Heavy Fermion Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetic Ordering in CePt₃Si without Inversion Symmetry

Abstract

Heavy fermion superconductivity in absence of inversion symmetry of the crystal structure is basically controlled by a Rashba-like antisymmetric spin orbit coupling which splits the Fermi surface and removes the spin degeneracy of electrons. The Fermi surface splitting originates a mixing of spin-singlet and spin-triplet states in the superconducting condensate. Such constraints are responsible for various uncommon features of the superconducting ground state and are discussed here in view of CePt₃Si, the first heavy fermion superconductor missing a centre of symmetry. We recall and discuss normal and superconducting properties of CePt₃Si and relate them to recently developed phenomenological theories.