Easy-plane ferromagnetic ordering and crystal-field ground state in the Kondo lattice CeCuSi

Abstract

We report the successful growth of CeCuSi single crystals using a metallic flux method and the physical properties using structural, magnetic, electrical transport, optical, and heat capacity measurements. CeCuSi crystallizes in a hexagonal-bar shape, and single crystal x-ray diffraction confirms the ZrBeSi-type structure (space group $P{6}_3/mmc$). CeCuSi orders ferromagnetically below $T_{\text{C}}=15.5$ K with easy magnetization direction within the basal plane. The Ce${}^{3+}$ ions are situated within a triangular lattice with a point group of $D_{3d}$. We perform a detailed crystalline electric field (CEF) analysis of the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, the Schottky anomaly in heat capacity, and the Raman-active excitations. The results indicate a ground state doublet with magnetic moment primarily in the basal plane, and a ferromagnetic interaction along both directions. The exponential behavior in resistivity and in heat capacity below $T_{\text{C}}$ can also be well explained by the ferromagnetic magnon model. We found that CeCuSi does not exhibit the CEF hard axis ordering observed in many ferromagnetic Kondo lattice (FM-KL) compounds. Our CEF analysis suggests that the exchange interactions along both axes are ferromagnetic, potentially explaining the absence of hard-axis ordering.

arXiv comment11 pages, 6 figures, Accepted by Physics Review B

References in corpus (16)

• Review on magnetic and related properties of RTX compounds
• Unified explanation of the Kadowaki-Woods ratio in strongly correlated materials
• Experimental signatures of a three-dimensional quantum spin liquid in effective spin-1/2 Ce2Zr2O7 pyrochlore
• Quantum spin ices and topological phases from dipolar-octupolar doublets on the pyrochlore lattice
• Quantum Spin Ice Dynamics in the Dipole-Octupole Pyrochlore Magnet Ce${}_2$Zr${}_2$O${}_7$
• Candidate Quantum Spin Liquid in the Ce\textsuperscript{3+} Pyrochlore Stannate Ce${}_2$Sn${}_2$O${}_7$
• Single crystal growth from light, volatile, and reactive materials using lithium and calcium flux
• Crystalline electric field of Ce in trigonal symmetry: CeIr3Ge7 as a model case
• Kondo-lattice ferromagnets and their peculiar order along the magnetically hard axis
• Crystal-field states and defect levels in candidate quantum spin ice Ce${}_2$Hf${}_2$O${}_7$
• Specific Heat Anomalies in Solids Described by a Multilevel Model
• Long-range magnetic order in the anisotropic triangular lattice system CeCd3As3
• Field dependence of the magnetic spectrum in anisotropic and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya antiferromagnets: II. Raman spectroscopy
• CeIr${}_3$Ge${}_7$: a local moment antiferromagnetic metal with extremely low ordering temperature
• Ising-type Magnetic Anisotropy in CePd${}_2$As${}_2$
• The influence of crystalline electric field on the magnetic properties of CeCd3X3 (X = P and As)

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Importance of anisotropic interactions for hard-axis/plane ordering of Ce-based ferromagnets