Superconductivity, spin and charge order, and quantum criticality in correlated electron materials

M. B. Maple¹, J. J. Hamlin¹, D. A. Zocco¹, M. Janoschek^1*, R. E. Baumbach^1*, B. D. White¹, I. R. Fisher² and J.-H. Chu²

¹ Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 USA
² Department of Applied Physics, Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

^* Present address: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA

Published online: 07 March 2012

Abstract

We describe recent experiments performed in our laboratory that address spin or charge ordered phases in novel rare earth and actinide based materials and phenomena that emerge when these ordered phases are suppressed toward 0 K by varying an external control parameter such as chemical composition, pressure, or magnetic field. Specific examples discussed include magnetic order, heavy fermion behavior, and unconventional quantum criticality in noncentrosymmetric M₂T₁₂P₇ compounds (M = rare earth, actinide; T = Co, Fe) and the interplay of superconductivity and charge density waves in rare earth tritelluride compounds RTe₃ (R = Gd, Tb, Dy).