Seminar of International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures PAS

Unconventional superconductivity and other quantum critical phenomena in f-electron systems (part II)

prof. Dariusz Kaczorowski

INTiBS PAN, MLSPMiNT PAN

Since the spectacular discovery of the phenomenon in 1979, advanced experimental and theoretical studies on heavy-fermion superconductivity have continued to be at the very forefront of modern condensed matter physics. This is due to the special character of the superconducting state, which cannot be described in terms of the conventional theory of superconductivity, as well as due to a variety of unusual physical behavior observed in the normal state. The microscopic nature of all these anomalous phenomena originates from strong electronic correlations in metallic systems bearing localized magnetic moments. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the simultaneous presence of magnetism and superconductivity (by a number of decades considered as entirely antagonistic). In consequence, the scenarios of competition, coexistence or sometimes even interplay of the two cooperative phenomena have been recognized. Nevertheless, a consistent universal theory of the heavy-fermion superconductivity that might account for all its intriguing aspects is still lacking. Furthermore, new experimental discoveries in the field often result in identification of novel scientific challenges.