A Quenched Disorder in the Quantum-Critical Superconductor CeCoIn₅

Emergent inhomogeneous electronic phases in metallic quantum systems are crucial for understanding high-T_c superconductivity and other novel quantum states. In particular, spin droplets introduced by nonmagnetic dopants in quantum-critical superconductors (QCSs) can lead to a novel magnetic state in superconducting phases. However, the role of disorders caused by nonmagnetic dopants in quantum-critical regimes and their precise relation with superconductivity remain unclear. Here, the systematic evolution of a strong correlation between superconductive intertwined electronic phases and antiferromagnetism in Cd-doped CeCoIn₅ is presented by measuring current–voltage characteristics under an external pressure. In the low-pressure coexisting regime where antiferromagnetic (AFM) and superconducting (SC) orders coexist, the critical current (I_c) is gradually suppressed by the increasing magnetic field, as in conventional type-II superconductors. At pressures higher than the critical pressure where the AFM order disappears, I_c remarkably shows a sudden spike near the irreversible magnetic field. In addition, at high pressures far from the critical pressure point, the peak effect is not suppressed, but remains robust over the whole superconducting region. These results indicate that magnetic islands are protected around dopant sites despite being suppressed by the increasingly correlated effects under pressure, providing a new perspective on the role of quenched disorders in QCSs.