Evidence for Ferromagnetic Fluctuations in Filled Skutterudite LaFe₄Sb₁₂:Sb-NQR and La-NMR

Abstract

We report the results of 121,123 Sb-nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and 139 La-NMR measurements on a filled skutterudite antimonide LaFe 4 Sb 12 in order to investigate the magnetic properties at low temperatures from a microscopic point of view. The nuclear spin–lattice relaxation time T 1 of Sb nuclei deviates from the relation T 1 T = constant above 4.2 K, where 1/ T 1 T has a Curie–Weiss temperature dependence 1/ T 1 T = C /( T +θ) with θ∼30 K. The temperature dependence of the Knight shift of 139 La nuclei, which is related to the susceptibility at q = 0, is scaled to that of 1/ T 1 T above 40 K. This relation strongly suggests that ferromagnetic fluctuations are predominant in LaFe 4 Sb 12 . We also point out that LaFe 4 Sb 12 is situated close to the ferromagnetic instability due to the small Weiss temperature in the Curie–Weiss behavior of 1/ T 1 T and the Knight shift.