Fermi liquid breakdown and evidence for superconductivity in YFe$_2$Ge$_2$

Abstract

In the d-electron system YFe$_2$Ge$_2$, an unusually high and temperature dependent Sommerfeld ratio of the specific heat capacity $C/T \sim 100~\mathrm{mJ/(molK^2)}$ and an anomalous power law temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity $ρ\simeq ρ_0 + AT^{3/2}$ signal Fermi liquid breakdown, probably connected to a close-by quantum critical point. Full resistive transitions, accompanied by DC diamagnetic screening fractions of up to 80\% suggest that pure samples of YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ superconduct below $1.8~\mathrm{K}$.

4 pages, 3 figures, published in Phys. Status Solidi RRL