397 research outputs found
Observation of an optical non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the heavy fermion state of YbRhSi
We report far-infrared optical properties of YbRhSi for photon
energies down to 2 meV and temperatures 0.4 -- 300 K. In the coherent heavy
quasiparticle state, a linear dependence of the low-energy scattering rate on
both temperature and photon energy was found. We relate this distinct dynamical
behavior different from that of Fermi liquid materials to the non-Fermi liquid
nature of YbRhSi which is due to its close vicinity to an
antiferromagnetic quantum critical point.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. submitte
Quantum criticality in the cubic heavy-fermion system CeIn_{3-x}Sn_x
We report a comprehensive study of CeInSn single crystals close to the antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum critical
point (QCP) at by means of the low-temperature thermal
expansion and Gr\"uneisen parameter. This system represents the first example
for a {\it cubic} heavy fermion (HF) in which can be suppressed
{\it continuously} down to T=0. A characteristic sign change of the Gr\"uneisen
parameter between the AF and paramagnetic state indicates the accumulation of
entropy close to the QCP. The observed quantum critical behavior is compatible
with the predictions of the itinerant theory for three-dimensional critical
spinfluctuations. This has important implications for the role of the
dimensionality in HF QCPs.Comment: Physical Review Letters, to be publishe
Time-resolved collapse and revival of the Kondo state near a quantum phase transition
One of the most successful paradigms of many-body physics is the concept of
quasiparticles: excitations in strongly interacting matter behaving like weakly
interacting particles in free space. Quasiparticles in metals are very robust
objects. Yet, when a system's ground state undergoes a qualitative change at a
quantum critical point (QCP), the quasiparticles may disintegrate and give way
to an exotic quantum-fluid state of matter. The nature of this breakdown is
intensely debated, because the emergent quantum fluid dominates the material
properties up to high temperature and might even be related to the occurence of
superconductivity in some compounds. Here we trace the dynamics of
heavy-fermion quasiparticles in CeCuAu and monitor their
evolution towards the QCP in time-resolved experiments, supported by many-body
calculations. A terahertz pulse disrupts the many-body heavy-fermion state.
Under emission of a delayed, phase-coherent terahertz reflex the heavy-fermion
state recovers, with a coherence time 100 times longer than typically
associated with correlated metals. The quasiparticle weight collapses towards
the QCP, yet its formation temperature remains constant -- phenomena believed
to be mutually exclusive. Coexistence in the same experiment calls for
revisions in our view on quantum criticality.Comment: Published version, including data on CeCu6, CeCu5.9Au0.1, and
CeCu5Au1 and extended Supplementary Information. 7 pages, 4 figures,
Supplementary Information: 5 pages, 3 figure
Thermopower and thermal conductivity in the Weyl semimetal NbP
The Weyl semimetal NbP exhibits an extremely large magnetoresistance (MR) and
an ultra-high mobility. The large MR originates from a combination of the
nearly perfect compensation between electron- and hole-type charge carriers and
the high mobility, which is relevant to the topological band structure. In this
work we report on temperature- and field-dependent thermopower and thermal
conductivity experiments on NbP. Additionally, we carried out complementary
heat capacity, magnetization, and electrical resistivity measurements. We found
a giant adiabatic magnetothermopower with a maximum of 800 V/K at 50 K in
a field of 9 T. Such large effects have been observed rarely in bulk materials.
We suggest that the origin of this effect might be related to the high
charge-carrier mobility. We further observe pronounced quantum oscillations in
both thermal conductivity and thermopower. The obtained frequencies compare
well with our heat capacity and magnetization data.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
High Resolution Photoemission Study on Low-T_K Ce Systems: Kondo Resonance, Crystal Field Structures, and their Temperature Dependence
We present a high-resolution photoemission study on the strongly correlated
Ce-compounds CeCu_6, CeCu_2Si_2, CeRu_2Si_2, CeNi_2Ge_2, and CeSi_2. Using a
normalization procedure based on a division by the Fermi-Dirac distribution we
get access to the spectral density of states up to an energy of 5 k_BT above
the Fermi energy E_F. Thus we can resolve the Kondo resonance and the crystal
field (CF) fine-structure for different temperatures above and around the Kondo
temperature T_K. The CF peaks are identified with multiple Kondo resonances
within the multiorbital Anderson impurity model. Our theoretical 4f spectra,
calculated from an extended non-crossing approximation (NCA), describe
consistently the observed photoemission features and their temperature
dependence. By fitting the NCA spectra to the experimental data and
extrapolating the former to low temperatures, T_K can be extracted
quantitatively. The resulting values for T_K and the crystal field energies are
in excellent agreement with the results from bulk sensitive measurements, e.g.
inelastic neutron scattering.Comment: 16 two-column pages, 10 figure
Resolution of diaschisis contributes to early recovery from post-stroke aphasia
Diaschisis is a phenomenon observed in stroke that is defined as neuronal dysfunction in regions spared by the infarction but connected to the lesion site. We combined lesion network mapping and task-based functional MRI in 71 patients with post-stroke aphasia to investigate, whether diaschisis and its resolution contribute to early loss and recovery of language functions. Language activation acquired in the acute, subacute and chronic phase was analyzed in compartments with high and low normative resting-state functional connectivity to the lesion site on an individual basis. Regions with high compared to regions with low lesion connectivity showed a steeper increase in language reactivation from the acute to the subacute phase. This finding is compatible with the assumption of resolution of diaschisis. Additionally, language performance in the subacute phase and improvement from the subacute to the chronic phase significantly correlated with the diaschisis effect and its resolution, respectively, suggesting a behavioral relevance of this effect. We therefore assume that undamaged but functionally connected regions become dysfunctional due to missing input from the lesion contributing to the aphasic deficit. Since these regions are structurally intact, dysfunction resolves over time contributing to the rapid early behavioral improvement observed in aphasic stroke patients. Our results demonstrate that diaschisis and its resolution might be a relevant mechanism of early loss and recovery of language function in acute stroke patients
Long range order and two-fluid behavior in heavy electron materials
The heavy electron Kondo liquid is an emergent state of condensed matter that
displays universal behavior independent of material details. Properties of the
heavy electron liquid are best probed by NMR Knight shift measurements, which
provide a direct measure of the behavior of the heavy electron liquid that
emerges below the Kondo lattice coherence temperature as the lattice of local
moments hybridizes with the background conduction electrons. Because the
transfer of spectral weight between the localized and itinerant electronic
degrees of freedom is gradual, the Kondo liquid typically coexists with the
local moment component until the material orders at low temperatures. The
two-fluid formula captures this behavior in a broad range of materials in the
paramagnetic state. In order to investigate two-fluid behavior and the onset
and physical origin of different long range ordered ground states in heavy
electron materials, we have extended Knight shift measurements to
URuSi, CeIrIn and CeRhIn. In CeRhIn we find that the
antiferromagnetic order is preceded by a relocalization of the Kondo liquid,
providing independent evidence for a local moment origin of antiferromagnetism.
In URuSi the hidden order is shown to emerge directly from the Kondo
liquid and so is not associated with local moment physics. Our results imply
that the nature of the ground state is strongly coupled with the hybridization
in the Kondo lattice in agreement with phase diagram proposed by Yang and
Pines.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figure
Interplay between unconventional superconductivity and heavy-fermion quantum criticality: CeCuSi versus YbRhSi
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
CeCuSi, 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 CeCuSi.
In YbRhSi, superconductivity appears to be suppressed at
mK by AF order ( = 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 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 = 2 mK. Like the pressure -
induced QCP in CeRhIn, the magnetic field - induced one in YbRhSi
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- unconventional heavy - fermion
superconductors and other families of unconventional superconductors with
higher s, 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.Comment: 30 pages, 7 Figures, Accepted for publication in Philosophical
Magazin
Quantum Criticality in doped CePd_1-xRh_x Ferromagnet
CePd_1-xRh_x alloys exhibit a continuous evolution from ferromagnetism (T_C=
6.5 K) at x = 0 to a mixed valence (MV) state at x = 1. We have performed a
detailed investigation on the suppression of the ferromagnetic (F) phase in
this alloy using dc-(\chi_dc) and ac-susceptibility (\chi_ac), specific heat
(C_m), resistivity (\rho) and thermal expansion (\beta) techniques. Our results
show a continuous decrease of T_C (x) with negative curvature down to T_C = 3K
at x*= 0.65, where a positive curvature takes over. Beyond x*, a cusp in cac is
traced down to T_C* = 25 mK at x = 0.87, locating the critical concentration
between x = 0.87 and 0.90. The quantum criticality of this region is recognized
by the -log(T/T_0) dependence of C_m/T, which transforms into a T^-q (~0.5) one
at x = 0.87. At high temperature, this system shows the onset of valence
instability revealed by a deviation from Vegard's law (at x_V~0.75) and
increasing hybridization effects on high temperature \chi_dc and \rho.
Coincidentally, a Fermi liquid contribution to the specific heat arises from
the MV component, which becomes dominant at the CeRh limit. In contrast to
antiferromagnetic systems, no C_m/T flattening is observed for x > x_cr rather
the mentioned power law divergence, which coincides with a change of sign of
\beta. The coexistence of F and MV components and the sudden changes in the T
dependencies are discussed in the context of randomly distributed magnetic and
Kondo couplings.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
Field-induced quantum fluctuations in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCu2Ge2
Quantum-mechanical fluctuations in strongly correlated electron systems cause
unconventional phenomena such as non-Fermi liquid behavior, and arguably high
temperature superconductivity. Here we report the discovery of a field-tuned
quantum critical phenomenon in stoichiometric CeCu2Ge2, a spin density wave
ordered heavy fermion metal that exhibits unconventional superconductivity
under ~ 10 GPa of applied pressure. Our finding of the associated quantum
critical spin fluctuations of the antiferromagnetic spin density wave order,
dominating the local fluctuations due to single-site Kondo effect, provide new
information about the underlying mechanism that can be important in
understanding superconductivity in this novel compound.Comment: Heavy Fermion, Quantum Critical Phenomeno
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