Kondo and RKKY interactions and propose that the SC2 state is stabilized under pressure due to the collapse of magnetic anisotropy, leading to an enhancement of longitudinal spin fluctuations along the hard $b$ axis, which are pair-forming in the $p$-wave channel.

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Theodore I. Weinberger, Daniel Shaffer, Zheyu Wu, Dmitry V. Chichinadze, Jinxu Pu, Gang Li, Rui Zhou, Yurii Skourski, Dave Graf, Andrej Cabala, Vladimir Sechovsky, Michal Valiska, Michal P. Kwasigroch, F. Malte Grosche, Alexander G. Eaton. 2026-06-26. Metamagnetism in UTe2: the roles of itinerancy and localization. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.27913

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