High-pressure resistance study of UTe

Abstract

Low-temperature resistance measurements were performed on UTe crystals in the pressure range from 1 GPa to 20 GPa. The Curie temperature obtained as the maximum in the temperature derivative dR/dT, increases strongly with pressure. It has a maximum at 7.5 GPa followed by a decrease with a smaller slope at higher pressures. Another anomaly in the R-T characteristic is observed above 10 GPa and ascribed to the presence of the B2 phase, which is known to form in a very sluggish phase transformation.