Stefan Lausberg

Thermal and electrical transport across a magnetic quantum critical point

A quantum critical point (QCP) arises when a continuous transition between competing phases occurs at zero temperature. Collective excitations at magnetic QCPs give rise to metallic properties that strongly deviate from the expectations of Landau’s Fermi-liquid description, which is the standard theory of electron correlations in metals. Central to this theory is the notion of quasiparticles, electronic excitations that possess the quantum numbers of the non-interacting electrons. Here we report measurements of thermal and electrical transport across the field-induced magnetic QCP in the heavy-fermion compound YbRh2Si2 (refs 2, 3). We show that the ratio of the thermal to electrical conductivities at the zero-temperature limit obeys the Wiedemann–Franz law for magnetic fields above the critical field at which the QCP is attained. This is also expected for magnetic fields below the critical field, where weak antiferromagnetic order and a Fermi-liquid phase form below 0.07 K (at zero field). At the critical field, however, the low-temperature electrical conductivity exceeds the thermal conductivity by about 10 per cent, suggestive of a non-Fermi-liquid ground state. This apparent violation of the Wiedemann–Franz law provides evidence for an unconventional type of QCP at which the fundamental concept of Landau quasiparticles no longer holds. These results imply that Landau quasiparticles break up, and that the origin of this disintegration is inelastic scattering associated with electronic quantum critical fluctuations—these insights could be relevant to understanding other deviations from Fermi-liquid behaviour frequently observed in various classes of correlated materials.

Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Point in the Heavy-Fermion Metal YbNi4(P1−xAsx)2

Arsenic Makes a Difference A quantum critical point (QCP) occurs when quantum fluctuations, which do not go away even at absolute zero, cause a gradual (so-called second order) phase change. QCPs have been observed in ferromagnets, but for ferromagnetic metals, the evidence is less clear-cut and it is thought that, as the temperature is lowered, another order—such as superconductivity—will prevent the formation of a QCP. However, Steppke et al. (p. 933), using specific heat and magnetic susceptibility measurements, found strong evidence for a QCP in a quasi–one-dimensional heavy fermion material, YbNi4(P1−xAsx)2, near an Arsenic substitution level of about 10%. The results present a challenge to theories about quantum criticality in ferromagnets. Precision low-temperature measurements reveal a divergence associated with quantum criticality in a ferromagnetic metal. Unconventional superconductivity and other previously unknown phases of matter exist in the vicinity of a quantum critical point (QCP): a continuous phase change of matter at absolute zero. Intensive theoretical and experimental investigations on itinerant systems have shown that metallic ferromagnets tend to develop via either a first-order phase transition or through the formation of intermediate superconducting or inhomogeneous magnetic phases. Here, through precision low-temperature measurements, we show that the Grüneisen ratio of the heavy fermion metallic ferromagnet YbNi4(P0.92As0.08)2 diverges upon cooling to T = 0, indicating a ferromagnetic QCP. Our observation that this kind of instability, which is forbidden in d-electron metals, occurs in a heavy fermion system will have a large impact on the studies of quantum critical materials.

Interplay between Kondo suppression and Lifshitz transitions in YbRh2Si2 at high magnetic fields.

We investigate the magnetic field dependent thermopower, thermal conductivity, resistivity, and Hall effect in the heavy fermion metal YbRh2Si2. In contrast to reports on thermodynamic measurements, we find in total three transitions at high fields, rather than a single one at 10 T. Using the Mott formula together with renormalized band calculations, we identify Lifshitz transitions as their origin. The predictions of the calculations show that all experimental results rely on an interplay of a smooth suppression of the Kondo effect and the spin splitting of the flat hybridized bands.

Avoided Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Point: Unusual Short-Range Ordered State in CeFePO

Cerium 4f electronic spin dynamics in single crystals of the heavy-fermion system CeFePO is studied by means of ac susceptibility, specific heat, and muon-spin relaxation (μSR). Short-range static magnetism occurs below the freezing temperature T(g) ≈ 0.7 K, which prevents the system from accessing a putative ferromagnetic quantum critical point. In the μSR, the sample-averaged muon asymmetry function is dominated by strongly inhomogeneous spin fluctuations below 10 K and exhibits a characteristic time-field scaling relation expected from glassy spin dynamics, strongly evidencing cooperative and critical spin fluctuations. The overall behavior can be ascribed neither to canonical spin glasses nor other disorder-driven mechanisms.

Emergence of superconductivity in the canonical heavy-electron metal YbRh2Si2

Going to extremes to find superconductivity Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) occur at zero temperature when parameters such as magnetic field or pressure are varied. In heavy fermion compounds, superconductivity often accompanies QPTs, a seeming exception being the material YbRh2Si2, which undergoes a magnetic QPT. Schuberth et al. performed magnetic and calorimetric measurements at extremely low temperatures and magnetic fields and found that it does become superconducting after all. Almost simultaneously with superconductivity, another order appeared that showed signatures of nuclear spin origin. Science, this issue p. 485 Magnetic and calorimetric measurements at extremely low temperatures and magnetic fields find superconductivity in YbRh2Si2. The smooth disappearance of antiferromagnetic order in strongly correlated metals commonly furnishes the development of unconventional superconductivity. The canonical heavy-electron compound YbRh2Si2 seems to represent an apparent exception from this quantum critical paradigm in that it is not a superconductor at temperature T ≥ 10 millikelvin (mK). Here we report magnetic and calorimetric measurements on YbRh2Si2, down to temperatures as low as T ≈ 1 mK. The data reveal the development of nuclear antiferromagnetic order slightly above 2 mK and of heavy-electron superconductivity almost concomitantly with this order. Our results demonstrate that superconductivity in the vicinity of quantum criticality is a general phenomenon.

Pronounced first-order metamagnetic transition in the paramagnetic heavy-fermion system CeTiGe

We report on the observation of large, step-like anomalies in the magnetization (

Type-I superconductivity in YbSb2 single crystals

\Delta M = 0.74

Interplay between unconventional superconductivity and heavy-fermion quantum criticality: CeCu2Si2 versus YbRh2Si2

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Ultra-low temperature ac susceptibility of the heavy-fermion superconductor YbRh2Si2

\mu_{\rm B}

Ferromagnetic quantum criticality in the quasi-one-dimensional heavy fermion metal YbNi4P2

/Ce), in the magnetostriction (