Search for Pressure Induced Quantum Criticality in YbFe2Zn20

Abstract

Electrical transport measurements of the heavy fermion compound YbFe2Zn20 were carried out under pressures up to 8.23 GPa and down to temperatures of nearly 0.3 K. The pressure dependence of the low temperature Fermi-liquid state was assessed by fitting rho(T) = rho_0 + AT^n with n = 2 for T < T_FL. Power law analysis of the low temperature resistivities indicates n = 2 over a broad temperature range for P < 5 GPa. However, at higher pressures, the quadratic temperature dependence is only seen at the very lowest temperatures, and instead shows a wider range of n < 2 power law behavior in the low temperature resistivities. As pressure was increased, T_FL diminished from ~11 K at ambient pressure to ~0.6 K at 8.23 GPa. Over the same pressure range, the A parameter increased dramatically with a functional form of A proportional to (P-Pc)^-2 with Pc~9.8GPa being the critical pressure for a possible quantum critical point.