Strongly Correlated Electron Phenomena in Rare Earth and Actinide Intermetallics

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****Technical Abstract****This award supports experimental research on strongly correlated electron phenomena in novel rare earth and actinide (f-electron) intermetallic compounds. These phenomena, which include, for example, heavy fermion behavior, quantum criticality, non-Fermi liquid behavior, Kondo insulator behavior, unconventional superconductivity, and exotic forms of magnetic order and quadrupolar order, constitute a formidable challenge to current paradigms of condensed matter physics. The ground states of strongly correlated f-electron materials can be "tuned" by varying an external control parameter such as chemical composition x, pressure P, and magnetic field H, resulting in rich and complex temperature T vs. x, P, and H phase diagrams. The objectives of this research program are to characterize the extraordinary electronic phases found in these materials, determine the conditions under which they are formed, identify underlying microscopic mechanisms, and test relevant theories. This project will provide support for the education of a postdoctoral scholar and a graduate student who will gain expertise in a broad range of technical skills available in the laboratory, including the operation of state-of-the-art equipment for physical properties measurements at low temperatures. The study of strongly correlated electron phenomena serves to train the next generation of condensed matter and materials physicists who will contribute to the government, industrial, and/or academic domains in their careers. ****Non-Technical Abstract****This award supports experimental research on strongly correlated electron phenomena in novel rare earth and actinide (f-electron) intermetallic compounds. Strongly correlated electron phenomena include, for example, high temperature superconductivity, magnetism, and other exotic quantum phases that present a formidable challenge to the current understanding of solid matter. By improving the basic understanding of correlated electron phenomena, the results obtained from this experimental research program have the potential to impact important problems relevant to applications. For example, there is a myriad of applications of high temperature superconductivity, including low-loss electrical power lines, electrical generators and motors, sensitive magnetic field sensors, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetically levitated trains. This project will provide support for the education of a postdoctoral scholar and a graduate student who will gain expertise in a broad range of technical skills available in the laboratory. The study of strongly correlated electron phenomena serves to train the next generation of condensed matter and materials physicists who will contribute to the government, industrial, and/or academic domains in their careers.