Specific heat discontinuity, ΔC, at Tc in BaFe2(As0.7P0.3)2-consistent with unconventional superconductivity.

We report the specific heat discontinuity, ΔC/T(c), at T(c) = 28.2 K of a collage of single crystals of BaFe(2)(As(0.7)P(0.3))(2) and compare the measured value of 38.5 mJ mol(-1) K(-2) with other iron pnictide and iron chalcogenide (FePn/Ch) superconductors. This value agrees well with the trend established by Bud'ko, Ni and Canfield, who found that ΔC/T(c) is proportional to aT(c)(2) for 14 examples of doped Ba(1 - x)K(x)Fe(2)As(2) and BaFe(2 - x)TM(x)As(2), where the transition metal TM = Co and Ni. We extend their analysis to include all the FePn/Ch superconductors for which ΔC/T(c) is currently known and find ΔC/T(c) is proportional to aT(c)(1.9) and a = 0.083 mJ mol(-1) K(-4). A comparison with the elemental superconductors with T(c) > 1 K and with A-15 superconductors shows that, contrary to the FePn/Ch superconductors, electron-phonon-coupled conventional superconductors exhibit a significantly different dependence of ΔC on T(c), namely ΔC/T(c) is proportional to aT(c)(1.9). However ΔC/γT(c) appears to be comparable in all three classes (FePn/Ch, elemental and A-15) of superconductors with, for example, ΔC/γT(c) = 2.4 for BaFe(2)(As(0.7)P(0.3))(2). A discussion of the possible implications of these phenomenological comparisons for the unconventional superconductivity believed to exist in the FePn/Ch is given.