Heavy Fermion superconductor CeCu2Si2 under high pressure: multiprobing the valence crossover
Abstract
The first heavy fermion superconductor CeCu2Si2 has not revealed all its striking mysteries yet. At high pressures, superconductivity is supposed to be mediated by valence fluctuations, in contrast to ambient pressure, where spin fluctuations most likely act as pairing glue. We have carried out a multiprobe (electric transport, thermopower, ac specific heat, Hall and Nernst effects) experiment up to 7 GPa on a high quality CeCu2Si2 single crystal. Reliable resistivity data reveal for the first time a scaling behavior close to the supposed valence transition, and allow to locate the critical end point at 4.50.2 GPa and a slightly negative temperature. In the same pressure region, remarkable features have also been detected in the other physical properties, acting as further signatures of the Ce valence crossover and the associated critical fluctuations.