Single Crystal Synthesis of the Spin-Triplet Superconductor LaNiGa2*

Previous μSR work on polycrystalline samples showed that LaNiGa₂ breaks time-reversal symmetry upon entering the superconducting state. Follow up work suggested that this rare property occurs because of spin-triplet interband Cooper pairing amongst “nearly degenerate” Fermi surfaces. All previous results have been obtained on polycrystalline samples due to the lack of a single crystal synthesis technique. Here we report on the single crystal synthesis of LaNiGa₂, and updated physical properties. Subsequent electronic structure calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data are discussed in the context of the proposed scenario for spin-triplet superconductivity.