Abstract
We have synthesized single crystals of ternary intermetallic with a distorted kagome lattice structure, and investigated the low-temperature resistivity, specific heat, magnetization, and magnetic phase transitions. is the first system that has a -type crystal structure where antiferromagnetic interaction acts on the spin. The crystal electric field (CEF) ground state of this compound is determined as a well isolated twofold degenerate state that is subjected to a strong easy-plane-type magnetic anisotropy. In the present study, the spin system of is regarded as an AFM model of . This compound undergoes successive magnetic phase transitions at 1.5 and 1.6 K, and the resistivity exhibits behavior below 1 K. The ratio of the coefficient of the term in the resistivity , and that of the electronic specific heat coefficient , deviates from the Kadowaki-Woods (KW) law. The successive phase transitions and low-temperature properties of where geometrical frustration and heavy fermion behavior occur are discussed.
7 More- Received 1 October 2014
- Revised 24 May 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.214426
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