Complex magnetic behavior in Ce₅Rh₄Sn₁₀ doped with La

Abstract

Ce₅Rh₄Sn₁₀ is known as a heavy-fermion antiferromagnet with magnetic-ordering temperature T _N2 = 4.3 K. We report a new antiferromagnetic phase transition at T _N1 = 1.4 K. In the series of Ce_1−x La _x Rh₄Sn₁₀ compounds both magnetic phase transitions at T _N1 and T _N2 shift towards lower temperatures. For Ce₃La₂Rh₄Sn₁₀ and Ce_3.5La_1.5Rh₄Sn₁₀ we found only one transition. In the temperature region T _N1<T<T _N2, the magnetization M measured as a function of magnetic field H exhibits a large jump at very low fields of ∼0.03 T with a very small hysteresis loop. This abnormal behavior could be due to spin-flip transitions. Thermodynamical properties of the series of Ce_1−x La _x Rh₄Sn₁₀ compounds are discussed in terms of the antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice.

Keywords:

• rare-earth compounds
• strongly correlated electron systems
• Kondo effect

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Polish Ministry of Science and Education for support from Project No. N N202 032137.