Emergence of superconductivity in the canonical heavy-electron metal YbRh 2 Si 2

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa9733
• Publication Date: 2016-01-28T19:36:30Z
• Authors: Erwin Schuberth; Marc Tippmann; Lucia Steinke; Stefan Lausberg; Alexander Steppke; Manuel Brando; Cornelius Krellner; Christoph Geibel; Rong Yu; Qimiao Si; Frank Steglich
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el); FOS: Physical sciences

Going to extremes to find superconductivity

Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) occur at zero temperature when parameters such as magnetic field or pressure are varied. In heavy fermion compounds, superconductivity often accompanies QPTs, a seeming exception being the material YbRh 2 Si 2 , which undergoes a magnetic QPT. Schuberth et al. performed magnetic and calorimetric measurements at extremely low temperatures and magnetic fields and found that it does become superconducting after all. Almost simultaneously with superconductivity, another order appeared that showed signatures of nuclear spin origin.

Science , this issue p. 485