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Molecular Foundry

HIGHLIGHTSObservation of a quantum phase transition without symmetry breaking in CeCoIn5
December 22, 2021

Scientific Achievement

(a) High-field Hall effect up to 75T, indicating the high field limit shows a carrier density change on one electron per unit cell with a small amount of electron doping. (b) DFT calculations of Fermi surface across the phase transition. (c) ARPES data showing the appearance of a new Fermi surface with small electron doping (CeCoIn5 left, CeCo(In1-xSnx)5 right).

Demonstrated that CeCoIn5 can be tuned across a quantum critical point with small amounts of chemical doping, without any symmetry breaking.

Significance and Impact

This finding suggests a fraction of the electrons are frozen in space, but their spins are still capable of moving in the form of a spin liquid, giving a clue to the underlying ground state that is behind superconductivity.

Research Details

  • High magnetic field Hall Measurements confirm carrier density change.
  • Quantum oscillations and ARPES confirm change in Fermi surface directly. Confirmed by DFT.
  • Simulations of the Hall effect in Fractional Fermi liquid theory confirm the system is consistent with FFL state
    N. Maksimovic, D.H. Eilbott, T. Cookmeyer, F. Wan, J. Rusz, V. Nagarajan, S.C. Haley, E. Maniv, A. Gong, S. Faubel, I.M. Hayes, A. Bangura, J. Singleton, J.C. Palmstrom, L. Winter, R. McDonald, S. Jang, P. Ai, Y. Lin, S. Ciocys, J. Gobbo, Y. Werman, P.M. Oppeneer, E. Altman, A. Lanzara, J.G. Analytis, Science 10.1126/science.aaz4566 (2021)

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