Pressure and magnetic field tuned quantum critical point in the Kondo antiferromagnet CePtZn.

ABSTRACT

We report magnetization, heat capacity and electrical resistivity measurements on CePtZn, which crystallizes in the orthorhombic TiNiSi type structure. Magnetization and electrical resistivity on the iso-structural series of compounds Ce(1-x)La(x)PtZn (x = 0.1, 0.2 0.5 and 1) were also carried out. The electrical resistivity of CePtZn was also measured in external magnetic fields up to 12 T and under pressures up to 2.66 GPa. We find that CePtZn is a dense Kondo lattice, ordering antiferromagnetically at T(N) = 1.7 K, with a comparable Kondo temperature. The magnetic transition temperature, T(N), is continuously suppressed both by the magnetic field and pressure and [Formula see text] around 5-6 T and at 1.2 GPa, respectively. Non-Fermi liquid behavior of resistivity at 4 T and 1.2 GPa and logarithmic divergence of the heat capacity, C(4f)/T, at 6 T in a limited temperature region strongly suggest the emergence of a quantum critical point as [Formula see text].