Magnetic-susceptibility and heat-capacity measurements on PrRhSb

Abstract

Magnetic-susceptibility (ac and dc) and heat-capacity measurements have been carried out on the compound PrRhSb. These measurements reveal two magnetic transitions in this compound-one at about 18 K and the other around 6 K. In the dc susceptibility the 18-K transition is evident as the temperature below which a magnetic correlation sets in and the susceptibility is found to be field dependent. The lower transition manifests as a peak in the susceptibility of zero-field-cooled samples which were measured in low applied fields. The electronic-specific-heat coefficient, γ, is found to be 33 mJ/molK² between 40 and 70 K after correcting for the lattice contribution taken to be the same as in its La analog. The γ value is fairly large for a Pr compound and may be indicative of moderately heavy quasiparticles. A Kondo-type interaction of the Pr 4f electrons with the conduction electrons may be responsible for high-magnetic-ordering temperatures and the moderately large γ value in this compound.