Unconventional superconductivity in the cage type compound Sc${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$

Abstract

We have examined the superconducting ground state properties of the caged type compound Sc${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$ using magnetization, heat capacity, and muon-spin relaxation or rotation ($\mu$SR) measurements. Magnetization measurements indicate type-II superconductivity with an upper critical field ${\mu }_0{H}_{c2}(0)$ = 7.24 T. The zero-field cooled and field cooled susceptibility measurements unveil an onset of diamagnetic signal below $T_{\mathbf{c}}$ = 4.4 K. The interpretation of the heat capacity results below $T_{\mathbf{c}}$ using the $\alpha -$BCS model unveils the value of $\alpha$ = 2.65, which gives the dimensionless ratio 2$\Delta (0)/k_B{T}_{\mathbf{c}}$ = 5.3, intimating that Sc${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$ is a strong-coupling BCS superconductor. The zero-field $\mu$SR measurements in the longitudinal geometry exhibit a signature of a spontaneous appearance of the internal magnetic field below the superconducting transition temperature, indicating that the superconducting state is characterized by the broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS). We have compared the results of broken TRS in Sc${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$ with that observed in R${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$ (R = Lu and Y).

6 pages, 4 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1411.6877

References in corpus (7)

• High Resolution Polar Kerr Effect Measurements of Sr2RuO4: Evidence for Broken Time Reversal Symmetry in the Superconducting State
• Evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking in the non-centrosymmetric superconductor LaNiC${}_2$
• Heavy Fermion Superconductivity in the Quadrupole Ordered State of PrV2Al20
• Evidence for broken time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting phase of URu${}_2$Si${}_2$
• Direct Observation of Quadrupolar Excitons in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor PrOs${}_4$Sb${}_{12}$
• Broken time-reversal symmetry probed by muon spin relaxation in the caged type superconductor Lu${}_5$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18}$
• Multigap superconductivity in ThAsFeN investigated using muSR measurements

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Probing the superconducting ground state of ZrIrSi: A $\mu$SR study
• Nodeless superconductivity in Lu${}_{5-x}$Rh${}_6$Sn${}_{18+x}$ with broken time reversal symmetry
• Spontaneous symmetry-breaking at surfaces of $d$-wave superconductors: influence of geometry and surface ruggedness
• Pressure-enhanced superconductivity in cage-type quasiskutterudite Sc5Rh6Sn18 single crystal
• Quantum muon diffusion and the preservation of time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting state of type-I rhenium
• Time reversal symmetry breaking and s-wave superconductivity in CaPd2Ge2: A $\mu$SR study