pith. sign in

arxiv: 1407.0866 · v1 · pith:NGHCZFE7new · submitted 2014-07-03 · ❄️ cond-mat.str-el

Heavy Fermion Superconductivity in the Quadrupole Ordered State of PrV2Al20

classification ❄️ cond-mat.str-el
keywords superconductivityfermionheavyquadrupolestateassociatedcharacterdependence
0
0 comments X
read the original abstract

PrV$_2$Al$_{20}$ is a rare example of a heavy fermion system based on strong hybridization between conduction electrons and nonmagnetic quadrupolar moments of the cubic $\Gamma_3$ ground doublet. Here, we report that a high-quality single crystal of PrV$_2$Al$_{20}$ exhibits superconductivity at $T_{\rm c}=$ 50 mK in the antiferroquadrupole-ordered state under ambient pressure. The heavy fermion character of the superconductivity is evident from the specific heat jump of $\Delta C/T \sim 0.3$ J/mol K$^2$ and the effective mass $m^*/m_0 \sim 140$ estimated from the temperature dependence of the upper critical field. Furthermore, the high-quality single crystals exhibit double transitions at $T_{\rm Q}$ = 0.75 K and $T^{*}$ = 0.65 K associated with quadrupole and octapole degrees of freedom of the $\Gamma_3$ doublet. In the ordered state, the specific heat $C/T$ shows a $T^3$ dependence, indicating the gapless mode associated with the quadrupole and/or octapole order. The strong sensitivity to impurity of the superconductivity suggests unconventional character due to significant quadrupolar fluctuations.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.