English

Scaling relations in anisotropic superconductors with strong pair-breaking

Superconductivity 2010-02-19 v1 Strongly Correlated Electrons

Abstract

Following the work of Abrikosov and Gor'kov on the pair-breaking effects, one can derive the temperature dependencies of the electronic specific heat Cs/T=γ+μT2C_s/T=\gamma^\prime+\mu T^2 (with the jump at the superconducting transition ΔCTc3\Delta C \propto T_c^3) for materials with zero Fermi surface average of the order parameter <Δ>=0<\Delta>=0 (e.g. d-wave) or for those with <Δ>Δmax<\Delta> \ll \Delta_{max} (e.g., ±s\pm s of iron-pnictides) in the presence of strong pair-breaking. Moreover, the London penetration depth satisfies λ2=λ02(1T2/Tc2)\lambda^{-2}=\lambda_0^{-2}(1-T^2/T_c^2) (or λλ0=βT2\lambda -\lambda_0=\beta T^2 at low temperatures) and the slope of the upper critical field near TcT_c is Hc2TcH_{c2}^\prime \propto T_c. Remarkably simple relations between these at first sight unrelated quantities take place: μλ02Tc3/Hc2=3ϕ0/8π2\mu \lambda_0^2 T_c^3/|H_{c2}^\prime|=3\phi_0/8\pi^2 and ΔCβ2Tc4/Hc2,c=ϕ0/16π2\Delta C \beta^2 T_c^4/|H_{c2,c}^\prime| = \phi_0/16\pi^2 are universal constants. The prediction is checked on two samples of Ba(Fe1x_{1-x}Cox_{x})2_2As2_2 and on CeCoIn5_5 for which the data needed are available.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1002.3390,
  title  = {Scaling relations in anisotropic superconductors with strong pair-breaking},
  author = {V. G. Kogan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.3390},
  year   = {2010}
}