Superconducting pairing mechanism in CeCoIn5 revisited

Abstract

Spectroscopic Imaging Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (SI-STM) measurements have previously been applied to the study of the heavy-fermion system CeCoIn5 to examine the superconducting gap structure and band dispersions via quasiparticle intereference. Here we directly measure the dispersing electron bands with angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) and compare with first-principles electronic structure calculations. By autocorrelating the ARPES-resolved bands with themselves we can measure the potential q vectors and discern exactly which bands the STM is measuring. We find that the STM results are dominated by scattering associated with a cloverleaf shaped band centered at the zone corners. This same band is also a viable candidate to host the superconducting gap. The electronic structure calculations indicate that this region of the Fermi surface involves significant contributions from the Co d electrons, an indication that the superconductivity in these materials is more three dimensional than that found in the related unconventional superconductors, the cuprates and the pnictides.