Atypical thermodynamic behavior of Ce compounds in the vicinity of zero temperature Critical Points

Abstract

A systematic analysis of thermodynamic properties performed on Ce-base exemplary compounds allows to identify different types of behaviors as the system approaches the quantum critical region. They are recognized in the respective magnetic phase boundaries (T_{N,C}(x)) as a change from the classical negative curvature to a linear composition ($x$) dependence, the occurrence of a critical point or the evanescence at finite temperature under pressure at finite temperature. In the first case, an anomalous reduction of the entropy S_m respect to the S_m = RLn2 value (expected for the usual Ce-magnetic doublet ground state) is observed around x_{cr}, and analyzed taking profit of detailed studies performed on CeIn_{3-x}Sn_x alloys. As expected from Maxwell relations, the volume variation V_0(x) at T=>0 also shows a non-monotonous behavior around x_{cr}. Different regimes in the entropy variation of the ordered phase (S_{MO}) are recognized. Only in the former case S_{MO}=> 0 continuously as T_{N,C}=>0, whereas in the second S_{MO}(x,B) remains constant till a first order transition occurs. In the third case, the degrees of freedom of the MO phase are progressively transferred to the heavy fermion component as indicated by the decreasing C_m(T_N) jump which vanishes at finite temperature.