Work

Comparative photoemission studies on the superconducting gap of the filled skutterudite superconductors LaPt 4 Ge 12 and PrPt 4 Ge 12

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: We performed a comparative study of the superconducting gap in the new filled skutterudite superconductors LaPt${}_{4}$Ge${}_{12}$ and PrPt${}_{4}$Ge${}_{12}$ using high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. We succeeded in observing spectral changes across ${T}_{c}$ that reflect the opening of the superconducting gap in both compounds and also in observing a noticeable difference in their respective superconducting spectral shapes near the Fermi level, pointing toward a more complex superconducting gap structure in PrPt${}_{4}$Ge${}_{12}$. In addition, we found that the two-gap model is more suitable for describing the superconducting-state spectrum of PrPt${}_{4}$Ge${}_{12}$ than the single-isotropic-gap and single-anisotropic-gap models, which suggests an explanation that multiband effects may possibly induce the anomalous superconducting properties of PrPt${}_{4}$Ge${}_{12}$.

Source: Physical Review B

DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.86.014521