Patrick Carroll

PHY 282

Contemporary Physics II: Frontiers

Dr. Paul Urayama

Continuing the Hunt for Superconductors

The knowledge of what makes a material a superconductor is one of the most sought after

secrets in materials science. The much desired properties of a superconductor, such as having no

electrical resistance, would have far reaching impact on physics, engineering, and technology

were we able to create materials with these specific qualities in mind. However, known

superconductive materials very widely in their composition and properties which, in addition to

the very cold temperatures they typically require to have these properties, makes studying these

materials very difficult. Heavy-fermion superconductors are a type of known material that

makes use of elements with electrons in the 4f and 5f electron shells, such as cesium, uranium,

and plutonium. These have superconducting properties below their Tc, but these properties do

not result from the same mechanics as many other superconductors and as sure are of interest to

study to gain a better understanding of superconductors in general.

The highest Tc heavy-fermion superconductor, PuCoGa5, has a Tc of 18.5 K, though this

is only when first created as the Tc decreases over time due to plutonium decaying.

Superconducting materials often have magnetic properties at or below their Tc that result in

allowing the valence electrons to encounter no resistance through the material. PuCoGa5,

however, does not exhibit these magnetic qualities, instead gaining its superconducting qualities

from fluctuations in the valence shells of the materials itself at Tc. This valence fluctuation,
taking place in the 5f orbitals, is a feature of the softening of the elastic and bulk modulus of the

material, that is its ability to resist elastic deformation due to force and uniform compression,

respectively. Ramshaw et al. determined that PuCoGa5 undergoes significant softening of the

elastic moduli below Tc, seeing the greatest change at approximately 9 K, and the softening

dropping of at Tc and above. This corresponded to the superconducting qualities of the material

below Tc, but not above this temperature, meaning this softening of the elastic moduli and the

valence fluctuations that come with it are linked to these superconducting properties. This was

also confirmed to be the trend even as the Tc lowered due to self-irradiation.

It is important to note that PuCoGa5 is of a first-order transition, but if the Tc is

maximized by tuning the parameters of the material to the valence quantum critical point, it then

acts like a second-order transition and, as a result, can produce a slightly higher Tc. This leaves

more room for exploration of the subject as raising the Tc may impact the softening of the elastic

moduli and, as a result, the valence fluctuations. Understanding features such the softening of

the elastic and bulk modulus at Tc of these unconventional superconductors could help in

understanding how to form the first room temperature superconductor, a breakthrough that would

fundamentally change the way we live.

Citations

Ramshaw, B. J., et al, (2014) Avoided valence transition in a plutonium superconductor.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(11): 3285-3289