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Peer-reviewed
May 7, 2013

Antiferroquadrupolar ordering and magnetic-field-induced phase transition in the cage compound PrRh2Zn20

PHYSICAL REVIEW B
  • Ishii, Isao
  • Muneshige, Hitoshi
  • Kamikawa, Shuhei
  • Fujita
  • Takahiro K
  • Onimaru, Takahiro
  • Nagasawa, Naohiro
  • Takabatake, Toshiro
  • Suzuki, Takashi
  • Ano, Genki
  • Akatsu, Mitsuhiro
  • Display all

Volume
87
Number
20
Language
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevB.87.205106
Publisher
AMER PHYSICAL SOC

To investigate the origin of a phase transition at T-Q = 0.06 K simultaneously occurring with a superconducting transition in a cage compound PrRh2Zn20, we carried out ultrasonic measurements on a single-crystalline sample. The transverse modulus (C-11 - C-12)/2 is intimately coupled to the non-Kramers ground doublet Gamma(3), and elastic softening is observed at low temperatures. Below T-Q, the softening stops, suggesting the disappearance of quadrupole degrees of freedom. We clarified the negative quadrupole-quadrupole coupling constant and reentrant behavior of T-Q(H) in a magnetic field H. These results reveal that the phase transition at T-Q is antiferroquadrupolar ordering. The anisotropic magnetic field-temperature phase diagram is determined for H parallel to [100], [110], and [111]. A magnetic-field-induced phase transition is newly found at high fields in all three field directions. We also observed ultrasonic dispersion at around 50 K owing to the rattling motion of Zn atoms at the 16c site, and pointed out the strong electron-phonon coupling in PrRh2Zn20.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.205106
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.205106
  • ISSN : 1098-0121

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