Spectroscopic Evidence for the Direct Involvement of Local Moments in the Pairing Process of the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeCoIn$_5$

TL;DR

This study uses tunneling spectroscopy to provide evidence that local f-electron moments are directly involved in the electron pairing mechanism of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$, supporting a magnetic mediation model.

Contribution

It presents experimental evidence linking local moments to pairing in CeCoIn$_5$, supporting the composite pairing theory over spin fluctuation models.

Findings

Pairing gap opens above bulk T_c at ~5 K

Directional dependence consistent with d_{x^2-y^2} symmetry

Field-induced gaplike structure increases linearly with magnetic field

Abstract

The microscopic mechanism for electron pairing in heavy-fermion superconductors remains a major challenge in quantum materials. Some form of magnetic mediation is widely accepted with spin fluctuations as a prime candidate. A novel mechanism, 'composite pairing' based on the cooperative two-channel Kondo effect directly involving the f-electron moments has also been proposed for some heavy fermion compounds including CeCoIn$_5$. The origin of the spin resonance peak observed in neutron scattering measurements on CeCoIn$_5$ is still controversial and the corresponding hump-dip structure in the tunneling conductance is missing. This is in contrast to the cuprate and Fe-based high-temperature superconductors, where both characteristic signatures are observed, indicating spin fluctuations are likely involved in the pairing process. Here, we report results from planar tunneling spectroscopy along three major crystallographic orientations of CeCoIn5 over wide ranges of temperature and magnetic field. The pairing gap opens at T$_p$ ~ 5 K, well above the bulk T$_c$ = 2.3 K, and its directional dependence is consistent with d$_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry. With increasing magnetic field, this pairing gap is suppressed as expected but, intriguingly, a gaplike structure emerges smoothly, increasing linearly up to the highest field applied. This field-induced gaplike feature is only observed below T$_p$. The concomitant appearance of the pairing gap and the field-induced gaplike feature, along with its linear increase with field, indicates that the f-electron local moments are directly involved in the pairing process in CeCoIn$_5$.