We propose an alternate scenario for the relation between ferromagnetism (FM) and superconductivity (SC) in UCoGe at ambient pressure. On the basis of neutron polarimetry measurement performed in strictly zero field on a single-crystal at ambient pressure, we claim that the SC phase does exist in spite of lack of long-range FM order. Moreover, the SC regime dominates to the paramagnetic (PM) state in small external magnetic fields. Above the critical SC temperature, TSC = 0.64 K, the zero-field state is characterized by a regime with strong FM spin fluctuations, suggesting the proximity of the FM quantum critical point. We present an ambient-pressure phase diagram of UCoGe based on our resistivity, magnetization and neutron polarimetry results.
The mechanism of unconventional superconductivity, such as high-temperature-cuprate, Fe-based, and heavy-fermion superconductors, has been studied as a central issue in condensed-matter physics. Spin fluctuations, instead of phonons, are considered to be responsible for the formation of Cooper pairs, and many efforts have been made to confirm this mechanism experimentally. Although a qualitative consensus seems to have been obtained, experimental confirmation has not yet been achieved. This is owing to a lack of the quantitative comparison between theory and experiments. Here, we show a semi-q…
Symmetry protected line nodes in non-symmorphic magnetic space groups: Applications to UCoGe and UPd$_2$Al$_3$
本文给出了在非对称磁空间群中与某些磁序共存的超导体中能隙函数的群论分类。基于弱耦合BCS理论，我们证明了UCoGe型铁磁超导体在$k_z=0$或$\pmπ/c$平面上必须有水平线节点。此外，很可能在轴向点处存在额外的外尔点节点。另一方面，在UPd $_2$ Al $_3$型反铁磁超导体中，具有$A_g$对称性的能隙函数在垂直于$c$轴的反铁磁布里渊区边界具有水平线节点.换句话说，只要费米面穿过带边界，在这种类型的反铁磁超导体中，常规的完全带隙的$s$波超导性是被禁止的，与配对机制无关。UCoGe和UPd $_2$ Al $_3$是具有非对称磁空间群特有的隐层保护线节点的非常规超导体的候选者。
Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Fluctuations and Anomalous Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in UCoGe Revealed by Co-NMR and NQR Studies
Magnetic-field-angle-resolved specific heat and magnetization measurements were conducted on a ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe with remarkable anisotropic upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$. Although $H_{\rm c2}$ reaches a high magnetic field ($\sim 20$~T) along the $b$ axis, it is small ($\sim~0.6$~T) when a magnetic field is applied along the magnetic easy $c$-axis. This study indicates that the specific heat is abruptly suppressed when the magnetic field is applied toward the $c$ axis from the $a$ and $b$ axes in the ferromagnetic state. The field response of density of states (DOS) is an…
We report on theoretical studies on ferromagnetic superconductors, URhGe, and UCoGe and identifies the pairing state as a non-unitary spin-triplet one, analogous to superfluid $^3$He-A phase. A recently found superconductor UTe$_2$ with almost ferromagnet is analyzed by the same manner. Through investigating their peculiar upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$ shapes, it is shown that the pairing symmetry realized in all three compounds can be tuned by their magnetization curves under applied fields. This leads to the reentrant $H_{\rm c2}$ in URhGe, an S-shaped in UCoGe and an L-shaped $H_{\rm c2…
Ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe has orthorhombic structure and possesses spontaneous magnetisation along the c-axis. Magnetic field directed along the $b$-axis suppresses ferromagnetism in $c$-direction and leads to a metamagnetic transition into polarised paramagnetic state in the $b$-direction. The theory of these phenomena based on the specific magnetic anisotropy of this material in $(b,c)$ plane is given. Line of the first order metamagnetic transition ends at a critical point. The Van der Waals - type description of behaviour of physical properties near this point is developed. The tr…
We develop a phenomenological theory for the family of uranium-based heavy fermion superconductors ($URhGe$, $UCoGe$, and $UTe_2$ ). The theory unifies the understanding of both superconductivity(SC) with a weak magnetic field and reentrant superconductivity(RSC) that appears at the first-order transition line with a high magnetic field. It is shown that the magnetizations along the easy and hard axis have opposite effects on superconductivity. The RSC is induced by the fluctuation parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. The theory makes specific predictions about the variation of tri…
The reentrant superconductivity is the peculiar phenomenon observed in paramagnetic metal UTe$_2$ in magnetic field parallel to the hard magnetisation axis. It is difficult to explain it in terms of field dependent intensity of magnetic fluctuations like it is done for explanation of the formally similar phenomena in the ferromagnetic uranium superconductors URhGe, UCoGe. Extremely large initial slope of the upper critical field temperature dependence suggests that the phenomenon has the quasi-two-dimensional nature. Indeed, according to the recent band structure calculations by Yuanji Xu et a…
The novel spin-triplet superconductor candidate UTe2 was discovered only recently at the end of 2018 and attracted enormous attention. We review key experimental and theoretical progress which has been achieved in different laboratories. UTe2 is a heavy-fermion paramagnet, but right after the discovery of superconductivity it has been expected to be close to a ferromagnetic instability showing many similarities to the U-based ferromagnetic superconductors, URhGe and UCoGe. The competition between different types of magnetic interactions and the duality between the local and itinerant character…
Magnetic Properties and Phase Diagram of Li-doped La(2)CuO(4): Common Magnetic Response of Hole-doped CuO2 Planes
虽然La（2）Cu（1-x）Li（x）O（4）[Li-LCO]在许多方面不同于La（2-x）Sr（x）CuO（4）[Sr-LCO]（例如，不存在金属输运、高Tc超导性和无公度反铁磁关联），已知某些磁性非常相似。本文建立了Li-LCO（0 <= x <= 0.07）的详细体磁相图，发现它与轻掺杂Sr-LCO的体磁相图几乎相同，从而将该相图的普遍性推广到空穴掺杂但非超导的铜酸盐。
We report the magnetoresistance in the novel spin-triplet superconductor UTe2 under pressure close to the critical pressure Pc, where the superconducting phase terminates, for field along the three a, b and c-axes in the orthorhombic structure. The superconducting phase for H // a-axis just below Pc shows a field-reentrant behavior due to the competition with the emergence of magnetic order at low fields. The upper critical field Hc2 for H // c-axis shows a quasi-vertical increase in the H-T phase diagram just below Pc, indicating that superconductivity is reinforced by the strong fluctuations…
