Low Curie-temperature ferromagnetic phase in SmPt2Cd20 possibly accompanied by strong quantum fluctuations

Abstract

Electrical resistivity, magnetization and specific heat have been measured for single crystals of SmPt${}_2$Cd${}_{20}$. It has been found that SmPt${}_2$Cd${}_{20}$ exhibits a ferromagnetic (FM) transition at $T_{\mathrm{C}}=0.64$ K, the lowest among cubic compounds. Specific heat divided by temperature increases with decreasing temperature even below $T_{\mathrm{C}}$ and attains 4.5 J/mol K${}^2$ at 0.26 K, implying substantial magnetic quantum fluctuations. An analysis of the magnetic entropy suggests the crystalline-electric-field splitting of the Sm $J=5/2$ multiplet with a $\hat{I}{“}_7$ doublet ground state and a $\hat{I}{“}_8$ quartet excited state (the excitation energy of $\sim 30$ K). The electrical resistivity shows a power-law behavior with $T^{0.74}$ below 2 K without showing any noticeable anomaly at $T_{\mathrm{C}}$. SmPt${}_2$Cd${}_{20}$ is regarded as a rare cubic system that is located in the vicinity of a FM quantum critical point.