Development of Point-Contact Spectroscopy of Heavy-Fermion Superconductors under Pressure

Point-contact Spectroscopy of Superconductors

Point-contact investigations of challenging superconductors: two-band MgB2, antiferromagnetic HoNi2B2C, heavy fermion UPd2Al3, paramagnetic MgCNi3

An overview on recent efforts in point-contact (PC) spectroscopy of title superconductors is given. Distinct phonon features and crystalline-electric-field effects are observed in PC spectra of HoNi2B2C. Results of study of superconducting (SC) gap and excess current versus temperature and magnetic field reflecting specific multi-band electronic structure in MgB2 are presented. The nature of th...

Point-contact spectroscopy of the heavy-fermion superconductor CePt(3)Si.

Differential resistance spectra (dV/dI-V characteristics) have been measured for point contacts between the heavy-fermion superconductor (HFS) CePt(3)Si and a normal metal. Some contacts show a peak at V = 0 that is characteristic of HFS coexisting with a magnetic order such as UPd(2)Al(3), UNi(2)Al(3) and URu(2)Si(2). The evolution of the peak occurs well above the antiferromagnetic transition...

Non-centrosymmetric Heavy-Fermion Superconductors

In this chapter we discuss the physical properties of a particular family of non-centrosymmetric superconductors belonging to the class heavy-fermion compounds. This group includes the ferromagnet UIr and the antiferromagnets CeRhSi3,CeIrSi3,CeCoGe3,CeIrGe3 and CePt3Si, of which all but CePt3Si become superconducting only under pressure. Each of these superconductors has intriguing and interest...

Point-contact Spectroscopy of the Nickel Borocarbide Superconductors

An overview of the recent efforts in point-contact (PC) spectroscopy of the nickel borocarbide superconductors RNi2B2C in the normal and superconducting (SC) state is given. The results of measurements of the PC electronboson(phonon) interaction spectral function are presented. Phonon maxima and crystalline-electric-field (CEF) excitations are observed in the PC spectra of compounds with R=Dy, ...