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C. Krellner

Publications and source records attributed to C. Krellner.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Anisotropic Zeeman Splitting in YbNi4P2

The electronic structure of heavy-fermion materials is highly renormalised at low temperatures with localised moments contributing to the electronic excitation spectrum via the Kondo effect. Thus, heavy-fermion materials are very susceptible to Lifshitz transitions due to the small effective Fermi energy arising on parts of the renormalised Fermi surface. Here, we study Lifshitz transitions that have been discovered in YbNi4P2 in high magnetic fields. We measure the angular dependence of the critical fields necessary to induce a number of Lifshitz transitions and find it to follow a simple Zeeman-shift model with anisotropic g-factor. This highlights the coherent nature of the heavy quasiparticles forming a renormalised Fermi surface. We extract information on the orientation of the Fermi surface parts giving rise to the Lifshitz transitions and we determine the anisotropy of the effective g-factor to be $η\approx 3.8$ in good agreement with the crystal field scheme of YbNi4P2.

cond-mat.str-el

Ga$_{x}$Cu$_{4-x}$(OD)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$: Insulating ground state in an electron doped kagome system

We present a successful synthesis method of the series Ga$_{x}$Cu$_{4-x}$(OD)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$ with substitutions up to $x=0.8$. The compound remains a frustrated kagome system with an insulating ground state similar to herbertsmithite for these substitutions, as the additional charge of Ga$^{3+}$ is most likely bound to additional OH$^{-}$ and Cl$^{-}$. Besides infrared measurements, we present magnetic and specific-heat data down to 2 K for selected samples with $0\leq x\leq0.8$. With increasing $x$ the long-range magnetic order is suppressed, similar to what was observed in the series Zn$_{x}$Cu$_{4-x}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$, indicating that Ga goes predominantly to the inter-plane position of the layered crystal structure. The reduction of the frozen magnetic fraction with increasing substitution was followed by $μ$SR measurements. $^{69,71}$Ga nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied as a local probe for Ga induced disorder. One well resolved Ga NMR line of moderate width is found for each isotope across the phase diagram which indicates a rather homogeneous distribution of the Ga isotopes on a single site in the lattice.

cond-mat.str-el

Interplay between unconventional superconductivity and heavy-fermion quantum criticality: CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ versus YbRh$_2$Si$_2$

In this paper the low-temperature properties of two isostructural canonical heavy-fermion compounds are contrasted with regards to the interplay between antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum criticality and superconductivity. For CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, fully-gapped d-wave superconductivity forms in the vicinity of an itinerant three-dimensional heavy-fermion spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum critical point (QCP). Inelastic neutron scattering results highlight that both quantum critical SDW fluctuations as well as Mott-type fluctuations of local magnetic moments contribute to the formation of Cooper pairs in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$. In YbRh$_2$Si$_2$, superconductivity appears to be suppressed at $T\gtrsim~10$ mK by AF order ($T_N$ = 70 mK). Ultra-low temperature measurements reveal a hybrid order between nuclear and 4f-electronic spins, which is dominated by the Yb-derived nuclear spins, to develop at $T_A$ slightly above 2 mK. The hybrid order turns out to strongly compete with the primary 4f-electronic order and to push the material towards its QCP. Apparently, this paves the way for heavy-fermion superconductivity to form at $T_c$ = 2 mK. Like the pressure - induced QCP in CeRhIn$_5$, the magnetic field - induced one in YbRh$_2$Si$_2$ is of the local Kondo-destroying variety which corresponds to a Mott-type transition at zero temperature. Therefore, these materials form the link between the large family of about fifty low-$T$ unconventional heavy - fermion superconductors and other families of unconventional superconductors with higher $T_c$s, notably the doped Mott insulators of the cuprates, organic charge-transfer salts and some of the Fe-based superconductors. Our study suggests that heavy-fermion superconductivity near an AF QCP is a robust phenomenon.

cond-mat.supr-con

High-Pressure Phase Diagram of NdFeAsO$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1}$: Disappearance of superconductivity on the verge of ferromagnetism from nd moments

We investigated transport and magnetic properties of NdFeAsO$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1}$ single crystal under hydrostatic pressures up to 50\,GPa. The ambient pressure superconductivity at $T_{c} \sim$ 45.4\,K is fully suppressed at $P_{c} \sim$ 21 GPa. Upon further increase of the pressure, the ferromagnetism associated with the order of rare-earth subsystem is induced at the border of superconductivity. Our finding is supported by the hysteresis in the magnetization $M$($H$) loops and the strong increase in the field cooled data, $M$($T$), toward low temperatures. We also show that the temperature evolution of the electrical resistivity as a function of pressure is consistent with a crossover from a Fermi-liquid to non-Fermi-liquid to Fermi-liquid. These results give access to the high-pressure side of the superconducting phase diagram in 1111 type of materials.

cond-mat.supr-con

Magnetic resonance as a local probe for kagomé magnetism in Barlowite Cu$_4$(OH)$_6$FBr

Temperature- and field- dependent $^1$H-, $^{19}$F-, and $^{79,81}$Br- NMR measurements together with zero - field $^{79,81}$Br-NQR measurements on polycrystalline samples of barlowite, Cu$_4$(OH)$_6$FBr are conducted to study the magnetism and possible structural distortions on a microscopic level. The temperature dependence of the $^{79,81}$Br- NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates 1/$T_1$ indicate a phase transition at $T_{\rm N}\simeq$15 K which is of magnetic origin, but with an unusually weak slowing down of fluctuations below $T_{\rm N}$. Moreover, 1/$T_1T$ scales linear with the bulk susceptibility which indicates persisting spin fluctuations down to 2 K. Quadupolare resonance (NQR) studies reveal a pair of zero-field NQR- lines associated with the two isotopes of Br with the nuclear spins of $I$ = 3/2. Quadrupole coupling constants of $ν_Q\simeq$ 28.5~MHz and 24.7~MHz for $^{79}$Br- and $^{81}$Br- nuclei are determined from Br-NMR and the asymmetry parameter of the electric field gradient was estimated to $η\simeq 0.2$. The Br-NQR lines are consistent with our findings from Br-NMR and they are relatively broad, even above $T_{\rm N}$. This broadening and the relative large $η$ value suggests a symmetry reduction at the Br- site reflecting the presence of a local distortion in the lattice. Our density-functional calculations show that the displacements of Cu2 atoms located between the kagome planes do not account for this relatively large $η$. On the other hand, full structural relaxation, including the deformation of kagome planes, leads to a better agreement with the experiment.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Similar temperature scale for valence changes in Kondo lattices with different Kondo temperatures

The Kondo model predicts that both the valence at low temperatures and its temperature dependence scale with the characteristic energy T_K of the Kondo interaction. Here, we study the evolution of the 4f occupancy with temperature in a series of Yb Kondo lattices using resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy. In agreement with simple theoretical models, we observe a scaling between the valence at low temperature and T_K obtained from thermodynamic measurements. In contrast, the temperature scale T_v at which the valence increases with temperature is almost the same in all investigated materials while the Kondo temperatures differ by almost four orders of magnitude. This observation is in remarkable contradiction to both naive expectation and precise theoretical predictions of the Kondo model, asking for further theoretical work in order to explain our findings. Our data exclude the presence of a quantum critical valence transition in YbRh2Si2.

cond-mat.str-el

High-pressure effects on isotropic superconductivity in the iron-free layered pnictide superconductor BaPd2As2

While the layered 122 iron arsenide superconductors are highly anisotropic, unconventional, and exhibit several forms of electronic orders that coexist or compete with superconductivity in different regions of their phase diagrams, we find in the absence of iron in the structure that the superconducting characteristics of the end member BaPd2As2 are surprisingly conventional. Here we report on complementary measurements of specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity measurements, Andreev spectroscopy, and synchrotron high pressure x-ray diffraction measurements supplemented with theoretical calculations for BaPd2As2. Its superconducting properties are completely isotropic as demonstrated by the critical fields, which do not depend on the direction of the applied field. Under the application of high pressure, Tc is linearly suppressed, which is the typical behavior of classical phonon-mediated superconductors with some additional effect of a pressure-induced decrease in the electronic density of states and the electron-phonon coupling parameters. Structural changes in the layered BaPd2As2 have been studied by means of angle-dispersive diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. At 12 GPa and 24.2 GPa we observed pressure induced lattice distortions manifesting as the discontinuity and, hence discontinuity in the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. The bulk modulus is B0=40(6) GPa below 12 GPa and B0=142(3) GPa below 27.2 GPa.

cond-mat.supr-con

High-resolution resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering as a probe of the crystal electrical field in lanthanides demonstrated for the case of CeRh2Si2

The magnetic properties of rare earth compounds are usually well captured by assuming a fully localized f shell and only considering the Hund's rule ground state multiplet split by a crystal electrical field (CEF). Currently, the standard technique for probing CEF excitations in lanthanides is inelastic neutron scattering. Here we show that with the recent leap in energy resolution, resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering has become a serious alternative for looking at CEF excitations with some distinct advantages compared to INS. As an example we study the CEF scheme in CeRh2Si2, a system that has been intensely studied for more than two decades now but for which no consensus has been reached yet as to its CEF scheme. We used two new features that have only become available very recently in RIXS, high energy resolution of about 30 meV as well as polarization analysis in the scattered beam, to find a unique CEF description for CeRh2Si2. The result agrees well with previous INS and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Due to its strong resonant character, RIXS is applicable to very small samples, presents very high cross sections for all lanthanides, and further benefits from the very weak coupling to phonon excitation. The rapid progress in energy resolution of RIXS spectrometers is making this technique increasingly attractive for the investigation of the CEF scheme in lanthanides.

cond-mat.str-el

Evolution of the Kondo lattice and non-Fermi liquid excitations in a heavy-fermion metal

Strong electron correlations can give rise to extraordinary properties of metals with renormalized quasiparticles which are at the basis of Landau's Fermi liquid theory. Near a quantum critical point, these quasiparticles can be destroyed and non-Fermi liquid behavior ensues. YbRh$_2$Si$_2$ is a prototypical correlated metal as it exhibits quasiparticles formation, formation of Kondo lattice coherence and quasiparticle destruction at a field-induced quantum critical point. Here we show how, upon lowering the temperature, the Kondo lattice coherence develops and finally gives way to non-Fermi liquid electronic excitations. By measuring the single-particle excitations through scanning tunneling spectroscopy down to 0.3 K, we find the Kondo lattice peak emerging below the Kondo temperature $T_{\rm K} \sim$ 25 K, yet this peak displays a non-trivial temperature dependence with a strong increase around 3.3 K. At the lowest temperature and as a function of an external magnetic field, the width of this peak is minimized in the quantum critical regime. Our results provide a striking demonstration of the non-Fermi liquid electronic excitations in quantum critical metals, thereby elucidating the strange-metal phenomena that have been ubiquitously observed in strongly correlated electron materials.

cond-mat.str-el

Weak magnetic anisotropy in GdRh$_2$Si$_2$ studied by magnetic resonance

The antiferromagnetically (AFM) ordered state of GdRh$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ which consists of AFM-stacked ferromagnetic layers is investigated by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The almost isotropic Gd$^{3+}$ paramagnetic resonance becomes anisotropic in the AFM ordered region below 107 K. The emerging internal anisotropic exchange-fields are still small enough to allow an investigation of their magnetization dynamics by using a standard microwave-frequency magnetic resonance technique. We could characterize this anisotropy in detail in the ferromagnetic layers of the excitation at 9 and 34 GHz. We derived a resonance condition for the AFM ordered phase to describe the weak in-plane anisotropic behaviour in combination with a mean-field analysis.

cond-mat.str-el

Cascade of magnetic field induced Lifshitz transitions in the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice material YbNi4P2

A ferromagnetic quantum critical point is thought not to exist in two and three-dimensional metallic systems yet is realized in the Kondo lattice compound YbNi4(P,As)2, possibly due to its one-dimensionality. It is crucial to investigate the dimensionality of the Fermi surface of YbNi4P2 experimentally but common probes such as ARPES and quantum oscillation measurements are lacking. Here, we studied the magnetic field dependence of transport and thermodynamic properties of YbNi4P2. The Kondo effect is continuously suppressed and additionally we identify nine Lifshitz transitions between 0.4 and 18 T. We analyze the transport coefficients in detail and identify the type of Lifshitz transitions as neck or void type to gain information on the Fermi surface of YbNi4P2. The large number of Lifshitz transitions observed within this small energy window is unprecedented and results from the particular flat renormalized band structure with strong 4f-electron character shaped by the Kondo lattice effect.

cond-mat.str-el

Signature of multigap nodeless superconductivity in fluorine-doped NdFeAsO

We investigate the temperature dependence of the lower critical field $H_{c1}(T)$, the field at which vortices penetrate into the sample, of a high-quality fluorine-doped NdFeAsO single crystal under static magnetic fields $H$ parallel to the $c$-axis. The temperature dependence of the first vortex penetration field has been experimentally obtained and pronounced changes of the $H_{c1}$(T) curvature are observed, which is attributed to the multiband superconductivity. Using a two-band model with $s$-wave-like gaps, the temperature-dependence of the lower critical field $H_{c1}(T)$ can be well described. These observations clearly show that the superconducting energy gap in fluorine-doped NdFeAsO is nodeless. The values of the penetration depth at $T$ = 0\,K have been determined and confirm that the pnictide superconductors obey an Uemura-style relationship between $T_{c}$ and $λ_{ab}(0)^{-2}$

cond-mat.supr-con

GdRh$_2$Si$_2$: An exemplary tetragonal system for antiferromagnetic order with weak in-plane anisotropy

The anisotropy of magnetic properties commonly is introduced in textbooks using the case of an antiferromagnetic system with Ising type anisotropy. This model presents huge anisotropic magnetization and a pronounced metamagnetic transition and is well-known and well-documented both, in experiments and theory. In contrast, the case of an antiferromagnetic $X$-$Y$ system with weak in-plane anisotropy is only poorly documented. We studied the anisotropic magnetization of the compound GdRh$_2$Si$_2$ and found that it is a perfect model system for such a weak-anisotropy setting because the Gd$^{3+}$ ions in GdRh$_2$Si$_2$ have a pure spin moment of S=7/2 which orders in a simple AFM structure with ${\bf Q} = (001)$. We observed experimentally in $M(B)$ a continuous spin-flop transition and domain effects for field applied along the $[100]$- and the $[110]$-direction, respectively. We applied a mean field model for the free energy to describe our data and combine it with an Ising chain model to account for domain effects. Our calculations reproduce the experimental data very well. In addition, we performed magnetic X-ray scattering and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements, which confirm the AFM propagation vector to be ${\bf Q} = (001)$ and indicate the absence of polarization on the rhodium atoms.

cond-mat.str-el

Magnetic order and spin dynamics across a ferromagnetic quantum critical point: $μ$SR investigations of YbNi$_4$(P$_{1-x}$As$_x$)$_2$

In the quasi-1D heavy-fermion system YbNi$_4$(P$_{1-x}$As$_x$)$_2$ the presence of a ferromagnetic (FM) quantum critical point (QCP) at $x_c$ $\approx 0.1$ with unconventional quantum critical exponents in the thermodynamic properties has been recently reported. Here, we present muon-spin relaxation ($μ$SR) experiments on polycrystals of this series to study the magnetic order and the low energy 4$f$-electronic spin dynamics across the FM QCP. The zero field $μ$SR measurements on pure YbNi$_4$(P$_{2}$ proved static long range magnetic order and suggested a strongly reduced ordered Yb moment of about 0.04$μ_B$. With increasing As substitution the ordered moment is reduced by half at $x = 0.04$ and to less than 0.005 $μ_B$ at $x=0.08$. The dynamic behavior in the $μ$SR response show that magnetism remains homogeneous upon As substitution, without evidence for disorder effect. In the paramagnetic state across the FM QCP the dynamic muon-spin relaxation rate follows 1/$T_{1}T\propto T^{-n}$ with $1.01 \pm 0.04 \leq n \leq 1.13 \pm 0.06$. The critical fluctuations are very slow and are even becoming slower when approaching the QCP.

cond-mat.str-el

Many-body theory of magneto-elasticity in one dimension

We construct a many-body theory of magneto-elasticity in one dimension and show that the dynamical correlation functions of the quantum magnet, connecting the spins with phonons, involve all energy scales. Accounting for all magnetic states non-perturbatively via the exact diagonalisation techniques of Bethe ansatz, we find that the renormalisation of the phonon velocity is a non-monotonous function of the external magnetic field and identify a new mechanism for attenuation of phonons - via hybridisation with the continuum of excitations at high energy. We conduct ultrasonic measurements on a high-quality single crystal of the frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet $\textrm{Cs}_{2}\textrm{CuCl}_{4}$ in its one-dimensional regime and confirm the theoretical predictions, demonstrating that ultrasound can be used as a powerful probe of strong correlations in one dimension.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Unique magnetic structure of YbCo$_2$Si$_2$

We report on the results of powder and single crystal neutron diffraction to investigate the magnetic order in YbCo$_2$Si$_2$ below the Néel temperature $T_{\rm N} = 1.7~$K in detail. Two different magnetically ordered phases can clearly be distinguished. At lowest temperatures a commensurate magnetic structure with a propagation vector ${\bf k}_1 = (0.25~ 0.25~ 1)$ is found, while the intermediate phase ($T > 0.9~$K) is characterized by an incommensurate magnetic structure with ${\bf k}_2 = (0.25~ 0.086~ 1)$. The magnetic structure in YbCo$_2$Si$_2$ is in marked contrast to all other known RCo$_2$Si$_2$ compounds (R = rare earth element) likely due to some itineracy of the Yb 4f states being responsible for the magnetism.

cond-mat.str-el

Magneto-acoustic study near the quantum critical point of the frustrated quantum antiferromagnet Cs2CuCl4

Magneto-acoustic investigations of the frustrated triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Cs2CuCl4 were performed for the longitudinal modes c11 and c33 in magnetic fields along the a-axis. The temperature dependence of the sound velocity at zero field shows a mild softening at low temperature and displays a small kink-like anomaly at TN. Isothermal measurements at T < TN of the sound attenuation reveal two closely-spaced features of different character on approaching the materials quantum-critical point (QCP) around Bs = 8.5 T for B // a. The peak at slightly lower fields remains sharp down to the lowest temperature and can be attributed to the ordering temperature TN(B). The second anomaly which is rounded and which becomes reduced in size upon cooling is assigned to the materials spin-liquid properties preceding the long-range antiferromagnetic ordering. These two features merge upon cooling suggesting a coincidence at the QCP. The elastic constant at lowest temperatures of our experiment at 32 mK can be well described by a Landau free energy model with a very small magnetoelastic coupling constant G/kB = 2.8 K. The applicability of this classical model indicates the existence of a small gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum which drives the system away from quantum criticality.

cond-mat.str-el

Avoided ferromagnetic quantum critical point in CeRuPO

CeRuPO is a rare example of a ferromagnetic (FM) Kondo-lattice system. External pressure suppresses the ordering temperature to zero at about $p_c\approx3$ GPa. Our ac-susceptibility and electrical-resistivity investigations evidence that the type of magnetic ordering changes from FM to antiferromagnetic (AFM) at about $p^*\approx0.87$ GPa. Studies in applied magnetic fields suggest that ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic correlations compete for the ground state at $p>p^*$, but finally the AFM correlations win. The change in the magnetic ground-state properties is closely related to the pressure evolution of the crystalline-electric-field level (CEF) scheme and the magnetic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) exchange interaction. The Néel temperature disappears abruptly in a first-order-like fashion at $p_c$, hinting at the absence of a quantum critical point. This is consistent with the low-temperature transport properties exhibiting Landau-Fermi-liquid (LFL) behavior in the whole investigated pressure range up to 7.5 GPa.

cond-mat.str-el