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Superconducting gap structure of CeIrIn5 from field-angle-resolved measurements of its specific heat

Shunichiro Kittaka, Yuya Aoki, Toshiro Sakakibara, Akito Sakai, Satoru Nakatsuji, Yasumasa Tsutsumi, Masanori Ichioka, and Kazushige Machida
Phys. Rev. B 85, 060505(R) – Published 23 February 2012
Physics logo See Synopsis: Universal Pairing Symmetry

Abstract

In order to identify the gap structure of CeIrIn5, we measured field-angle-resolved specific heat C(φ) by conically rotating the magnetic field H around the c axis at low temperatures down to 80 mK. We revealed that C(φ) exhibits a fourfold angular oscillation, whose amplitude decreases monotonically by tilting H out of the ab plane. Detailed microscopic calculations based on the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation confirm that the observed features are uniquely explained by assuming the dx2y2-wave gap. These results strongly indicate that CeIrIn5 is a dx2y2-wave superconductor and suggest the universal pairing mechanism in CeMIn5 (M=Co, Rh, and Ir).

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  • Received 21 November 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.060505

©2012 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Universal Pairing Symmetry

Published 23 February 2012

Specific heat measurements reveal a universal symmetry for the superconducting gap in a family of heavy fermion materials.

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Authors & Affiliations

Shunichiro Kittaka1, Yuya Aoki1, Toshiro Sakakibara1, Akito Sakai1, Satoru Nakatsuji1, Yasumasa Tsutsumi2, Masanori Ichioka2, and Kazushige Machida2

  • 1Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
  • 2Department of Physics, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan

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Issue

Vol. 85, Iss. 6 — 1 February 2012

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