Observation of modulated quadrupolar structures in PrPb3.
Neutron diffraction measurements have been performed on the cubic compound PrPb(3) in a [001] magnetic field to examine the quadrupolar ordering. Antiferromagnetic components with q = (1/2 +/- delta 1/2 0), (1/2 1/2 +/- delta 0) (delta approximately 1/8) are observed below the transition temperature T(Q) (0.4 K at H = 0) whose amplitudes vary linear with H and vanish at zero field, providing the first evidence for a modulated quadrupolar phase. For H < 1 T, a nonsquare modulated state persists even below 100 mK suggesting quadrupole moments associated with a Tau(3) doublet ground state to be partially quenched by hybridization with conduction electrons.
Onimaru
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Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan. onimaru@issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Sakakibara
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T
Aso
N
N
Yoshizawa
H
H
Suzuki
H S
HS
Takeuchi
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T