Quantum phase transitions in CePdAl probed by ultrasonic and thermoelectric measurements

CePdAl has been recently recognized as a frustrated antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound with a pressureor field-tuned,extended quantum critical phase at zero temperature.Identifying characteristic signatures of the emerging quantum critical phase,which are expected to be distinct from those near a quantum critical point,remains challenging.In this work,by performing ultrasonic and thermoelectric measurements down to very low temperatures in a^(3)He–^(4)He dilution refrigerator in the presence of magnetic field,we are able to obtain some crucial thermodynamic and thermal transport features of the quantum critical phase,including a frustration-related elastic softening detected by ultrasound and a Fermi-surface change probed by thermoelectric effect.

CeAu_(2)In_(4):A candidate of quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice

Needle-like single crystals of CeAu_(2)In_(4)have been grown from In flux and characterized as a new candidate of quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice compound by crystallographic,magnetic,transport,and specific-heat measurements down to very low temperatures.We observe an antiferromagnetic transition at T_(N)≈0.9 K,a highly non-mean-field profile of the corresponding peak in specific heat,and a large Sommerfeld coefficientγ=369 mJ·mol^(-1)·K^(-2).The Kondo temperature T_(K)is estimated to be 1.1 K,being low and comparable to TN.While Fermi liquid behavior is observed deep into the magnetically ordered phase,the Kadowaki-Woods ratio is much reduced relative to the expected value for Ce compounds with Kramers doublet ground state.Markedly,this feature shares striking similarities to that of the prototypical quasi-one-dimensional compounds YbNi_(4)P_(2) and CeRh_(6)Ge_(4) with tunable ferromagnetic quantum critical point.Given the shortest Ce-Ce distance along the needle direction,CeAu_(2)In_(4)appears to be an interesting model system for exploring antiferromagnetic quantum critical behaviors in a quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice with enhanced quantum fluctuations.

Unusual thermodynamics of low-energy phonons in the Dirac semimetal Cd_(3)As_(2)

By studying the thermal conductivity,specific heat,elastic modulus,and thermal expansion as a function of temperature for Cd_(3)As_(2),we have unveiled a couple of important thermodynamic features of the low-energy phonons strongly interacting with Dirac electrons.The existence of soft optical phonons,as inferred from the extremely low thermal conductivity,is unambiguously confirmed by low-temperature specific heat revealing significant deviation from Debye's description.The estimated Debye temperature is small in the range of 100-200 K and varies significantly depending upon the measurement used in its experimental determination.The thermodynamic Gr¨uneisen ratioγreveals a remarkable reduction below about 100 K,an energy scale that is highly relevant to the Dirac states,towards negative values below about 10 K that are indicative of lattice instability.

Pressure effect in the Kondo semimetal CeRu4Sn6 with nontrivial topology

Kondo semimetal CeRu4Sn6 is attracting renewed attention due to the theoretically predicted nontrivial topology in its electronic band structure. We report hydrostatic and chemical pressure effects on the transport properties of single- and poly-crystalline samples. The electrical resistivity p （T） is gradually enhanced by applying pressure over a wide temperature range from room temperature down to 25 mK. Two thermal activation gaps estimated from high- and low-temperature windows are found to increase with pressure. A flat p（T） observed at the lowest temperatures below 300 mK appears to be robust against both pressure and field. This feature as well as the increase of the energy gaps calls for more intensive investigations with respect to electron correlations and band topology.

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自旋阻挫重费米子体系中的量子相变

近藤效应和RKKY交换相互作用的竞争决定了多数重费米子化合物的基态性质。通过压力、磁场等非热力学参量调控,该类材料能够在绝对零温附近实现费米液体和磁有序相之间的连续转变,提供了研究量子相变的理想平台。另一方面,在绝缘的量子磁体中,自旋阻挫引起的量子涨落抑制低温下长程磁有序的发生,导致自旋液体相等新奇物态的产生。在近藤晶格中引入自旋阻挫将给重费米子材料提供一个新的调控维度,深刻改变该类材料的量子临界相图,是重费米子材料领域的一个新颖研究方向。文章首先介绍阻挫重费米子体系的研究背景,然后针对CePdAl的物性展开讨论,探讨阻挫对重费米子材料量子临界物性的影响以及量子临界相的普适性。