Phase Bifurcation and Quantum Fluctuations in Sr3Ru2O7

GREEN, A. G.; A. GRIGERA, S.; RODOLFO ALBERTO BORZI; P. MACKENZIE, A.; PERRY, R. S.; MAENO, Y.; SIMONS, B.

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Año: 2005 vol. 95 p. 1 - 1

0031-9007

The bilayer ruthenate Sr3 Ru2 O7 has been cited as a textbook example of itinerant metamagnetic quantum criticality. However, recent studies of the ultrapure system have revealed striking anomalies in magnetism and transport in the vicinity of the quantum critical point. Drawing on fresh experimental data, we show that the complex phase behavior reported here can be fully accommodated within the framework of a simple Landau theory. We discuss the potential physical mechanisms that underpin the phenomenology, and assess the capacity of the ruthenate system to realize quantum tricritial behavior.