Universal relation between magnetic resonance and superconducting gap in unconventional superconductors

Abstract

Unconventional superconductors such as the high-transition temperature cuprates, heavy-fermion systems and iron arsenide-based compounds exhibit antiferromagnetic fluctuations that are dominated by a resonance, a collective spin-one excitation mode in the superconducting state. Here we demonstrate the existence of a universal linear relation, $Er \propto 2Δ$, between the magnetic resonance energy (Er) and the superconducting pairing gap ($Δ$), spanning two orders of magnitude in energy. This relation is valid for materials that range from being close to the Mott-insulating limit to being on the border of itinerant magnetism. Since the common excitonic picture of the resonance has not led to such universality, our observation suggests a much deeper connection between antiferromagnetic fluctuations and unconventional superconductivity.

19 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables