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Originally published in Science Express on 6 August 2009
Science 11 September 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5946, pp. 1360 - 1363
DOI: 10.1126/science.1176627
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Research Articles

Entropy Landscape of Phase Formation Associated with Quantum Criticality in Sr3Ru2O7

A. W. Rost,1 R. S. Perry,2 J.-F. Mercure,1 A. P. Mackenzie,1,* S. A. Grigera1,3,*

Low-temperature phase transitions and the associated quantum critical points are a major field of research, but one in which experimental information about thermodynamics is sparse. Thermodynamic information is vital for the understanding of quantum many-body problems. We show that combining measurements of the magnetocaloric effect and specific heat allows a comprehensive study of the entropy of a system. We present a quantitative measurement of the entropic landscape of Sr3Ru2O7, a quantum critical system in which magnetic field is used as a tuning parameter. This allows us to track the development of the entropy as the quantum critical point is approached and to study the thermodynamic consequences of the formation of a novel electronic liquid crystalline phase in its vicinity.

1 Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS, UK.
2 SUPA, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, UK.
3 Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos, Universidad Nacional de La Plata–Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: apm9{at}st-and.ac.uk (A.P.M.); sag2{at}st-and.ac.uk (S.A.G.)

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Thermodynamics of Quantum Critical Points.
Z. Fisk (2009)
Science 325, 1348-1349
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