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Superconductivity mediated by spin fluctuations in the heavy-fermion compound UPd2Al3

Journal article published in 1999 by Martin Jourdan ORCID, M. Huth, Hermann Adrian
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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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 superconductorÐepitaxial thin ®lms of UPd2Al3. Our observation of a strong-coupling feature in the tunnelling conductivity, combined with recent inelastic neutron scattering data13±15 strongly suggest a pairing interaction mediated by spin Fluctuations.