We report superconductivity in the ternary half-Heusler compound LuPtBi, with $T_c=1.0$ K and $H_{c2}=1.6$ T. The crystal structure of LuPtBi lacks inversion symmetry, hence the material is a noncentrosymmetric superconductor. Magnetotransport data show semimetallic behavior in the normal state, which is evidence for the importance of spin-orbit interaction. The combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and noncentrosymmetric crystal structure make LuPtBi a strong candidate for 3D topological superconductivity.

• Received 7 February 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.184504