Remarkably robust and correlated coherence and antiferromagnetism in (Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$)Cu$_2$Ge$_2$

TL;DR

This study investigates (Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$)Cu$_2$Ge$_2$ single crystals, revealing persistent antiferromagnetism and coherence at high La substitution levels, with a small percolation threshold and a linear relationship between coherence temperature squared and magnetic ordering temperature.

Contribution

It demonstrates the robustness of magnetic coherence and antiferromagnetism in (Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$)Cu$_2$Ge$_2$ up to high La doping levels, highlighting a small percolation limit and a novel relationship between coherence and magnetic ordering temperatures.

Findings

Antiferromagnetic order persists up to 80% La substitution.

Coherent scattering observed below 0.9 of La, indicating a small percolation limit (~9%).

A linear relation between $(T_{coh})^2$ and $T_N$ at zero magnetic field.

Abstract

We present magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, specific heat, and thermoelectric power measurements on (Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$)Cu$_2$Ge$_2$ single crystals (0 $\leq x\leq$ 1). With La substitution, the antiferromagnetic temperature $T_N$ is suppressed in an almost linear fashion and moves below 0.36 K, the base temperature of our measurements for $x>$ 0.8. Surprisingly, in addition to robust antiferromagnetism, the system also shows low temperature coherent scattering below $T_{coh}$ up to $\sim$ 0.9 of La, indicating a small percolation limit $\sim$ 9$\%$ of Ce that separates a coherent regime from a single-ion Kondo impurity regime. $T_{coh}$ as a function of magnetic field was found to have different behavior for $x$< 0.9 and $x$> 0.9. Remarkably, $(T_{coh})^2$ at $H$ = 0 was found to be linearly proportional to $T_N$. The jump in the magnetic specific heat $\delta C_{m}$ at $T_N$ as a function of $T_K/T_N$ for (Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$)Cu$_2$Ge$_2$ follows the theoretical prediction based on the molecular field calculation for the $S$ = 1/2 resonant level model.