The physical properties of the very heavy fermion YbCu$_4$Ni were characterized through structural, magnetic, thermal and transport studies along nearly four decades of temperature ranging between 50 milikelvin and 300 K. At high temperature, the crystal electric field levels splitting was determined with $Δ_1 (Γ_6)= 85$ K and $Δ_2 (Γ_8) \approx 200$ K, the latter being a quartet in this cubic symmetry. An effective magnetic moment $μ_{eff} \approx 3μ_B$ is evaluated for the $Γ_7$ ground state, while at high temperature the value for a Yb$^{3+}$ ion is observed. At low temperature this compounds shows the typical behavior of a magnetically frustrated system undergoing a change of regime at a characteristic temperature $T^*\approx 200$ mK into a sort of Fermi-liquid type 'plateau'of the specific heat: $C_m/T|_{T\to 0}$ = const. The change in the temperature dependence of the specific heat coincides with a maximum and a discontinuity in respective inductive and dissipative components of the ac-susceptibility. More details from the nature of this ground state are revealed by the specific heat behavior under applied magnetic field.
Heavy-fermion materials are mostly rare-earth or actinide intermetallics with very few exceptions in d-electron systems. The physical mechanism for these d-electron heavy fermion systems remains unclear. Here by studying the quadruple-perovskite CaCu3Ir4O12, we propose a symmetry-based mechanism that may enforce heavy-fermion physics in d-electron systems. We show that electron hoppings between neighboring Cu 3d-orbitals are strictly prohibited by the crystal symmetry, so that Cu 3d-electrons can only become delocalized through hybridization with other more itinerant bands, resembling that in …
We study phase transitions in heavy fermion systems due to spin-wave instabilities. One motivation is to determine the changes in the spin-wave parameters of a magnetically ordered heavy fermion system as it approaches a quantum critical point (QCP) by applying pressure. The other more actual is to provide an alternative approach, based on spin-wave instabilities, for the magnetic field induced transitions recently observed in antiferromagnetic heavy fermion materials.
It is pointed out that the answer on the question about the role played by spin and charge excitations will help to solve the physical origin of the heavy- fermion phenomena. Our answer is that neutral spin-like excitations are responsible for the heavy-fermion phenomena whereas the role of the charge excitations is negligible. Keywords: heavy fermion, spin excitations, charge excitations PACS No: 75.20.H
The existence of multiple energy scales is regarded as a signature of the Kondo breakdown mechanism for explaining the quantum critical behavior of certain heavy fermion compounds, like YbRh$_{2}$Si$_{2}$. The nature of the intermediate state between the heavy Fermi liquid and the quantum critical region, however, remains elusive. In this study we suggest an incoherent heavy-fermion scenario, where inelastic scattering with novel soft modes of the dynamical exponent $z = 3$ gives rise to non-Fermi liquid physics for thermodynamics and transport despite the formation of the heavy-fermion band. …
The effects of pressure on heavy-fermion alloys are studied in the framework of Yoshimori-Kasai model under the coherent potential approximation. A unified picture is presented for both the electron-type heavy-fermion systems and the hole-type heavy-fermion systems. The density of states of $f$ electrons is calculated over the whole range of the doping concentration under the applied pressure. The Kondo temperature, the specific-heat coefficient, and the electrical resistivity are obtained, in agreement with the experiments qualitatively. The contrasting pressure-dependent effects for two type…
In contrary to widely spread view about the substantial delocalization of f electrons in heavy- fermion (h-f) compounds it is argued that h-f phenomena can be understood with localized f electrons. Then the role of crystal-field interactions is essential and the heavy-fermion behaviour can occur for the localized Kramers-doublet ground state.
Studying the finite-U Anderson lattice model in the strong hybridization limit, we find a heavy-fermion spin liquid phase, where both conduction and localized fermions are strongly hybridized to form heavy fermions but this heavy-fermion phase corresponds to a symmetric Mott insulating state owing to the presence of charge gap, resulting from large Hubbard-U interactions in localized fermions. We show that this heavy-fermion spin liquid phase differs from the "fractionalized" Fermi liquid state, where the latter corresponds to a metallic state with a small Fermi surface of conduction electrons…
I review our incomplete understanding of non-Fermi liquid behavior in heavy fermion systems at a quantum critical point. General considerations suggest that critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations do not destroy the Fermi surface by scattering the heavy electrons- but by actually breaking up the internal structure of the heavy fermion. I contrast the weak, and strong-coupling view of the quantum phase transition, emphasizing puzzles and questions that recent experiments raise.
The first femtosecond carrier relaxation dynamics studies in heavy fermion compounds are presented. The carrier relaxation time shows a dramatic hundred-fold increase below the Kondo temperature revealing a dramatic sensitivity to the electronic density of states near the Fermi level.
A theoretical study has been undertaken of the Peltier effect in normal metal - insulator - heavy fermion metal junctions. The results indicate that, at temperatures below the Kondo temperature, such junctions can be used as electronic microrefrigerators to cool the normal metal electrode and are several times more efficient in cooling than the normal metal - heavy fermion metal junctions.
We study the topological properties of an antiferromagnetic phase with reflection symmetry in three-dimensional heavy-fermion systems. We here propose a reflection-symmetric topological state in the three-dimensional antiferromagnetic phase and demonstrate how the paramagnetic phase changes into the antiferromagnetic topological phase of f -electron materials such as SmB6.
We have shown that the Landau paradigm based upon both the quasiparticle concept and the notion of the order parameter can be used to explain the anomalous behavior of heavy fermion metals. Exploiting this paradigm and the fermion condensation quantum phase transition (FCQPT) we show that this anomalous behavior is universal and can be used to capture the essential aspects of recent experiments on the heavy-fermion metals at low temperatures. Behind FCQPT a tunneling conductivity between a heavy fermion metal and a simple metallic point can be noticeably dissymmetrical with respect to the chan…
Investigating solids with light gives direct access to charge dynamics, electronic and magnetic excitations. For heavy fermions, one has to adjust the frequency of the probing light to the small characteristic energy scales, leading to spectroscopy with microwaves. We review general concepts of the frequency-dependent conductivity of heavy fermions, including the slow Drude relaxation and the transition to a superconducting state, which we also demonstrate with experimental data taken on UPd2Al3. We discuss the optical response of a Fermi liquid and how it might be observed in heavy fermions. …
We study the Kondo lattice model on the geometrically frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice focusing on the quantum phase transition between the valence bond solid and the heavy fermion liquid phase. By explicitly including spinon pairing of local moments at the mean-field level, we establish the emergence of a unique heavy fermion superconducting phase induced by dimer ordering of the local moments coexisting with Kondo hybridization. Furthermore, we demonstrate that for suitable choices of parameters, a partial Kondo-screening phase, where some of the valence bonds are broken, precedes the a…
It has been derived that the Sommerfeld coefficient $γ$ as large as 25 J/K$^2$mol can be theoretically accounted for provided the charge f-electron fluctuations are substantially suppressed. This result enables the understanding of the heavy-fermion YbBiPt ($γ$ =8 J/K$^2$mol) as the spin fluctuator and should stimulate the experimental specific-heat research at low temperatures.
The optical properties of thin films of the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn5, which were deposited by molecular beam epitaxy onto MgF2 substrates, have been studied at frequencies 7 to 45 cm^{-1} (corresponding to 0.2 to 1.3 THz) and temperatures 2 to 300 K. We observe an electrodynamic behavior which is typical for heavy fermions, namely Drude-like conductivity with a relaxation rate at rather low frequencies. This relaxation rate increases almost linearly with temperature up to at least 30 K. The coherent heavy-fermion state, characterized by an increase of the effective mass, continuously evo…
The mechanism of strange metal (SM) with unconventional charge transport near magnetic phase transitions has become an outstanding open problem in correlated electron systems. Recently, an exotic quantum critical SM phase was observed in paramagnetic frustrated heavy-fermion materials near Kondo breakdown. We establish a controlled theoretical framework to this issue via a dynamical large-N fermionic multichannel approach to the two-dimensional Kondo-Heisenberg lattice model, where KB transition separates a heavy-Fermi liquid from fermionic spin-liquid state. With Kondo fluctuations being full…
It is shown that the Landau paradigm based upon both the quasiparticle concept and the notion of the order parameter is valid and can be used to explain the anomalous behavior of the heavy fermion metals near quantum critical points. The understanding of this phenomenon has been problematic largely because of the absence of theoretical guidance. Exploiting this paradigm and the fermion condensation quantum phase transition, we investigate the anomalous behavior of the heavy electron liquid near its critical point at different temperatures and applied magnetic fields. We show that this anomalou…
For some heavy-fermion compounds, it has been suggested that a Fermi-surface-changing Lifshitz transition, which can be driven, e.g., by varying an applied magnetic field, occurs inside the heavy- fermion regime. Here we discuss, based on microscopic calculations, how the location of such a transition can be influenced by carrier doping. Due to strong correlations, a heavy band does not shift rigidly with the chemical potential. Intriguingly, we find that the actual shift is determined by the interplay of heavy and additional light bands crossing the Fermi level: doped carriers tend to populat…
We have carried out high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the Cebased heavy fermion compound CePt2In7 that exhibits stronger two-dimensional character than the prototypical heavy fermion system CeCoIn5. Multiple Fermi surface sheets and a complex band structure are clearly resolved. We have also performed detailed band structure calculations on CePt2In7. The good agreement found between our measurements and the calculations suggests that the band renormalization effect is rather weak in CePt2In7. A comparison of the common features of the electronic structure of CePt2In7…
We establish an effective theory for heavy fermion compounds close to a zero temperature Anti-Ferromagnetic (AF) transition. Coming from the heavy Fermi liquid phase across to the AF phase, the heavy electron fractionalizes into a light electron, a bosonic spinon and a {\it new} excitation: a spinless fermionic field. Assuming this field acquires dynamics and dispersion when one integrates out the high energy degrees of freedom, we give a scenario for the volume of its Fermi surface through the phase diagram. We apply our theory to the special case of YbRh$_2$(Si$_{1-x}$ Ge$_x$)$_2$ where we r…
The theory of the quasielastic magnetic scattering of neutrons at the spin liquid with RVB (resonance valence bonds) correlations is presented. Calculations demonstrate that the dependence of the scattering cross section on the energy transfer reproduces experimental shape of quasielastic peak in heavy fermion systems. It is shown that Fermi statistics of the spin liquid elementary excitations leads to the oscillations of the quasielastic scattering total cross section as a function of the momentum transfer.
During the last few years, investigations of Rare-Earth materials have made clear that not only the heavy fermion phase in these systems provides interesting physics, but the quantum criticality where such a phase dies exhibits novel phase transition physics not fully understood. Moreover, attempts to study the critical point numerically face the infamous fermion sign problem, which limits their accuracy. Effective action techniques and Callan-Symanzik equations have been very popular in high energy physics, where they enjoy a good record of success. Yet, they have been little exploited for fe…
We give an overview on experimental studies performed in the last 25 years on heavy-fermion systems in high magnetic field. The properties of field-induced magnetic transitions in heavy-fermion materials close to a quantum antiferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic instability are presented. Effects of a high magnetic field to the Fermi surface, in particular the splitting of spin-up and spin-down bands, are also considered. Finally, we review on recent advances on the study of non-centrosymmetric compounds and ferromagnetic superconductors in a high magnetic field.
Kondo Echo Dynamics of Terahertz-Pumped Heavy Fermions
Physikalisches Institut and Bethe Center for Theoretical Physics, Universität Bonn(波恩大学物理研究所与贝特理论物理中心);Institute for Quantum Computing Analytics (PGI-12), Forschungszentrum Jülich(于利希研究中心量子计算分析研究所(PGI-12));School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews(圣安德鲁斯大学物理与天文学学院)
Ground state properties of a Kondo lattice model with random configuration of $f$ electrons are investigated with a variational Monte Carlo method. We show that the crossover from a dilute-Kondo system to a heavy-fermion system occurs when the density of $c$ and $f$ electrons ($n_c$, $n_f$) become comparable, $n_f\lesssim n_c$. In the heavy-fermion region, the correlation between $f$ electrons is strong and the $f$ electrons themselves greatly contribute to the screening of other $f$-electron moments. We propose that the character of Kondo screening changes from "individual" to "collective" ac…
An effective mass of charge carriers that is significantly larger that the mass of a free electron develops at low temperatures in certain lanthanide- and actinide-based metals, including those formed with plutonium, due to strong electron-electron interactions. This heavy-fermion mass is reflected in a substantially enhanced electronic coefficient of specific heat $γ$, which for elemental Pu itself is much larger than that of normal metals. By our definition, there are twelve Pu-based heavy-fermion compounds, most discovered recently, whose basic properties are known and discussed. Relative t…
The importance of taking into account inter-site $f-f$ hybridization in electron structure calculations for Ce metal and cerium heavy fermion compounds was studied. We demonstrate that for heavy-fermion systems such as cerium compound CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ $f-f$ hybridization can be neglected and Anderson model application is well justified. On another hand for cerium metal $f-f$ hybridization is strong enough to provide the contribution to hybridization function comparable to hybridization between $4f$ and itinerant electrons. We argue that in the case of Ce only the most general Hamiltonian combini…
We report here how artificial, thus erroneous, scaling laws of the dynamical magnetic susceptibility can be obtained when data are not treated carefully. We consider the example of the heavy-fermion system Ce$_{0.925}$La$_{0.075}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ and we explain how different kinds of artificial scaling laws in $E/T^β$ can be plotted in a low temperature regime where the dynamical susceptibility is nearly temperature independent.
The interpretation of the magnetic phase diagrams of strongly correlated electron systems remains controversial. In particular, the physics of quantum phase transitions, which occur at zero temperature, is still enigmatic. Heavy-fermion compounds aretextbook examples of quantum criticality, as doping, or the application of pressure or a magnetic field can lead to a quantum phase transition between a magnetically ordered state and a paramagnetic regime. A central question concerns the microscopic nature of the critical quantum fluctuations. Are they antiferromagnetic or of local origin? Here we…
We propose a two-stage spin quenching scenario for the unusual heavy fermion state realized in the mixed valent metal LiV$_2$O$_4$. In this theory, local valence fluctuations are responsible for the formation of partially quenched, spin 1/2 moments below room temperature. Frustration of the intersite spin couplings then drives the system to produce the heavy Fermi liquid seen at low temperatures. The anomalous resistivity and the sign change of the Hall constant can be understood naturally within this model, which also predicts a unique symmetry for the heavy quasiparticle bands that may be ob…
In heavy fermion systems, multipole degrees of freedom make possible the emergence of rich phenomena, such as hidden orders and superconductivities. However, many of them remain unsolved since the origin of higher-rank multipole interaction is not well understood. Among these issues, we focus on the quadrupole order in CeB$_6$, which is a famous multipolar heavy fermion system actively studied for decades. We analyze the multiorbital periodic Anderson model for CeB$_6$, and find that both magnetic, quadrupole, and octupole fluctuations develop cooperatively due to the strong inter-multipole co…
Heavy-fermion compounds are characterized by electronic correlation effects at low energies which can directly be accessed with optical spectroscopy. Here we present detailed measurements of the frequency- and temperature-dependent conductivity of the heavy-fermion compound UPd2Al3 using broadband microwave spectroscopy in the frequency range 45 MHz to 40 GHz at temperatures down to 1.7 K. We observe the full Drude response with a relaxation time up to 50 ps, proving that the mass enhancement of the heavy charge carriers goes hand in hand with an enhancement of the relaxation time. We show tha…
Spin fluctuations were studied over a wide momentum ($\hbar Q$) and energy ($E$) space in the frustrated $d$-electron heavy-fermion metal LiV$_2$O$_4$ by time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering. We observed the overall $Q$$-$$E$ evolutions near the characteristic $Q=0.6$ Å$^{-1}$ peak and found another weak broad magnetic peak around 2.4 Å$^{-1}$. The data are described by a simple response function, a highly itinerant magnetic form factor, and antiferromagnetic short-range spatial correlations, indicating that heavy-fermion formation is attributable to spin-orbit fluctuations with orbital…
We have shown the existence of localized crystal-field states in conducting magnetic materials coexisting with conduction electrons in CeAl3, UPd2Al3 and YbRh2Si2. We point out that the magnetism is strongly correlated with the very detailed local atomic-scale crystal structure.
We have determined the magnetic structure of the noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CePt3Si using elastic polarized neutron scattering with field-projected (longitudinal) XYZ polarization analysis. We find that the magnetic moment has components both in the tetragonal basal plane and along the tetragonal four-fold axis. Such a magnetic structure is not symmetry-allowed if the magnetic phase transition is second order, and may imply that CePt3Si has lower symmetry in the superconducting state than originally thought.
We describe the T=0 quantum phase transition in heavy fermion systems as an orbital selective Mott transition (OSMT) using a cluster extension of dynamical mean field theory. This transition is characterized by the emergence of a new intermediate energy scale corresponding to the opening of a pseudogap and the vanishing of the low-energy hybridization between light and heavy electrons. We identify the fingerprint of Mott physics in heavy electron systems with the appearance of surfaces in momentum space where the self-energy diverges and we derive experimental consequences of this scenario for…
We compare the magnetoresistance of UCu$_{3.5}$Pd$_{1.5}$ with calculations done within the disordered heavy fermion framework of Miranda et al. using a phenomenological spectral function for the Anderson model, calibrated against Bethe ansatz and quantum Monte Carlo results. Both in experiment and theory, we find a weak negative magnetoresistance. In contrast, thermodynamic quantities have a strong field dependence. Using qualitative arguments broad distribution of Kondo scales, we explain the different field dependence of susceptibility and resistivity.
We present numerically exact predictions of the periodic and single-impurity Anderson models to address photoemission experiments on heavy Fermion systems. Unlike the single impurity model the lattice model is able to account for the enhanced intensity, dispersion, and apparent weak temperature dependence of the Kondo resonant peak seen in recent controversial photoemission experiments. We present a consistent interpretation of these results as a crossover from the impurity regime to an effective Hubbard model regime described by Nozieres.
We report a new family of Ce-based heavy-fermion compounds whose electronic specific heat coefficients range from about 400 to over 700 mJ/mole Ce-K2. Crystal in this family form as CenTmIn3n+2m, where T=Rh or Ir, n=1 or 2, and m=1, with a tetragonal structure that can be viewed as n-layers of CeIn3 units stacked sequentially along the c-axis with intervening m-layers of TIn2. Ambient and high pressure studies show that the quasi-2D layers of CeIn3 produce unconventional superconducting and magnetic ground states. This family should enable new understanding of the relationship between magnetis…
We present a new supersymmetric approach to the Kondo lattice model in order to describe simultaneously the quasiparticle excitations and the low-energy magnetic fluctuations in heavy-Fermion systems. This approach mixes the fermionic and the bosonic representation of the spin following the standard rules of superalgebra. Our results show the formation of a bosonic band within the hybridization gap reflecting the spin collective modes. The density of states at the Fermi level is strongly renormalized while the Fermi surface sum rule includes $n_{c}+1$ states. The dynamical susceptibility is ma…
Spin fluctuations of the archetypal heavy-fermion compound CeRu_2Si_2 have been investigated by neutron scattering in an entire irreducible Brillouin zone. The dynamical susceptibility is remarkably well described by the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory of the spin fluctuation in a phenomenological way, proving the effectiveness of the theory. The present analysis using the SCR phenomenology has allowed us to determine fourteen exchange constants, which show the long-range nature of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction.
The properties of the novel heavy fermion superconductor Ce$_3$PtIn$_{11}$ are investigated by thermodynamic and transport measurements at ambient and under hydrostatic pressure. At ambient pressure the compound exhibits two successive magnetic transitions at $T_1$ $\approx$ 2.2 K and $T_{\rm N}$ $\approx$ 2 K into antiferromagnetically ordered states and enters into a heavy fermion superconducting phase below $T_{\rm c}$ $\approx$ 0.32 K. The coexistence of long-range magnetic order and superconductivity is discussed in the context of the existence of the two crystallographically inequivalent…
We report measurements of magnetic quantum oscillations and specific heat at low temperatures across a field-induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP)(B_{c0}\approx50T) of the heavy-fermion metal CeRhIn_5. A sharp magnetic-field induced Fermi surface reconstruction is observed inside the antiferromagnetic phase. Our results demonstrate multiple classes of QCPs in the field-pressure phase diagram of this heavy-fermion metal, pointing to a universal description of QCPs. They also suggest that robust superconductivity is promoted by unconventional quantum criticality of a fluctuating…
We present the first femtosecond studies of electron-phonon (e-ph) thermalization in heavy fermion compounds. The e-ph thermalization time tau_{ep} increases below the Kondo temperature by more than two orders of magnitude as T = 0 K is approached. Analysis using the two-temperature model and numerical simulations based on Boltzmann's equations suggest that this anomalous slowing down of the e-ph thermalization derives from the large electronic specific heat and the suppresion of scattering between heavy electrons and phonons.
CePt$_2$In$_7$ is a new heavy fermion system with a structure similar to the CeMIn$_5$ system but with greater two-dimensional character. We report the synthesis and characterization of phase pure polycrystalline material, which reveals an antiferromagnetic transition at $T_N = 5.2$ K. Nuclear Quadrupolar Resonance (NQR) studies indicate that the antiferromagnetism is commensurate and exhibits strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations in the paramagnetic state.
Replacing a magnetic atom by a spinless atom in a heavy fermion compound generates a quantum state often referred to as a 'Kondo-hole'. No experimental imaging has been achieved of the atomic-scale electronic structure of a Kondo-hole, or of their destructive impact (Lawrence JM, et al. (1996) Kondo hole behavior in Ce0. 97La0. 03Pd3. Phys Rev B 53:12559-12562; Bauer ED, et al. (2011) Electronic inhomogeneity in a Kondo lattice. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 108:6857-6861) on the hybridization process between conduction and localized electrons which generates the heavy fermion state. Here we report visu…
The optical conductivity of heavy fermions can reveal fundamental properties of the charge carrier dynamics in these strongly correlated electron systems. Here we extend the conventional techniques of infrared optics on heavy fermions by measuring the transmission and phase shift of THz radiation that passes through a thin film of UNi2Al3, a material with hexagonal crystal structure. We deduce the optical conductivity in a previously not accessible frequency range, and furthermore we resolve the anisotropy of the optical response (parallel and perpendicular to the hexagonal planes). At frequen…
Heavy-Fermions provide an extreme example of the utility of the idea of continuity and analyticity in physics. Their discovery and study in the past thirty years has added a fascinating chapter to condensed matter physics. I briefly review the origins of the heavy-fermion problem out of the study of magnetic moments in metals and the study of mixed-valent rare-earth compounds. I also review the principal ideas underlying the features understood in their fermi-liquid phase as well as in their anisotropic superconductivity. The unsolved issues are also briefly mentioned.
One of the challenges in strongly correlated electron systems, is to understand the anomalous electronic behavior that develops at an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP), a phenomenon that has been extensively studied in heavy fermion materials. Current theories have focused on the critical spin fluctuations and associated break-down of the Kondo effect. Here we argue that the abrupt change in Fermi surface volume that accompanies heavy fermion criticality leads to critical charge fluctuations. Using a model one dimensional Kondo lattice in which each moment is connected to a separa…
In this article we present high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) spectra of the heavy-fermion superconductor URu$_2$Si$_2$. Measurements as a function of both excitation energy and temperature allow us to disentangle a variety of spectral features, revealing the evolution of the low energy electronic structure across the hidden order transition. Already above the hidden order transition our measurements reveal the existence of weakly dispersive states below the Fermi level that exhibit a large scattering rate. Upon entering the hidden order phase, these states transform into a c…
We investigate the electronic structure of LiV2O4, for which heavy fermion behavior has been observed in various experiments, by the combination of the local density approximation and dynamical mean field theory. To obtain results at zero temperature, we employ the projective quantum Monte Carlo method as an impurity solver. Our results show that the strongly correlated a1g band is a lightly doped Mott insulator which -at low temperatures- shows a sharp (heavy) quasiparticle peak just above the Fermi level, which is consistent with recent photoemission experiment by Shimoyamada et al. [Phys. R…
In the recent letter [1] by H. Ikeda and Y. Ohashi, a new, very attractive idea is proposed for the explanation of the micromagnetism in U-based heavy fermion compounds. For this sake a nontrivial spin density wave (d-SDW) is introduced. Our goal is to claim, that in the model considered, the mean-field analysis is incomplete: the ferromagnetic state missed by [1] overcomes d-SDW in a large region of the phase diagram (Fig.1 in [1]).
We have used high-resolution neutron spectroscopy experiments to determine the complete spin wave spectrum of the heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn$_5$. The spin wave dispersion can be quantitatively reproduced with a simple $J_1$-$J_2$ model that also naturally explains the magnetic spin-spiral ground state of CeRhIn$_5$ and yields a dominant in-plane nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange constant $J_0$ = 0.74 meV. Our results pave the way to a quantitative understanding of the rich low-temperature phase diagram of the prominent Ce$T$In$_5$ ($T$ = Co, Rh, Ir) class of heavy fermion materials.
We have measured susceptibility, specific heat, resistivity, and thermopower of CaCu$_3$Ti$_{4-x}$Ru$_x$O$_{12}$ and CaCu$_{3-y}$Mn$_y$Ru$_4$O$_{12}$, and have found that CaCu$_3$Ru$_4$O$_{12}$ can be regarded as a heavy-fermion oxide in d-electron systems. The Kondo temperature is near 200 K, and the susceptibility (1.4$\times10^{-3}$ emu/Cu mol) and the electron specific heat coefficient (28 mJ/Cu molK$^2$) are moderately enhanced. The resistivity is proportional to $T^2$ at low temperatures, and satisfies the Kadowaki-Woods relation. The heavy-fermion state comes from the interaction betwee…
How ground states of quantum matter transform between one another reveals deep insights into the mechanisms stabilizing them. Correspondingly, quantum phase transitions are explored in numerous materials classes, with heavy fermion compounds being among the most prominent ones. Recent studies in an anisotropic heavy fermion compound have shown that different types of transitions are induced by variations of chemical or external pressure [1-3], raising the question of the extent to which heavy fermion quantum criticality is universal. To make progress, it is essential to broaden both the materi…
Considerable recent theoretical and experimental efforts have been devoted to the study of quantum criticality and novel phases of antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion metals. In particular, quantum phase transitions have been discovered in the compound Yb$_2$Pt$_2$Pb. These developments have motivated us to study the competition between the RKKY and Kondo interactions on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice. We determine the zero-temperature phase diagram as a function of magnetic frustration and Kondo coupling within a slave-fermion approach. Pertinent phases include the Shastry-Sutherland valence bond…