To resolve the nature of the hidden order below 17.5,K in the heavy fermion compound URu$_2$Si$_2$, identifying which symmetries are broken below the hidden order transition is one of the most important steps. Several recent experiments on the electr
onic structure have shown that the Fermi surface in the hidden order phase is quite close to the result of band-structure calculations within the framework of itinerant electron picture assuming the antiferromagnetism. This provides strong evidence for the band folding along the c-axis with the ordering vector of $(0,0,1)$, corresponding to broken translational symmetry. In addition to this, there is growing evidence for fourfold rotational symmetry breaking in the hidden-order phase from measurements of the in-plane magnetic anisotropy and the effective mass anisotropy in the electronic structure, as well as the orthorhombic lattice distortion. This broken fourfold symmetry gives a stringent constraint that the symmetry of the hidden order parameter should belong to the degenerate $E$-type irreducible representation. We also discuss a possibility that time reversal symmetry is also broken, which further narrows down the order parameter that characterizes the hidden order.
When interacting electrons are confined to low-dimensions, the electron-electron correlation effect is enhanced dramatically, which often drives the system into exhibiting behaviors that are otherwise highly improbable. Superconductivity with the str
ongest electron correlations is achieved in heavy-fermion compounds, which contain a dense lattice of localized magnetic moments interacting with a sea of conduction electrons to form a 3D Kondo lattice. It had remained an unanswered question whether superconductivity would persist upon effectively reducing the dimensionality of these materials from three to two. Here we report on the observation of superconductivity in such an ultimately strongly-correlated system of heavy electrons confined within a 2D square-lattice of Ce-atoms (2D Kondo lattice), which was realized by fabricating epitaxial superlattices built of alternating layers of heavy-fermion CeCoIn5 and conventional metal YbCoIn5. The field-temperature phase diagram of the superlattices exhibits highly unusual behaviors, including a striking enhancement of the upper critical field relative to the transition temperature. This implies that the force holding together the superconducting electron-pairs takes on an extremely strong coupled nature as a result of two-dimensionalization.
We present In NMR measurements in a novel thermodynamic phase of CeCoIn5 in high magnetic field, where exotic superconductivity coexists with the incommensurate spin-density wave order. We show that the NMR spectra in this phase provide direct eviden
ce for the emergence of the spatially distributed normal quasiparticle regions. The quantitative analysis for the field evolution of the paramagnetic magnetization and newly-emerged low-energy quasiparticle density of states is consistent with the nodal plane formation, which is characterized by an order parameter in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. The NMR spectra also suggest that the spatially uniform spin-density wave is induced in the FFLO phase.
The structure of the superconducting order parameter in the iron-pnictide superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$ ($T_c=31$,K) with line nodes is studied by the angle-resolved thermal conductivity measurements in a magnetic field rotated w
ithin the basal plane. We find that the thermal conductivity displays distinct fourfold oscillations with minima when the field is directed at $pm45^circ$ with respect to the tetragonal a-axis. We discuss possible gap structures that can account for the data, and conclude that the observed results are most consistent with the closed nodal loops located at the flat parts of the electron Fermi surface with high Fermi velocity.
The normal-state charge transport is studied systematically in high-quality single crystals of BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ ($0 leq x leq 0.71$). By substituting isovalent P for As, the spin-density-wave (SDW) state is suppressed and the dome-shaped
superconducting phase ($T_c lesssim 31$ K) appears. Near the SDW end point ($xapprox0.3$), we observe striking linear temperature ($T$) dependence of resistivity in a wide $T$-range, and remarkable low-$T$ enhancement of Hall coefficient magnitude from the carrier number estimates. We also find that the magnetoresistance apparently violates the Kohlers rule and is well scaled by the Hall angle $Theta_H$ as $Deltarho_{xx}/rho_{xx} propto tan^2Theta_H$. These non-Fermi liquid transport anomalies cannot be attributed to the simple multiband effects. These results capture universal features of correlated electron systems in the presence of strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations.
We report high-sensitivity microwave measurements of the in-plane penetration depth $lambda_{ab}$ and quasiparticle scattering rate $1/tau$ in several single crystals of hole-doped Fe-based superconductor Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($xapprox 0.55$).
While power-law temperature dependence of $lambda_{ab}$ with the power $sim 2$ is found in crystals with large $1/tau$, we observe exponential temperature dependence of superfluid density consistent with the existence of fully opened two gaps in the cleanest crystal we studied. The difference may be a consequence of different level of disorder inherent in the crystals. We also find a linear relation between the low-temperature scattering rate and the density of quasiparticles, which shows a clear contrast to the case of d-wave cuprate superconductors with nodes in the gap. These results demonstrate intrinsically nodeless order parameters in the Fe-arsenides.
To elucidate the underlying nature of the hidden order (HO) state in heavy-fermion compound URu2Si2, we measure electrical transport properties of ultraclean crystals in a high field/low temperature regime. Unlike previous studies, the present system
with much less impurity scattering resolves a distinct anomaly of the Hall resistivity at H*=22.5 T well below the destruction field of the HO phase ~36 T. In addition, a novel quantum oscillation appears above a magnetic field slightly below H*. These results indicate an abrupt reconstruction of the Fermi surface, which implies a possible phase transition well within the HO phase caused by a band-dependent destruction of the HO parameter. The present results definitely indicate that the HO transition should be described by an itinerant electron picture.
A miniature Hall sensor array was used to detect magnetic induction locally in the vortex states of the $beta$-pyrochlore superconductor KOs$_2$O$_6$. Below the first-order transition at $T_{rm p}sim 8$ K, which is associated with a change in the rat
tling motion of K ions, the lower critical field and the remanent magnetization both show a distinct decrease, suggesting that the electron-phonon coupling is weakened below the transition. At high magnetic fields, the local induction shows an unexpectedly large jump at $T_{rm p}$ whose sign changes with position inside the sample. Our results demonstrate a novel redistribution of vortices whose energy is reduced abruptly below the first-order transition at $T_{rm p}$.
Microwave penetration depth $lambda$ and surface resistance at 27 GHz are measured in high quality crystals of KOs$_2$O$_6$. Firm evidence for fully-gapped superconductivity is provided from $lambda(T)$. Below the second transition at $T_{rm p}sim 8$
K, the superfluid density shows a step-like change with a suppression of effective critical temperature $T_{rm c}$. Concurrently, the extracted quasiparticle scattering time shows a steep enhancement, indicating a strong coupling between the anomalous rattling motion of K ions and quasiparticles. The results imply that the rattling phonons help to enhance superconductivity, and that K sites freeze to an ordered state with long quasiparticle mean free path below $T_{rm p}$.
