Heavy-fermion superconductivity in Ce2PdIn8

TL;DR

This paper reports that Ce2PdIn8 is a heavy-fermion superconductor with a transition temperature of 0.7 K, exhibiting non-Fermi liquid behavior indicative of proximity to a quantum phase transition.

Contribution

It provides the first evidence of superconductivity in Ce2PdIn8, expanding the family of heavy-fermion superconductors within the Ce(n)TIn(3n+2) series.

Findings

Ce2PdIn8 exhibits superconductivity at 0.7 K.

The compound shows strong heavy-fermion behavior.

Normal state displays non-Fermi liquid features.

Abstract

The compound Ce2PdIn8 is a recently discovered novel member of the series Ce(n)TIn(3n+2), where T = d-electron transition metal, and n = 1 or 2. So far, only the phases with T = Co, Rh and Ir have been intensively studied for their unconventional superconducting behaviors at low temperatures. By means of magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity measurements we provide evidence that also Ce2PdIn8 has a superconducting ground state with strong heavy-fermion character. The clean-limit superconductivity sets in at Tc = 0.7 K at ambient pressure, likely at a verge of a quantum phase transition that manifests itself in a form of distinct non-Fermi liquid features in the bulk normal state characteristics.