Abstract
We present the structural, magnetic, thermal, and transport properties of two noncentrosymmetric compounds PrCuAl 3 and NdCuAl 3 from the magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), specific heat C p(T), neutron diffraction, and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) investigations. Our x-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction data confirm that both PrCuAl 3 and NdCuAl 3 crystallize in BaNiSn 3-type noncentrosymmetric tetragonal crystal structure. While PrCuAl 3 remains paramagnetic down to 1.8 K, a clear evidence for an antiferromagnetic ordering below 2.35 K in NdCuAl 3 is inferred from the χ(T) and C p(T). The absence of magnetic order in PrCuAl 3 can be attributed to crystal electric field (CEF) effect. The C p(T) data suggest the CEF ground state to be a nonmagnetic singlet in PrCuAl 3 and a magnetic doublet in NdCuAl 3, which are further confirmed by the INS study. The INS spectra reveal two sharp CEF excitations near 2 and 9 meV in PrCuAl 3, and four CEF excitations near 1.4, 3.2, 8.9, and 10.9 meV in NdCuAl 3. An analysis of the INS data of both the compounds is presented based on the CEF model, which accounts for the observed position and intensity of all the observed CEF excitations. The ground state wave functions have been evaluated from the analysis of the INS data.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104404 |
| Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
| Volume | 86 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Sept 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics