Magnetic phases of Kondo lattice materials Ce$_5$RhGe$_2$ and Ce$_5$IrGe$_2$

RESUMO

Single crystals of Ce$_5$RhGe$_2$ and Ce$_5$IrGe$_2$ have been systematically investigated by electrical resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements. Together with Ce$_5$CoGe$_2$, all three compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic \emph{Pnma} structure, with the lattice parameters increasing monotonically from Co to Rh to Ir, consistent with the effect of negative chemical pressure. Magnetization measurements along the three principal crystallographic axes identify the \emph{a} axis as the easy magnetization direction throughout the series. Ce$_5$RhGe$_2$ exhibits ferromagnetic ordering with a Curie temperature of approximately 11.5 K and shows magnetic behavior closely resembling that of Ce$_5$CoGe$_2$. In contrast, Ce$_5$IrGe$_2$ undergoes two successive magnetic transitions at $T_{\rm M1}=12.7$ K and $T_{\rm M2}=11.8$ K, and there are multiple metamagnetic transitions under magnetic fields, giving rise to magnetization plateaus at fractions of the saturation magnetization $M_{\rm s}$ of approximately $M_{\rm s}/5$ and $M_{\rm s}/3$. The low-field metamagnetic transition along the easy axis shifts to lower field with decreasing temperature, and eventually a pronounced hysteresis loop is observed about zero-field, establishing that Ce$_5$IrGe$_2$ exhibits a ferrimagnetic ground state at the lowest measured temperatures.