Magnetic-field and doping dependence of low-energy spin fluctuations in the antiferroquadrupolar compound Ce(1-x)La(x)B(6)

CeB(6) is a model compound exhibiting antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) order, its magnetic properties being typically interpreted within localized models. More recently, the observation of strong and sharp magnetic exciton modes forming in its antiferromagnetic (AFM) state at both ferromagnetic and AFQ wave vectors suggested a significant contribution of itinerant electrons to the spin dynamics. Here we investigate the evolution of the AFQ excitation upon the application of an external magnetic field and the substitution of Ce with non-magnetic La, both parameters known to suppress the AFM phase. We find that the exciton energy decreases proportionally to T_N upon doping. In field, its intensity is suppressed, while its energy remains constant. Its disappearance above the critical field of the AFM phase is preceded by the formation of two modes, whose energies grow linearly with magnetic field upon entering the AFQ phase. These findings suggest a crossover from itinerant to localized spin dynamics between the two phases, the coupling to heavy-fermion quasiparticles being crucial for a comprehensive description of the magnon spectrum.Comment: Extended version with a longer introduction and an additional figure. 6 pages and 5 figure

Magnetic field dependence of the neutron spin resonance in CeB6

In zero magnetic field, the famous neutron spin resonance in the f-electron superconductor CeCoIn5 is similar to the recently discovered exciton peak in the non-superconducting CeB6. Magnetic field splits the resonance in CeCoIn5 into two components, indicating that it is a doublet. Here we employ inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to scrutinize the field dependence of spin fluctuations in CeB6. The exciton shows a markedly different behavior without any field splitting. Instead, we observe a second field-induced magnon whose energy increases with field. At the ferromagnetic zone center, however, we find only a single mode with a non-monotonic field dependence. At low fields, it is initially suppressed to zero together with the antiferromagnetic order parameter, but then reappears at higher fields inside the hidden-order phase, following the energy of an electron spin resonance (ESR). This is a unique example of a ferromagnetic resonance in a heavy-fermion metal seen by both ESR and INS consistently over a broad range of magnetic fields.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures including one animation, accepted to Phys. Rev.

Reversible and irreversible magnetocaloric effect: The cases of rare-earth intermetallics YbPt₂Sn and Ce_0.5La_0.5B₆

Magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has drawn much attention because its magnetic cooling property enables refrigeration without producing noxious gas or using rapidly depleting resources. However, applications for everyday life are yet distant. In addition, we need to understand more about the practical aspect of the MCE. Here, we introduce a phenomenological model to explain the quasi-adiabatic MCE. Correction factors to the equilibrium thermodynamic feature implied by the entropy landscape are devised in analytic forms. To demonstrate the validity of the model, the MCE from two different materials is investigated. The recently discovered metallic paramagnet, YbPt2Sn, shows a linear and reversible MCE which is typical of a paramagnetic system and suitable for cryogenics without 3He. On the other hand, a complex-phase material, Ce0.5La0.5B6, exhibits a pronounced irreversible MCE especially across a magnetic phase boundary. A term that describes the field induced heating near a phase transition turns out to be essential in resolving the irreversible, non-equilibrium MCE. © 201