Anisotropy, disorder, and superconductivity in CeCu2Si2 under high pressure

TL;DR

This study investigates how anisotropy, disorder, and uniaxial stress influence superconductivity and normal state properties in CeCu2Si2 under high pressure, revealing sensitivity to stress and evidence for valence-fluctuation mediated pairing.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of uniaxial stress and anisotropy on superconductivity and normal state behavior in CeCu2Si2 at high pressures, highlighting valence fluctuations as a pairing mechanism.

Findings

Superconducting transition temperature Tc is highly sensitive to uniaxial stress.

Valence instability pressure Pv shifts with stress and orientation.

Superconductivity coexists with high residual resistivity near the Ioffe-Regel limit at ~5 GPa.

Abstract

Resistivity measurements were carried out up to 8 GPa on single crystal and polycrystalline samples of CeCu2Si2 from differing sources in the homogeneity range. The anisotropic response to current direction and small uniaxial stresses was explored, taking advantage of the quasi-hydrostatic environment of the Bridgman anvil cell. It was found that both the superconducting transition temperature Tc and the normal state properties are very sensitive to uniaxial stress, which leads to a shift of the valence instability pressure Pv and a small but significant change in Tc for different orientations with respect to the tetragonal c-axis. Coexistence of superconductivity and residual resistivity close to the Ioffe-Regel limit around 5 GPa provides a compelling argument for the existence of a valence-fluctuation mediated pairing interaction at high pressure in CeCu2Si2.