YbRh2Si2: spin fluctuations in the vicinity of a quantum critical point at low magnetic field

We report a 29Si NMR study on aligned single crystals of YbRh2Si2 which shows behavior characteristic of a quantum critical point (QCP: T(N)-->0). The Knight shift K and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T(1) of Si show a strong dependence on the external field H, especially below 5 kOe. At the lowest H used in this measurement (H approximately 1.5 kOe), it was found that 1/T(1)T continues to increase down to 50 mK, whereas K stays constant with a large magnitude below 200 mK. This result strongly suggests the development of antiferromagnetic fluctuations with finite q vectors that compete with q=0 spin fluctuations in the vicinity of the QCP near H=0.5 kOe.     

Grüneisen ratio divergence at the quantum critical point in CeCu(6-x)Agx

The heavy-fermion system CeCu6-xAgx is studied at its antiferromagnetic quantum critical point, xc=0.2, by low-temperature (T> or =50 mK) specific heat, C(T), and volume thermal expansion, beta(T), measurements. Whereas C/T proportional to log((T0/T) would be compatible with the predictions of the itinerant spin-density-wave (SDW) theory for two-dimensional critical spin fluctuations, beta(T)/T and the Grüneisen ratio, Gamma(T) proportional to beta/C, diverge much weaker than expected, in strong contrast to this model. Both C and beta, plotted as a function of the reduced temperature t=T/T0 with T0=4.6 K, are similar to what was observed for YbRh2(Si(0.95)Ge(0.05))2 (T0=23.3 K), indicating a striking discrepancy to the SDW prediction in both systems.     

Nonlocal magnetic field-tuned quantum criticality in cubic CeIn(3-x)Sn(x) (x = 0.25)

We show that antiferromagnetism in lightly (approximately 8%) Sn-doped CeIn3 terminates at a critical field mu0H(c) = 42 +/- 2 T. Electrical transport and thermodynamic measurements reveal the effective mass m* not to diverge, suggesting that cubic CeIn3 is representative of a critical spin-density wave (SDW) scenario, unlike the local quantum critical points reported in anisotropic systems such as CeCu(6-x)Au(x) and YbRh2Si(2-x)Ge(x). The existence of a maximum in m* at a lower field mu0H(x) = 30 +/- 1 T may be interpreted as a field-induced crossover from local moment to SDW behavior as the Néel temperature falls below the Fermi temperature.     

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

In this paper the low-temperature properties of two isostructural canonical heavy-fermion compounds are contrasted with regards to the interplay between antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum criticality and superconductivity. For CeCu₂Si₂, fully-gapped d-wave superconductivity forms in the vicinity of an itinerant three-dimensional heavy-fermion spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum critical point (QCP). Inelastic neutron scattering results highlight that both quantum critical SDW fluctuations as well as Mott-type fluctuations of local magnetic moments contribute to the formation of Cooper pairs in CeCu₂Si₂. In YbRh₂Si₂, superconductivity appears to be suppressed at T???10?mK by AF order (T_N?=?70?mK). Ultra-low temperature measurements reveal a hybrid order between nuclear and 4f-electronic spins, which is dominated by the Yb-derived nuclear spins, to develop at T_A slightly above 2?mK. The hybrid order turns out to strongly compete with the primary 4f-electronic order and to push the material towards its QCP. Apparently, this paves the way for heavy-fermion superconductivity to form at T_c?=?2?mK. Like the pressure – induced QCP in CeRhIn₅, the magnetic field – induced one in YbRh₂Si₂ is of the local Kondo-destroying variety which corresponds to a Mott-type transition at zero temperature. Therefore, these materials form the link between the large family of about fifty low-T unconventional heavy – fermion superconductors and other families of unconventional superconductors with higher T_cs, notably the doped Mott insulators of the cuprates, organic charge-transfer salts and some of the Fe-based superconductors. Our study suggests that heavy-fermion superconductivity near an AF QCP is a robust phenomenon.     

Superconductivity in CeCoIn5-xSnx: veil over an ordered state or novel quantum critical point?

Measurements of specific heat and electrical resistivity in magnetic fields up to 9 T along [001] and temperatures down to 50 mK of Sn-substituted CeCoIn5 are reported. The maximal -ln(T) divergence of the specific heat at the upper critical field Hc2 down to the lowest temperature characteristic of non-Fermi-liquid systems at the quantum critical point (QCP), the universal scaling of the Sommerfeld coefficient, and agreement of the data with spin-fluctuation theory provide strong evidence for quantum criticality at Hc2 for all x< or =0.12 in CeCoIn5-xSnx. These results indicate the "accidental" coincidence of the QCP located near Hc2 in pure CeCoIn5, in actuality, constitute a novel quantum critical point associated with unconventional superconductivity.     

Spin-triplet superconductivity in UNi(2)Al(3) revealed by the (27)Al Knight shift measurement

We report (27)Al Knight shift ( (27)K) measurement on a single-crystal UNi(2)Al(3) that reveals a coexistence of superconductivity and a spin-density-wave (SDW) type of magnetic ordering ( T(SDW) = 4.5 K). The spin part of (27)K, (27)K(s), does not change down to 50 mK across the superconducting (SC) transition temperature T(c) approximately 0.9 K. In contrast with the isostructural compound UPd(2)Al(3) ( T(c) approximately 2 K), which was identified to be a spin-singlet d-wave superconductor, the behavior of (27)K strongly supports that UNi(2)Al(3) , like UPt(3) and Sr(2)RuO(4), belongs to a class of spin-triplet SC pairing state superconductors.     

Multiband nodeless superconductivity near the charge-density-wave quantum critical point in ZrTe_(3-x)Se_x

It was found that selenium doping can suppress the charge-density-wave(CDW) order and induce bulk superconductivity in ZrTe_3. The observed superconducting dome suggests the existence of a CDW quantum critical point(QCP) in ZrTe_3-xSex near x ≈ 0.04. To elucidate the superconducting state near the CDW QCP, we measure the thermal conductivity of two ZrTe_(3-x)Se_x single crystals(x = 0.044 and 0.051) down to 80 m K. For both samples, the residual linear term κ_0/T at zero field is negligible, which is a clear evidence for nodeless superconducting gap. Furthermore, the field dependence of κ_0/T manifests a multigap behavior. These results demonstrate multiple nodeless superconducting gaps in ZrTe_(3-x)Se_x,which indicates conventional superconductivity despite of the existence of a CDW QCP.     

Quantum critical scaling and the origin of non-fermi-liquid behavior in Sc1-xUxPd3

We used inelastic neutron scattering to study magnetic excitations of Sc1-xUxPd3 for U concentrations (x=0.25, 0.35) near the spin glass quantum critical point (QCP). The excitations are spatially incoherent, broad in energy (E=variant Planck's over 2piomega), and follow omega/T scaling at all wave vectors investigated. Since similar omega/T scaling has been observed for UCu5-xPdx and CeCu6-xAux near the antiferromagnetic QCP, we argue that the observed non-Fermi-liquid behavior in these f-electron materials arises from the critical phenomena near a T=0 K phase transition, irrespective of the nature of the transition.     

Field-induced quantum critical point in CeCoIn5

The resistivity of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 was measured as a function of temperature, down to 25 mK and in magnetic fields of up to 16 T applied perpendicular to the basal plane. With increasing field, we observe a suppression of the non-Fermi liquid behavior, rho approximately T, and the development of a Fermi liquid state, with its characteristic rho=rho(0)+AT2 dependence. The field dependence of the T2 coefficient shows critical behavior with an exponent of 1.37. This is evidence for a field-induced quantum critical point (QCP), occurring at a critical field which coincides, within experimental accuracy, with the superconducting critical field H(c2). We discuss the relation of this field-tuned QCP to a change in the magnetic state, seen as a change in magnetoresistance from positive to negative, at a crossover line that has a common border with the superconducting region below approximately 1 K.     

Pressure tuning of the interplay of magnetism and superconductivity in CeCu2Si2

We carried out specific-heat and ac-susceptibility experiments under hydrostatic pressure to investigate the interplay of spin-density-wave antiferromagnetism (A) and superconductivity (S) in single-crystalline AS-type CeCu(2)Si(2). We find evidence for a line of magnetic-field- and pressure-tuned quantum critical points in the normal state in the zero-temperature magnetic field-pressure plane. Our analysis suggests an extension of this line into the superconducting state and corroborates the close connection of the underlying mechanisms leading to the formation of the antiferromagnetic and the superconducting states in AS-type CeCu(2)Si(2).     

Divergence of the grüneisen ratio at quantum critical points in heavy fermion metals

We present low-temperature volume thermal expansion, beta, and specific heat, C, measurements on high-quality single crystals of CeNi2Ge2 and YbRh2(Si0.95Ge0.05)(2) which are located very near to quantum critical points. For both systems, beta shows a more singular temperature dependence than C, and thus the Grüneisen ratio Gamma proportional to beta/C diverges as T-->0. For CeNi2Ge2, our results are in accordance with the spin-density wave (SDW) scenario for three-dimensional critical spin fluctuations. By contrast, the observed singularity in YbRh2(Si0.95Ge0.05)(2) cannot be explained by the itinerant SDW theory but is qualitatively consistent with a locally quantum critical picture.     

Determination of gap symmetry from angle-dependent H(c2) measurements on CeCu₂Si₂

The tetragonal heavy-fermion compound CeCu?Si? exhibits a superconducting ground state (S type, T(c) = 0.67 K) close to a magnetic instability. Here, we present angle-resolved resistivity measurements of the upper critical field H(c2). In-plane rotation of S-type CeCu?Si? single crystals reveals a fourfold oscillation of H(c2). An extended weak-coupling BCS model for a d-wave symmetry including strong Pauli-limiting effects confirms the aforementioned angular dependence and points towards d(xy) symmetry of the order parameter.     

YbRh(2)Si(2): pronounced non-fermi-liquid effects above a low-lyingmagnetic phase transition

We report the first observation of non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) effects in a clean Yb compound at ambient pressure and zero magnetic field. The electrical resistivity and the specific-heat coefficient of high-quality single crystals of YbRh(2)Si(2) present a linear and a logarithmic temperature dependence, respectively, in more than a decade in temperature. We ascribe this NFL behavior to the presence of (presumably) quasi-2D antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations related to a very weak magnetic phase transition at T(N) approximately 65 mK. Application of hydrostatic pressure induces anomalies in the electrical resistivity, indicating the stabilization of magnetic order.     

Magnetic order in the heavy fermion compound CeCu6 at mK temperatures

We have measured the ac magnetic susceptibility in various fields and thermal expansion of single crystals of the heavy fermion compound CeCu6 at temperatures down to 250 &mgr;K. The susceptibility of CeCu6 shows a peak at about 2 mK and has a large anisotropy. We also detected an anomaly of thermal expansion at the same temperature. The observed behaviors of the susceptibility and the thermal expansion in CeCu6 indicate the occurrence of an antiferromagnetic order.     

Magnetic-field induced quantum critical point in YbRh(2)Si(2)

We report low-temperature calorimetric, magnetic, and resistivity measurements on the antiferromagnetic (AF) heavy-fermion metal YbRh(2)Si(2) ( T(N)=70 mK) as a function of magnetic field B. While for fields exceeding the critical value B(c0) at which T(N)-->0 the low-temperature resistivity shows an AT2 dependence, a 1/(B-B(c0)) divergence of A(B) upon reducing B to B(c0) suggests singular scattering at the whole Fermi surface and a divergence of the heavy quasiparticle mass. The observations are interpreted in terms of a new type of quantum critical point separating a weakly AF ordered from a weakly polarized heavy Landau-Fermi liquid state.     

Nature of the A phase in CeCu2Si2

Neutron diffraction experiments have been performed on a magnetically ordered CeCu2Si2 single crystal exhibiting A-phase anomalies in specific heat and thermal expansion. Below T(N) approximately 0.8 K antiferromagnetic superstructure peaks have been detected. The propagation vector of the magnetic order appears to be determined by the topology of the Fermi surface of heavy quasiparticles as indicated by renormalized band-structure calculations. The observation of long-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic order as the nature of the A phase in CeCu2Si2 suggests that a spin-density-wave instability is the origin of the quantum critical point in CeCu2Si2.     

Field-induced suppression of the heavy-fermion state in YbRh2Si2

We report dc-magnetization measurements on YbRh2Si2 at temperatures down to 0.04 K, magnetic fields B< or =11.5 T, and under hydrostatic pressure P< or =1.3 GPa. At ambient pressure a kink at B* =9.9 T indicates a new type of field-induced transition from an itinerant to a localized 4f state. This transition is different from the metamagnetic transition observed in other heavy-fermion compounds, as here ferromagnetic rather than antiferromagnetic correlations dominate below B*. Hydrostatic pressure experiments reveal a clear correspondence of B* to the characteristic spin fluctuation temperature determined from specific heat.     

Doping dependent evolution of magnetism and superconductivity in Eu(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 (x = 0-1) and temperature dependence of the lower critical field H(c1)

We have synthesized polycrystalline samples of Eu(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 (x = 0-1) and carried out systematic characterization using x-ray diffraction, ac and dc magnetic susceptibility, and electrical resistivity measurements. A clear signature of the coexistence of a superconducting transition (T(c) = 5.5 K) with spin density wave (SDW) ordering is observed in our underdoped sample with x = 0.15. The SDW transition disappears completely for the x = 0.3 sample and superconductivity arises below 20 K. The superconducting transition temperature Tc increases with increase in the K content and a maximum Tc = 33 K is reached for x = 0.5, beyond which it decreases again. The doping dependent Tx phase diagram is extracted from the magnetic and electrical transport data. It is found that magnetic ordering of Eu moments coexists with the superconductivity up to x = 0.6. The isothermal magnetization data taken at 2 K for the doped samples suggest the 2+ valence state of the Eu ions. We also present the temperature dependence of the lower critical field H(c1) of the superconducting polycrystalline samples. The values of H(c1)(0) obtained for x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 after taking the demagnetization factor into account are 202, 330, and 212 Oe, respectively. The London penetration depth λ(T) calculated from the lower critical field does not show exponential dependence at low temperature, as would be expected for a fully gapped clean s-wave superconductor. In contrast, it shows a T2 power law feature up to T = 0.3Tc, as observed in Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 and BaFe(2-x)Co(x)As2.     

Temperature dependence of the Kondo resonance and its satellites in CeCu2Si2

We present high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy studies on the Kondo resonance of the strongly correlated Ce system CeCu2Si2. By exploiting the thermal broadening of the Fermi edge we analyze position, spectral weight, and temperature dependence of the low-energy 4f spectral features, whose major weight lies above the Fermi level E(F). We also present theoretical predictions based on the single-impurity Anderson model using an extended noncrossing approximation, including all spin-orbit and crystal field splittings of the 4f states. The excellent agreement between theory and experiment provides strong evidence that the spectral properties of CeCu2Si2 can be described by single-impurity Kondo physics down to T approximately 5 K.     

Superconductivity in ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes

We report measurements on ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in low-resistance contact to nonsuperconducting (normal) metallic pads, at low voltage and at temperatures down to 70 mK. In one sample, we find a 2 orders of magnitude resistance drop below 0.55 K, which is destroyed by a magnetic field of the order of 1 T, or by a dc current greater than 2.5 microA. These features strongly suggest the existence of superconductivity in ropes of SWNT.