Magnetism of the series of intermetallic Ce5CuM3 compounds, where M=Sn, Pb and Bi

Abstract

We present a short summary of experimental and theoretical studies on the isostructural intermetallics Ce5CuM3 (M = Sn, Pb and Bi), crystallizing in the hexagonal Hf5CuSn3-type structure (space group P63/mcm). The investigated compounds are found to undergo multiple magnetic phase transitions at low temperatures. We discuss the role of f-spd hybridization on the evolution of heavy-fermion state across the series of the studied compounds. The band structure calculations not only support magnetic ground state of the studied compounds but also suggest an inequivalent contribution of Ce atoms at different positions to the density of states.