Unconventional mixed state in the nematic superconductor LiFeAs
Superconductivity
2026-04-28 v1
Abstract
In the mixed state of type-II bulk superconductors, the magnetic field penetrates in the form of vortices enclosing one magnetic flux quantum: this is the conventional Abrikosov vortex lattice. Here, by using transverse muon-spin spectroscopy, we demonstrate the presence of an unconventional vortex lattice in LiFeAs single crystals. We also show evidence that the new mixed phase consists of stripes of "coreless" vortices, which are bound states of two spatially separated half-quantum vortices.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.23401,
title = {Unconventional mixed state in the nematic superconductor LiFeAs},
author = {G. Lamura and T. Winyard and P. Gentile and M. Speight and F. Anger and B. Buchner and S. Wurmehl and T. Shiroka},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.23401},
year = {2026}
}
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