Possible anisotropic superconducting pairing in cubic ThPt4Ge12

TL;DR

This study investigates the superconducting properties of ThPt4Ge12, revealing evidence of anisotropic pairing, and classifies it among exotic superconductors based on muon-spin-rotation measurements and related parameters.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed muon-spin-rotation analysis of ThPt4Ge12, highlighting anisotropic pairing and its classification within exotic superconductors.

Findings

Magnetic penetration depth $ au$ = 112 nm

Superconducting gap 0.67 meV

Classified as an exotic superconductor

Abstract

Transverse-field muon-spin-rotation measurements have been carried out for polycrystalline ThPt4Ge12. The magnetic penetration depth $\lambda$ and the superconducting coherence length $\xi$ in the vortex state of this compound were found to be 112(5) nm and 32(2) nm, respectively. We have estimated the effective mass of the quasiparticles $m^* \approx 4.6\times m_e$, the superfluid carrier density $n_s \approx 1.02 \times 10^{28}$ carriers/m$^{3}$, and the zero-temperature superconducting gap 0.67 meV, corresponding to the ratio: 2$\Delta(0)/k_BT_c$ = 3.76. We found markable difference between the temperature dependence of the vortex state muon-spin relaxation rate ZFC- and FC-$\sigma_s(T)$ below the irreversibility temperature $T_{ir} \sim $ 2.5 K. Linear field dependence of $\lambda(H)$, small ratio $T_{ir}/T_c$, and power law behavior of the temperature dependencies of $\lambda(T)$ seem to be consistent with anisotropic superconducting pairing in the compound studied. The analysis of correlation between the superconducting transition temperature and the effective Fermi temperature within the Uemura classification scheme reveals that ThPt4Ge belongs to the same class of exotic superconductors.