No Arabic abstract
Only few selected examples among the great diversity of anomalous rare earth skutterudite are reviewed. Focus is first given on PrFe4P12 in comparison with URu2Si2. For PrFe4P12, great progress has been made on determining the nature of the order parameter (OP). A non magnetic order parameter with a multipolar component emerges here while for URu2Si2 the nature of the so-called hidden order remains mysterious. The two systems have several similarities in their temperature--pressure (T, P) and magnetic field--temperature (H, T) phase diagrams, in their spin dynamics, in their nesting character and in their high sensitivity to impurities. Advances on one side must stimulate new views on the other. Besides general considerations on the choice of the OP, a simple basic problem is the treatment of the Kondo coupling in a system with low charge carrier number for the cases of uncompensated and compensated semi-metal. An interesting problem is also the possible decoupling between exciton modes and itinerant carriers.
Rare 4f^2-based heavy-fermion behaviors have been revealed recently in Pr-based filled skutterudites PrFe4P12 and PrOs4Sb12. Recent studies on the thermal properties on both compounds are reported, putting emphasis on the field-induced ordered phase found in PrOs4Sb12.
Calorimetry experiments under high pressure were used to clarify the interplay between different states such as superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in CeRhIn5, spin density wave and large moment antiferromagnetism in URu2Si2. Evidences are given on the re-entrance of antiferromagnetism under magnetic field in the superconducting phase of CeRhIn5 up to pc = 2.5 GPa where the Neel temperature will collapse in the absence of superconductivity. For URu2Si2 measurements up to 10 GPa support strongly the coexistence of spin density wave and large moment antiferromagnetism at high pressures.
Quasi-particle spin susceptibility ($chi^{qp}$) for various heavy-fermion (HF) superconductors are discussed on the basis of the experimental results of electronic specific heat ($gamma_{el}$), NMR Knight shift ($K$) and NMR relaxation rate ($1/T_1$) within the framework of the Fermi liquid model for a Kramers doublet crystal electric field (CEF) ground state. $chi^{qp}_{gamma}$ is calculated from the enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient $gamma_{el}$ and $chi^{qp}_{T_1}$ from the quasi-particle Korringa relation $T_1T(K^{qp}_{T_1})^2=const.$ via the relation of $chi^{qp}_{T_1}=(N_Amu_B/A_{hf})K^{qp}_{T_1}$ where $A_{hf}$ is the hyperfine coupling constant, $N_A$ the Abogadoros number and $mu_B$ the Bohr magneton. For the even-parity (spin-singlet) superconductors CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, CeCoIn$_5$ and UPd$_2$Al$_3$, the fractional decrease in the Knight shift, $delta K^{obs}$, below the superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) is due to the decrease of the spin susceptibility of heavy quasi-particle estimated consistently from $chi^{qp}_{gamma}$ and $chi^{qp}_{T_1}$. This result allows us to conclude that the heavy quasi-particles form the spin-singlet Cooper pairs in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, CeCoIn$_5$ and UPd$_2$Al$_3$. On the other hand, no reduction in the Knight shift is observed in UPt$_3$ and UNi$_2$Al$_3$, nevertheless the estimated values of $chi^{qp}_{gamma}$ and $chi^{qp}_{T_1}$ are large enough to be probed experimentally. The odd-parity superconductivity is therefore concluded in these compounds. The NMR result provides a convincing way to classify the HF superconductors into either even- or odd- parity paring together with the identification for the gap structure, as long as the system has Kramers degeneracy.
We grew single crystals of the recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor UTe2, and measured the resistivity, specific heat and magnetoresistance. Superconductivity (SC) was clearly detected at Tsc=1.65K as sharp drop of the resistivity in a high quality sample of RRR=35. The specific heat shows a large jump at Tsc indicating strong coupling. The large Sommerfeld coefficient, 117mJ K-2mol-1 extrapolated in the normal state and the temperature dependence of C/T below Tsc are the signature of unconventional SC. The discrepancy in the entropy balance at Tsc between SC and normal states points out that hidden features must occur. Surprisingly, a large residual value of the Sommerfeld coefficient seems quite robust (gamma_0/gamma ~ 0.5). The large upper critical field Hc2 along the three principal axes favors spin-triplet SC. For H // b-axis, our experiments do not reproduce the huge upturn of Hc2 reported previously. This discrepancy may reflect that Hc2 is very sensitive to the sample quality. A new perspective in UTe2 is the proximity of a Kondo semiconducting phase predicted by the LDA band structure calculations.
A technique for measuring the electrical resistivity and absolute thermopower is presented for pressures up to 30 GPa, temperatures down to 25 mK and magnetic fields up to 10 T. With the examples of CeCu2Ge2 and CeCu2Si2 we focus on the interplay of normal phase and superconducting properties. With increasing pres- sure, the behaviour of CeCu2Ge2 evolves from that of an antiferromagnetically ordered Kondo system to that characteristic of an intermediate valence compound as the Kondo temperature increases by about two orders of magnitude. In the pressure window 8-10 < P < 20 GPa, a superconducting phase occurs which com- petes at low pressure with magnetic ordering. For CeCu2Si2 the effective mass of carriers is probed by both the coefficient of the Fermi liquid law and the ini- tial slope of the upper critical field. The magnetic instability is studied no- tably for CeRu2Ge2 and Yb-based compounds for which pressure-induced magnetic ordering tends to develop. Finally, contrary to conventional wisdom, we argue that in heavy fermions a large part of the residual resistivity is most likely not independent of temperature; tentatively ascribed to Kondo hole, it can be very pressure as well as sample dependent. [electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power, heavy fermion, magnetic order, superconductivity]