Spin-orbit coupling is an important ingredient to regulate the many-body physics, especially for many spin liquid candidate materials such as rare-earth magnets and Kitaev materials. The rare-earth chalcogenides NaYbCh$_2$ (Ch = O, S, Se) is a congenital frustrating system to exhibit the intrinsic landmark of spin liquid by eliminating both the site disorders between Na$^{+}$ and Yb$^{3+}$ ions with the big ionic size difference and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction with the perfect triangular lattice of the Yb$^{3+}$ ions. The temperature versus magnetic-field phase diagram is established by the magnetization, specific heat, and neutron-scattering measurements. Notably, the neutron diffraction spectra and the magnetization curve might provide microscopic evidence for a series of spin configuration for in-plane fields, which include the disordered spin liquid state, 120$^{o}$ antiferromagnet, and one-half magnetization state. Furthermore, the ground state is suggested to be a gapless spin liquid from inelastic neutron scattering, and the magnetic field adjusts the spin orbit coupling. Therefore, the strong spin-orbit coupling in the frustrated quantum magnet substantially enriches low-energy spin physics. This rare-earth family could offer a good platform for exploring the quantum spin liquid ground state and quantum magnetic transitions.
Rare-earth delafossites were recently proposed as promising candidates for the realization of an effective $S$=1/2 quantum spin liquid (QSL) on the triangular lattice. In contrast to the most actively studied triangular-lattice antiferromagnet YbMgGaO$_4$, which is known for considerable structural disorder due to site intermixing, NaYbS$_2$ delafossite realizes structurally ideal triangular layers. We present detailed $μ$SR studies on this regular (undistorted) triangular Yb sublattice based system with effective spin $J_{\mathrm{eff}}=1/2$ in the temperature range 0.05 - 40 K. Zero-field (ZF…
The delafossite structure of NaYbS2 contains a planar spin-1/2 triangular lattice of Yb3+ ions and features a possible realisation of a quantum spin-liquid state. We investigated the Yb3+ spin dynamics by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) in single-crystalline samples of NaYbS2. Very clear spectra with a well-resolved and large anisotropy could be observed down to the lowest accessible temperature of 2.7 K. In contrast to the ESR properties of other known spin-liquid candidate systems, the resonance seen in NaYbS2 is accessible at low fields (< 1T) and is narrow enough for accurate characterisatio…
Spectrum and low-temperature bulk properties of triangular quantum spin liquid candidate NaYbSe$_2$
Los Alamos National Laboratory(洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室);National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory(洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室国家高磁场实验室);University of California, Berkeley(加州大学伯克利分校);University of Tennessee, Knoxville(田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校);National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University(佛罗里达州立大学国家高磁场实验室);Oak Ridge National Laboratory(橡树岭国家实验室);Lanzhou University(兰州大学);Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院物理研究所);Shanghai Jiao Tong University(上海交通大学);University of Florida(佛罗里达大学)
Triangular lattice of rare-earth ions with interacting effective spin-$1/2$ local moments is an ideal platform to explore the physics of quantum spin liquids (QSLs) in the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling, crystal electric fields, and geometrical frustration. The Yb delafossites, NaYbCh$_2$ (Ch=O, S, Se) with Yb ions forming a perfect triangular lattice, have been suggested to be candidates for QSLs. Previous thermodynamics, nuclear magnetic resonance, and muon spin rotation measurements on NaYbCh$_2$ have supported the suggestion of the QSL ground states. The key signature of a QSL, the…
Yb-based magnets, with a perfect triangular lattice of pseudospin-$1/2$ Yb$^{3+}$ ions, have emerged as candidates for realizing a quantum spin-liquid state, with NaYbS$_2$ being a prominent example. Here we present the solid-solution series NaYb$_{1-x}$Lu$_{x}$S$_2$ with well-defined single crystals over the entire substitution range $0\le x\le 1$. Chemical and structural analysis indicate a statistically homogeneous replacement of Yb$^{3+}$ by Lu$^{3+}$ ions. We magnetically characterize the relatively small single crystals using electron spin resonance (ESR). Below $30$K the ESR intensity c…
Very recently we revealed a large family of triangular lattice quantum spin liquid candidates named rare-earth chalcogenides, which features a high-symmetry structure without structural/charge disorders and spin impurities, and may serve as an ideal platform exploring spin liquid physics. The knowledge of crystalline electric-field (CEF) excitations is an essential step to explore the fundamental magnetism of rare-earth spin systems. Here we employed inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and Raman scattering (RS) to carry out a comprehensive CFE investigation on $NaYbSe_{2}$, a promising represen…
We present the structural characterization and low-temperature magnetism of the triangular-lattice delafossite NaYbO$_2$. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction and neutron scattering exclude both structural disorder and crystal-electric-field randomness, whereas heat-capacity measurements and muon spectroscopy reveal the absence of magnetic order and persistent spin dynamics down to at least 70\,mK. Continuous magnetic excitations with the low-energy spectral weight accumulating at the $K$-point of the Brillouin zone indicate the formation of a novel spin-liquid phase in a triangular antiferromagnet. …
The Mott transition is one of the fundamental issues in condensed matter physics, especially in the system with antiferromagnetic long-range order. However the Mott transition in quantum spin liquid (QSL) systems without long-range order is rare. Here we report the observation of the pressure-induced insulator to metal transition followed by the emergence of superconductivity in the QSL candidate NaYbSe2 with triangular lattice of 4f Yb$_3^+$ ions. Detail analysis of transport properties at metallic state shows an evolution from non-Fermi liquid to Fermi liquid behavior when approaching the vi…
The quantum spin liquid candidate NaYbSe$_2$ was recently reported to exhibit a Mott transition under pressure. Superconductivity was observed in the high-pressure metallic phase, raising the question concerning its relation with the low-pressure quantum spin liquid ground state. Here we combine the density functional theory and the dynamical mean-field theory to explore the underlying mechanism of the insulator-to-metal transition and superconductivity and establish an overall picture of its electronic phases under pressure. Our results suggest that NaYbSe$_2$ is a charge-transfer insulator a…
Platelike high-quality NaYbS$_{2}$ rhombohedral single crystals with lateral dimensions of a few mm have been grown and investigated in great detail by bulk methods like magnetization and specific heat, but also by local probes like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron-spin resonance (ESR), muon-spin relaxation ($μ$SR), and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) over a wide field and temperature range. Our single-crystal studies clearly evidence a strongly anisotropic quasi-2D magnetism and an emerging spin-orbit entangled $S=1/2$ state of Yb towards low temperatures together with an absence…
Polycrystalline samples of NaYbO$_2$ are investigated by bulk magnetization and specific-heat measurements, as well as by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) as local probes. No signatures of long-range magnetic order are found down to 0.3~K, evidencing a highly frustrated spin-liquid-like ground state in zero field. Above 2\,T, signatures of magnetic order are observed in thermodynamic measurements, suggesting the possibility of a field-induced quantum phase transition. The $^{23}$Na NMR relaxation rates reveal the absence of magnetic order and persistent fluctu…
Antiferromagnetically coupled S=1/2 spins on an isotropic triangular lattice is the paradigm of frustrated quantum magnetism, but structurally ideal realizations are rare. Here we investigate NaYbO$_2$, which hosts an ideal triangular lattice of $J_{eff}=1/2$ moments with no inherent site disorder. No signatures of conventional magnetic order appear down to 50 mK, strongly suggesting a quantum spin liquid ground state. We observe a two-peak specific heat and a nearly quadratic temperature dependence in accord with expectations for a two-dimensional Dirac spin liquid. Application of a magnetic …
The family of rare earth chalcogenides $ARECh_{2}$ (A = alkali or monovalent ions, RE = rare earth, and Ch = O, S, Se, and Te) appears as an inspiring playground for studying quantum spin liquids (QSL). The crucial low-energy spin dynamics remain to be uncovered. By employing muon spin relaxation ($μ$SR) and zero-field (ZF) AC susceptibility down to 50 mK, we are able to identify the gapless QSL in $NaYbSe_{2}$, a representative member with an effective spin-1/2, and explore its unusual spin dynamics. The ZF $μ$SR experiments unambiguously rule out spin ordering or freezing in $NaYbSe_{2}$ dow…
Beyond the conventional electron pairing mediated by phonons, high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates is believed to stem from quantum spin liquid (QSL). The unconventional superconductivity by doping a spin liquid/Mott insulator, is a long-sought goal but a principal challenge in condensed matter physics because of the lack of an ideal QSL platform. Here we report the pressure induced metallization and possible unconventional superconductivity in $NaYbSe_{2}$, which belongs to a large and ideal family of triangular lattice spin liquid we revealed recently and is evidenced to possess a …
Anisotropic magnetism and spin fluctuations in the triangular-lattice spin-liquid candidate NaYbSe$_2$: a single-crystal $^{23}$Na and $^{77}$Se NMR study
High-quality single crystals of NaYbSe$_2$, which resembles a perfect triangular-lattice antiferromagnet without the intrinsic disorder, are investigated by magnetization and specific heat, as well as the local probe techniques nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR). The low-field measurements confirm the absence of any spin freezing or long-range magnetic order down to 50~mK, which suggests a quantum spin liquid ground (QSL) state with gapless excitations. The instability of the QSL state is observed upon applying magnetic fields. For the $H\bot c$ direction, a fie…
Layered rare-earth delafossites $ARX_2$ with $R$ = Yb(III) or Ce(III) have received a lot of interest as potential hosts for a quantum spin-liquid ground state. Some systems of this family that show no long-range order down to the lowest measured temperatures, such as NaYbO$_2$, NaYbS$_2$, and NaYbSe$_2$, are presumed to be in a quantum spin-liquid state. However, other isostructural compounds are known to order antiferromagnetically at subkelvin temperatures. Among them, KCeS$_2$ exhibits stripe-$yz$ magnetic order in the triangular-lattice planes that sets in below 400 mK. Here we investigat…
We investigated the spin dynamics by electron spin resonance (ESR) of the Yb-based, effective spin-1/2 delafossites NaYbO$_{2}$, AgYbO$_{2}$, LiYbS$_{2}$, NaYbS$_{2}$, and NaYbSe$_{2}$ which all show an absence of magnetic order down to lowest reachable temperatures and thus are prime candidates to host a quantum spin-liquid ground state in the vicinity of long range magnetic order. Clearly resolved ESR spectra allow to obtain well-defined $g$ values which are determined by the crystal field of the distorted octahedral surrounding of the Yb-ions in trigonal symmetry. This local crystal field i…
Frustrated quantum magnets are expected to host many exotic quantum spin states like quantum spin liquid (QSL), and have attracted numerous interest in modern condensed matter physics. The discovery of the triangular lattice spin liquid candidate YbMgGaO$_4$ stimulated an increasing attention on the rare-earth-based frustrated magnets with strong spin-orbit coupling. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a large family of rare-earth chalcogenides AReCh$_2$ (A = alkali or monovalent ions, Re = rare earth, Ch = O, S, Se). The family compounds share the same structure (R$\bar{3}$m)…
Quantum spin-liquids are strongly correlated phases of matter displaying a highly entangled ground state. Due to their unconventional nature, finding experimental signatures of these states has proven to be a remarkable challenge. Here we show that the effects of local impurities can provide strong signatures of a Dirac quantum spin-liquid state. Focusing on a gapless Dirac quantum spin-liquid state as realized in NaYbO$_2$, we show that single magnetic impurity coupled to the quantum spin-liquid state creates a resonant spinon peak at zero frequency, coexisting the original Dirac spinons. We …
Yb- and Ce-based delafossites were recently identified as effective spin-1/2 antiferromagnets on the triangular lattice. Several Yb-based systems, such as NaYbO2, NaYbS2, and NaYbSe2, exhibit no long-range order down to the lowest measured temperatures and therefore serve as putative candidates for the realization of a quantum spin liquid. However, their isostructural Ce-based counterpart KCeS2 exhibits magnetic order below TN = 400 mK, which was so far identified only in thermodynamic measurements. Here we reveal the magnetic structure of this long-range ordered phase using magnetic neutron d…
We synthesize homogeneous compositions of NaLu$_x$Yb$_{1-x}$Se$_2$, connecting non-magnetic NaLuSe$_2$ to the triangular lattice spin liquid candidate NaYbSe$_2$. Thermal and magnetic properties are studied as the system evolves from one with dilute magnetic defects to one of a dense magnetic lattice. The field and temperature dependent heat capacity show the carriers of entropy crossover from isolated magnetic ions to a correlated lattice borne from spin dimers. For the dilute system we estimate the single ion anisotropy $(g_\perp/g_\parallel =3.13)$ and also the dimer exchange couplings $J_\…
Alkali metal rare-earth chalcogenide $ARECh2$ (A=alkali or monovalent metal, RE=rare earth, Ch=O, S, Se, Te), is a large family of quantum spin liquid (QSL) candidates we discovered recently. Unlike $YbMgGaO4$, most members in the family except for the oxide ones, have relatively small crystalline electric-field (CEF) excitation levels, particularly the first ones. This makes the conventional Curie-Weiss analysis at finite temperatures inapplicable and CEF excitations may play an essential role in understanding the low-energy spin physics. Here we considered an effective magnetic Hamiltonian i…
We show that a strongly correlated Fermi system with the fermion condensate, which exhibits strong deviations from Landau Fermi liquid behavior, is driven into the Landau Fermi liquid by applying a small magnetic field $B$ at temperature T=0. This field-induced Landau Fermi liquid behavior provides the constancy of the Kadowaki-Woods ratio. A reentrance into the strongly correlated regime is observed if the magnetic field $B$ decreases to zero, then the effective mass $M^*$ diverges as $M^*\propto 1/\sqrt{B}$. At finite temperatures, the strongly correlated regime is restored at some temperatu…
Non-Fermi liquid behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems is derived within the Landau approach. We attribute this behavior to a phase transition associated with a rearrangement of the Landau state that leads to flattening of a portion of the single-particle spectrum $ε({\bf p})$ in the vicinity of the Fermi surface. We demonstrate that the quasiparticle subsystem responsible for the flat spectrum possesses the same thermodynamic properties as a gas of localized spins. Theoretical results compare favorably with available experimental data. While departing radically from prevalent views on…
A crossover from a non-Fermi liquid to a Fermi liquid phase in Yb$_2$Ni$_{12}$P$_7$ is observed by analyzing electrical resistivity $ρ(T)$, magnetic susceptibility $χ(T)$, specific heat $C(T)$, and thermoelectric power $S(T)$ measurements. The electronic contribution to specific heat, $C_{e}(T)$, behaves as $C_{e}(T)/T \sim -\ln(T)$ for 5 K $< T <$ 15 K, which is consistent with non-Fermi liquid behavior. Below $T \sim$ 4 K, the upturn in $C_{e}(T)/T$ begins to saturate, suggesting that the system crosses over into a Fermi-liquid ground state. This is consistent with robust $ρ(T) - ρ_0 = AT^2$…
We study the effect of electron hopping in triple quantum dots modelled by the three-impurity Anderson model. We determine the range of hopping parameters where the system exhibits the two-channel Kondo effect and has non-Fermi-liquid properties in a wide temperature interval. As this interval is entered from above, the conductance through the side dots increases to a half of the conductance quantum, while the conductance through the system remains small. At lower temperatures the conductance through the system increases to the unitary limit as the system crosses over to the Fermi-liquid groun…
We calculate the electron spectral function for a spin-liquid with a spinon Fermi surface and a Dirac spin-liquid. Calculations are based upon the slave-rotor mean-field theory. We consider the effect of gauge fluctuations using a simple model and find the behavior is not strongly modified. The results, distinct from conventional Mott insulator or band theory predictions, suggest that measuring the spectral function e.g. via ARPES could help in the experimental verification and characterization of spin liquids.
We study the Mott metal-insulator transition in the Periodic Anderson Model within Dynamical Mean Field Theory (DMFT). Near the quantum transition, we find a non-Fermi liquid metallic state down to a vanishing temperature scale. We identify the origin of the non-Fermi liquid behavior as due to magnetic scattering of the doped carriers by the localized moments. The non-Fermi liquid state can be tuned by either doping or external magnetic field. Our results show that the coupling to spatial magnetic fluctuations (absent in DMFT) is not a prerequisite to realize a non-Fermi liquid scenario for he…
It is shown that columnar fluctuations, in conjunction with weak quenched disorder, lead to a T^{3/2} temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity. This is proposed as an explanation of the observed non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the helimagnet MnSi, with one possible realization of the columnar fluctuations provided by skyrmion lines that have independently been proposed to be present in this material.
Detailed anisotropic resistivity and heat capacity measurements down to ~0.4 K and up to 140 kOe are reported for a single crystalline YbAgGe. Based on these data YbAgGe, a member of the hexagonal RAgGe series, can be classified as new, stoichiometric heavy fermion compound with two magnetic ordering temperatures below 1 K and field-induced non-Fermi-liquid behavior above 45-70 kOe and 80-110 kOe for $H || (ab) and H || c respectively.
I review our incomplete understanding of non-Fermi liquid behavior in heavy fermion systems at a quantum critical point. General considerations suggest that critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations do not destroy the Fermi surface by scattering the heavy electrons- but by actually breaking up the internal structure of the heavy fermion. I contrast the weak, and strong-coupling view of the quantum phase transition, emphasizing puzzles and questions that recent experiments raise.
We report far-infrared optical properties of YbRh$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ 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 YbRh$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ which is due to its close vicinity to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point.
It is well-known that, generically, the one-dimensional interacting fermions cannot be described in terms of the Fermi liquid. Instead, they present different phenomenology, that of the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid: the Landau quasiparticles are ill-defined, and the fermion occupation number is continuous at the Fermi energy. We demonstrate that suitable fine-tuning of the interaction between fermions can stabilize a peculiar state of one-dimensional matter, which is dissimilar to both the Tomonaga-Luttinger and Fermi liquids. We propose to call this state a quasi-Fermi liquid. Technically speaki…
A full, nonperturbative renormalization group analysis of interacting electrons in a graphite layer is performed, in order to investigate the deviations from Fermi liquid theory that have been observed in the experimental measures of a linear quasiparticle decay rate in graphite. The electrons are coupled through Coulomb interactions, which remain unscreened due to the semimetallic character of the layer. We show that the model flows towards the noninteracting fixed-point for the whole range of couplings, with logarithmic corrections which signal the marginal character of the interaction separ…
We study the spectral function of the pseudogap phase of quasi one-dimensional charge density wave materials. Using a stochastic approach and emphasizing an exact treatment of non-Gaussian order parameter fluctuations we will go beyond a usual perturbative calculation. Our results give a good fit to ARPES data and explain the absence of the Fermi edge in charge density wave materials even above the Peierls transition, indicating non-Fermi liquid behavior.
We review a recently developed method, based on an exact auxiliary boson representation, to describe both Fermi liquid and non-Fermi liquid behavior in quantum impurity systems. Coherent spin and charge fluctuation processes are taken into account in a self-consistent way and are shown to include {\it all} leading and subleading infrared singularities at any given order of the self-consistent loop expansion of the free energy. As a consequence, for the SU(N)$\times$ SU(M) Anderson impurity models the correct temperature dependence of the susceptibility is recovered over the entire temperature …
We investigate the zero- and finite-temperature properties of the bond-random $s=1/2$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the pyrochlore lattice by the exact diagonalization and the Hams--de Raedt methods. We find that the randomness induces the gapless quantum spin liquid (QSL) state, the random-singlet state. Implications to recent experiments on the mixed-anion pyrochlore-lattice antiferromagnet Lu$_2$Mo$_2$O$_5$N$_2$ exhibiting gapless QSL behaviors are discussed.
We give the first rigorous (non perturbative) proof of Luttinger liquid behavior in the one dimensional Hubbard model, for small repulsive interaction and values of the density different from half filling. The analysis is based on the combination of multiscale analysis with Ward identities bases on a hidden and approximate local chiral gauge invariance. No use is done of exact solutions or special integrability properties of the Hubbard model, and the results can be in fact easily generalized to include non local interactions, magnetic fields or interaction with external potentials
The magnetic and electronic properties of non-Fermi liquid UCu_4Pd depend on annealing conditions. Local structural changes due to this annealing are reported from U L_III- and Pd K-edge x-ray absorption fine-structure measurements. In particular, annealing decreases the fraction of Pd atoms on nominally Cu 16e sites and the U-Cu pair-distance distribution width. This study provides quantitative information on the amount of disorder in UCu_4Pd and allows an assessment of its possible importance to the observed non-Fermi liquid behavior.
We present measurements of the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity of CeRhSn up to ~ 27 kbar. At low temperatures, the electrical resistivity varies linearly with temperature for all pressures, indicating non-Fermi liquid behavior. Below a temperature Tf ~ 6 K, the electrical resistivity deviates from a linear dependence. We found that the low-temperature feature centered at T = Tf shows a pressure dependence dTf/dP ~ 30 mK/kbar which is typical of canonical spin glasses. This interplay between spin-glass-like and non-Fermi liquid behavior was observed in both CeRhSn and a Ce0.9La…
We investigate the low-temperature behavior of Kondo lattices upon random depletion of the local $f$-moments, by using strong-coupling arguments and solving SU($N$) saddle-point equations on large lattices. For a large range of intermediate doping levels, between the coherent Fermi liquid of the dense lattice and the single-impurity Fermi liquid of the dilute limit, we find strongly inhomogeneous states that exhibit distinct non-Fermi liquid characteristics. In particular, the interplay of dopant disorder and strong interactions leads to rare weakly screened moments which dominate the bulk sus…
Multiple energy scales are detected in measurements of the thermodynamic and transport properties in heavy fermion metals. We demonstrate that the experimental data on the energy scales can be well described by the scaling behavior of the effective mass at the fermion condensation quantum phase transition, and show that the dependence of the effective mass on temperature and applied magnetic fields gives rise to the non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our analysis is placed in the context of recent salient experimental results. Our calculations of the non-Fermi liquid behavior, of the scales and thermo…
Optical conductivity spectra $σ_1(ω)$ of paramagnetic CaRuO$_3$ are investigated at various temperatures. At T=10 K, it shows a non-Fermi liquid behavior of $σ_1(ω)\sim 1/ω^{\frac 12}$, similar to the case of a ferromagnet SrRuO$_3$. As the temperature ($T$) is increased, on the other hand, $σ_1(ω)$ in the low frequency region is progressively suppressed, deviating from the $1/ω^{\frac 12%}$-dependence. Interestingly, the suppression of $σ_1(ω)$ is found to scale with $ω/T$ at all temperatures. The origin of the $% ω/T$ scaling behavior coupled with the non-Fermi liquid behavior is discussed.
Based on the t-J model and the self-consistent Born approximation, the damping of quasiparticle hole states near the Fermi surface is calculated in a low doping regime. Renormalization of spin-wave excitations due to hole doping is taken into account. The damping is shown to be described by a familiar form $\text{Im}Σ({\bf k}^{\prime},ε)\propto (ε^{2}/ ε_{F})\ln(ε/ ε_{F})$ characteristic of the 2-dimensional Fermi liquid, in contrast with the earlier statement reported by Li and Gong [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 51}, 6343 (1995)] on the marginal Fermi liquid behavior of quasiholes.
We study the competition between the Kondo effect and frustrating exchange interactions in a Kondo-lattice model within a large-${\cal N}$ dynamical mean-field theory. We find a T=0 phase transition between a heavy Fermi-liquid and a spin-liquid for a critical value of the exchange $J_c = T_{K}^0$, the single-impurity Kondo temperature. Close to the critical point, the Fermi liquid coherence scale $T^\star$ is strongly reduced and the effective mass strongly enhanced. The regime $T>T^\star$ is characterized by spin-liquid magnetic correlations and non-Fermi-liquid properties. It is suggested t…
Basing on the density functional theory of fermion condensation, we analyze the non-Fermi liquid behavior of strongly correlated Fermi-systems such as heavy-fermion metals. When deriving equations for the effective mass of quasiparticles, we consider solids with a lattice and homogeneous systems. We show that the low-temperature thermodynamic and transport properties are formed by quasiparticles, while the dependence of the effective mass on temperature, number density, magnetic fields, etc gives rise to the non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our theoretical study of the heat capacity, magnetization, …
Three-dimensionally (3D) frustrated magnets generally exist in the magnetic diamond and pyrochlore lattices, in which quantum fluctuations suppress magnetic orders and generate highly entangled ground states (GS). LiYbSe2 in a previously unreported pyrochlore lattice was discovered from LiCl flux growth. Distinct from the quantum spin liquid (QSL) candidate NaYbSe2 hosting a perfect triangular lattice of Yb3+, LiYbSe2 crystallizes in the cubic pyrochlore structure with space group Fd-3m (No. 227). The Yb3+ ions in LiYbSe2 are arranged on a network of corner-sharing tetrahedra, which is particu…
Electron-electron interactions can induce Fermi surface deformations which break the point-group symmetry of the lattice structure of the system. In the vicinity of such a "Pomeranchuk instability" the Fermi surface is easily deformed by anisotropic perturbations, and exhibits enhanced collective fluctuations. We show that critical Fermi surface fluctuations near a d-wave Pomeranchuk instability in two dimensions lead to large anisotropic decay rates for single-particle excitations, which destroy Fermi liquid behavior over the whole surface except at the Brillouin zone diagonal.