The heavy-fermion metal YbRh$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ is a weak antiferromagnet below $T_{N} = 0.07$ K. Application of a low magnetic field $B_{c} = 0.06$ T ($perp c$) is sufficient to continuously suppress the antiferromagnetic (AF) order. Below $T approx 10$
K, the Sommerfeld coefficient of the electronic specific heat $gamma(T)$ exhibits a logarithmic divergence. At $T < 0.3$ K, $gamma(T) sim T^{-epsilon}$ ($epsilon: 0.3 - 0.4$), while the electrical resistivity $rho(T) = rho_{0} + aT$ ($rho_{0}$: residual resistivity). Upon extrapolating finite-$T$ data of transport and thermodynamic quantities to $T = 0$, one observes (i) a vanishing of the Fermi surface crossover scale $T^{*}(B)$, (ii) an abrupt jump of the initial Hall coefficient $R_{H}(B)$ and (iii) a violation of the Wiedemann Franz law at $B = B_{c}$, the field-induced quantum critical point (QCP). These observations are interpreted as evidence of a critical destruction of the heavy quasiparticles, i.e., propagating Kondo singlets, at the QCP of this material.
This review discusses the heavy-fermion superconductivity in Ce- and U-based compounds crystallizing in the body-centered tetragonal ThCr2Si2 structure. Special attention will be paid to the theoretical background of these systems which are located close to a magnetic instability.
