Superconducting and normal phases of FeSe single crystals at high pressure.

We report on the synthesis of superconducting single crystals of FeSe and their characterization by x-ray diffraction, magnetization and resistivity. We have performed ac susceptibility measurements under high pressure in a hydrostatic liquid argon medium up to 14 GPa and we find that T(C) increases up to 33-36 K in all samples, but with slightly different pressure dependences on different samples. Above 12 GPa no traces of superconductivity are found in any sample. We have also performed a room temperature high pressure x-ray diffraction study up to 12 GPa on a powder sample, and we find that, between 8.5 and 12 GPa, the tetragonal PbO structure undergoes a structural transition to a hexagonal structure. This transition results in a volume decrease of about 16% and is accompanied by the appearance of an intermediate, probably orthorhombic, phase.

Valence and magnetic ordering in intermediate valence compounds: TmSe versus SmB(6).

The intermediate valence systems TmSe and SmB(6) have been investigated up to 16 and 18 GPa by ac microcalorimetry with a pressure (p) tuning realized in situ at low temperature. For TmSe, the transition from an antiferromagnetic insulator for p<3 GPa to an antiferromagnetic metal at higher pressure has been confirmed. A drastic change in the p variation of the Néel temperature (T(N)) is observed at 3 GPa. In the metallic phase (p>3 GPa), T(N) is found to increase linearly with p. A similar linear p increase of T(N) is observed for the quasitrivalent compound TmS, which is at ambient pressure equivalent to TmSe at p∼7 GPa. In the case of SmB(6) long range magnetism has been detected above p∼8 GPa, i.e. at a pressure slightly higher than the pressure of the insulator to metal transition. However a homogeneous magnetic phase occurs only above 10 GPa. The magnetic and electronic properties are related to the renormalization of the 4f wavefunction either to the divalent or the trivalent configurations. As observed in SmS, long range magnetism in SmB(6) occurs already far below the pressure where a trivalent Sm(3+) state will be reached. It seems possible to describe roughly the physical properties of the intermediate valence equilibrium by assuming formulae for the Kondo lattice temperature depending on the valence configuration. Comparison is also made with the appearance of long range magnetism in cerium and ytterbium heavy fermion compounds.

High-pressure ground state of SmB6: electronic conduction and long range magnetic order.

High-pressure 149Sm nuclear forward scattering of synchrotron radiation and specific heat measurements have been performed on the intermediate valent Kondo insulator SmB6. The results show that at a critical pressure p(c) approximately = 6 GPa, where the charge gap closes, a first order transition occurs to a magnetically ordered state, which shows typical features of trivalent samarium compounds. The similarity with SmS stresses the role of local correlations and gives important insight into the debate on the local or itinerant character of the f electrons in heavy fermion systems.