4 research outputs found
Giant crystal-electric-field effect and complex magnetic behavior in single-crystalline CeRh3Si2
Single-crystalline CeRh3Si2 was investigated by means of x-ray diffraction,
magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific
heat measurements carried out in wide temperature and magnetic field ranges.
Moreover, the electronic structure of the compound was studied at room
temperature by cerium core-level x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The
physical properties were analyzed in terms of crystalline electric field and
compared with results of ab-initio band structure calculations performed within
the density functional theory approach. The compound was found to crystallize
in the orthorhombic unit cell of the ErRh3Si2 type (space group Imma -- No.74,
Pearson symbol: oI24) with the lattice parameters: a = 7.1330(14) A, b =
9.7340(19) A, and c = 5.6040(11) A. Analysis of the magnetic and XPS data
revealed the presence of well localized magnetic moments of trivalent cerium
ions. All physical properties were found to be highly anisotropic over the
whole temperature range studied, and influenced by exceptionally strong
crystalline electric field with the overall splitting of the 4f1 ground
multiplet exceeding 5700 K. Antiferromagnetic order of the cerium magnetic
moments at TN = 4.70(1)K and their subsequent spin rearrangement at Tt =
4.48(1) K manifest themselves as distinct anomalies in the temperature
characteristics of all investigated physical properties and exhibit complex
evolution in an external magnetic field. A tentative magnetic B-T phase
diagram, constructed for B parallel to the b-axis being the easy magnetization
direction, shows very complex magnetic behavior of CeRh3Si2, similar to that
recently reported for an isostructural compound CeIr3Si2. The electronic band
structure calculations corroborated the antiferromagnetic ordering of the
cerium magnetic moments and well reproduced the experimental XPS valence band
spectrum.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures, to appear in Physical Review