Coexistence of strong 3d antiferromagnetism and mixed-valent Kondo regime transition in Ce(MnxCr1−x)2Si2

Abstract

Structural, thermal, magnetic, transport, and Ce $L_3$-edge spectroscopic measurements on the Ce(${\mathrm{Mn}}_{\mathrm{x}}$ ${\mathrm{Cr}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathrm{x}}$ ${)}_2$ ${\mathrm{Si}}_2$ series are presented. These results all indicate that Cr substitution drives this system from a mixed-valent Ce state at x=1.0 to a Kondo or heavy-fermion state with increasing x. The reflection of the Ce valence-state variation (from $L_3$ measurements) in the electronic specific heat coefficient and lattice parameters is discussed. The magnetic and transport measurements indicate that the Ce spin-flip scattering processes (i.e., the Kondo effect) apparently thrive within the Mn-moment antiferromagnetically ordered phase of these compounds.