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Exploring Heavy Fermion Physics in van der Waals Materials
Presented By: Victoria Posey
Abstract:
Heavy fermion materials consist of intermetallic compounds where localized magnetic moments entangle with conduction electrons to produce quasiparticles with large effective electron masses. 1 These systems harbor a plethora of exotic phenomena, including unconventional superconductivity, quantum criticality, a Kondo insulator state, and non-Fermi liquid behavior. Due to the strong interactions between the local moments and itinerant electrons, various external parameters, such as chemical doping, magnetic fields, and pressure are used to drive heavy fermion materials towards quantum critical points where new quantum states emerge. One relatively unexplored avenue lies in investigating the effect of dimensionality on heavy fermion behavior. Two-dimensional materials offer an exciting platform for modulating the Coulomb interactions in these intricate systems. Here, we present extensive spectroscopic and thermodynamic evidence on the first example of an exfoliatable van der Waals layered material with intrinsic heavy fermion properties. Our results provide new possibilities to explore quantum criticality and Kondo physics by twisting and straining single layers or creating heterostructures with other materials.
[1] Wirth, S., Steglich, F. Exploring heavy fermions from macroscopic to microscopic length
scales. Nat Rev Mater 1, 16051 (2016).
