On the destruction of the hidden order in URu2_2Si2_2 by a strong magnetic field

We present a study of transport properties of the heavy fermion URu$_2$Si$_2$ in pulsed magnetic field. The large Nernst response of the hidden order state is found to be suppressed when the magnetic field exceeds 35 T. The combination of resistivity, Hall and Nernst data outlines the reconstruction of the Fermi surface in the temperature-field phase diagram. The zero-field ground state is a compensated heavy-electron semi-metal, which is destroyed by magnetic field through a cascade of field-induced transitions. Above 40 T, URu$_2$Si$_2$ appears to be a polarized heavy fermions metal with a large density of carriers whose effective mass rapidly decreases with increasing magnetic polarization.Comment: published versio

Low energy magnetic excitation spectrum of the unconventional ferromagnet CeRh3_{3}B2_{2}

The magnetic excitation spectrum of the unconventional ferromagnet CeRh$_{3}$B$_{2}$ was measured by inelastic neutron scattering on single crystal sample in the magnetically ordered and paramagnetic phases. The spin-wave excitation spectrum evidences high exchange interaction along the c-axis about two orders of magnitude higher than the ones in the basal plane of the hexagonal structure. Both strong out of plane and small in plane anisotropies are found. This latter point confirms that considering the $J$=5/2 multiplet alone is not adequate for describing the ground state of CeRh$_{3}$B$_{2}$. Quasielastic scattering measured above $T_{Curie}$ is also strongly anisotropic between the basal plane and the c-axis and suggests localized magnetism.Comment: 8 Figure

Low energy spin fluctuations in the heavy fermion compound Ce0.925_{0.925}La0.075_{0.075}Ru2_{2}Si2_{2}

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements performed on a single crystal of the heavy fermion compound Ce$_{0.925}$La$_{0.075}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$, which is at the borderline between an antiferromagnetically ordered and a paramagnetic ground state. Intensity maps as a function of wavevector and energy ($0.1<E<1.2$ meV) were obtained at temperatures $T=0.1$ and 2 K, using the time-of-flight spectrometer IRIS. An unexpected saturation of the relaxation rate and static susceptibility of the spin fluctuations is found at low temperatures.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, SCES'04 Proceeding

Optical conductivity of URu2_2Si2_2 in the Kondo Liquid and Hidden-Order Phases

We measured the polarized optical conductivity of URu$_2$Si$_2$ from room temperature down to 5 K, covering the Kondo state, the coherent Kondo liquid regime, and the hidden-order phase. The normal state is characterized by an anisotropic behavior between the ab plane and c axis responses. The ab plane optical conductivity is strongly influenced by the formation of the coherent Kondo liquid: a sharp Drude peak develops and a hybridization gap at 12 meV leads to a spectral weight transfer to mid-infrared energies. The c axis conductivity has a different behavior: the Drude peak already exists at 300 K and no particular anomaly or gap signature appears in the coherent Kondo liquid regime. When entering the hidden-order state, both polarizations see a dramatic decrease in the Drude spectral weight and scattering rate, compatible with a loss of about 50 % of the carriers at the Fermi level. At the same time a density-wave like gap appears along both polarizations at about 6.5 meV at 5 K. This gap closes respecting a mean field thermal evolution in the ab plane. Along the c axis it remains roughly constant and it "fills up" rather than closing.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Magnetic properties of the honeycomb oxide Na2_2Co2_2TeO6_6

We have studied the magnetic properties of Na$_2$Co$_2$TeO$_6$, which features a honeycomb lattice of magnetic Co$^{2+}$ ions, through macroscopic characterization and neutron diffraction on a powder sample. We have shown that this material orders in a zig-zag antiferromagnetic structure. In addition to allowing a linear magnetoelectric coupling, this magnetic arrangement displays very peculiar spatial magnetic correlations, larger in the honeycomb planes than between the planes, which do not evolve with the temperature. We have investigated this behavior by Monte Carlo calculations using the $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_3$ model on a honeycomb lattice with a small interplane interaction. Our model reproduces the experimental neutron structure factor, although its absence of temperature evolution must be due to additional ingredients, such as chemical disorder or quantum fluctuations enhanced by the proximity to a phase boundary.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figure

Phonons in the multiferroic langasite Ba_3\_3NbFe_3\_3Si_2\_2O_14\_{14} : evidences for symmetry breaking

The chiral langasite Ba$\_3$NbFe$\_3$Si$\_2$O$\_{14}$ is a multiferroic compound. While its magnetic order below T$\_N$=27 K is now well characterised, its polar order is still controversial. We thus looked at the phonon spectrum and its temperature dependence to unravel possible crystal symmetry breaking. We combined optical measurements (both infrared and Raman spectroscopy) with ab initio calculations and show that signatures of a polar state are clearly present in the phonon spectrum even at room temperature. An additional symmetry lowering occurs below 120~K as seen from emergence of softer phonon modes in the THz range. These results confirm the multiferroic nature of this langasite and open new routes to understand the origin of the polar state