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Half-metallic ferromagnetic ground state in CePdSb

Andrzej Ślebarski 

University of Silesia, Institute of Physics, Uniwersytecka 4, Katowice 40-007, Poland

Abstract

The CeMX compounds, where M is a transition metal, and X is an sp element, have a number of different types of ground state including magnetic, metallic, and insulating, and they exhibit anomalous physical properties, such as the Kondo effect, heavy-fermion behavior, valence fluctuations, etc. Recently, a Kondo-lattice state has been proposed for ferromagnetic CePdSb, which seems to be unusual. Many Kondo systems have an antiferromagnetic ground state due to the antiferromagnetic nature of the coupling of Ce 4f and the conduction electrons, however, the coexistence of ferromagnetism and Kondo behavior is an unexpected feature. In addition, our band structure calculations for CePdSb show a state very close to a half-metallic ferromagnets (HMF), having an energy gap for the partial density of states for one of the spin projections. On the base of Kondo-like HMF ground state properties of CePdSb we discuss its magnetic properties and electrical resistivity data. We also investigate the solid solutions Ce1-xLaxPdSb to determine the influence of alloying on the nature of the ground state accross the series, when trivalent magnetic Ce in CePdSb is replaced by La. We also report an unusual temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility, resistivity and specific heat for Ce0.1La0.9PdSb compound, which exhibits the non-Fermi liquid-like behavior at the low temperatures.

 

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Presentation: invited oral at E-MRS Fall Meeting 2005, Symposium B, by Andrzej Ślebarski
See On-line Journal of E-MRS Fall Meeting 2005

Submitted: 2005-04-29 15:42
Revised:   2009-06-07 00:44