Spatial control of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn5
Spatial control of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn5
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DOI：
10.1126/science.aao6640
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发表时间：
2019-10-11
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Moll, Philip J. W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bachmann, Maja D.;Ferguson, G. M.;Moll, Philip J. W.
尽管强相关金属的晶体显示出一组不同的电子基态，但几乎没有方法来空间调制它们的性质。在这项研究中，我们展示了在微米尺度上对重费米子超导体CeIrIn5样品的超导态的无序控制。我们通过聚焦离子束球磨来刻画晶体图案，以调整冷却过程中热收缩时弹性变形的边界条件。由于转变温度强烈依赖于应变的强度和方向，由此产生的非均匀应变场导致了复杂的超导模式。这些结果展示了在不影响清洁度、化学计量比或平均自由程的情况下，在强关联物质中操纵微米长度尺度上的电子秩序的一般方法。
Although crystals of strongly correlated metals exhibit a diverse set of electronic ground states, few approaches exist for spatially modulating their properties. In this study, we demonstrate disorder-free control, on the micrometer scale, over the superconducting state in samples of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5. We pattern crystals by focused ion beam milling to tailor the boundary conditions for the elastic deformation upon thermal contraction during cooling. The resulting nonuniform strain fields induce complex patterns of superconductivity, owing to the strong dependence of the transition temperature on the strength and direction of strain. These results showcase a generic approach to manipulating electronic order on micrometer length scales in strongly correlated matter without compromising the cleanliness, stoichiometry, or mean free path.