Hybridization and Superconducting Gaps in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor PuCoGa5 Probed via the Dynamics of Photoinduced Quasiparticles

D. Talbayev; K. S. Burch; Elbert E. M. Chia; S. A. Trugman; J.-X. Zhu; E. D. Bauer; J. A. Kennison; J. N. Mitchell; J. D. Thompson; J. L. Sarrao; A. J. Taylor

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.227002

Hybridization and Superconducting Gaps in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor PuCoGa5 Probed via the Dynamics of Photoinduced Quasiparticles

D. Talbayev, K. S. Burch, Elbert E. M. Chia, S. A. Trugman, J.-X. Zhu, E. D. Bauer, J. A. Kennison, J. N. Mitchell, J. D. Thompson, J. L. Sarrao, A. J. Taylor

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.227002 · Physical Review Letters

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Abstract

We have examined the relaxation of photoinduced quasiparticles in the heavy-fermion superconductor PuCoGa5. The deduced electron-phonon coupling constant is incompatible with the measured superconducting transition temperature Tc=18.5 K, which speaks against phonon-mediated superconductivity. Upon lowering the temperature, we observe an order-of-magnitude increase of the quasiparticle relaxation time in agreement with the phonon bottleneck scenario—evidence for a hybridization gap in the electronic density of states. The modification of photoinduced reflectance in the superconducting state is consistent with the heavy character of the quasiparticles that participate in Cooper pairing.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
PuCoGa5 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	18.5	Pressure unresolved	unknown
PuRhGa5 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	8.7	Pressure unresolved	unknown
CeIrIn5 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	0.4	Pressure unresolved	unknown
CeCoIn5 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	2.3	Pressure unresolved	unknown
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown