Researchers report evidence that pair-density-wave order in uranium ditelluride (UTe₂) can persist above the temperature where its main superconducting phase disappears. The result is not proof that ordinary, zero-resistance superconductivity continues above that transition: it is an interpretation of surface measurements that the researchers say fits the expected behavior of a pair-density wave.
What does it mean for Cooper pairs to appear above a critical temperature?
A superconducting critical temperature marks the point below which a material enters its principal superconducting phase. In that phase, Cooper pairs participate in a coherent state associated with superconductivity. A pair-density wave (PDW) is a proposed form of order in which the density of Cooper pairs varies across space.
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The Illinois researchers interpret their measurements as evidence that PDW-related paired order can remain after the main superconducting phase disappears. That distinction matters: their report does not show that UTe₂ retains conventional, zero-resistance superconductivity above its critical temperature, nor does it directly photograph individual Cooper pairs.
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The study examined uranium ditelluride, or UTe₂, using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The team used higher-quality crystals grown by a molten-flux method and a microscope capable of applying magnetic fields in different directions as well as varying their magnitude. Those controls are useful in UTe₂ because its properties are anisotropic.
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STM measures electronic behavior at a material’s surface. The researchers tracked spectral modes associated with spatial patterns as temperature and magnetic-field conditions changed. They report that the modes’ responses—including their persistence above the superconducting transition and suppression by magnetic field—match predictions for PDW order.
The study reports that superconductivity in UTe₂ occurs below 2 kelvins. Separately, an image caption identifies 300 millikelvins as the temperature of a Fourier-transform image showing surface spatial patterns; that image temperature should not be mistaken for the reported critical temperature.
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Why do the researchers favor a PDW explanation?
The observed spatial patterns are described in terms of charge-density-wave (CDW) modes. The interpretive question is whether a CDW alone explains how those modes change with temperature and magnetic field, or whether intertwined PDW order is also involved.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe researchers argue that a CDW-only account conflicts with constraints on how the phases should evolve under those conditions, while a PDW-based explanation provides a consistent account. This is the team’s interpretation of the measurements, not an uncontested finding that settles the material’s underlying state. Project co-lead Vidya Madhavan said the modes persisted above the temperature at which superconductivity disappears, a predicted PDW signature that she said had not been convincingly observed before.
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What remains uncertain about the result?
The central limitation is that STM probes the surface, not the material’s interior. Project co-lead Eduardo Fradkin acknowledged that the interior could behave differently. The findings therefore support a PDW interpretation at the measured surface, but do not by themselves establish that the same order persists throughout bulk UTe₂.
The paper, “Evidence of intertwined pair density and charge density wave orders in UTe₂,” appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2026. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Materials Research Laboratory account describes the study and its qualifications: https://mrl.illinois.edu/news/cooper-pairs-above-superconducting-critical-temperature-pair-density-waves. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2602117123.
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