Magnetic and transport properties of PrRhSi3
We have investigated the magnetic and transport properties of a noncentrosymmetric compound PrRhSi3 by dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), thermoremanent magnetization M(t), specific heat Cp(T), electrical resistivity ρ(T,H) and muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements. At low fields χ(T) shows two anomalies near 15 and 7 K with an irreversibility between ZFC and FC data below 15 K. In contrast, no anomaly is observed in Cp(T) or ρ(T) data. M(H) data at 2 K exhibit very sharp increase below 0.5 T and a weak hysteresis. M(t) exhibits very slow relaxation, typical for a spin-glass system. Even though the absence of any anomaly in Cp(T) is consistent with the spin-glass type behavior, there is no obvious origin of spin-glass behavior in this structurally well ordered compound. The crystal electric field (CEF) analysis of Cp(T) data indicates a CEF-split singlet ground state lying below a doublet at 81(1) K and a quasi-triplet at 152(2) K. The ρ(T) data indicate a metallic behavior, and ρ(H) exhibits a very high positive magnetoresistance, as high as ∼300% in 9 T at 2 K. No long range magnetic order or spin-glass behavior was detected in a μSR experiment down to 1.2 K.
Understanding the magnetism in noncentrosymmetric CeIrGe 3 : Muon spin relaxation and neutron scattering studies
The magnetic properties of a pressure induced noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrGe$_3$ have been investigated by muon spin relaxation ($\mu$SR), powder neutron diffraction (ND) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) techniques at ambient pressure. For completeness we have also measured the ac magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{\rm ac}(T)$, dc magnetic susceptibility $\chi(T)$, dc isothermal magnetization $M(H)$ and heat capacity $C_{\rm p}(T,H)$ down to 2 K. CeIrGe$_{3}$ is known to exhibit pressure induced superconductivity ($T_{\rm c}\approx 1.5$ K) at a pressure of 20 GPa and antiferromagnetic ordering at 8.7 K, 4.7 K and 0.7 K at ambient pressure. Our $\chi_{\rm ac}(T)$ and $\chi(T)$ data show an additional anomaly near 6.2 K which is also captured in $C_{\rm p}(T)$ data. From $\chi_{\rm ac}(T)$, $\chi(T)$ and $C_{\rm p}(T)$ measurements we infer three antiferromagnetic transitions above 2 K at $T_{\rm N1}= 8.5$ K, $T_{\rm N2}= 6.0$ K and $T_{\rm N3}= 4.6$ K. Our $\mu$SR study also confirms the presence of three transitions through the observation of one frequency for $T_{\rm N2} < T\leq T_{\rm N1}$, two frequencies for $T_{\rm N3} < T\leq T_{\rm N2}$ and three frequencies for $T\leq T_{\rm N3}$ in the oscillatory asymmetry. The ND data reveal an incommensurate nature of the magnetic ordering at $T=7$ K with the propagation vector k = (0,0,0.688(3)), and a commensurate magnetic structure at $T=1.5$ K with the propagation vector locked to the value k = (0,0,2/3) and magnetic moments oriented along the $c$ axis. The commensurate structure couples a macroscopic ferromagnetic component, resulting in a strong dependence of the lock-in transition temperature on external magnetic field. The INS data show two well defined crystal electric field (CEF) excitations arising from the CEF-split Kramers doublet ground state of Ce$^{3+}$.
Observations of nearshore infragravity waves: Seaward and shoreward propagating components
[1] The variation of seaward and shoreward infragravity energy fluxes across the shoaling and surf zones of a gently sloping sandy beach is estimated from field observations and related to forcing by groups of sea and swell, dissipation, and shoreline reflection. Data from collocated pressure and velocity sensors deployed between 1 and 6 m water depth are combined, using the assumption of cross-shore propagation, to decompose the infragravity wave field into shoreward and seaward propagating components. Seaward of the surf zone, shoreward propagating infragravity waves are amplified by nonlinear interactions with groups of sea and swell, and the shoreward infragravity energy flux increases in the onshore direction. In the surf zone, nonlinear phase coupling between infragravity waves and groups of sea and swell decreases, as does the shoreward infragravity energy flux, consistent with the cessation of nonlinear forcing and the increased importance of infragravity wave dissipation. Seaward propagating infragravity waves are not phase coupled to incident wave groups, and their energy levels suggest strong infragravity wave reflection near the shoreline. The cross-shore variation of the seaward energy flux is weaker than that of the shoreward flux, resulting in cross-shore variation of the squared infragravity reflection coefficient (ratio of seaward to shoreward energy flux) between about 0.4 and 1.5.