Connection between charge fluctuations and the coherent temperature in the heavy-fermion system SmOs4Sb12: a {121, 123}Sb NQR study

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Oct 12;99(15):156408. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.156408. Epub 2007 Oct 12.

Abstract

We report {121, 123}Sb nuclear quadrupole resonance measurements under pressure in a novel heavy fermion (HF) system SmOs4Sb12. The nuclear spin-spin relaxation rate 1/T{2} exhibits a distinct peak near the coherent temperature of the Kondo effect. The isotope effect of 121Sb and 123Sb indicates that the peak in 1/T{2} is electrical in origin. The connection between the peak in 1/T{2} and the development of coherency of the Kondo effect is robust even under pressure. It is conjectured that charge fluctuation plays an important role in forming the HF state in SmOs4Sb12.