Low-temperature specific heat and magnetic properties of the filled skutterudite ferromagnet NdRu4As12. (September 2016) - Rudenko, A.
Abstract: We present the low-temperature specific heat and magnetic properties of the filled skutterudite compound NdRu4 As12 that exhibits a ferromagnetic transition at T C ≃ 2.3 K . Magnetic entropy considerations point at a quartet ground state of the Nd 3 + ions. Deep in the ferromagnetic state, the heat capacity shows a Schottky anomaly that we ascribe to the Zeeman splitting in the presence of a molecular field. Comparison of the specific heats of NdRu4 As12 and its Os-based homologue near their Curie temperatures supports our earlier observation suggesting an unusual lowering of the T h cubic point symmetry in the latter filled skutterudite.