Magnetic Properties ofthe Dense Kondo Compound YbNiSn

Abstract

Specific heat measurements revealed that YbNiSn is a dense Kondo compound with a large electronic specific heat coefficient γ of 300 mJ/mol K 2 . This compound orders magnetically at 5.5 K, below which the ferromagnetic moment appears along the c -axis. The magnetization along the a -axis vs external magnetic field H curve shows three anomalies at H C1 , H C2 and H C3 , whereas the magnetization along the b -axis increases gradually from zero without anomalies. These results suggest that YbNiSn is the weak ferromagnet with the ferromagnetic moment along the c -axis, which is caused by the canting of antiferromagnetic sublattice within the ac -plane. The magnetic field dependences of the electrical resistivity of YbNiSn are strongly correlated with the magnetizations.