A mechanism for the non-Fermi-liquid behavior in CeCu_{6-x}Au_x

TL;DR

This paper explains the non-Fermi-liquid behavior in CeCu_{6-x}Au_x alloys near x=0.1 by modeling conduction electrons coupled to two-dimensional critical ferromagnetic fluctuations at the quantum critical point.

Contribution

It introduces a model coupling 3D conduction electrons to 2D ferromagnetic fluctuations to explain observed non-Fermi-liquid phenomena.

Findings

Specific heat c ∝ T ln(T_0/T) near x=0.1

Resistivity increases linearly with T over a wide range

Model aligns with neutron scattering data and phase diagram

Abstract

We propose an explanation for the recently observed non-Fermi-liquid behavior of metallic alloys CeCu_{6-x}Au_x: near x=0.1, the specific heat c is proportional to T \ln (T_0/T) and the resistivity increases linearly with temperature T over a wide range of T. These features follow from a model in which three-dimensional conduction electrons are coupled to two-dimensional critical ferromagnetic fluctuations near the quantum critical point, x_{c}=0.1. This picture is motivated by the neutron scattering data in the ordered phase (x=0.2) and is consistent with the observed phase diagram.