Hybridization-Controlled Pseudogap State in the Quantum Critical Superconductor CeCoIn5

Abstract

The origin of the partial suppression of the electronic density states in the enigmatic pseudogap behavior, which is at the core of understanding high-Tc superconductivity, has been hotly contested as either a hallmark of preformed Cooper pairs or an incipient order of competing interactions nearby. Here, we report the quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy of the quantum critical superconductor CeCoIn5, where a pseudogap with energy Δg was manifested as a dip in the differential conductance (dI/dV) below the characteristic temperature of Tg. When subjected to external pressure, Tg and Δg gradually increase, following the trend of increase in quantum entangled hybridization between the Ce 4f moment and conduction electrons. On the other hand, the superconducting (SC) energy gap and its phase transition temperature shows a maximum, revealing a dome shape under pressure. The disparate dependence on pressure between the two quantum states shows that the pseudogap is less likely involved in the formation of SC Cooper pairs, but rather is controlled by Kondo hybridization, indicating that a novel type of pseudogap is realized in CeCoIn5.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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