Strange metallicity encompasses high magnetic field-induced superconductivity in UTe2
/ Authors
T. I. Weinberger, H. Chen, Z. Wu, M. Long, A. Cabala, Y. Skourski, J. Sourd, T. Haidamak, V. Sechovský, M. Vališka
and 2 more authors
/ Abstract
The heavy fermion material UTe$_2$ hosts a suite of exotic superconducting phases, the most extreme of which resides in a narrow angular window of intense magnetic fields $>$ 40 T. Here we report that in the angular and field regime in which field-induced superconductivity is most robust, the normal-state resistivity exhibits a linear temperature dependence characteristic of strange metallicity, sharply contrasting with the Fermi-liquid behavior observed at low fields and away from this angular window. Through angle-dependent magnetotransport measurements in high magnetic fields, we find that the strange metal state is confined to a narrow angular range where field-induced superconductivity is also maximized, suggesting a shared underlying mechanism. These findings reveal a novel setting for strange metallicity - proximate to spin-triplet, field-induced superconductivity - and point to the presence of quantum critical fluctuations, likely of a magnetic origin. The coexistence of strange metallicity and putatively spin-triplet pairing challenges prevailing paradigms of non-Fermi-liquid phenomenology, and highlights UTe$_2$ as a unique platform for exploring the interplay between unconventional superconductivity and quantum criticality.