Strong Increase of Tc of Sr2RuO4 Under Both Tensile and Compressive Strain

A sensitive probe of unconventional order is its response to a symmetry-breaking field. To probe the proposed px ± ipy topological superconducting state of Sr2RuO4, we have constructed an apparatus capable of applying both compressive and tensile strains of up to 0.23%. Strains applied along Embedded Image crystallographic directions yield a strong, strain-symmetric increase in the superconducting transition temperature Tc. Embedded Image strains give a much weaker, mostly antisymmetric response. As well as advancing the understanding of the superconductivity of Sr2RuO4, our technique has potential applicability to a wide range of problems in solid-state physics.