Scaling behavior of the thermopower of the archetypal heavy-fermion metal YbRh₂Si₂

Abstract

We reveal and explain the scaling behavior of the thermopower S/T exhibited by the archetypal heavy-fermion (HF) metal YbRh₂Si₂ under the application of magnetic field B at temperature T. We show that the same scaling is demonstrated by different HF compounds such as β-YbAlB₄ and the strongly correlated layered cobalt oxide [BiBa_0.66K_0.36O₂]CoO₂. Using YbRh₂Si₂ as an example, we demonstrate that the scaling behavior of S/T is violated at the antiferromagnetic phase transition, while both the residual resistivity ρ₀ and the density of states, N, experience jumps at the phase transition, causing the thermopower to make two jumps and change its sign. Our elucidation is based on flattening of the single-particle spectrum that profoundly affects ρ₀ and N. To depict the main features of the S/T behavior, we construct a T –B schematic phase diagram of YbRh₂Si₂. Our calculated S/T for the HF compounds are in good agreement with experimental facts and support our observations.

Keywords

thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects / quantum phase transition / flat bands / non-Fermi-liquid states / strongly correlated electron systems / heavy fermions

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