Pr- and La-doping effects on the magnetic anisotropy in the antiferromagnetic phase of Kondo semiconductorCeRu2Al10

Abstract

We have studied the Pr- and La-doping effects on the magnetic anisotropy in the antiferro-magnetic (AFM) phase of ${\mathrm{CeRu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Al}}_{10}$. The crystalline electric field (CEF) splitting in ${\mathrm{PrRu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Al}}_{10}$ was found to be as large as $\ensuremath{\sim}800$ K with a singlet ground state. In ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Pr}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{Al}}_{10}$, the CEF level scheme of the Pr ion is not changed with $x$. The AFM moment (${m}_{\mathrm{AF}}$) is rotated from $c$ to $b$ axis in both systems at ${x}_{c}^{\mathrm{sr}}\ensuremath{\sim}0.03$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}0.07$ for Ln=Pr and La, respectively. As the ionic radius of La and Pr is larger and smaller than that of Ce, respectively, these results indicate that the chemical pressure effect is not associated with the rotation of ${m}_{\mathrm{AF}}$, but is caused by the suppression of the $c\ensuremath{-}f$ hybridization originating from the decrease of $4f$ electrons of Ce ions by Ce-site substitution. Since a small amount of Pr or La doping changes easily the magnetization easy axis of all the moments on Ce sites, the origin of the magnetic anisotropy is not the local single ion effect but the bandlike effect through the anisotropic $c\ensuremath{-}f$ hybridization. The magnetic phase diagrams of ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ln}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{Al}}_{10}$ indicate that above ${x}_{c}^{\mathrm{sr}}$, the AFM order with ${m}_{\mathrm{AF}}\ensuremath{\parallel}b$ continues to exist up to ${x}_{c}$, which is $\ensuremath{\sim}0.4$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}0.6$ in Ln=Pr and Ln=La, respectively. This indicates that even in the sample with an AFM transition temperature (${T}_{0}$) near ${x}_{c}$, the anisotropic $c\ensuremath{-}f$ hybridization dominates the AFM order. A large positive transverse magnetoresistance is seen below ${T}_{0}$, but a very small one above ${T}_{0}$. Together with the results of Hall resistivity and the observation of Shubnikov--de Haas oscillation, we propose that there exist large Fermi surfaces above ${T}_{0}$ and small ones below ${T}_{0}$. A gap is opened by the AFM order on almost the area of the large Fermi surface, and small Fermi surfaces are constructed below ${T}_{0}$, although we do not know the mechanism, which might be specific to the AFM order in Kondo semiconductors. The largest suppression of the magnetic scattering below ${T}_{0}$ is observed for the current $I\ensuremath{\parallel}a$ and the smallest one for $I\ensuremath{\parallel}b$. This anisotropy may be associated with the anisotropic $c\ensuremath{-}f$ hybridization, which may contribute to the anisotropic magnetic scattering of the conduction electron below ${T}_{0}$.