Multiple Energy Scales at a Quantum Critical Point

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1136020
• Publication Date: 2007-02-15T21:52:05Z
• Authors: P. Gegenwart; T. Westerkamp; C. Krellner; Y. Tokiwa; S. Paschen; C. Geibel; F. Steglich; E. Abrahams; Q. Si
• Keywords: Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons; Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el); ddc:530; FOS: Physical sciences; 7. Clean energy

We report thermodynamic measurements in a magnetic-field-driven quantum critical point of a heavy fermion metal, YbRh 2 Si 2 . The data provide evidence for an energy scale in the equilibrium excitation spectrum that is in addition to the one expected from the slow fluctuations of the order parameter. Both energy scales approach zero as the quantum critical point is reached, thereby providing evidence for a new class of quantum criticality.