Universal Cause of High-Tc Superconductivity and Anomalous Behavior of Heavy Fermion Metals

TL;DR

This paper proposes that quantum phase transitions, specifically FCQPT, are fundamental to understanding the universal properties and anomalous behaviors of high-$T_c$ superconductors and heavy-fermion metals, supported by experimental evidence.

Contribution

It introduces a unified theoretical framework based on FCQPT to explain the properties of high-$T_c$ superconductors and heavy-fermion metals, highlighting the importance of studying their critical points.

Findings

Experimental evidence supports the existence of FCQPT in these materials.

Universal behavior can be explained by the emergence of novel quasiparticles near FCQPT.

Simultaneous studies of superconductivity and heavy-fermion behavior are crucial.

Abstract

Unusual properties of strongly correlated liquid observed in the high-$T_c$ superconductors and heavy-fermion (HF) metals are determined by quantum phase transitions taking place at their critical points. Therefore, direct experimental studies of these transitions and critical points are of crucial importance for understanding the physics of high-$T_c$ superconductors and HF metals. In case of high-$T_c$ superconductors such direct experimental studies are absent since at low temperatures corresponding critical points are occupied by the superconductivity. Recent experimental data on the behavior of HF metals illuminate both the nature of these critical points and the nature of the phase transitions. We show that it is of crucial importance to simultaneously carry out studies of both the high-$T_c$ superconductivity and the anomalous behavior of HF metals. Our general consideration suggests that FCQPT and the emergence of novel quasiparticles near and behind FCQPT are distinctive features of strongly correlated substances such as the high-$T_c$ superconductors and HF metals. We show that the main properties and universal behavior of the high-$T_c$ superconductors and HF metals can be understood within the framework of presented here theory based on FCQPT. A large number of the experimental evidences in favor of the existence of FCQPT in high-$T_c$ superconductors and HF metals is presented.