Inverse magnetic melting effect in vdW-like Kondo lattice CeSn$_{0.75}$Sb$_2$

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of an inverse magnetic melting effect in a vdW-like Kondo lattice CeSn$_{0.75}$Sb$_2$, revealing how magnetic phases evolve under external fields and contributing to understanding heavy-fermion systems.

Contribution

It presents the growth and physical characterization of a new vdW-like Kondo lattice exhibiting inverse magnetic melting, a rare phenomenon in heavy-fermion materials.

Findings

Antiferromagnetic order and cluster glass ground state are highly field-sensitive.

Low in-plane magnetic fields induce a transition from AFM to paramagnetic phase.

Inverse magnetic melting restores broken symmetries in the material.

Abstract

Given the intimate connection between magnetic orders and the interplay among multiple degrees of freedom in heavy-fermion systems, controlling and understanding the associated inverse melting effect is crucial for unveiling novel condensed-matter states and their potential applications. Here, we report the growth of single crystalline quasi-two-dimensional van-der-Waals-like Kondo lattice CeSn$_{0.75}$Sb$_2$, and its physical properties by a combination of transport / magnetic / thermodynamic measurements. We find that it hosts a fragile antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and a cluster glass (CG) ground state, both of which are highly sensitive to external fields. Upon cooling under low in-plane magnetic fields, the AFM phase evolves into a polarized paramagnetic phase, either directly or indirectly through the intermediate CG phase. This process constitutes an inverse magnetic melting effect that restores the broken translational / rotational symmetries. Our work provides a rare paradigm of inverse magnetic melting effect in vdW-like heavy-fermion materials, and enriches the physics in conventional Kondo-lattice models.