Quasiquartet CEF ground state with possible quadrupolar ordering in the tetragonal compound YbRu$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$

Abstract

e have investigated the magnetic properties of YbRu$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$ by means of magnetic susceptibility $χ$(T), specific heat C(T) and electrical resistivity $ρ$(T) measurements performed on flux grown single crystals. The Curie-Weiss behavior of $χ$(T) along the easy plane, the large magnetic entropy at low temperatures and the weak Kondo like increase in $ρ$(T) proves a stable trivalent Yb state. Anomalies in C(T), $ρ$(T) and $χ$(T) at T$_{0}$ = 10.2 K, T$_{1}$ = 6.5 K and T$_{2}$ = 5.7 K evidence complex ordering phenomena, T$_{0}$ being larger than the highest Yb magnetic ordering temperature found up to now. The magnetic entropy just above T$_{0}$ amounts to almost Rln4, indicating that the crystal electric field (CEF) ground state is a quasiquartet instead of the expected doublet. The behavior at T$_{0}$ is rather unusual and suggest that this transition is related to quadrupolar ordering, being a consequence of the CEF quasiquartet ground state. The combination of a quasiquartet CEF ground state, a high ordering temperature, and the relevance of quadrupolar interactions makes YbRu$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$ a rather unique system among Yb based compounds.

11 pages, 5 figure, submitted to PRB rapid