Lattice distortion associated with Fermi-surface reconstruction in Sr3Rh4Sn13
Abstract
Superconducting Sr3Rh4Sn13 has been of current interest due to indications of a characteristic phase transition associated with structural distortions in its normal state. To further shed light on the nature of the phase transition, we performed a detailed study of single crystalline Sr3Rh4Sn13 by means of the thermal expansion, electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, as well as <mml:mprescripts></mml:mprescripts>119Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements, mainly focusing on the signatures around the phase transition temperature T*=137 K. The phase transition has been characterized by marked features near T* in all measured physical quantities. In particular, the NMR characteristics provide microscopic evidence for the reduction in the electronic Fermi-level density of states (DOSs) below T*. Based on the analysis of the <mml:mprescripts></mml:mprescripts>119Sn NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate, we clearly demonstrated that the Sn 5 s partial Fermi-level DOS in Sr3Rh4Sn13 is reduced by 13% across the phase transition. In this respect, it points to the strong association between electronic and structural instability for the peculiar phase transition in Sr3Rh4Sn13 .
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- April 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.91.165141
- Bibcode:
- 2015PhRvB..91p5141K
- Keywords:
-
- 71.27.+a;
- 71.20.Lp;
- 76.60.-k;
- Strongly correlated electron systems;
- heavy fermions;
- Intermetallic compounds;
- Nuclear magnetic resonance and relaxation