Thermal conductivity of superconducting UPt{sub 3} at low temperatures
- Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
The authors study the thermal conductivity within the E{sub 1g} and E{sub 2u} models for superconductivity in UPt{sub 3} and compare the theoretical results for electronic heat transport with recently measured results reported by Lussier, Ellman and Taillefer. The existing data down to T/T{sub c}{approx} 0.1 provides convincing evidence for the presence of both line and point nodes in the gap, but the data can be accounted for either by an E{sub 1g} or E{sup 2u} order parameter. The authors discuss the features of the pairing symmetry, Fermi surface, and excitation spectrum that are reflected in the thermal conductivity at very low temperatures. Significant differences between the E{sub 1g} and E{sub 2u} models are predicted to develop at excitation energies below the bandwidth of the impurity-induced Andreev bound states. The zero-temperature limit of the c axis thermal conductivity, lim{sub T {r_arrow}0} {kappa}{sub C}/T, is universal for the E{sub 2u} model, but non-universal for the E{sub 1g} model. Thus, impurity concentration studies at very low temperatures should differentiate between the nodal structures of the E{sub 2u} and E{sub 1g} models.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 272748
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Low Temperature Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Low Temperature Physics Journal Issue: 5-6 Vol. 102; ISSN JLTPAC; ISSN 0022-2291
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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