Heavy-fermion behavior in CeInPt4.

Abstract

Results of magnetic-susceptibility, electrical-resistivity, and low-temperature specific-heat measurements on a new ternary cubic compound, ${\mathrm{CeInPt}}_{4}$, are reported. The magnetic susceptibility follows Curie-Weiss behavior between 100 and 300 K with an effective magnetic moment of 2.54${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$ and a rather large paramagnetic Curie temperature of -225 K. Considerable deviation from Curie-Weiss behavior is observed in the susceptibility below 100 K. The specific heat (C) shows an upturn in C/T vs ${T}^{2}$ plot below 2 K. The \ensuremath{\gamma} value increases with decreasing temperatures attaining a value of 1750 mJ ${\mathrm{mole}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$${\mathrm{K}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$ at 0.1 K. As T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0, \ensuremath{\gamma} approaches a value of 2500 mJ ${\mathrm{mole}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ ${\mathrm{K}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$ which is one of the highest in heavy-fermion compounds. The electrical resistivity is almost temperature independent between 300 and 100 K and drops linearly with temperature below 100 K, followed by ${T}^{2}$ dependence at still lower temperatures. The susceptibility results are analyzed using a valence-fluctuation model incorporating the effects due to crystalline electric fields.