2018/05/21 by J. G. Sereni, J.G. Sereni, I. Curlík +5
Chemistry · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic physics #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Crystallography #Ground state #Iron-based superconductors research #Magnetic moment #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Specific heat #Type (biology) #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.98.094420
published as Phys. Rev. B 98, 094420 (2018) · 8 pages, 8 figures
arxiv created 2018/05/21 · openalex created_date 2018/06/01 · openalex publication_date 2018/09/17 · arxiv updated 2018/09/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The physical properties of the very-heavy-fermion compound YbCu4Ni were characterized through structural, magnetic, thermal, and transport studies along nearly four decades of temperature ranging between 50 mK and 300 K. At high temperature, the crystal electric field level splitting was determined with \mathrm\ensuremathΔ1(\mathrm\ensuremathΓ6)=85\phantom\rule0.16em0exK and \mathrm\ensuremathΔ2(\mathrm\ensuremathΓ8)\ensuremath≈200\phantom\rule0.16em0exK, the latter being a quartet in this cubic symmetry. An effective magnetic moment \ensuremathμeff\ensuremath≈3\ensuremathμB is evaluated for the \mathrm\ensuremathΓ7 ground state, while at high temperature the value for a Yb3+ ion is observed. At low temperature this compound shows the typical behavior of a magnetically frustrated system undergoing a change of regime at a characteristic temperature T*\ensuremath≈200\phantom\rule0.16em0exmK into of Fermi-liquid-type ``plateau'' of the specific heat: Cm/T|_T\ensuremath→0 = const. The change in the temperature dependence of the specific heat coincides with a maximum and a discontinuity in respective inductive and dissipative components of the ac susceptibility. More details about the nature of this ground state are revealed by the specific heat behavior under applied magnetic field.