U2Ni2Sn and the origin of magnetic anisotropy in uranium compounds
- Charles Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Dept. of Condensed Matter Physics
- Academy of Sciences, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Physics
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany). Hochfeld-Magnetlabor Dresden (HLD-EMFL)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany). Hochfeld-Magnetlabor Dresden (HLD-EMFL); American Univ. of the Middle East (Kuwait). College of Engineering and Technology
- New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Dept. of Physics
- New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Dept. of Physics; King Univ., Bristol, TN (United States). College of Arts and Sciences
- Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States). High Pressure Science and Engineering Center (HiPSEC) and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
- King Univ., Bristol, TN (United States). College of Arts and Sciences
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Neutron Scattering Division
- Charles Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Dept. of Condensed Matter Physics; Lviv Poytechnic National Univ., Lviv (Ukraine). Dept. of Physics
Here, U2Ni2Sn is a member of a large family of intermetallic compounds with the tetragonal Mo2FeB2 crystal structure. It orders antiferromagnetically at 25 K with propagation vector $$q = (0, 0, \frac{1}{2})$$. Magnetization, magnetoacoustic, and neutron-diffraction experiments on a single crystal provide evidence that the uranium moments align parallel to the $$c$$ axis with the anisotropy energy of ≈170 K, indicating that U2Ni2Sn can be classified as an Ising system. The results are at variance with previous studies on polycrystals, which indicated different magnetic structure, and which were incompatible with the $5f - 5f$ two-ion anisotropy model dominant in most U band systems. High-field magnetization studies exhibit a weak linear response for fields along the basal plane up to the highest field applied (60 T), while the $$c$$-axis magnetization curve exhibits three metamagnetic transitions at approximately 30, 39, and 50 T. The U magnetic moments of $$0.87 μ_B$$, the low magnetic entropy, and the enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient $$γ$$ = 187 mJ/mol f.u.K2 suggest that U2Ni2Sn can be classified as an itinerant antiferromagnet with strong electron-electron correlations.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1569369
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review B, Vol. 99, Issue 6; ISSN 2469-9950
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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