Coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity near quantum phase transition: The Heisenberg- to Ising-type crossover

Abstract

A microscopic mean-field theory of the phase coexistence between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the weakly ferromagnetic itinerant electron system is constructed, while incorporating a realistic mechanism for superconducting pairing due to the exchange of critical spin fluctuations. The self-consistent solution of the resulting equations determines the superconducting transition temperature which is shown to depend strongly on the exchange splitting. The effect of phase crossover from isotropic (Heisenberg-like) to uniaxial (Ising-like) spin fluctuations near the quantum phase transition is analysed and the generic phase diagram is obtained. This scenario is then applied to the case of itinerant ferromagnet ZrZn2, which sheds light on the proposed phase diagram of this compound. Possible explanation of superconductivity in UGe2 is also discussed.