Possible quadrupolar ordering in a Kondo-lattice compound Ce3Pd20Ge6

Magnetic and transport properties of the cubic ternary compound Ce3Pd20Ge6 are herein reported. The electrical resistivity exhibits the Kondo lattice behavior and a large T-2 coefficient at low temperatures, indicating that this compound is a heavy-electron system with a Kondo temperature of a few degrees Kelvin. The low-temperature specific heat revealed two successive anomalies at T-1 = 1.2 K and T-2 = 0.7 K. The Gamma(8) quartet crystalline-field ground state of Ce ions is conjectured from the thermal variation of magnetic entropy deduced from the specific-heat data. The anomaly at T-1 is probably a result of quadrupolar interaction between Gamma(8) ground states, while the other one at T-2 is due to antiferromagnetic ordering.