Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Hyperfine Interactions in Sn3RE Intermetallic Compounds

Abstract

Measurements of the ¹¹⁹Sn isotropic and anisotropic Knight shifts, K_iso and K_ax, have been made in a series of Sn₃RE intermetallic compounds (RE=La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Yb). In particular, PrSn₃ and NdSn₃ have large positive, temperature‐dependent shifts which are proportional to the magnetic susceptibility χ_M. It is proposed that the mechanism relating K_ax to χ_M in these cases is a coupling of the ¹¹⁹Sn spin to the RE localized moment via the conduction electrons in a manner analogous to the pseudo‐dipolar interaction between nuclear spins in heavy metals. Similarly, K_iso may be regarded as arising from an isotropic indirect coupling between f‐electron spins and nuclear spins. Reasonable values of the interaction strengths are obtained.