Eur. Phys. J. B 66, 307-313 (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00428-x

Magnetic properties of PrCu₂ at high pressure

¹ Laboratorium für Festkörperphysik, ETH-Zürich, Schafmattstrasse 16, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
² Faculty of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560, Japan

Corresponding author: ^a sacchetti@phys.ethz.ch

Received: 19 August 2008
Revised: 27 October 2008
Published online: 29 November 2008

Abstract

We report a study of the low-temperature high-pressure phase diagram of the intermetallic compound PrCu₂, by means of molecular-field calculations and ^63,65Cu nuclear-quadrupole-resonance (NQR) measurements under pressure. The pressure-induced magnetically-ordered phase can be accounted for by considering the influence of the crystal electric field on the 4f electron orbitals of the Pr³⁺ ions and by introducing a pressure-dependent exchange interaction between the corresponding local magnetic moments. Our experimental data suggest that the order in the induced antiferromagnetic phase is incommensurate. The role of magnetic fluctuations both at high and low pressures is also discussed.