Heavy fermion behavior in the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo2Ga8

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of heavy fermion behavior and non-Fermi liquid properties in the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$, highlighting the influence of reduced dimensionality on quantum critical phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ as a rare quasi-one-dimensional heavy fermion system exhibiting non-Fermi liquid behavior and proximity to a quantum critical point.

Findings

Onset of coherence at ~20 K

Non-Fermi liquid behavior with linear resistivity from 2 K to 0.1 K

Logarithmic increase in specific heat indicating heavy fermion state

Abstract

Dimensionality plays an essential role in determining the anomalous non-Fermi liquid properties in heavy fermion systems. So far most heavy fermion compounds are quasi-two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Here we report the synthesis and systematic investigations of the single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$. Resistivity measurements at ambient pressure reveal the onset of coherence at $T^*\approx 20\,$K and non-Fermi liquid behavior with linear temperature dependence over a decade in temperature from 2 K to 0.1 K. The specific heat increases logarithmically with lowering temperature between 10 K and 2 K and reaches 800 mJ/mol K$^2$ at 1 K, suggesting that CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ is a heavy fermion compound in the close vicinity of a quantum critical point. Resistivity measurements under pressure further confirm the non-Fermi liquid behavior in a large temperature-pressure range. The magnetic susceptibility is found to follow the typical behavior for a one-dimensional (1D) spin chain from 300 K down to $T^*$, and first-principles calculations predict flat Fermi surfaces for the itinerant $f$-electron bands. These suggest that CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ is a rare example of the quasi-1D Kondo lattice, but its non-Fermi liquid behaviors resemble those of the quasi-two-dimensional YbRh$_2$Si$_2$ family. The study of the quasi-one-dimensional CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ family may therefore help us to understand the role of dimensionality on heavy fermion physics and quantum criticality.