Emergence of reentrant metal-nonmetal transition inPr0.85Ce0.15Ru4P12andPr(Ru0.95Rh0.05)4P12

Abstract

The metal-nonmetal transition in Ce- and Rh-substituted ${\text{PrRu}}_{4}$${\text{P}}_{12}$ was investigated through magnetic susceptibility, x-ray superlattice reflection, and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements. The saturation in the magnetic susceptibility at low temperatures suggests a singlet ground state for Pr sites in both compounds. This finding is in contrast to the staggered order of singlet and triplet ground states found in the ordered phase of ${\text{PrRu}}_{4}$${\text{P}}_{12}$, which leads to a diverging susceptibility. The intensities of x-ray superlattice reflections of both compounds develop below 45 K and decrease rapidly below 10 K with a simultaneous decrease in electrical resistivity. INS experiments reveal that 4$f$ electron states in both compounds change drastically from two distinct crystal field (CF) level schemes corresponding to an order parameter in the multipole ordered phase (10 $\text{K}<T<45$ K) to a nearly uniform CF level scheme below 10 K. The uniform CF ground state at the Pr sites carries no degree of freedom relevant to the staggered ordering pattern and electronic gap formation. Therefore, the substituted systems exhibit a reentrant metallic state at the lowest temperature. These phenomena may originate from effective electron doping due to atomic substitution.