English

Unconventional Pairing in Heavy Fermion Metals

Superconductivity 2010-11-16 v1

Abstract

The Fermi-liquid theory of superconductivity is applicable to a broad range of systems that are candidates for unconventional pairing. Fundamental differences between unconventional and conventional anisotropic superconductors are illustrated by the unique effects that impurities have on the low-temperature transport properties of unconventional superconductors. For special classes of unconventional superconductors the low-temperature transport coefficients are {\it universal}, i.e. independent of the impurity concentration and scattering phase shift. The existence of a universal limit depends on the symmetry of the order parameter and is achieved at low temperatures kBTγΔ0k_B T \ll \gamma \ll \Delta_0, where γ\gamma is the bandwidth of the impurity induced Andreev bound states. In the case of UPt3_3 thermal conductivity measurements favor an E1gE_{1g} or E2uE_{2u} ground state. Measurements at ultra-low temperatures should distinguish different pairing states.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9610033,
  title  = {Unconventional Pairing in Heavy Fermion Metals},
  author = {J. A. Sauls and D. Rainer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9610033},
  year   = {2010}
}

Comments

8 pages in a LaTex (3.0) file plus 5 Figures in PostScript. To appear in the Proceedings of the XXI International Conference on Low Temperature Physics held in Prague, 8-14 August 1996