Hall effect in the vicinity of quantum critical point in Tm1-xYbxB12

TL;DR

This study investigates the Hall effect near the quantum critical point in Tm1-xYbxB12, revealing new harmonic contributions, complex temperature behaviors, and charge transport phenomena related to Yb concentration and magnetic field effects.

Contribution

It provides the first observation of second harmonic contributions in Hall resistance at the QCP and analyzes charge transport mechanisms in Tm1-xYbxB12 compounds.

Findings

Second harmonic contribution appears in Hall resistance at QCP.

Negative maximum in Hall coefficient with increasing Yb concentration.

Activation behavior and sign inversion of RH(T) at intermediate and low temperatures.

Abstract

The angular, temperature and magnetic field dependences of Hall resistance roH for the rare-earth dodecaboride solid solutions Tm1-xYbxB12 have been studied in a wide vicinity of the quantum critical point (QCP) xC~0.3. The measurements performed in the temperature range 1.9-300 K on high quality single crystals allowed to find out for the first time in these fcc compounds both an appearance of the second harmonic contribution in ro2H at QCP and its enhancement under the Tm to ytterbium substitution and/or with increase of external magnetic field. When the Yb concentration x increases a negative maximum of a significant amplitude was shown to appear on the temperature dependences of Hall coefficient RH(T) for the Tm1-xYbxB12 compounds. Moreover, a complicated activation type behavior of the Hall coefficient is observed at intermediate temperatures for x>0.5 with activation energies Eg~200K and Ea~55-75K in combination with the sign inversion of RH(T) at low temperatures in the coherent regime. The density of states renormalization effects are analyzed within the variation of Yb concentration and the features of the charge transport in various regimes (charge gap formation, intra-gap manybody resonance and coherent regime) are discussed in detail in Tm1-xYbxB12 solid solutions.