576 research outputs found
Magnetic-Field Induced Quantum Critical Point in YbRhSi
We report low-temperature calorimetric, magnetic and resistivity measurements
on the antiferromagnetic (AF) heavy-fermion metal YbRhSi ( 70
mK) as a function of magnetic field . While for fields exceeding the
critical value at which the low temperature resistivity
shows an dependence, a divergence of upon
reducing to 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.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
Scaling of the magnetic entropy and magnetization in YbRh_2(Si_{0.95}Ge_{0.05})_2
The magnetic entropy of YbRh_2(Si_{0.95}Ge_{0.05})_2 is derived from
low-temperature ( mK) specific heat measurements. Upon field-tuning
the system to its antiferromagnetic quantum critical point unique temperature
over magnetic field scaling is observed indicating the disintegration of heavy
quasiparticles. The field dependence of the entropy equals the temperature
dependence of the dc-magnetization as expected from the Maxwell relation. This
proves that the quantum-critical fluctuations affect the thermal and magnetic
properties in a consistent way.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, manuscript submitted to SCES2004 conferenc
The break up of heavy electrons at a quantum critical point
The point at absolute zero where matter becomes unstable to new forms of
order is called a quantum critical point (QCP). The quantum fluctuations
between order and disorder that develop at this point induce profound
transformations in the finite temperature electronic properties of the
material. Magnetic fields are ideal for tuning a material as close as possible
to a QCP, where the most intense effects of criticality can be studied. A
previous study on theheavy-electron material found that near a
field-induced quantum critical point electrons move ever more slowly and
scatter off one-another with ever increasing probability, as indicated by a
divergence to infinity of the electron effective mass and cross-section. These
studies could not shed light on whether these properties were an artifact of
the applied field, or a more general feature of field-free QCPs. Here we report
that when Germanium-doped is tuned away from a chemically induced
quantum critical point by magnetic fields there is a universal behavior in the
temperature dependence of the specific heat and resistivity: the characteristic
kinetic energy of electrons is directly proportional to the strength of the
applied field. We infer that all ballistic motion of electrons vanishes at a
QCP, forming a new class of conductor in which individual electrons decay into
collective current carrying motions of the electron fluid.Comment: Pdf files of article available at
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~coleman/online/breakup.pdf, pdf file of news
and views article available at
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~coleman/online/nvbreakup.pd
Coexistence of Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetism in Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeCu_{2}(Si_{1-x}Ge_{x})_{2} Probed by Cu-NQR --A Test Case for the SO(5) Theory--
We report on the basis of Cu-NQR measurements that superconductivity (SC) and
antiferromagnetism (AF) coexist on a microscopic level in
CeCu_{2}(Si_{1-x}Ge_{x})_{2}, once a tiny amount of 1%Ge (x = 0.01) is
substituted for Si. This coexistence arises because Ge substitution expands the
unit-cell volume in nearly homogeneous CeCu2Si2 where the SC coexists with
slowly fluctuating magnetic waves. We propose that the underlying exotic phases
of SC and AF in either nearly homogeneous or slightly Ge substituted CeCu2Si2
are accountable based on the SO(5) theory that unifies the SC and AF. We
suggest that the mechanism of the SC and AF is common in CeCu2Si2.Comment: 7 pages with 6 figures embedded in the text. To be published in J.
Phys. Condens. Matter, 200
Hall-effect evolution across a heavy-fermion quantum critical point
A quantum critical point (QCP) develops in a material at absolute zero when a
new form of order smoothly emerges in its ground state. QCPs are of great
current interest because of their singular ability to influence the finite
temperature properties of materials. Recently, heavy-fermion metals have played
a key role in the study of antiferromagnetic QCPs. To accommodate the heavy
electrons, the Fermi surface of the heavy-fermion paramagnet is larger than
that of an antiferromagnet. An important unsolved question concerns whether the
Fermi surface transformation at the QCP develops gradually, as expected if the
magnetism is of spin density wave (SDW) type, or suddenly as expected if the
heavy electrons are abruptly localized by magnetism. Here we report
measurements of the low-temperature Hall coefficient () - a measure of the
Fermi surface volume - in the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 upon field-tuning it
from an antiferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state. undergoes an
increasingly rapid change near the QCP as the temperature is lowered,
extrapolating to a sudden jump in the zero temperature limit. We interpret
these results in terms of a collapse of the large Fermi surface and of the
heavy-fermion state itself precisely at the QCP.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; to appear in Natur
The f-electron challenge: localized and itinerant states in lanthanide oxides united by GW@LDA+U
Many-body perturbation theory in the GW approach is applied to lanthanide
oxides, using the local-density approximation plus a Hubbard U correction
(LDA+U) as the starting point. Good agreement between the G0W0 density of
states and experimental spectra is observed for CeO2 and Ce2O3. Unlike the
LDA+U method G0W0 exhibits only a weak dependence on U in a physically
meaningful range of U values. For the whole lanthanide sesquioxide (Ln2O3)
series G0W0@LDA+U reproduces the main features found for the optical
experimental band gaps. The relative positions of the occupied and unoccupied
f-states predicted by G0W0 confirm the experimental conjecture derived from
phenomenological arguments.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures; related publications can be found at
http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/th.htm
Performance and Stability of Doped Ceria–Zirconia Catalyst for a Multifuel Reforming
In the present work, the catalytic behavior of nickel-based catalysts supported on ceria/zirconia, undoped and doped with lanthanum and neodymium (3.5Ni/Ce0.8La0.5Nd0.2Zr0.13O2−x), was investigated under different reactions: steam reforming, partial oxidation and autothermal reforming of different fuels (methane, biogas, and propane). The catalytic properties of these catalysts were evaluated at a temperature of 800 °C, under atmospheric pressure, at GSHV = 120,000 h−1, using steam/carbon and oxygen/carbon ratio, respectively, of S/C = 2.5 and O/C = 0.5 and, in the case of autothermal conditions, with the addition of H2S (100 ppm) as a contaminant. Depending on the tested fuel, ATR, SR, and POX reactions over doped and undoped catalysts showed different results. In particular, the doped catalyst, due to neodymium and lanthanum doping, better distributed nickel species on the catalyst surface, promoting a higher concentration of defect groups and oxygen vacancies. This resulted in improved catalytic performance and resistance to deactivation. Endurance catalytic test also confirmed the beneficial effect of the doped catalysts
How do Fermi liquids get heavy and die?
We discuss non-Fermi liquid and quantum critical behavior in heavy fermion
materials, focussing on the mechanism by which the electron mass appears to
diverge at the quantum critical point. We ask whether the basic mechanism for
the transformation involves electron diffraction off a quantum critical spin
density wave, or whether a break-down in the composite nature of the heavy
electron takes place at the quantum critical point. We show that the Hall
constant changes continously in the first scenario, but may ``jump''
discontinuously at a quantum critical point where the composite character of
the electron quasiparticles changes.Comment: Revised version with many new references added. To appear as a
topical review in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter Physics. Two column
version http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~coleman/online/questions.ps.g
YbRh2Si2: Quantum tricritical behavior in itinerant electron systems
We propose that proximity of the first-order transition manifested by the
quantum tricritical point (QTCP) explains non-Fermi-liquid properties of
YbRh2Si2. Here, at the QTCP, a continuous phase transition changes into first
order at zero temperature. The non-Fermi-liquid behaviors of YbRh2Si2 are
puzzling in two aspects; diverging ferromagnetic susceptibility at the
antiferromagnetic transition and unconventional power-law dependence in
thermodynamic quantities. These puzzles are solved by an unconventional
criticality derived from our spin fluctuation theory for the QTCP.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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