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Scaling behavior of the thermopower of the archetypal heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2

Frontiers of Physics volume 11, Article number: 117102 (2016) Cite this article

Abstract

We reveal and explain the scaling behavior of the thermopower S/T exhibited by the archetypal heavy-fermion (HF) metal YbRh2Si2 under the application of magnetic field B at temperature T. We show that the same scaling is demonstrated by different HF compounds such as ß-YbAlB4 and the strongly correlated layered cobalt oxide [BiBa0.66K0.36O2]CoO2. Using YbRh2Si2 as an example, we demonstrate that the scaling behavior of S/T is violated at the antiferromagnetic phase transition, while both the residual resistivity ρ 0 and the density of states, N, experience jumps at the phase transition, causing the thermopower to make two jumps and change its sign. Our elucidation is based on flattening of the single-particle spectrum that profoundly affects ρ 0 and N. To depict the main features of the S/T behavior, we construct a T–B schematic phase diagram of YbRh2Si2. Our calculated S/T for the HF compounds are in good agreement with experimental facts and support our observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, NRC Kurchatov Institute, Gatchina, 188300, Russia

    V. R. Shaginyan

  2. Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA, 30314, USA

    V. R. Shaginyan, A. Z. Msezane & G. S. Japaridze

  3. Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, Syktyvkar, 167982, Russia

    K. G. Popov

  4. Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

    K. G. Popov

  5. McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences & Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    J. W. Clark & V. A. Khodel

  6. Centro de Ciências Matemáticas, Universidade de Madeira, 9000-390, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

    J. W. Clark

  7. Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, 123182, Russia

    V. A. Khodel

Authors
  1. V. R. Shaginyan
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  2. A. Z. Msezane
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  3. G. S. Japaridze
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  4. K. G. Popov
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  5. J. W. Clark
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  6. V. A. Khodel
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Correspondence to V. R. Shaginyan.

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Shaginyan, V.R., Msezane, A.Z., Japaridze, G.S. et al. Scaling behavior of the thermopower of the archetypal heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 . Front. Phys. 11, 117102 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-015-0536-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-015-0536-3

Keywords

  • thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects
  • quantum phase transition
  • flat bands
  • non-Fermi-liquid states
  • strongly correlated electron systems
  • heavy fermions