Recently, it has been discovered that heavy-electron quasicrystal Yb15Al34Au51 shows unconventional quantum criticality [1]. This criticality is common to those observed in heavy-electron crystals YbRh2Si2 and β-YbAlB4, which is well explained by quantum criticality of Yb-valence fluctuations [2]. Interestingly, in Yb15Al34Au51 quantum criticality emerges without applying pressure and magnetic field, and the criticality is quite robust against applying pressure [1].
To clarify the mechanism of the zero-tuning quantum criticality as well as the robust criticality, we analyze theoretically electronic states of quasicrystal Yb15Al34Au51 and its crystalline approximant [3]. By constructing a minimal model for both systems, which contain concentric shell structures with Yb and Al-Au clusters, we show that quantum critical points of the first-order valence transition of Yb appear as spots in the ground-state phase diagram with their critical regimes being overlapped to be unified, giving rise to a wide quantum critical regime. This well explains the robust unconventional criticality observed in Yb15Al34Au51 under pressure. The formation of the wide critical-regime reveals that zero-tuning quantum criticality is not caused accidentally. Our results also predict that the common unconventional criticality will also appear in the crystalline approximant when pressure is tuned [3,4]. The key origin of these striking phenomena is ascribed to the atomic origin of the valence transition and consequent locality of the critical valence-fluctuation mode. Regardless of periodicity or quasi-periodicity of lattice arrangement, new universality class is considered to be formed by critical Yb-valence fluctuations.
[1] K. Deguchi et al., Nature Mat. 11 (2012) 1013.
[2] S. Watanabe and K. Miyake, Phys. Rev. Lett., 105, (2010) 186403.
[3] S. Watanabe and K. Miyake, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., 82, (2013) 083704.
[4] S. Watanabe and K. Miyake: J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 592 (2015) 012087.
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Last updated: May 16 2016