Spin wave dispersion in the metallic antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Pt was investigated just above the order-order transition temperature by using the inelastic neutron scattering technique. The spin wave dispersion at $T = 400$ K along [100], [110] and [111]
directions was isotropic within the measurement accuracy. The dispersion was described by $({hbaromega})^2 = c^2q^2 + Delta^2$ with $c = 190$ meV {AA} and $Delta = 3.3$ meV. Compared with the dispersion at $T = 419$ K previously reported, the result demonstrates a large reduction of the stiffness constant $c$ with increasing temperature. This is similar to that observed in the metallic antiferromagnet FePt$_3$, and is an indication of the itinerancy of the magnetic moments.
The first-order transition at $T_{rm 0} = 270$ K for the platinum-based SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ superconductor was investigated using X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements. When polycrystalline SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ was cooled down through $T_{r
m 0}$, the structure was transformed from monoclinic to a modulated orthorhombic structure, and no magnetic order was formed, which illustrates the possibility of a charge density wave (CDW) transition at $T_{rm 0}$. SrPt$_2$Sb$_2$ can thus be a new example to examine the interplay of CDW and superconductivity in addition to SrPt$_2$As$_2$, BaPt$_2$As$_2$ and LaPt$_2$Si$_2$. It is unique that the average structure of the low-temperature phase has higher symmetry than that of the high-temperature phase.
The crystal structure, superconducting properties, and electronic structure of a novel superconducting 122-type antimonide, BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$, have been investigated by measurements of powder X-ray diffraction patterns, electrical resistivity, ac magnet
ic susceptibility, specific heat as well as ab-initio calculations. This material crystallizes in a new-type of monoclinic variant of the CaBe$_2$Ge$_2$-type structure, in which Pt$_2$Sb$_2$ layers consisting of PtSb$_4$ tetrahedra and Sb$_2$Pt$_2$ layers consisting of SbPt$_4$ tetrahedra are stacked alternatively and Ba atoms are located between the layers. Measurements of electrical resistivity, ac magnetic susceptibility and specific heat revealed that BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$ is a superconducting material with a $T_{rm c}$ of 1.8 K. The electronic heat capacity coefficient $gamma_{rm n}$ and Debye temperature $theta_{rm D}$ were 8.6(2) mJ/mol K$^2$ and 146(4) K, where the figures in parentheses represent the standard deviation. The upper critical field $mu_{rm 0}H_{rm c2}(0)$ and the Ginzburg-Landau coherent length $xi(0)$ were determined to be 0.27 T and 35 nm. Calculations showed that it has two three-dimensional Fermi surfaces (FSs) and two two-dimensional FSs, leading to anisotropic transport properties. The d-states of the Pt atoms in the Pt2Sb2 layers mainly contribute to $N(E_{rm F})$. A comparison between experimental and calculated results indicates that BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$ is a superconducting material with moderate coupling.
A ternary type-I Si clathrate, K8AlxSi46-x, which is a candidate functional material composed of abundant non-toxic elements, was synthesized and its transport properties were investigated at temperatures ranging from 10 to 320 K. The synthesized com
pound is confirmed to be the ternary type-I Si clathrate K8Al7Si39 with a lattice parameter of a = 10.442 A using neutron powder diffractometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Electrical resistivity and Hall coefficient measurements revealed that K8Al7Si39 is a metal with electrons as the dominant carriers at a density of approximately 1x10^27 /m3. The value of Seebeck coefficient for K8Al7Si39 is negative and its absolute value increases with the temperature. The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity is similar to that for a crystalline solid. The dimensionless figure of merit is approximately 0.01 at 300 K, which is comparable to that for other ternary Si clathrates.
Superconducting properties of the polycrystalline Zr2Ru3Si4 were investigated by the electrical resistivity, magnetization and specific heat. By these measurements, bulk superconductivity with transition temperature Tc = 5.5 K was confirmed. Moreover
, Zr2Ru3Si4 was found to be a type-II and intermediate-coupling superconductor. Interestingly, the electronic specific heat shows a deviation from a one-gap s-wave model and Hc2(T) shows unusual positive curvature in the vicinity of Tc. The first principles calculation shows the existence of plural anisotropic Fermi surfaces. These results suggest that Zr2Ru3Si4 is not an isotropic single-gap superconductor, but possibly a multi-gap or an anisotropic gap superconductor.
We have performed magnetic susceptibility and neutron scattering measurements on polycrystalline Ag-In-RE (RE: rare-earth) 1/1 approximants. In the magnetic susceptibility measurements, for most of the RE elements, inverse susceptibility shows linear
behaviour in a wide temperature range, confirming well localized isotropic moments for the RE$^{3+}$ ions. Exceptionally for the light RE elements, such as Ce and Pr, non-linear behaviour was observed, possibly due to significant crystalline field splitting or valence fluctuation. For RE = Tb, the susceptibility measurement clearly shows a bifurcation of the field-cooled and zero-field-cooled susceptibility at $T_{rm f} = 3.7$~K, suggesting a spin-glass-like freezing. On the other hand, neutron scattering measurements detect significant development of short-range antiferromagnetic spin correlations in elastic channel, which accompanied by a broad peak at $hbaromega = 4$~meV in inelastic scattering spectrum. These features have striking similarity to those in the Zn-Mg-Tb quasicrystals, suggesting that the short-range spin freezing behaviour is due to local high symmetry clusters commonly seen in both the systems.
