Single-gap s-wave superconductivity near the charge-density-wave quantum critical point in CuxTiSe2

The in-plane thermal conductivity kappa of the layered superconductor CuxTiSe2 was measured down to temperatures as low as T-c/40, at x=0.06 near where the charge-density-wave order vanishes. The absence of a residual linear term at T -> 0 is strong evidence for conventional s-wave superconductivity in this system. This is further supported by the slow magnetic field dependence, also consistent with a single gap, of uniform magnitude across the Fermi surface. Comparison with the closely related material NbSe2, where the superconducting gap is 3 times larger on the Nb 4d band than on the Se 4p band, suggests that in Cu0.06TiSe2 the Se 4p band is below the Fermi level and Cu doping into the Ti 3d band is responsible for the superconductivity.