Skip to Content

Fermi surface instabilities in ferromagnetic superconductors

We present thermoelectric power and resistivity measurements in the ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe for a magnetic field applied along the hard magnetization b axis of the orthorhombic crystal. Reentrant superconductivity is observed near the spin reorientation transition at HR = 12.75 T, where a first order transition from the ferromagnetic to the polarized paramagnetic state occurs. Special focus is given to the longitudinal configuration, where both the electric and heat current are parallel to the applied field. The validity of the Fermi-liquid T² dependence of the resistivity through HR demonstrates clearly that no quantum critical point occurs at HR. Thus, the ferromagnetic transition line at HR becomes first order implying the existence of a tricritical point at finite temperature. The enhancement of magnetic fluctuations in the vicinity of the tricritical point stimulates the reentrance of superconductivity. The abrupt sign change observed in the thermoelectric power with the thermal gradient applied along the b axis together with the strong anomalies in the other directions is definitive macroscopic evidence that in addition a significant change of the Fermi surface appears through HR. We also present evidence of Lifshitz transitions in the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe, with the magnetic field applied along the easy magnetization c-axis, through thermoelectric power, Hall effect and resistivity measurements as well as the direct observation of quantum oscillations.