Spin fluctuations and superconductivity in UPt3 (invited)

Abstract

Of the three known high effective mass (‘‘heavy fermion’’) superconductors, UPt3 has quite different properties from the rather similar CeCu2Si2 and UBe13. In particular, UPt3 has a much different temperature dependence of its resistivity below 300 K, a much lower initial slope of the superconducting critical field, H′c2(Tc), a much greater dependence of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, on lattice perfection (proportional to resistivity ratio), and a much different temperature dependence of the low temperature normal state specific heat, Cn. This temperature dependence of Cn in fact includes a T3 ln T term for UPt3, compared to approximately a T−2 dependence for UBe13 and CeCu2Si2 at low temperatures. The presence of a T3 ln T term in Cn for UPt3, coupled with the extreme dependence of Tc on lattice perfection, has led to speculation that the pairing of the superconducting electrons in UPt3 may not be between opposite spins, but between parallel spins, i.e., p-wave instead of s-wave pairing. Recently, further experimental and theoretical evidence has been found supporting this speculation that UPt3 may be a p-wave superconductor. The present work surveys the properties of UPt3, including new results on the spin fluctuation behavior in the normal state of UPt3.