Dimensional Crossover in Heavy Fermions

Abstract

Recently we have shown that a one-parameter scaling, the Coherence Temperature, describes the physical behavior of several heavy fermions in a region of their phase diagram. In this paper we fully characterize this region, obtaining the uniform susceptibility, the resistivity and the specific heat. This allows for an explicit evaluation of the Wilson and the Kadowaki-Woods ratios in this regime. These quantities turn out to be independent of the distance to the critical point. The theory of the one-parameter scaling corresponds to a zero dimensional approach. Although spatial correlations are irrelevant in this case, time fluctuations are critically correlated and the quantum hyperscaling relation is satisfied for $d=0$. The crossover from $d=0$ to $d=3$ is smooth. It occurs at a lenght scale which is inversely related to the stiffness of the lifetime of the spin fluctuations.