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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The pressure dependence of the hidden order phase of the heavy fermion superconductor URu2Si2 has been a subject of intense research since shortly after the discovery of the compound decades ago. Applied pressure increases the critical temperature of the paramagnetic / hidden order transition and brings about a transition to long-range antiferromagnetism. The reported pressures and temperatures of these phase boundaries vary between studies: 4 – 7 kbar at low temperature and 12 – 15 kbar at high temperature. We review experimental evidence that the measured values of pressure and temperature are very sensitive to the chosen pressure transmitting medium. Recent x-ray diffraction measurements suggest that the relative position of the silicon atom in the unit cell is changing as a function of pressure. Recent neutron diffraction measurements show that the zero-temperature limit of the hidden order / antiferromagnetic transition occurs at pressures greater than 7.5 kbar.