Heavy fermion superconductor

Heavy fermion superconductors are a type of unconventional superconductor.

The first heavy fermion superconductor, CeCu2Si2, was discovered by Frank Steglich in 1978.

Since then over 30 heavy fermion superconductors were found (in materials based on Ce, U, but also other lanthanide and actinide elements), with a critical temperature up to 18.5 K (in PuCoGa5).

Heavy fermion materials are intermetallic compounds, containing rare earth or actinide elements. The f-electrons of these atoms hybridize with the normal conduction electrons leading to quasiparticles with an enhanced effective mass.

From specific heat measurements

Δ

C

/

C

(

T

C

)

{\displaystyle \Delta C/C(T_{\rm {C}})}

one knows that the Cooper pairs in the superconducting state are also formed by the heavy quasiparticles.

In contrast to normal superconductors it cannot be described by BCS theory. Due to the large effective mass, the

Fermi velocity is reduced and comparable to the inverse Debye frequency. This leads to the failing of the picture of electrons polarizing the lattice as an attractive force.

Some heavy fermion superconductors are candidate materials for the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase.