Emergent loop-nodal s$_\pm$-wave superconductivity in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$: similarities to the iron-based superconductors

Abstract

Heavy-fermion superconductors are prime candidates for novel electron-pairing states due to the spin-orbital coupled degrees of freedom and electron correlations. Superconductivity in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ discovered in 1979, which is a prototype of unconventional (non-BCS) superconductors in strongly correlated electron systems, still remains unsolved. Here we provide the first report of superconductivity based on the advanced first-principles theoretical approach. We find that the promising candidate is an $s_\pm$-wave state with loop-shaped nodes on the Fermi surface, different from the widely expected line-nodal $d$-wave state. The dominant pairing glue is magnetic but high-rank octupolar fluctuations. This system shares the importance of multi-orbital degrees of freedom with the iron-based superconductors. Our findings reveal not only the long-standing puzzle in this material, but also urge us to reconsider the pairing states and mechanisms in all heavy-fermion superconductors.