Yb-Yb correlations and crystal-field effects in the Kondo insulator YbB12 and its solid solutions

We have studied the effect of Lu substitution on the spin dynamics of the Kondo insulator YbB12 to clarify the origin of the spin-gap response previously observed at low temperature in this material. Inelastic neutron spectra have been measured in Yb1-xLuxB12 compounds for four Lu concentrations x = 0, 0.25, 0.90 and 1.0. The data indicate that the disruption of coherence on the Yb sublattice primarily affects the narrow peak structure occurring near 15-20 meV in pure YbB12, whereas the spin gap and the broad magnetic signal around 38 meV remain almost unaffected. It is inferred that the latter features reflect mainly local, single-site processes, and may be reminiscent of the inelastic magnetic response reported for mixed-valence intermetallic compounds. On the other hand, the lower component at 15 meV is most likely due to dynamic short-range magnetic correlations. The crystal-field splitting in YbB12 estimated from the Er3+ transitions measured in a Yb0.9Er0.1B12 sample, has the same order of magnitude as other relevant energy scales of the system and is thus likely to play a role in the form of the magnetic spectral response.Comment: 16 pages in pdf format, 9 figures. v. 2: coauthor list updated; extra details given in section 3.2 (pp. 6-7); one reference added; fig. 5 axis label change

Collective magnetic excitations in mixed-valence Sm0.83Y0.17S

The magnetic spectral response of black-phase mixed-valence Sm0.83Y0.17S has been measured by inelastic neutron scattering on a single crystal. Two magnetic peaks are observed in the energy range of the Sm2+ spin-orbit transition (25-40 meV). Both of them exhibit significant dispersion along the three main symmetry directions, reminiscent of the spin-orbit exciton branch found in pure divalent SmS. The results can be reproduced by a simple phenomenological model accounting for the existence of sizeable Sm-Sm exchange interactions, and a microscopic mechanism is proposed on the basis of the "local-bound-state" theory developed previously for SmB6.Comment: 6 pages in pdf format, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Dramatic impact of intermediate-valence impurity on induced magnetism in singlet ground state system PrNi

We studied the influence of La (nonmagnetic) and Ce (intermediate valence) impurities on the ferromagnetic ordering temperature Tc of compounds RE1-x(La,Ce)xNi (RE = Pr, Gd). The ordering temperature Tc was measured in a wide range of impurity concentration. Crystal electric field (CEF) splitting for the PrNi and Pr0.25Ce0.75Ni was defined by neutron spectroscopy measurements. The strong difference in the influence of La and Ce on Tc of PrNi and GdNi based systems has been obtained. The introduction of a spin-fluctuating intermediate valence impurity in PrNi leads to a dramatic increase in the area of the ordered state on the phase diagram, due to an increase in Tc, compared to the impact of La-impurity over the entire concentration range. The dependence of Tc on the Ce concentration for the Pr1-xCexNi was calculated within the framework of the model of microscopic states. The essential modification of the CEF splitting by the Ce impurity appears to be the decisive factor affecting Tc wherein the Ce ion carries zero static magnetic moments similar to the La case. The latter explains the identical dependencies of the ordering temperature on the impurity concentration observed in systems with a long-range order of local magnetic moments Gd1-xLaxNi and Gd1-xCexNi

Magnetism in quasibinary systems based on the valence-unstable compound CeNi

Magnetic ordering in solid solutions of $Ce_{x} (Gd,Pr,Nd,La)_{1-x}Ni$ is studied by measuring the DC magnetization and the AC susceptibility in the temperature range of 1.8–300 K. The valence state of ceriumions in $Ce_{x} (Gd,Pr,Nd,La)_{1-x}Ni$ quasibinary systems is studied based on X-ray absorption spectra measured at synchrotron-radiation sources in the temperature range of 5–300 K. It is shown that chemical pressure and lowering the temperature help heighten the degree of delocalization of the 4f electrons of cerium in $Ce_{x}(Gd, Nd, Pr)_{1-x}Ni$ systems. It is found that the substitution of magnetic ions (Gd, Pr, and Nd) with cerium results in significantly weaker magnetic-ordering suppression than the substitution of these ions with lanthanum at equal concentrations. The obtained data reveal the strong influence of cerium electrons on localized magnetism in the studied compounds. This effect is most probably associated with the contribution of partially delocalized 4f electrons of cerium to the exchange interaction