Microscopic study of antiferromagnetic ground state and possible high-field ordered state in CeOsSb using muon spin rotation and relaxation

Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Oishi, Kazuki*; Sato, Kazuhiko*; Aoki, Yuji*; Toda, Shizuka*; Kikuchi, Daisuke*; Sato, Hideyuki*; Baines, C.*

Physical Review B, 82(1), p.014420_1 - 014420_8, 2010/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.014420

An antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state and a possible high-field ordered state in magnetic fields T of a filled-skutterudite compound CeOsSb were investigated by the muon spin rotation and relaxation method. In a zero applied field, a spontaneous local filed due to the weak AFM ordering was observed below 1.6 K. The magnetic volume fraction gradually increases below 1.6 K with decreasing temperature, suggesting that this phase is sensitive to sample quality. The magnitude of the ordered dipole moment in the AFM state was estimated to be in the range from 0.11 to 0.17 /Ce at 0.1 K. In a field of 2 T applied along the [001] direction, clear anomalies in the muon Knight shift and line width were observed at 1.5 K, consistent with the phase transition scenario into the high-field ordered state suggested from specific heat, resistivity, elastic, and NMR anomalies.