We have measured the elastic constant (C11-C12)/2 in URu2Si2 by means of high-frequency ultrasonic measurements in pulsed magnetic fields H || [001] up to 61.8 T in a wide temperature range from 1.5 to 116 K. We found a reduction of (C11-C12)/2 that
appears only in the temperature and magnetic field region in which URu2Si2 exhibits a heavy-electron state and hidden-order. This change in (C11-C12)/2 appears to be a response of the 5f-electrons to an orthorhombic and volume conservative strain field epsilon_xx-epsilon_yy with {Gamma}3-symmetry. This lattice instability is likely related to a symmetry-breaking band instability that arises due to the hybridization of the localized f electrons with the conduction electrons, and is probably linked to the hidden-order parameter of this compound.
We consider a 1+3 dimensional spin system. The spin-wave (magnon) field is described by the O(3) non-linear sigma model with a symmetry-breaking potential. This interacts with a slow spin SU(2) doublet Schrodinger fermion. The interaction is describe
d by a generalized nonperturbative Yukawa coupling, and the self-consistency condition is solved with the aid of a non-relativistic Gribov equation. When the Yukawa coupling is sufficiently strong, the solution exhibits supercriticality and soft confinement, in a way that is quite analogous to Gribovs light-quark confinement theory. The solution corresponds to a new type of spin polaron, whose condensation may lead to exotic superconductivity.
We discuss the consequences of spin current conservation in systems with SU(2) spin symmetry that is spontaneously broken by partial magnetic order, using a momentum-space approach. The long-distance interaction is mediated by Goldstone magnons, whos
e interaction is expressed in terms of the electron Greens functions. There is also a Higgs mode, whose excitation energy can be calculated. The case of fast magnons obeying linear dispersion relation in three spatial dimensions admits nonperturbative treatment using the Gribov equation, and the solution exhibits singular behaviour which has an interpretation as a tower of spin-1 electronic excitations. This occurs near the Mott insulator state. The electrons are more free in the case of slow magnons, where the perturbative corrections are less singular at the thresholds. We then turn our attention to the problem of high-Tc superconductivity, through the discussion of the stability of the antiferromagnetic ground state in two spatial dimensions. We argue that this is caused by an effective mixing of the Goldstone and Higgs modes, which in turn is caused by an effective Goldstone-boson condensation. The instability of the antiferromagnetic system is analyzed by studying the non-perturbative behaviour of the Higgs boson self-energy using the Dyson-Schwinger equations.
Superconductivity, magnetic order, and quadrupolar order have been investigated in the filled skutterudite system Pr$_{1-x}$Nd$_{x}$Os$_4$Sb$_{12}$ as a function of composition $x$ in magnetic fields up to 9 tesla and at temperatures between 50 mK an
d 10 K. Electrical resistivity measurements indicate that the high field ordered phase (HFOP), which has been identified with antiferroquadruoplar order, persists to $x$ $sim$ 0.5. The superconducting critical temperature $T_c$ of PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ is depressed linearly with Nd concentration to $x$ $sim$ 0.55, whereas the Curie temperature $T_{FM}$ of NdOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ is depressed linearly with Pr composition to ($1-x$) $sim$ 0.45. In the superconducting region, the upper critical field $H_{c2}(x,0)$ is depressed quadratically with $x$ in the range 0 $<$ $x$ $lesssim$ 0.3, exhibits a kink at $x$ $approx$ 0.3, and then decreases linearly with $x$ in the range 0.3 $lesssim$ $x$ $lesssim$ 0.6. The behavior of $H_{c2}(x,0)$ appears to be due to pair breaking caused by the applied magnetic field and the exhange field associated with the polarization of the Nd magnetic moments, in the superconducting state. From magnetic susceptibility measurements, the correlations between the Nd moments in the superconducting state appear to change from ferromagnetic in the range 0.3 $lesssim$ $x$ $lesssim$ 0.6 to antiferromagnetic in the range 0 $<$ $x$ $lesssim$ 0.3. Specific heat measurements on a sample with $x$ $=$ 0.45 indicate that magnetic order occurs in the superconducting state, as is also inferred from the depression of $H_{c2}(x,0)$ with $x$.
We discuss the stability of the antiferromagnetic ground state in two spatial dimensions. We start with a general analysis, based on Gribovs current-conservation techniques, of the bosonic modes in systems with magnetic order. We argue that the Golds
tone $phi$ and Higgs $h$ modes mix in antiferromagnetic systems, and this leads to an effective $hhphi$ three-point interaction. We then analyze the instability of the antiferromagnetic system in two spatial dimensions by studying the non-perturbative behaviour of the Higgs boson self-energy using the Dyson--Schwinger equations. The ground state turns out to be unstable for all values of the three-point coupling. We interpret this as being due to the formation of a (high-$T_C$) superconducting condensate. The carrier doping dependence of the energy gap has a general behaviour that is consistent with high-$T_C$ superconductivity. Superconductivity co-exists with antiferromagnetic order for large magnetization, or small doping.
