Quantum critical phase in BaVS₃

We study the high-pressure metallic phase of high-purity single crystals of BaVS$_3$ by measuring the temperature, pressure, and magnetic field dependence of the resistivity. Above the critical pressure of $p_{\rm cr}=1.97$GPa an extended non-Fermi liquid $p-T$ regime emerges with resistivity exponent $1.5 \le n<2$, crossing over to a FL only around $p=2.7$GPa. A hysteretic feature indicates that close to the insulator--metal boundary, the system is magnetically ordered. Our findings reveal a close analogy between the extended partially ordered NFL state of non-conventional itinerant magnets and the corresponding state of BaVS$_3