Theory of nodal s+- wave pairing symmetry in the Pu-based 115 superconductor family

Abstract

The spin-fluctuation mechanism of superconductivity usually results in the presence of gapless or nodal quasiparticle states in the excitation spectrum. Nodal quasiparticle states are well established in copper-oxide, and heavy-fermion superconductors, but not in iron-based superconductors. Here, we study the pairing symmetry and mechanism of a new class of plutonium-based high-Tc superconductors and predict the presence of a nodal $s^{+-}$ wave pairing symmetry in this family. Starting from a density-functional theory (DFT) based electronic structure calculation we predict several three-dimensional (3D) Fermi surfaces in this 115 superconductor family. We identify the dominant Fermi surface ``hot-spots' in the inter-band scattering channel, which are aligned along the wavevector ${\bf Q}\sim(π,π,π)$, where degeneracy could induce sign-reversal of the pairing symmetry. Our calculation demonstrates that the $s^{+-}$ wave pairing strength is stronger than the previously thought $d$-wave pairing; and more importantly, this pairing state allows for the existence of nodal quasiparticles. Finally, we predict the shape of the momentum- and energy-dependent magnetic resonance spectrum for the identification of this pairing symmetry.