Charge density wave in layered La1xCexSb2

R. F. Luccas, A. Fente, J. Hanko, A. Correa-Orellana, E. Herrera, E. Climent-Pascual, J. Azpeitia, T. Pérez-Castañeda, M. R. Osorio, E. Salas-Colera, N. M. Nemes, F. J. Mompean, M. García-Hernández, J. G. Rodrigo, M. A. Ramos, I. Guillamón, S. Vieira, and H. Suderow
Phys. Rev. B 92, 235153 – Published 29 December 2015

Abstract

The layered rare-earth diantimonides RSb2 are anisotropic metals with generally low electronic densities whose properties can be modified by substituting the rare earth. LaSb2 is a nonmagnetic metal with a low residual resistivity presenting a low-temperature magnetoresistance that does not saturate with the magnetic field. It has been proposed that the latter can be associated to a charge density wave (CDW), but no CDW has yet been found. Here we find a kink in the resistivity above room temperature in LaSb2 (at 355 K) and show that the kink becomes much more pronounced with substitution of La by Ce along the La1xCexSb2 series. We find signatures of a CDW in x-ray scattering, specific heat, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments in particular for x0.5. We observe a distortion of rare-earth–Sb bonds lying in-plane of the tetragonal crystal using x-ray scattering, an anomaly in the specific heat at the same temperature as the kink in resistivity and charge modulations in STM. We conclude that LaSb2 has a CDW which is stabilized in the La1xCexSb2 series due to substitutional disorder.

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  • Received 9 December 2014
  • Revised 15 October 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.235153

©2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. F. Luccas1,2, A. Fente1, J. Hanko1, A. Correa-Orellana2, E. Herrera1, E. Climent-Pascual2, J. Azpeitia2, T. Pérez-Castañeda1, M. R. Osorio1, E. Salas-Colera3,2, N. M. Nemes4, F. J. Mompean2,5, M. García-Hernández2,5, J. G. Rodrigo1,5, M. A. Ramos1,5, I. Guillamón1,5, S. Vieira1,5, and H. Suderow1,5,*

  • 1Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas, Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
  • 2Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
  • 3SpLine, Spanish CRG Beamline, European Synchroton Radiation Facility (ESRF), BP220-38042 Grenoble Cedex, France
  • 4GFMC, Departamento de Física Aplicada III, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Campus Moncloa, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
  • 5Unidad Asociada de Bajas Temperaturas y Altos Campos Magnéticos, UAM, CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain

  • *Corresponding author: hermann.suderow@uam.es

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Vol. 92, Iss. 23 — 15 December 2015

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