Hybrid gap structure in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn$_5$

The thermal conductivity $kappa$ of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn$_5$ was measured as a function of temperature down to $T_c$/8, for current directions perpendicular ($J parallel a$) and parallel ($J parallel c$) to the tetragonal c axis. For $J parallel a$, a sizable residual linear term $kappa_0 / T$ is observed, as previously, which confirms the presence of line nodes in the superconducting gap. For $J parallel c$, on the other hand, $kappa / T to 0$ as $T to 0$. The resulting precipitous decline in the anisotropy ratio $kappa_c / kappa_a$ at low temperature rules out a gap structure with line nodes running along the c-axis, such as the d-wave state favoured for CeCoIn$_5$, and instead points to a hybrid gap of $E_g$ symmetry. It therefore appears that two distinct superconducting states are realized in the Ce$M$In$_5$ family.