Dimensionality of the reinforced superconductivity in UTe2

Abstract

Abstract Superconductivity in the heavy-fermion metal UTe 2 survives under high magnetic fields, presenting both an intriguing puzzle and an experimental challenge. The non-perturbative influence of the magnetic field complicates the determination of superconducting order parameters in the high-field phases. Here, we report electronic transport anisotropy measurements in precisely aligned microbars in magnetic fields to 45 T. Our results reveal a highly directional vortex pinning force in the field-reinforced phase. The critical current is significantly suppressed for currents only along the c- direction, where the flux-flow voltage vanishes with slight angular misalignments—hallmarks of vortex lock-in transitions typically seen in quasi-2D superconductors like cuprates and pnictides. This marks the observation of a transition into a vortex lock-in state at the boundary between two distinct superconducting states. These findings challenge assumptions of nearly isotropic charge transport in UTe 2 and point to enhanced two-dimensionality in the high-field state, consistent with a change in the order parameter.