Crystal field effects in the intermetallicRNi3Ga9(R=Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er) compounds

Abstract

In this paper, we report temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and heat-capacity experiments in the family of intermetallic compounds RNi 3 Ga 9 (R = Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er). Single-crystalline samples were grown using Ga self-flux method. These materials crystallize in a trigonal ErNi 3 Al 9 -type structure with space group R32. They all order antiferromagnetically with T N < 20 K. The anisotropic magnetic susceptibility presents large values of the ratio χ easy /χ hard indicating strong crystalline electric-field (CEF) effects. The evolution of the crystal-field scheme for each R was analyzed in detail by using a spin model including anisotropic nearest-neighbor Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction and the trigonal CEF Hamiltonian. Our analysis allows one to understand the distinct direction of the ordered moments along the series-the Tb-, Dy-, and Ho-based compounds have the ordered magnetic moments in the easy ab plane and the Er sample magnetization easy axis is along theĉ direction.

Highly anisotropic magnetism in the vanadium-based kagome metal TbV6Sn6

“…3(b)). This demonstrates a strong easy-axis anisotropy in TbV 6 Sn 6 , similar to a number of other Tb-based compounds [24,[33][34][35]. The temperature-dependent magnetization reveals a magnetic transition at T C = 4.3(2) K, shown most clearly in the c-axis aligned data in 3(b).…”

“…The strong easy-axis anisotropy observed in TbV 6 Sn 6 is typical for Tb ions in a strong crystalline electric-field (CEF) [34,39,40]. The near vanishing g x y component of the g-tensor at low temperature and the relaxation of the magnetic anisotropy upon warming suggests that significant thermal population of the first J = 6 intramultiplet excitation occurs near 60 K (∼5.5 meV).…”