Quadrupolar effects in PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2]

Journal Article · Tue Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 1994 · Journal of Applied Physics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.358327· OSTI ID:7126635

Osborn, R ^[1]; Goremychkin, E A ^[2]

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1. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439-4845 (United States)
2. ISIS Science Division, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX (United Kingdom)

As part of a systematic study of the crystal-field (CF) potential in RCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] compounds (R=Ce, Pr, Nd, Tb, Ho, Er) using inelastic neutron scattering, the CF level scheme and potential in the antiferromagnet PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] both above and below [ital T][sub [ital N]] has been determined. There have been recent speculations that the quadrupole moment of PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] has been quenched by the quadrupolar Kondo effect. Using the CF potential derived from the results, the quadrupole moment [ital Q][sub 2] of PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] has been calculated and it has been compared to the other members of the RCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] series. The temperature dependence of the quadrupole moment of PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] is significantly weaker than all the other compounds, e.g., it is approximately five times smaller than in HoCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2]. Therefore, it is the CF potential which is responsible for quenching [ital Q][sub 2] at low temperature rather than a quadrupolar Kondo effect. Furthermore, the CF Schottky contribution to [ital C]/[ital T] vs [ital T][sup 2] is approximately linear above [ital T][sub [ital N]] and explains the anomalously high linear term in the specific heat. However, the evolution of the CF potential across the rare-earth series provides evidence of an enhanced hybridization contribution to the CF potential of PrCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2], intermediate between the heavy fermion CeCu[sub 2]Si[sub 2] and the other rare-earth compounds.

• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 7126635
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics; (United States), Vol. 76:10; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COPPER COMPOUNDS
QUADRUPOLE MOMENTS
PRASEODYMIUM COMPOUNDS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
ANTIFERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
CRYSTAL FIELD
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
F STATES
INELASTIC SCATTERING
KONDO EFFECT
NEUTRON BEAMS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0013-0065 K
BEAMS
ENERGY LEVELS
MAGNETIC MATERIALS
MATERIALS
NUCLEON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
SCATTERING
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
360606* - Other Materials- Physical Properties- (1992-)