Magnetism and superconductivity driven by identical 4 f states in a heavy-fermion metal

The apparently inimical relationship between magnetism and superconductivity has come under increasing scrutiny in a wide range of material classes, where the free energy landscape conspires to bring them in close proximity to each other. Particularly enigmatic is the case when these phases microsco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-05, Vol.107 (21), p.9537-9540
Main Authors: Nair, Sunil, Stockert, O., Witte, U., Nicklas, M., Schedler, R., Kiefer, K., Thompson, J. D., Bianchi, A. D., Wirth, S., Steglich, F., Fisk, Zachary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electrical resistivity
Ground state
Hysteresis
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
Neutron scattering
Neutrons
Specific heat
Superconductivity
Superconductors
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Summary:The apparently inimical relationship between magnetism and superconductivity has come under increasing scrutiny in a wide range of material classes, where the free energy landscape conspires to bring them in close proximity to each other. Particularly enigmatic is the case when these phases microscopically interpenetrate, though the manner in which this can be accomplished remains to be fully comprehended. Here, we present combined measurements of elastic neutron scattering, magnetotransport, and heat capacity on a prototypical heavy fermion system, in which antiferromagnetism and superconductivity are observed. Monitoring the response of these states to the presence of the other, as well as to external thermal and magnetic perturbations, points to the possibility that they emerge from different parts of the Fermi surface. Therefore, a single 4f state could be both localized and itinerant, thus accounting for the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1004958107