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arXiv · 2412.19181

Unraveling the magnetic and electronic complexity of intermetallic ErPd$_2$Si$_2$: Anisotropic thermal expansion, phase transitions, and twofold magnetotransport behavior

Kaitong Sun·Si Wu·Guanping Xu·Lingwei Li·Hongyu Chen·Qian Zhao·Muqing Su·Wolfgang Schmidt·Chongde Cao·Hai-Feng Li
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Abstract

We present a comprehensive investigation into the physical properties of intermetallic ErPd$_2$Si$_2$, a compound renowned for its intriguing magnetic and electronic characteristics. We confirm the tetragonal crystal structure of ErPd$_2$Si$_2$ within the $I4/mmm$ space group. Notably, we observed anisotropic thermal expansion, with the lattice constant $a$ expanding and $c$ contracting between 15 K and 300 K. This behavior is attributed to lattice vibrations and electronic contributions. Heat capacity measurements revealed three distinct temperature regimes: $T_1 \sim 3.0$ K, $T_\textrm{N} \sim 4.20$ K, and $T_2 \sim 15.31$ K. These correspond to the disappearance of spin-density waves, the onset of an incommensurate antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure, and the crystal-field splitting and/or the presence of short-range spin fluctuations, respectively. Remarkably, the AFM phase transition anomaly was observed exclusively in low-field magnetization data (120 Oe) at $T_\textrm{N}$. A high magnetic field ($B =$ 3 T) effectively suppressed this anomaly, likely due to spin-flop and spin-flip transitions. Furthermore, the extracted effective PM moments closely matched the expected theoretical value, suggesting a dominant magnetic contribution from localized 4$f$ spins of Er. Additionally, significant differences in resistance ($R$) values at low temperatures under applied $B$ indicated a magnetoresistance (MR) effect with a minimum value of -4.36\%. Notably, the measured MR effect exhibited anisotropic behavior, where changes in the strength or direction of the applied $B$ induced variations in the MR effect. A twofold symmetry of $R$ was discerned at 3 T and 9 T, originating from the orientation of spin moments relative to the applied $B$. Intriguingly, above $T_\textrm{N}$, short-range spin fluctuations also displayed a preferred orientation along the $c$-axis due to single-ion anisotropy.

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Kaitong Sun, Si Wu, Guanping Xu, Lingwei Li, Hongyu Chen, Qian Zhao, Muqing Su, Wolfgang Schmidt, Chongde Cao, Hai-Feng Li. 2024-12-26. Unraveling the magnetic and electronic complexity of intermetallic ErPd$_2$Si$_2$: Anisotropic thermal expansion, phase transitions, and twofold magnetotransport behavior. https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.19181

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