The thermal conductivity of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 has been studied in a magnetic field rotating within the 2D planes. A clear fourfold symmetry of the thermal conductivity which is characteristic of a superconducting gap with nodes along the ( +/- pi,+/- pi) directions is resolved. The thermal conductivity measurement also reveals a first-order transition at H(c2), indicating a Pauli limited superconducting state. These results indicate that the symmetry most likely belongs to d(x(2)-y(2)), implying that the anisotropic antiferromagnetic fluctuation is relevant to the superconductivity.

The superconducting gap structure of recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor PrOs4Sb12 was investigated by using thermal transport measurements in magnetic field rotated relative to the crystal axes. We demonstrate that a novel change in the symmetry of the superconducting gap function occurs deep inside the superconducting state, giving a clear indication of the presence of two distinct superconducting phases with twofold and fourfold symmetries. We infer that the gap functions in both phases have a point node singularity, in contrast to the familiar line node singularity observed in almost all unconventional superconductors.

To clarify the superconducting gap structure of the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4, the in-plane thermal conductivity has been measured as a function of relative orientations of the thermal flow, the crystal axes, and a magnetic field rotating within the 2D RuO2 planes. The in-plane variation of the thermal conductivity is incompatible with any model with line nodes vertical to the 2D planes and indicates the existence of horizontal nodes. These results place strong constraints on models that attempt to explain the mechanism of the triplet superconductivity.

By performing combined resistivity and calorimetric experiments under pressure, we have determined a precise temperature-pressure ͑T , P͒ phase diagram of the heavy fermion compound URu 2 Si 2 . It will be compared with previous diagrams determined by elastic neutron diffraction and strain gauge techniques. At first glance, the low-pressure ordered phase referred to as hidden order is dominated by Fermi-surface nesting, which has strong consequences on the localized spin dynamics. The high-pressure phase is dominated by large moment antiferromagnetism ͑LMAF͒ coexisting with at least dynamical nesting needed to restore on cooling a local moment behavior. ac calorimetry confirms unambiguously that bulk superconductivity does not coexist with LMAF. URu 2 Si 2 is one of the most spectacular examples of the dual itinerant and local character of uranium-based heavy fermion compounds.