Superconductivity mediated by spin fluctuations in the heavy-fermion compound UPd2 Al3

M. Jourdan, M. Huth () and H. Adrian
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M. Jourdan: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University
M. Huth: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University
H. Adrian: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University

Nature, 1999, vol. 398, issue 6722, 47-49

Abstract: Abstract It is well known that any weak attractive electron–electron interaction in metals can in principle cause the formation of Cooper pairs, which then condense into a superconducting ground state1. In conventional superconductors, this attractive interaction is mediated by lattice vibrations (phonons). But for the heavy-fermion and high-temperature superconductors, alternative pairing interactions are considered to be possible2. For example, the low-temperature properties of heavy-fermion systems are dominated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, which have been considered theoretically3 as a possible cause for Cooper-pair formation. This picture recently received some experimental support: the resistivity behaviour under pressure of two cerium-based heavy-fermion compounds was shown to be consistent with a magnetically mediated pairing mechanism4. Here we use tunnelling spectroscopy to investigate the superconducting order parameter of a uranium-based heavy-fermion superconductor—epitaxial thin films of UPd2 Al3. Our observation of a strong-coupling feature in the tunnelling conductivity, combined with recent inelastic neutron scattering data13,14,15 strongly suggest a pairing interaction mediated by spin fluctuations.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1038/17977

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