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Watanabe Y, Arima H, Yamashita A, Miura A, Moriyoshi C, Goto Y, Lee CH, Higashinaka R, Usui H, Kawaguchi S, Hoshi K, Mizuguchi Y. Low-Temperature Chiral Crystal Structure and Superconductivity in (Pt 0.2Ir 0.8) 3Zr 5. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:773-781. [PMID: 38148506 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
We report the observation of superconductivity in (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5 with a chiral space group (P6122) at low temperatures. The bulk nature of the superconductivity at a transition temperature of 2.2 K was confirmed using specific heat measurements. We revealed that (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5 obeys the weak-coupling Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer model, and the dominant mechanism in the upper critical field is the orbital pair-breaking limit rather than the Pauli-Clogston limit. This indicates that the antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling caused by the chiral crystal structure does not significantly affect the superconductivity of (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Watanabe
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Hiroto Arima
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Aichi Yamashita
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Akira Miura
- Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0813, Japan
| | - Chikako Moriyoshi
- Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Yosuke Goto
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
| | - Chul-Ho Lee
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
| | - Ryuji Higashinaka
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Hidetomo Usui
- Department of Applied Physics, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan
| | - Shogo Kawaguchi
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), SPring-8, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Kazuhisa Hoshi
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Mizuguchi
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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Mandal M, Drucker NC, Siriviboon P, Nguyen T, Boonkird A, Lamichhane TN, Okabe R, Chotrattanapituk A, Li M. Topological Superconductors from a Materials Perspective. CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2023; 35:6184-6200. [PMID: 37637011 PMCID: PMC10448998 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Topological superconductors (TSCs) have garnered significant research and industry attention in the past two decades. By hosting Majorana bound states which can be used as qubits that are robust against local perturbations, TSCs offer a promising platform toward (nonuniversal) topological quantum computation. However, there has been a scarcity of TSC candidates, and the experimental signatures that identify a TSC are often elusive. In this Perspective, after a short review of the TSC basics and theories, we provide an overview of the TSC materials candidates, including natural compounds and synthetic material systems. We further introduce various experimental techniques to probe TSCs, focusing on how a system is identified as a TSC candidate and why a conclusive answer is often challenging to draw. We conclude by calling for new experimental signatures and stronger computational support to accelerate the search for new TSC candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasi Mandal
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Nathan C. Drucker
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Phum Siriviboon
- Department
of Physics, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Thanh Nguyen
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Artittaya Boonkird
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tej Nath Lamichhane
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ryotaro Okabe
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Abhijatmedhi Chotrattanapituk
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Mingda Li
- Quantum
Measurement Group, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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3
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Smidman M, Salamon MB, Yuan HQ, Agterberg DF. Superconductivity and spin-orbit coupling in non-centrosymmetric materials: a review. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2017; 80:036501. [PMID: 28072583 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/80/3/036501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In non-centrosymmetric superconductors, where the crystal structure lacks a centre of inversion, parity is no longer a good quantum number and an electronic antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling (ASOC) is allowed to exist by symmetry. If this ASOC is sufficiently large, it has profound consequences on the superconducting state. For example, it generally leads to a superconducting pairing state which is a mixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet components. The possibility of such novel pairing states, as well as the potential for observing a variety of unusual behaviors, led to intensive theoretical and experimental investigations. Here we review the experimental and theoretical results for superconducting systems lacking inversion symmetry. Firstly we give a conceptual overview of the key theoretical results. We then review the experimental properties of both strongly and weakly correlated bulk materials, as well as two dimensional systems. Here the focus is on evaluating the effects of ASOC on the superconducting properties and the extent to which there is evidence for singlet-triplet mixing. This is followed by a more detailed overview of theoretical aspects of non-centrosymmetric superconductivity. This includes the effects of the ASOC on the pairing symmetry and the superconducting magnetic response, magneto-electric effects, superconducting finite momentum pairing states, and the potential for non-centrosymmetric superconductors to display topological superconductivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Smidman
- Center for Correlated Matter and Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China
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4
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Weng ZF, Smidman M, Jiao L, Lu X, Yuan HQ. Multiple quantum phase transitions and superconductivity in Ce-based heavy fermions. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2016; 79:094503. [PMID: 27533524 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/79/9/094503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Heavy fermions have served as prototype examples of strongly-correlated electron systems. The occurrence of unconventional superconductivity in close proximity to the electronic instabilities associated with various degrees of freedom points to an intricate relationship between superconductivity and other electronic states, which is unique but also shares some common features with high temperature superconductivity. The magnetic order in heavy fermion compounds can be continuously suppressed by tuning external parameters to a quantum critical point, and the role of quantum criticality in determining the properties of heavy fermion systems is an important unresolved issue. Here we review the recent progress of studies on Ce based heavy fermion superconductors, with an emphasis on the superconductivity emerging on the edge of magnetic and charge instabilities as well as the quantum phase transitions which occur by tuning different parameters, such as pressure, magnetic field and doping. We discuss systems where multiple quantum critical points occur and whether they can be classified in a unified manner, in particular in terms of the evolution of the Fermi surface topology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z F Weng
- Center for Correlated Matter and Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China
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Schnyder AP, Brydon PMR. Topological surface states in nodal superconductors. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2015; 27:243201. [PMID: 26000466 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/27/24/243201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Topological superconductors have become a subject of intense research due to their potential use for technical applications in device fabrication and quantum information. Besides fully gapped superconductors, unconventional superconductors with point or line nodes in their order parameter can also exhibit nontrivial topological characteristics. This article reviews recent progress in the theoretical understanding of nodal topological superconductors, with a focus on Weyl and noncentrosymmetric superconductors and their protected surface states. Using selected examples, we review the bulk topological properties of these systems, study different types of topological surface states, and examine their unusual properties. Furthermore, we survey some candidate materials for topological superconductivity and discuss different experimental signatures of topological surface states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas P Schnyder
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Heißenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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6
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Schnyder AP, Timm C, Brydon PMR. Edge currents as a signature of flatbands in topological superconductors. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 111:077001. [PMID: 23992077 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.077001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We study nondegenerate flatbands at the surfaces of noncentrosymmetric topological superconductors by exact diagonalization of Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonians. We show that these states are strongly spin polarized and acquire a chiral dispersion when placed in contact with a ferromagnetic insulator. This chiral mode carries a large edge current which displays a singular dependence on the exchange-field strength. The contribution of other edge states to the current is comparably weak. We hence propose that the observation of the edge current can serve as a test of the presence of nondegenerate flatbands.
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Bauer E, Rogl P. Non-centrosymmetric Superconductors: Strong vs. Weak Electronic Correlations. NON-CENTROSYMMETRIC SUPERCONDUCTORS 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-24624-1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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8
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Onuki R, Sumiyama A, Oda Y, Yasuda T, Settai R, Onuki Y. Point-contact spectroscopy of the heavy-fermion superconductor CePt(3)Si. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2009; 21:075703. [PMID: 21817336 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/21/7/075703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Differential resistance spectra (dV/dI-V characteristics) have been measured for point contacts between the heavy-fermion superconductor (HFS) CePt(3)Si and a normal metal. Some contacts show a peak at V = 0 that is characteristic of HFS coexisting with a magnetic order such as UPd(2)Al(3), UNi(2)Al(3) and URu(2)Si(2). The evolution of the peak occurs well above the antiferromagnetic transition temperature T(N)∼2.2 K, so that the direct relationship with the magnetic transition is questionable. The half-width of the peak seems to reflect the crystal field splitting or the spin-wave gap as observed for the above-mentioned HFSs, possibly suggesting that some common scattering process induces the zero-bias peaks in these materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Onuki
- Department of Material Science, Faculty of Science, University of Hyogo, Akō-gun 678-1297, Japan
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Hill RW, Li S, Maple MB, Taillefer L. Multiband order parameters for the PrOs4Sb12 and PrRu4Sb12 skutterudite superconductors from thermal conductivity measurements. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2008; 101:237005. [PMID: 19113585 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.101.237005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2007] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Thermal conductivity measurements were performed on single crystal samples of the superconducting filled-skutterudite compounds PrOs4Sb12 and PrRu4Sb12 both as a function of temperature and transverse magnetic field. In a zero magnetic field, the low temperature electronic thermal conductivity of PrRu4Sb12 is consistent with a fully gapped Fermi surface. For PrOs4Sb12, residual electronic conduction in the zero-temperature limit is consistent with the presence of nodes in the superconducting energy gap. The electronic thermal conductivity for both compounds shows a rapid rise at low magnetic fields. In PrRu4Sb12, this is interpreted in terms of multiband effects. In PrOs4Sb12, we consider the Doppler shift of nodal quasiparticles and multiband effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- R W Hill
- Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
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Kasahara Y, Iwasawa T, Shimizu Y, Shishido H, Shibauchi T, Vekhter I, Matsuda Y. Thermal conductivity evidence for a dx2-y2 pairing symmetry in the heavy-fermion CeIrIn5 superconductor. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2008; 100:207003. [PMID: 18518572 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.100.207003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2007] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The phase diagram of the quasi-2D Ce(Ir,Rh)In5 system contains two distinct superconducting domes. By the thermal transport measurements in rotating magnetic fields H, we pinned down the superconducting gap structure of CeIrIn5 in the second dome, located distant from the first dome in proximity to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. Clear fourfold oscillation was observed when H is rotated within the ab plane, while no oscillation was observed within the bc plane. In sharp contrast to previous reports, our results are most consistent with dx2-y2 symmetry, implying that the superconductivity in the second phase is also mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kasahara
- Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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11
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Mukuda H, Fujii T, Ohara T, Harada A, Yashima M, Kitaoka Y, Okuda Y, Settai R, Onuki Y. Enhancement of superconducting transition temperature due to the strong antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrSi3: A 29Si NMR study under pressure. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2008; 100:107003. [PMID: 18352225 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.100.107003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2007] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We report a (29)Si NMR study on the pressure-induced superconductivity (SC) in an antiferromagnetic (AFM) heavy-fermion compound CeIrSi(3) without inversion symmetry. In the SC state at P = 2.7-2.8 GPa, the temperature (T) dependence of the nuclear-spin lattice relaxation rate 1/T(1) below T(c) exhibits a T(3) behavior without any coherence peak just below T(c), revealing the presence of line nodes in the SC gap. In the normal state, 1/T(1) follows a square root T-like behavior, suggesting that the SC emerges under the non-Fermi-liquid state dominated by AFM spin fluctuations enhanced around a quantum critical point. The reason why the maximum T(c) in CeIrSi(3) is relatively high among the Ce-based heavy-fermion superconductors may be the existence of the strong AFM spin fluctuations. We discuss the comparison with the other Ce-based heavy-fermion superconductors.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Mukuda
- Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
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12
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Leridon B, Ng TK, Varma CM. Josephson effect for superconductors lacking time-reversal and inversion symmetries. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2007; 99:027002. [PMID: 17678246 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.99.027002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2006] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Because of the absence of a center of inversion in some superconducting compounds, a p-wave admixture to the dominant d-wave (or s) order parameter must exist. If time reversal is also violated, an allowed invariant is the product of the d wave (or s wave), p wave, and an appropriately directed current. We show that this leads to a new and remarkable property of the Josephson current for tunneling into a s-wave superconductor along the direction parallel to the axis of the p-wave component. These ideas are applied to the heavy-fermion compounds which lack center of inversion due to crystalline symmetry, as well as time-reversal symmetry, such as CePt(3)Si. They also apply to the superconducting state of the cuprates in the pseudogap region of the phase diagram where in the normal phase some experiments have detected a time-reversal and inversion symmetry broken phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Leridon
- UPR5, CNRS/ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France
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Kasahara Y, Shimono Y, Shibauchi T, Matsuda Y, Yonezawa S, Muraoka Y, Hiroi Z. Thermal conductivity of the pyrochlore superconductor KOs2O6: strong electron correlations and fully gapped superconductivity. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2006; 96:247004. [PMID: 16907273 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.96.247004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate the nature of the superconducting ground state of the geometrically frustrated pyrochlore KOs2O6 (Tc=9.6 K), the thermal conductivity was measured down to low temperatures (approximately Tc/100). We found that the quasiparticle mean free path is strikingly enhanced below a transition at Tp=7.8 K, indicating enormous electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. In magnetic fields, the conduction at T-->0 K is nearly constant up to approximately 0.4Hc2, in contrast with the rapid growth expected for superconductors with an anisotropic gap. This unambiguously indicates a fully gapped superconductivity, in contrast with previous studies. These results highlight that KOs2O6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kasahara
- Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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Wu XS, Adams PW, Yang Y, McCarley RL. Spin proximity effect in ultrathin superconducting Be-Au bilayers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2006; 96:127002. [PMID: 16605946 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.96.127002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2005] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
We present a detailed study of the effects of interface spin-orbit coupling on the critical field behavior of ultrathin superconducting Be/Au bilayers. Parallel field measurements were made in bilayers with Be thicknesses in the range of d=2-30 nm and Au coverages of 0.5 nm. Though the Au had little effect on the superconducting gap, it produced profound changes in the spin states of the system. In particular, the parallel critical field exceeded the Clogston limit by an order of magnitude in the thinnest films studied. In addition, the parallel critical field unexpectedly scaled as [FORMULA: SEE TEXT], suggesting that the spin-orbit coupling energy was proportional to Delta0/d2. Tilted field measurements showed that, contrary to recent theory, the interface spin-orbit coupling induces a large in-plane superconducting susceptibility but only a very small transverse susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- X S Wu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
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15
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Seyfarth G, Brison JP, Méasson MA, Flouquet J, Izawa K, Matsuda Y, Sugawara H, Sato H. Multiband superconductivity in the heavy fermion compound PrOs4Sb12. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2005; 95:107004. [PMID: 16196955 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.95.107004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2005] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The thermal conductivity of the heavy fermion superconductor Pr(Os(4)Sb(12) was measured down to T(c)/40 throughout the vortex state. At lowest temperatures and for magnetic fields H approximately 0.07H(c2), already 40% of the normal state thermal conductivity is restored. This behavior (similar to that observed in MgB2) is a clear signature of multiband superconductivity in this compound.
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