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Updated: Mar 10, 2026
08:55
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
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Emerging quantum critical phase in a cluster spin-glass
Fang Zhang1,2, Tao Feng1, Yurong Ruan1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
National Science Review
|March 9, 2026
Summary
Researchers discovered new quantum critical behaviors in heavy-fermion metals driven by magnetic frustration and disorder. This finding opens avenues for exploring exotic quantum states beyond traditional theories.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum materials science
Background:
- Strong electron correlations drive quantum phase transitions (QPTs), leading to exotic states beyond the Landau paradigm.
- Magnetic frustration, typically in insulators, is now key to understanding new phases in correlation-driven Kondo breakdown QPTs without clear symmetry breaking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate novel quantum criticalities emerging from cluster spin-glasses in heavy-fermion metals.
- To explore the nature of new phases in correlation-driven Kondo breakdown QPTs.
Main Methods:
- Specific heat and magnetic Grüneisen parameter measurements under varying magnetic fields.
- Resistivity and Hall effect measurements across a quantum critical point (QCP).
Main Results:
- Observed quantum critical scaling in TiFe$_{x}$Cu$_{2x-1}$Sb, indicating a QCP near 0.13 Tesla.
- Suppression of the cluster spin-glass phase with increasing magnetic field.
- Enhanced screening of local moments and Fermi surface expansion upon crossing the QCP, consistent with Kondo breakdown.
Conclusions:
- Uncovered a new family of iron-based heavy-fermion metals exhibiting complex interplay of multiple degrees of freedom.
- Demonstrated a novel route to quantum criticality via disorder-driven magnetic frustration in heavy-fermion systems.
- Opened possibilities for exploring unconventional excitations and exotic quantum critical behaviors.
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