Non-Fermi-liquid behavior at anti-ferromagnetic quantum critical point in heavy fermion system Ce(Cu$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$Ge$_2$

TL;DR

This study investigates non-Fermi-liquid behavior near an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in Ce(Cu$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$Ge$_2$, revealing NFL signatures without superconductivity down to 0.4 K.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of NFL behavior at a quantum critical point in a heavy fermion system with detailed measurements.

Findings

Suppression of AFM order at x=0.6

Observation of NFL behavior in heat capacity and susceptibility

No superconductivity observed down to 0.4 K

Abstract

Polycrystalline samples of Ce(Cu$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$Ge$_2$ were investigated by means of electrical resistivity $\rho$($T$), magnetic susceptibility $\chi$($T$), specific heat $C$$_p$($T$) and thermo electric power $S$($T$) measurements. The long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) order, which set in at $T$$_N$ = 4.1 K in CeCu$_2$Ge$_2$, is suppressed by non-iso-electronic cobalt (Co) doping at a critical value of the concentration $x$$_c$ = 0.6, accompanied by non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behavior inferred from the power law dependence of heat capacity and susceptibility i.e. $C$($T$)/$T$ and $\chi$($T$) $\propto$ $T$$^{-1+\lambda}$ down to 0.4 K, along with a clear deviation from $T$$^2$ behavior of the electrical resistivity. However, we have not seen any superconducting phase in the quantum critical regime down to 0.4 K.