Effect of chemical substitution and pressure on YbRh2Si2
Abstract
We carried out electrical resistivity experiments on (Yb,La)Rh2Si2 and on Yb(Rh,Ir)2Si2 under pressure and in magnetic fields. YbRh2Si2 exhibits a weak antiferromagnetic transition at atmospheric pressure with a N\'eel temperature of only TN = 70 mK. By applying a small magnetic field TN can be continuously suppressed to T=0 at Bc = 60 mT (B|c) driving the system to a quantum critical point (QCP). On applying external pressure the magnetic phase is stabilized and TN(p) is increasing as usually observed in Yb-based heavy-fermion metals. Substituting Yb by La or Rh by Ir allows to create a negative chemical pressure, La (Ir) being smaller than Yb (Rh), and eventually to drive YbRh2Si2 to a pressure controlled QCP. In this paper we compare the effect of external hydrostatic pressure and chemical substitution on the ground-state properties of YbRh2Si2.