Effect of pressure on competing electronic correlations in the heavy-electron system URu/sub 2/Si/sub 2/

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.35.43· OSTI ID:6870847

McElfresh, M W; Thompson, J D; Willis, J O; Maple, M B; Kohara, T; Torikachvili, M S

The heavy-electron compound URu/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ exhibits two electronic phase transitions: superconductivity at T/sub c/apeq21.5 K and a second transition at T/sub 0/apeq217.5 K. The specific-heat anomaly associated with the transition at T/sub 0/ has a mean-field BCS-like form which suggests the formation of a charge- or spin-density wave that partially gaps the Fermi surface. Through electrical-resistivity measurements, we have studied the influence of pressure P up to --15.4 kbar on these transitions. For pressures less than 12 kbar, T/sub 0/ increases linearly at a rate --130 mK/kbar, while T/sub c/ decreases linearly at a rate --95 mK/kbar. The nearly equal but opposite P dependences of T/sub 0/ and T/sub c/ suggest a competition for electronic density of states at the Fermi level. The resistivity, when normalized to its maximum value rho(T/sub max/), scales as a function of reduced temperature T/T/sub max/(P) from T/sub c/ to well above T/sub max/, except in the immediate vicinity of T/sub 0/.

• Research Organization: Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of California, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
• OSTI ID: 6870847
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 35:1; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603* -- Materials-- Properties
656100 -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Superconductivity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CORRELATIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON CORRELATION
ELECTRONIC SPECIFIC HEAT
ENERGY LEVELS
FERMI LEVEL
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM SILICIDES
SILICIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPECIFIC HEAT
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM SILICIDES
VERY HIGH PRESSURE
VERY LOW TEMPERATURE