重费米子材料与物理

作为典型的强关联电子体系,重费米子材料表现出丰富的量子基态,如反铁磁序、铁磁序、非常规超导、非费米液体、自旋液体、轨道序和拓扑态等.相比其他强关联电子体系,重费米子体系的特征能量尺度低,可以通过压力、磁场或掺杂等参量对不同量子态进行连续调控,因而是研究量子相变、超导及其相互作用的理想体系.本文简要介绍重费米子研究的发展历史和国内外研究现状,概述几类典型的重费米子材料,并简单阐述重费米子超导、量子相变和强关联拓扑态等前沿科学问题.     

重费米子材料中的反常物性

重费米子研究对探索强关联电子体系新奇量子现象的组织原则具有重要的意义。文章介绍了作者近年来对重费米子材料正常态反常性质的研究进展,揭示了重电子的普适温度演化行为和Fano干涉效应,为理解重费米子物理和探索非常规超导机理提供了新的思路。     

重费米子超导理论和材料研究进展

重费米子超导体是一类典型的强关联和非常规超导系统,超导的产生与量子临界涨落有着紧密的关系.在实际材料中,不同结构体系的重费米子超导体往往表现出非常不同的竞争序和超导性质,表明f电子的行为对材料的结构特征具有敏感依赖性.特别是最近几年的超导实验研究,表明具体材料的实际电子结构对重费米子超导的性质具有重要影响.本文将简要介绍几类典型重费米子体系的最新研究进展,并结合实际材料的强关联能带结构计算、唯象量子临界涨落特征和Eliashberg超导理论,发展新的重费米子超导唯象理论框架,为探索非常规超导的微观机理提供新的思路.     

重费米子二流体理论

强关联电子同时表现出局域和巡游的二重性,这是量子力学波粒二象性在凝聚态物理领域 的表现,也是导致强关联材料中各种新奇量子效应的根源。本文以重费米子材料为例,探讨强关 联f 电子在该类材料中局域和巡游二重行为的实验表现,重点介绍重费米子的二流体唯象理论。 这一理论成功解释了众多先前无法解释的实验现象,揭示了重费米子体系复杂行为背后的统一物 理起源,为理解强关联系统包括铜氧化物和铁基超导材料中电子的奇异行为提供了一种新的思 路,亟待更加深入的理论和实验探索。     

重费米子超导与竞争序

与其他非常规超导系列相比, 重费米子超导体往往具有丰富多样的竞争序, 超导与各种竞争序相伴而生, 电子配对与反铁磁涨落、铁磁涨落、价态涨落、电四极矩涨落等量子临界涨落密切相关, 扩充了非常规超导的研究内容. 重费米子材料中的f电子往往同时参与超导与各种竞争序的形成, 表现出局域与巡游的二重性. 重费米子二流体理论为理解重费米子超导与竞争序的关系提供了新的思路.     

专题导读

正重费米子化合物是一类典型的强关联电子体系,通常存在于含有f电子的镧系或者锕系金属间化合物中,近期在一些过渡金属化合物中也发现了类似的重费米子行为。在该类化合物中,局域电子与导带电子通过近藤效应杂化而形成复合费米子,其电子有效质量可高达自由电子的上千倍,"重费米子"因此得名。此外,局域电子与导带电子杂化会在费米能级附近打开一个能隙,根据能隙的大小以及费米能级的位置,重费米子体系可以是金属、半金属、半导体甚至绝缘体。     

自旋阻挫重费米子体系中的量子相变

近藤效应和RKKY交换相互作用的竞争决定了多数重费米子化合物的基态性质。通过压力、磁场等非热力学参量调控,该类材料能够在绝对零温附近实现费米液体和磁有序相之间的连续转变,提供了研究量子相变的理想平台。另一方面,在绝缘的量子磁体中,自旋阻挫引起的量子涨落抑制低温下长程磁有序的发生,导致自旋液体相等新奇物态的产生。在近藤晶格中引入自旋阻挫将给重费米子材料提供一个新的调控维度,深刻改变该类材料的量子临界相图,是重费米子材料领域的一个新颖研究方向。文章首先介绍阻挫重费米子体系的研究背景,然后针对Ce Pd Al的物性展开讨论,探讨阻挫对重费米子材料量子临界物性的影响以及量子临界相的普适性。     

重费米子化合物LiV2O4电子结构的第一性原理研究

用第一性性原理的FP-LMTO能带计算方法研究了重费米子化合物LiV2O4的电子结构。结果表明：费米面附近的导带是由V原子的3d电子形成的宽度为2.5eV的窄能带,是3d态在立方晶体场中具有t2g对称性的子带;它与O的2p轨道构成的能带有近1.9eV的能隙。计算得出的费米能处电子态密度和线性电子比热系数分别是11.1states/eV f.u.和26.7mJ/molK^2。费米面处的能带色散具有电子型和空穴型和空穴型两种,呈现出一种复杂的费米面结构。LSDA以及LDA+GGA计算表明,LiV2O4有一个磁矩为每个钒原子1.13μB,总能比LDA基态低约148meV/f.u.的铁磁性基态。由目前的能带结构计算的结构无法确定这一类Kondo体系的局域磁矩的来源,表明这一化合物中的重费米子行为可能有别于在含有4f和5f稀土的重费米子合金中观察到的局域磁矩与传导电子的交换作用机制,其中存在量子相变的可能。     

压力环境下重费米子体系的物性探索

@@@@重费米子体系是近藤晶格中的强关联电子系统,它由于电、磁等相互作用的竞争呈现出丰富的电子基态,而且由于各种相互作用的能量尺度较小,它会对外界参量(压力、掺杂、磁场)的调控比较敏感。文章论述了重费米子体系的基本性质和它在压力环境下的物性演变以及相关的量子临界现象。超导态一般会出现在量子临界点附近,文章特别以“115”超导体系为例,讲述了超导态与其他长程序共存时可能出现的纹络化结构,介绍了如何运用压力下的谱学测量(如转角比热、软点接触隧道谱)来研究压力下重费米子体系的物性特别是超导序参量的对称性。     

重费米子化合物 CemMnIn3m+2n(m = 1, 2, 3; n = 0, 1, 2; M = Co,Rh,Ir,Pt 及Pd) 的角分辨光电子能谱研究

重费米子材料以其新奇多变的宏观性质,复杂而难以理解的微观物理过程而受到广泛的关注,长期是凝聚态物理研究的重点。角分辨光电子能谱作为一种能够直接探测材料电子结构的实验手段,随着近年来实验技术的高度发展,能量和动量分辨率得到了极大的提高,能够有力地探测到强关联材料中更加精细的电子结构。使用角分辨光电子能谱探测重费米子材料的电子结构,为理解其各种物理过程提供强有力的实验证据,进而推进重费米子理论的发展。本文回顾 Ce 基重费米子材料 CemMnIn3m+2n (m = 1; 2; 3;n = 0; 1; 2;M =Co, Rh, Ir, Pt, Pd) 系列化合物的角分辨光电子能谱研究,包括电子结构的维度、近藤共振、f 电子与导带电子的杂化和电子结构随温度的变化等。     

强关联电子系统中的热输运测量

当考虑电子间的库伦排斥相互作用,以及电荷、自旋和轨道之间的相互耦合时,诸多超越 了近自由电子框架的新奇量子态涌现而出,如非常规超导态和量子自旋液体等。对这些新奇物态 的认知不仅会拓展现有的知识框架,也有望引发新一轮的量子科技革命。因此,对强关联物理的 研究是当下凝聚态物理领域的前沿课题。铜基高温超导体的母体是一种莫特绝缘体,在传统的能 带论之下被预言为金属态。然而电子间的强关联行为使得它表现出绝缘体的性质。由于莫特绝缘 体中库伦相互作用致使能隙打开并冻结其中的电荷自由度,所以在该体系中难以开展电输运性质 的测量研究。作为一种对于元激发（不仅包括电子,还包括磁振子、自旋子等）敏感的探针,热输 运测量在强关联电子系统的研究中发挥着重要的作用。本文回顾了近些年在非常规超导、重费米 子系统和量子自旋液体研究中一些有趣的纵向热输运性质的研究成果,并与我们近期发表的运用 横向热导率测量热霍尔现象的综述文章相互补充。      

Interplay of superconductivity and d-f correlation in CeFeAslPOl_yFy

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in iron-based pnictides （chalcogenides） not only trig- gers tremendous enthusiasm in searching for new superconducting materials, but also opens a new avenue to the study of the Kondo physics. CeFeAsO is a parent compound of the 1111-type iron-based superconductors. It shows 3d- antiferromagnetic （AFM） ordering below 139 K and 4f-AFM ordering below 4 K. On the other hand, the phosphide CeFePO is a ferromagnetically corelated heavy-fermion （HF） metal with Kondo scale TK 10 K. These properties set up a new platform for research of the interplay among magnetism, Kondo effect, and superconductivity （SC）. In this review, we present the recent progress in the study of chemical pressure effect in CeFeAsOl_yFy （y = 0 and 0.05）. This P/As-doping in CeFeAsO serves as an effective controlling parameter which leads to two magnetic critical points, Xcl -- 0.4 and Xc2 - 0.92, associated with suppression of 3d and 4f magnetism, respectively. We also observe a turning point of AFM-FM ordering of Ce3＋ moment at Xc3 - 0.37. The SC is absent in the phase diagram, which is attributed to the destruction to Cooper pair by Ce-FM fluctuations in the vicinity of Xcl. We continue to investigate CeFeAsl-xPxO0.95Fo.os. With the separation of xcl and xc3, this chemical pressure results in a broad SC region 0〈 x 〈 0.53, while the original HF behavior is driven away by 5% F- doping. Different roles of P and F dopings are addressed, and the interplay between SC and Ce-4f magnetism is also discussed.     

Superconductivity in crystals with covalent bonds

Novel types of ground states associated with properties of heavy fermion systems are derived for crystals with covalent bonds generated by short-range exchange forces between valence electrons of atoms localized at lattice sites. It is shown that the short-range exchange forces can give rise to a narrow energy band in which electrons can exhibit an enormous effective mass. The same exchange forces provide the microscopic mechanism for spin-singlet pairing of electrons into Cooper pairs which are responsible for superconductivity in these systems. This superconductivity exhibits several different anisotropic superconducting states. The effective mass, Fermi energy, specific heat, Pauli susceptibility, critical temperatures and critical magnetic field of heavy fermion systems are calculated and compared with experimental data.The authors thank Dr. . Jano for discussions.     

Itinerant f-electron systems of cerium and uranium compounds

The f-electron systems of the cerium and uranium compounds have attracted attention in the context of heavy fermion and anisotropic superconductivity. We clarified an itinerant f-electron nature for UPt₃ by the de Haas–van Alphen experiments, detecting heavy conduction electrons with 100m₀. The dHvA oscillation was also observed clearly in both the normal and superconducting mixed states in CeRu₂,URu₂Si₂ and UPd₂Al₃. An anisotropic energy gap with a line node for URu₂Si₂ was discussed from the angular dependence of the dHvA amplitude in the mixed state.     

Electronic structure and magnetic properties of YbCuAl

The electronic band structure of YbCuAl has been calculated using the self-consistent full potential nonorthogonal local orbital minimum basis scheme based on the density functional theory. We investigated the electronic structure with the spin–orbit interaction and on-site Coulomb potential for the Yb-derived 4f orbitals to obtain the correct ground state of YbCuAl. The exchange interaction between local f electrons and conduction electrons play an important role in the heavy fermion characters of them. The fully relativistic band structure scheme shows that spin–orbit coupling splits the 4f states into two manifolds, the 4f_7/2 and the 4f_5/2 multiplet.     

Kondo stripes in an Anderson-Heisenberg model of heavy fermion systems

We study the interplay between the spin-liquid and Kondo physics, as related to the nonmagnetic part of the phase diagram of heavy fermion materials. Within the unrestricted mean-field treatment of the infinite-U 2D Anderson-Heisenberg model, we find that there are two topologically distinct nondegenerate uniform heavy Fermi liquid states that may form as a consequence of the Kondo coupling between spinons and conduction electrons. For certain carrier concentrations, the uniform Fermi liquid becomes unstable with respect to the formation of a new kind of anharmonic "Kondo stripe" state with inhomogeneous Kondo screening strength and the charge density modulation. These features are experimentally measurable and thus may help to establish the relevance of the spin-liquid correlations to heavy fermion materials.     

Electronic structure and magnetism of YbRhSn

The electronic band structure of YbRhSn has been calculated using the self-consistent full potential nonorthogonal local orbital minimum basis scheme based on the density functional theory. We investigated the electronic structure with the spin-orbit interaction and on-site Coulomb potential for the Yb-derived 4f orbitals to obtain the correct ground state of YbRhSn. The exchange interaction between local f electrons and conduction electrons play an important role in the heavy fermion characters of them. The fully relativistic band structure scheme shows that spin-orbit coupling splits the 4f states into two manifolds, the 4f_7/2 and the 4f_5/2 multiplet.     

Electronic properties and interfacial coupling in Pb islands on single-crystalline graphene

Introducing metal thin films on two-dimensional (2D) material may present a system to possess exotic properties due to reduced dimensionality and interfacial effects. We deposit Pb islands on single-crystalline graphene on a Ge(110) substrate and studied the nano- and atomic-scale structures and low-energy electronic excitations with scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). Robust quantum well states (QWSs) are observed in Pb(111) islands and their oscillation with film thickness reveals the isolation of free electrons in Pb from the graphene substrate. The spectroscopic characteristics of QWSs are consistent with the band structure of a free-standing Pb(111) film. The weak interface coupling is further evidenced by the absence of superconductivity in graphene in close proximity to the superconducting Pb islands. Accordingly, the Pb(111) islands on graphene/Ge(110) are free-standing in nature, showing very weak electronic coupling to the substrate.     

Kondo Effect Versus Magnetic Coupling in Indirectly Coupled Double Quantum Dots

We theoretically investigate a device consisting of two quantum dots(QDs) side-coupled to a quantum wire which has many physicalingredients of an artificial heavy fermion system. An extra parameter, the distance L between the two QDs, is introduced and it plays an important role on the competition of the Kondo temperature and magnetic coupling. Three different phases are found: antiferromagnetic phase, Kondo phase with spin S=1/2, and Kondo phase with S=1, depending on the distance L, the magnetic coupling, and the Kondo temperature. Quantum transport properties are qualitatively different for different phases: for the S=1 Kondo and the antiferromagnetic phases, the conductance tends to the unitary value 2e²/h; for the S=1/2 Kondo phase the conductance is strongly dependent on the distance.