Speaker
Description
UTe$_2$ has been the focus of numerous experimental and theoretical studies in recent years, as it is recognized as one of the few odd-parity bulk superconductors. Its surface has also been probed, revealing charge density wave (CDW), pair density wave, and time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB). Here, we propose that the interplay between bulk and surface order parameters in UTe$_2$ may be crucial in explaining its unusual surface properties. Through a phenomenological analysis, assuming a dominant CDW, we can account for three distinctive experimental signatures: (1) the apparent suppression of CDW order at the upper critical field of the bulk superconducting state; (2) the magnetic-field-induced imbalance of the Fourier peaks associated with the CDW; and (3) the onset of TRSB with bulk superconductivity and its field trainability. Furthermore, we propose specific experiments to validate our conjecture, which we believe could be promptly achieved.