Magnetic fluctuations in heavy-fermion metals

Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering have been used to study the antiferromagnetic ordering and magnetic excitations of the U heavy-fermion superconductors UPd2Al3 and URu2Si2 above and below T-N. While both materials exhibit the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order, the nature of the antiferromagnetic order and magnetic fluctuations is qualitatively quite different.

UPd2Al3 resembles a rare earth magnetic system with coupling of the 4f electrons to the conduction electrons manifested in a broadening of otherwise conventional spin wave excitations. This is in marked contrast to the unconventional antiferromagnetism found in URu2Si2.