The mystery of the hidden-order phase in the correlated electron paramagnet URu2Si2 is still unsolved. To address this problem, one strategy is to search for clues in the subtle competition… Click to show full abstract
The mystery of the hidden-order phase in the correlated electron paramagnet URu2Si2 is still unsolved. To address this problem, one strategy is to search for clues in the subtle competition between this state and neighbouring magnetically ordered states. It is now well established that long-range antiferromagnetic order can be stabilized in this metal when it is under pressure and that a spin-density wave manifests when a magnetic field is applied along the easy magnetic axis c. However, the full boundaries of the hidden-order phase in the pressure–magnetic-field plane have not been determined so far. Here we present a systematic investigation of URu2Si2 under combined high pressures and intense magnetic fields. The boundaries of the hidden-order, antiferromagnetic and spin-density-wave phases are mapped out, indicating an intricate three-dimensional phase diagram. We show that the field-induced spin-density-wave and hidden-order phases disappear in favour of antiferromagnetism at high pressure. Interestingly, a large number of phase boundaries are controlled by the field and pressure dependences of a single parameter. This gives new constraints for theories that model the electronic correlations and ordered phases in URu2Si2. The nature of the hidden order in URu2Si2 is still unknown. Here detailed measurements of the phase diagram of this material produce constraints for theories that aim to describe that phase.
               
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