Field suppression of the modulated phase of Ce2Pd2Sn

Abstract: Low temperature magnetic () and thermal () properties of the intermetallic compound Ce2Pd2Sn have been investigated at zero and different magnetic fields. Two transitions were recognized at and , with latter nearly coinciding with the extrapolated Curie–Weiss temperature . The Curie factor evaluated from , is . The positive value of , the triangular coordination of the magnetic (Ce) atoms and the weak effect of applied magnetic field, reveal that cannot be considered as a canonic antiferromagnetic transition like claimed in the literature. measurements under moderate magnetic fields () show increasing while is practically not affected. Both transition merge in a critical point at for , where the intermediate phase is suppressed. At , the cusp of a first order transition is observed in . According to the proposed ferromagnetic ground state, it is followed by a dependence, with a gap of anisotropy . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]