Abstract
Layered material structures play a key role in enhancing electron–electron interactions to create correlated metallic phases that can transform into unconventional superconducting states. The quasi-two-dimensional electronic properties of such compounds are often inferred indirectly through examination of bulk properties. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to directly probe in cross-section the quasi-two-dimensional electronic states of the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. Our measurements reveal the strong confined nature of quasiparticles, anisotropy of tunneling characteristics, and layer-by-layer modulated behavior of the precursor pseudogap gap phase. In the interlayer coupled superconducting state, the orientation of line defects relative to the d-wave order parameter determines whether in-gap states form due to scattering. Spectroscopic imaging of the anisotropic magnetic vortex cores directly characterizes the short interlayer superconducting coherence length and shows an electronic phase separation near the upper critical in-plane magnetic field, consistent with a Pauli-limited first-order phase transition into a pseudogap phase.
Highlights
Layered material structures play a key role in enhancing electron–electron interactions to create correlated metallic phases that can transform into unconventional superconducting states
This phase appears at high magnetic fields, just before the upper critical field associated with a Pauli-limited transition into the pseudogap phase[30,39,40]
We introduce an experimental approach to investigate the electronic structure of CeCoIn5: we use a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to study its properties in cross-section
Summary
Layered material structures play a key role in enhancing electron–electron interactions to create correlated metallic phases that can transform into unconventional superconducting states. We use scanning tunneling microscopy to directly probe in cross-section the quasi-two-dimensional electronic states of the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. Our measurements reveal the strong confined nature of quasiparticles, anisotropy of tunneling characteristics, and layer-by-layer modulated behavior of the precursor pseudogap gap phase. CeCoIn5 has a pseudogap pahdaxs2eÀ2y42,3s0y,3m2–m35etarsyw24e–l3l1aasnodththereroerdareereidndpihcaatsieosntshoatf compete or coexist with superconductivity, such as the spindensity wave order identified as the Q-phase[36,37,38]. This phase appears at high magnetic fields, just before the upper critical field associated with a Pauli-limited transition into the pseudogap phase[30,39,40]. We introduce an experimental approach to investigate the electronic structure of CeCoIn5: we use a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to study its properties in cross-section
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