Calendar of Events
Events Calendar
Nematicity in f-electron materials
Speaker: Priscila Rosa (Condensed Matter and Magnet Science Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Cerium-based materials are fascinating because their 4f electron may hybridize with the sea of conduction electrons, leading to novel emergent phenomena. CeRhIn5, a prototypical heavy-fermion antiferromagnet, exhibits remarkable behavior when subjected to either high magnetic fields or high applied pressures. A superconducting dome emerges around a putative unconventional quantum critical point at 2.3 GPa, and an XY nematic phase has been recently discovered at B* > 30 T. In this talk, I will focus on magnetostriction experiments that probe this high-field phase. Capacitance dilatometers and optical fibers containing fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are used to measure the length change in millimiter-sized single crystals subjected to magnetic fields to 45 T. Our results support a scenario in which anisotropic hybridization sets the stage for electronic nematicity in CeRhIn5. I also hope to have time to discuss ongoing investigations that point to putative nematic states in other Ce-based materials.
Host: Premi Chandra