No Arabic abstract
Single crystals of CeGe and its non-magnetic analogue LaGe have been grown by Czochralski method. CeGe compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic FeB-type crystal structure with the space group textit{Pnma} (#62). The anisotropic magnetic properties have been investigated on well oriented single crystals by measuring the magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity. It has been found that CeGe orders antiferromagnetically at 10.5 K. Both transport and magnetic studies have revealed large anisotropy reflecting the orthorhombic crystal structure. The magnetization measurement measured at 2 K revealed metamagnetic transitions along the [010] direction at 4.8 and 6.4 T and along [100] direction at a critical field of 10.7 T, while the magnetiztaion along [001] direction was increasing linearly without any anomaly up to a field of 16 T. From the magnetic susceptibility and the magnetization measurements it has been found that [010] direction is the easy axis of magnetization. The electrical resistivity along the three crystallographic directions exhibited an upturn at $T_{rm N}$ indicating the superzone gap formation below $T_{rm N}$ in this compound. We have performed the crystalline electric field (CEF) analysis on the magnetic susceptibility and the heat capacity data and found that the ground state is doublet and the splitting energies from the ground state to the first and second excited doublet states were estimated to be 39 and 111 K, respectively.
The magnetocrystalline anisotropy exhibited in PrPd$_2$Ge$_2$ single crystal has been investigated by measuring the magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity. PrPd$_2$Ge$_2$ crystallizes in the well known ThCr$_2$Si$_2$--type tetragonal structure. The antiferromagnetic ordering is confirmed as 5.1~K with the [001]-axis as the easy axis of magnetization. A superzone gap formation is observed from the electrical resistivity measurement when the current is passed along the [001] direction. The crystal electric field (CEF) analysis on the magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and the heat capacity measurements confirms a doublet ground state with a relatively low over all CEF level splitting. The CEF level spacings and the Zeeman splitting at high fields become comparable and lead to metamagnetic transition at 34~T due to the CEF level crossing.
Single crystal of PrSi was grown by Czochralski method in a tetra-arc furnace. Powder x-ray diffraction of the as grown crystal revealed that PrSi crystallizes in FeB$-$type structure with space group $Pnma$ (no. 62). PrSi undergoes a ferromagnetic transition at 52 K with [010] direction as the easy axis of magnetization. Heat capacity data confirm the bulk nature of the transition at 52 K and exhibit a huge anomaly at the transition. A sharp rise in the low temperature heat capacity has been observed (below 5 K) which is attributed to the $^{141}$Pr nuclear Schottky heat capacity arising from the hyperfine field of the Pr moment. The estimated Pr magnetic moment 2.88 $mu_{rm B}$/Pr from the hyperfine splitting is in agreement with the saturation magnetization value obtained from the magnetization data measured at 2 K. From the crystal electric field (CEF) analysis of the magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and the heat capacity data it is found that the degenerate $J = 4$ Hunds rule derived state of Pr$^{3+}$-ion splits into nine singlets with an overall splitting of 284 K, the first excited singlet state separated by just 9 K from the ground state. The magnetic ordering in PrGe appears to be due to the exchange generated admixture of low lying crystal field levels. Magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has been investigated from magnetization data along all the three principal crystallographic directions. Large magnetic entropy change, $-Delta S_M = $22.2 J/kg K, and the relative cooling power, RCP = $460$ J/kg, characteristic of giant magneto caloric effect are achieved near the transition temperature ($T_{rm C}$ = 52 K) for $H =$~70 kOe along $[010]$. Furthermore, the PrSi single crystal exhibits a giant MCE anisotropy.
The anisotropic magnetic properties of the antiferromagnetic compound CePd$_2$Ge$_2$, crystallizing in the tetragonal crystal structure have been investigated in detail on a single crystal grown by Czochralski method. From the electrical transport, magnetization and heat capacity data, the N{e}el temperature is confirmed to be 5.1 K. Anisotropic behaviour of magnetization and resistivity is observed along the two principal crystallographic directions viz., [100] and [001]. The isothermal magnetization measured in the magnetically ordered state at 2 K exhibits a spin re-orientation at 13.5 T for field applied along [100] direction, whereas the magnetization was linear along the [001] direction attaining a value of 0.94 $mu_{rm B}$/Ce at 14 T. The reduced value of the magnetization is attributed to the crystalline electric field (CEF) effects. A sharp jump in the specific heat at the magnetic ordering temperature is observed. After subtracting the phononic contribution, the jump in the heat capacity amounts to 12.5 J/K mol which is the expected value for a spin ${1}{2}$ system. From the CEF analysis of the magnetization data the excited crystal field split energy levels were estimated to be at 120 K and 230 K respectively, which quantitatively explain the observed Schottky anomaly in the heat capacity. A magnetic phase diagram has been constructed based on the field dependence of magnetic susceptibility and the heat capacity data.
We report the anisotropic magnetic properties of the ternary compound ErAl$_2$Ge$_2$. Single crystals of this compound were grown by high temperature solution growth technique,using Al:Ge eutectic composition as flux. From the powder x-ray diffraction we confirmed that ErAl$_2$Ge$_2$ crystallizes in the trigonal CaAl$_2$Si$_2$-type crystal structure. The anisotropic magnetic properties of a single crystal were investigated by measuring the magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, heat capacity and electrical resistivity. A bulk magnetic ordering occurs around 4 K inferred from the magnetic susceptibility and the heat capacity. The magnetization measured along the $ab$-plane increases more rapidly than along the $c$-axis suggesting the basal $ab$-plane as the easy plane of magnetization. The magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and the $4f$-derived part of the heat capacity in the paramagnetic regime analysed based on the point charge model of the crystalline electric field (CEF) indicate a relatively low CEF energy level splitting.
We report the single crystal growth and anisotropic magnetic properties of the tetragonal RAg$_2$Ge$_2$ (R = Pr, Nd and Sm) compounds which crystallize in the ThCr$_2$Si$_2$ type crystal structure with the space group textit{I4/mmm}. The single crystals of RAg$_2$Ge$_2$ (R = Pr, Nd and Sm) were grown by self-flux method using Ag:Ge binary alloy as flux. From the magnetic studies on single crystalline samples we have found that PrAg$_2$Ge$_2$ and NdAg$_2$Ge$_2$ order antiferromagnetically at 12 K and 2 K respectively, thus corroborating the earlier polycrystalline results. SmAg$_2$Ge$_2$ also orders antiferromagnetically at 9.2 K. The magnetic susceptibility and magnetization show a large anisotropy and the easy axis of magnetization for PrAg$_2$Ge$_2$ and NdAg$_2$Ge$_2$ is along the [100] direction where as it changes to [001] direction for SmAg$_2$Ge$_2$. Two metamagnetic transitions were observed in NdAg$_2$Ge$_2$ at $H_{rm m1}$ = 1.25 T and $H_{rm m2}$ =3.56 T for the field parallel to [100] direction where as the magnetization along [001] direction was linear indicating the hard axis of magnetization.