Nanoscale heterogeneity induced by nonmagnetic Zn dopants in the quantum critical metal CeCoIn 5 : 115 In NQR/NMR and 59 Co NMR study
We report antiferromagnetism in a prototypical quantum critical metal CeCoIn 5 is known to be induced by slight substitutions of nonmagnetic Zn atoms for In. In nominally 7% Zn-substituted CeCoIn 5 , an antiferromagnetic (AFM) state coexists with heavy fermion superconductivity. Heterogeneity of the electronic states is investigated in Zn-doped CeCoIn 5 by means of nuclear quadrupole and magnetic resonances (NQR and NMR). Site-dependent NQR relaxation rates 1/T 1 indicate that the AFM state is locally nucleated around Zn substituents in the matrix of a heavy fermion state, and percolates through the bulk at the AFM transition temperature T N . At lower temperatures, an anisotropic superconducting (SC) gap below the SC transition temperature Tc, and the SC state permeates through the AFM regions via a SC proximity effect. Applying an external magnetic field induces a spin-flop transition near 5T, reducing the volume of the AFM regions. Consequently, a short-ranged inhomogeneous AFM state survives and coexists with a paramagnetic Fermi liquid state at high fields.