CEAGGA - A FERROMAGNETIC CE-BASED COMPOUND

Magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and inelastic neutron scattering measurements have been carried out on the equiatomic ternary compound CeAgGa (CeCu2 type). This compound orders ferromagnetically with an ordering temperature (T(M)) of about 5.5 K. The ordering temperature does not follow de Gennes scaling. The temperature dependent susceptibility deviates from the Curie-Weiss behaviour below 70 K, indicating the presence of crystalline electric fields. The inelastic neutron scattering measurements show two very broad crystal field transitions. The broadening of CEF transitions presumably arises due to the crystallographic disorder between the Ag and Ga atoms. The electrical resistivity of CeAgGa is almost temperature independent between 5 K and 300 K.