Contribution of J-Multiplet Levels to the Physical Properties of EuPd3 with the Trivalent Electronic State

Abstract

EuPd3 is one of the few Eu intermetallic compounds with the trivalent electronic state of the Eu ion. We succeeded in growing single crystals of EuPd3 by the Bridgeman method, and studied the electronic, thermal, and magnetic properties by measuring the electrical resistivity, specific heat, thermal expansion, magnetic susceptibility, and magnetization. The observed temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibility in the temperature range between 2 and 800 K and of specific heat up to 150 K are analyzed by considering the contribution of the J-multiplet levels 7FJ with J = 0–6. Since the ground-state J-multiplet 7F0 is a singlet for the trivalent Eu ion, the magnetic susceptibility is due mainly to the mixing of the excited J-multiplet levels to the ground state by applying a magnetic field. The observed magnetic susceptibility can be explained by considering the mixing of the J-multiplet levels with J = 0–4. In addition, the specific heat data are well analyzed using the same J-multiplet levels wit...