Strong antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling and superconducting properties: the case of noncentrosymmetric LaPtSi

J Phys Condens Matter. 2018 Jun 27;30(25):255603. doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/aac61d. Epub 2018 May 18.

Abstract

In this work we aim to analyze the effect of a strong antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling (ASOC) on the superconductivity of noncentrosymmetric LaPtSi. We study the energy gap structure of polycrystalline LaPtSi by using magnetic penetration depth measurements down to 0.02T c. We observed a dirty s-wave behavior, which provides compelling evidence that the spin-singlet component of the mixed pairing state is highly dominant. This is consistent with previous results in the sense that the mere presence of a strong ASOC does not lead to unconventional behaviors. Our result also downplays LaPtSi as a good candidate for realizing time-reversal invariant topological superconductivity.