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Observation of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Type-I Superconductor YbSb2

Anshu Kataria1,*, Shashank Srivastava1,*, Dibyendu Samanta2,*, Pushpendra Yadav2,*, Poulami Manna1, Suhani Sharma1, Priya Mishra1, Joel Barker3, Adrian D. Hillier4 et al.

Amit Agarwal2, Sudeep Kumar Ghosh2,†, and Ravi Prakash Singh1,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: skghosh@iitk.ac.in
  • ‡Contact author: rpsingh@iiserb.ac.in

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 136002 – Published 23 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/drzq-lfn5

Abstract

The spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry is a hallmark of unconventional superconductivity, typically observed in type-II superconductors. Here, we report evidence of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the type-I superconductor YbSb2. Zero-field muon spin relaxation and rotation (μSR) measurements reveal spontaneous internal magnetic fields emerging just below the superconducting transition, while transverse-field μSR confirms a fully gapped type-I superconducting state. Our first-principles calculations identify YbSb2 as a Z2 topological metal hosting a Dirac nodal line near the Fermi level. Symmetry analysis within the Ginzburg-Landau framework indicates an internally antisymmetric nonunitary triplet (INT) state as the most probable superconducting ground state. Calculations based on an effective low-energy model further suggest that this INT state may host gapless Majorana surface modes, pointing to the possibility of topological superconductivity in YbSb2. Our results highlight YbSb2 as a unique material platform where type-I superconductivity coexists with triplet pairing and nontrivial topology.

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synopsis

A Type-I Superconductor Breaks Time-Reversal Symmetry

Published 23 September, 2026

A hallmark property of unconventional superconductivity has been discovered in a type-I superconductor, whereas it’s normally observed only in type-II materials.

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