Development of magnetic order in the TbNi(Al,In) series and magnetocrystalline anisotropy in TbTX compounds

9 páginas, 9 figuras, 4 tablas.-- PACS number(s): 71.20.Lp, 75.25.−j, 75.30.GwWe report on the magnetic structures in the TbNiAl1−xInx compounds as determined by powder neutron diffraction. These compounds belong to a large family of ternary rare-earth intermetallics crystallizing in the ZrNiAl-type hexagonal structure. All studied compounds order magnetically with magnetic structures characterized by k1=(0,0,0) and k2=(1/2,0,1/2) propagation vectors and magnetic moments aligned along or perpendicular to the hexagonal c axis. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy changes from uniaxial in the In-poor compounds (x≤0.4) to planar in the In-rich compounds (x≥0.5). The change of magnetocrystalline anisotropy type is a consequence of the development of structural parameters in the studied series. The Tb moments are oriented along the c axis when the nearest Tb-Tb distances between the planes are large compared to those within the planes, whereas Tb moments lie within the basal planes in the opposite case. This picture relating the structural parameters and anisotropy type can be generalized to the whole group of Tb-based compounds with the ZrNiAl type of structure.This work is a part of Research Project No. LG11024 financed by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic. The work was also supported by the Czech Science Foundation under Grant No. 202/09/1027. The work of M.K. was supported by Grant No. SVV-2011-263303.Peer reviewe

Macroscopic and microscopic study of a CePdIn compound

The magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements on a CePdIn single crystal as well as its preparation and structural characterization are presented. The negative paramagnetic Curie temperatures indicate antiferromagnetic ground state, the anisotropy of the paramagnetic Curie temperature amounts 22.7 K. No ferromagnetic correlations were indicated. Powder neutron diffraction experiment performed at temperatures down to 0.4 K did not lead to observation of any magnetic peak in diffraction patterns. We estimate the magnetic moment on Ce atoms to be significantly lower than 0.5-B. The temperature development of lattice parameters documents the standard thermal expansion of the unit cell; no signs of structural phase transition were observed

Transition from Mixed-Valence to Trivalent Cerium State in Ce(Ni,Cu)Al Series

In this work we present the study of the part of Ce(Ni,Cu)Al series from the pure CeNiAl to 30% of copper concentration, which illustrates the transition from mixed-valence state of CeNiAl to the trivalent state in CeCuAl. The work is based on X-ray diffraction, magnetization and specific heat measurement. The results indicate smooth transition between the mixed-valence and trivalent cerium state. The specific-heat data reveal increase of the Sommerfeld γ coefficient with copper concentration

Multi-k magnetic structures in USb_{0.9}Te_{0.1} and UAs_{0.8}Se_{0.2} observed via resonant x-ray scattering at the U M4 edge

Experiments with resonant photons at the U M4 edge have been performed on a sample of USb_{0.9}Te_{0.1}, which has an incommensurate magnetic structure with k = 0.596(2) reciprocal lattice units. The reflections of the form , as observed previously in a commensurate k = 1/2 system [N. Bernhoeft et al., Phys. Rev. B 69 174415 (2004)] are observed, removing any doubt that these occur because of multiple scattering or high-order contamination of the incident photon beam. They are clearly connected with the presence of a 3k configuration. Measurements of the reflections from the sample UAs_{0.8}Se_{0.2} in a magnetic field show that the transition at T* ~ 50 K is between a low-temperature 2k and high-temperature 3k state and that this transition is sensitive to an applied magnetic field. These experiments stress the need for quantitative theory to explain the intensities of these reflections.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Neutron scattering study of TbPtIn intermetallic compound

Neutron diffraction techniques have been used to study the magnetic properties of a TbPtIn single-crystal as a function of temperature and magnetic field. In the absence of an externally applied magnetic field, the compound orders, below approximately 47 K, in an antiferromagnetic structure with propagation vector k=(12,0,12); the magnetic moments were found to be parallel to the [12̄0] direction. Measurements at 4.2 K, with a magnetic field applied along the [12̄0] direction, revealed metamagnetic transitions at approximately 20 kG and 40 kG

Magnetic structures and excitations in CePd2(Al, Ga)2 series: Development of the "vibron" states

CePd2Al2-xGax compounds crystallizing in the tetragonal CaBe2Ge2-type structure (space group P4/nmm) and undergoing a structural phase transition to an orthorhombic structure (Cmme) at low temperatures were studied by means of neutron scattering. The amplitude-modulated magnetic structure of CePd2Al2 is described by an incommensurate propagation vector k - =(dx, 12+dy, 0) with dx=0.06 and dy=0.04. The magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically within the ab planes stacked along the c axis and are arranged along the direction close to the orthorhombic a axis with a maximum value of 1.5(1) µB/Ce3+. CePd2Ga2 reveals a magnetic structure composed of two components: the first is described by the propagation vector k1 - =(12, 12, 0), and the second one propagates with k2 - =(0, 12, 0). The magnetic moments of both components are aligned along the same direction - the orthorhombic 100] direction - and their total amplitude varies depending on the mutual phase of magnetic moment components on each Ce site. The propagation vectors k1 - and k2 - describe also the magnetic structure of substituted CePd2Al2-xGax compounds, except the one with x=0.1.CePd2Al1.9Ga0.1 with magnetic structure described by k - and k1 - stays on the border between pure CePd2Al2 and the rest of the series. Determined magnetic structures are compared with other Ce 112 compounds. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments disclosed three nondispersive magnetic excitations in the paramagnetic state of CePd2Al2, while only two crystal field (CF) excitations are expected from the splitting of ground state J=52 of the Ce3+ ion in a tetragonal/orthorhombic point symmetry. Three magnetic excitations at 1.4, 7.8, and 15.9 meV are observed in the tetragonal phase of CePd2Al2. A structural phase transition to an orthorhombic structure shifts the first excitation up to 3.7 meV, while the other two excitations remain at almost the same energy. The presence of an additional magnetic peak is discussed and described within the Thalmeier-Fulde CF-phonon coupling (i.e., magnetoelastic coupling) model generalized to the tetragonal point symmetry. The second parent compound CePd2Ga2 does not display any sign of additional magnetic excitation. The expected two CF excitations were observed. The development of magnetic excitations in the CePd2Al2-xGax series is discussed and crystal field parameters determined

Strong Longitudinal Magnetic Fluctuations near Critical End Point in UCoAl: A ^59Co-NMR Study

We report ^59Co-NMR measurements in UCoAl where a metamagnetism occurs due to enhancement of ferromagnetism by magnetic field. The metamagnetic transition from a paramagnetic (PM) state to a ferromagnetic state is a first order transition at low temperatures, but it changes to a crossover at high temperatures on crossing the critical end pint (CEP) at T_CEP ~ 12 K. The contrasting behavior between the relaxation rates 1/T_1 and 1/T_2 suggests that the longitudinal magnetic fluctuation of U moment is strongly enhanced especially near the CEP. A wide diffusion of the fluctuation from the CEP can be confirmed even in the PM state where the magnetic transition does not occur.Comment: 5pages, 6 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Multi-k⃗\vec{k} Configurations

Using resonant x-ray scattering to perform diffraction experiments at the U M$_{4}$ edge novel reflections of the generic form have been observed in UAs$_{0.8}$Se$_{0.2}$ where $\vec{k} = $, with $k = {1/2}$ reciprocal lattice units, is the wave vector of the primary (magnetic) order parameter. The reflections, with $10^{-4}$ of the magnetic intensities, cannot be explained on the basis of the primary order parameter within standard scattering theory. A full experimental characterisation of these reflections is presented including their energy, azimuthal and temperature dependencies. On this basis we establish that the reflections most likely arise from the electric dipole operator involving transitions between the core 3d and partially filled $5f$ states. The temperature dependence couples the peak to the triple-$\vec{k}$ region of the phase diagram: Below $\sim 50$ K, where previous studies have suggested a transition to a double-$\vec{k}$ state, the intensity of the $$ is dramatically reduced. Whilst we are unable to give a definite explanation of how these novel reflections appear, this paper concludes with a discussion of possible ideas for these reflections in terms of the coherent superposition of the 3 primary (magnetic) order parameters