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Spatial control of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeIrIn5

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

Maja Bachmann
G. Ferguson
Florian Theuss
Tobias Meng
Carsten Putzke
Toni Helm
K. Shirer
You-Sheng Li
K. Modic
Michael Nicklas
Markus König
D. Low
Sayak Ghosh
Andrew Mackenzie
Frank Arnold
Elena Hassinger
Ross McDonald
Laurel Winter
Eric Bauer
Filip Ronning
B. Ramshaw
Katja Nowack
Philip Moll

Abstract

Although crystals of strongly correlated metals exhibit a diverse set of electronic ground states, few approaches exist for spatially modulating their properties. In this study, we demonstrate disorder-free control, on the micrometer scale, over the superconducting state in samples of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5. We pattern crystals by focused ion beam milling to tailor the boundary conditions for the elastic deformation upon thermal contraction during cooling. The resulting nonuniform strain fields induce complex patterns of superconductivity, owing to the strong dependence of the transition temperature on the strength and direction of strain. These results showcase a generic approach to manipulating electronic order on micrometer length scales in strongly correlated matter without compromising the cleanliness, stoichiometry, or mean free path. © 2019 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Date Published

Journal

Science

Volume

366

Issue

6462

Number of Pages

221-226,

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85073097459&doi=10.1126%2fscience.aao6640&partnerID=40&md5=7d3dd791fecef3112c5141106d8aaf0f

DOI

10.1126/science.aao6640

Group (Lab)

Brad Ramshaw Group
Katja Nowack Group

Funding Source

715730

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