Specific heat of a three-dimensional metal near a zero-temperature magnetic phase transition with dynamic exponent<i>z</i>=2, 3, or 4

Abstract

We derive expressions for the universal contribution to the specific heat of a three-dimensional metal near a zero-temperature phase transition with dynamical exponent z=2, 3, or 4. The results allow a quantitative comparison of theory to data. We illustrate the application of our results by analyzing data for ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Lu}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$, which has been claimed to be near a quantum critical point.