The effect of pressure on the unique electronic state of the antiferromagnetic (AF) compound EuCu2Ge2 has been measured in a wide temperature range from 10 mK to 300 K by electrical resistivity measurements up to 10 GPa. The Neel temperature of TN = 15 K at ambient pressure increases monotonically with increasing pressure and becomes a maximum of TN = 27 K at 6.2 GPa but suddenly drops to zero at Pc = 6.5 GPa, suggesting the quantum critical point (QCP) of the valence transition of Eu from a nearly divalent state to that with trivalent weight. The rhomag0 and A values obtained from the low-temperature electrical resistivity based on the Fermi liquid relation of rhomag = rhomag0 + AT^2 exhibit huge and sharp peaks around Pc. The exponent n obtained from the power law dependence rhomag = rhomag0 + BT^n is clearly less than 1.5 at P = Pc = 6. 5 GPa, which is expected at the AF-QCP. These results indicate that Pc coincides with Pv, corresponding to the quantum criticality of the valence transition pressure Pv. The electronic specific heat coefficient, estimated from the generalized Kadowaki-Woods relation, is about 510 mJ/mol K^2 around Pc, suggesting the formation of a heavy-fermion state.
@article{arxiv.2005.03828,
title = {Quantum Criticality of Valence Transition for the Unique Electronic State of Antiferromagnetic Compound EuCu2Ge2},
author = {Jun Gouchi and Kazumasa Miyake and Wataru Iha and Masato Hedo and Takao Nakama and Yoshichika Onuki and Yoshiya Uwatoko},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.03828},
year = {2020}
}