Suppressed Andreev Reflection at the Normal-Metal / Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ Interface

TL;DR

This study reports detailed conductance spectra of Au/CeCoIn$_5$ point contacts, revealing suppressed Andreev reflection and evidence for d-wave symmetry, highlighting the complex nature of heavy-fermion superconductor interfaces.

Contribution

It provides the first clear spectroscopic evidence for d-wave symmetry in CeCoIn$_5$ and discusses the failure of existing models to fully explain the observed conductance features.

Findings

Sub-gap conductance enhancement of ~12% consistent with heavy-fermion behavior

Evidence for d-wave ($d_{x^2-y^2}$) symmetry from (110) contact spectra

Suppressed Andreev reflection signals indicating complex interface physics

Abstract

Dynamic conductance spectra are taken from Au/CeCoIn$_5$ point contacts in the Sharvin limit along the (001) and (110) directions. Our conductance spectra, reproducibly obtained over wide ranges of temperature, constitute the cleanest data sets ever reported for HFSs. A signature for the emerging heavy-fermion liquid is evidenced by the development of the asymmetry in the background in the normal state. Below $T_c$, an enhancement of the sub-gap conductance arising from Andreev reflection is observed, with the magnitude of $\sim$ 13.3 % and $\sim$ 11.8 % for the (001) and the (110) point contacts, respectively, an order of magnitude smaller than those observed in conventional superconductors but consistent with those in other HFSs. Our zero-bias conductance data for the (001) point contacts are best fit with the extended BTK model using the d-wave order parameter. The fit to the full conductance curve of the (001) point contact indicates the strong coupling nature ($2\Delta/k_{B}T_c = 4.64$). However, our observed suppression of both the Andreev reflection signal and the energy gap indicates the failure of existing models. We provide possible directions for theoretical formulations of the electronic transport across an N/HFS interface. Several qualitative features observed in the (110) point contacts provide the first clear spectroscopic evidence for the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry.