Incommensurate and commensurate antiferromagnetic orders in the kagome compound UV$_{6}$Sn$_{6}$

Abstract

We report on the synthesis of single crystals of the kagome compound, UV$_6$Sn$_6$, and present the results of magnetization, electrical resistivity, heat capacity, x-ray, and neutron diffraction experiments to characterize the structure and magnetic properties. UV$_6$Sn$_6$ crystallizes in a large supercell of the HfFe$_6$Ge$_6$ parent structure with an hexagonal symmetry in which some of the U atoms are shifted by $c/2$ in an ordered fashion. Below $T_{N1}\approx$ 29 K, an incommensurate magnetic structure with a temperature-dependent wave vector $(0,0,k_z)$ is observed. Below $T_{N2}=$ 23.5 K, the wave vector locks in to $(0,0,0.5)$, forming an antiferromagnetic ground state. The U moments align along the $c$ axis retaining a large magnetic anisotropy. These findings highlight the role of the $5f$ orbitals from uranium in this structural family in driving both magnetic ordering and structural modulation and distinguish UV$_6$Sn$_6$ from its lanthanide-based analogs.