Inverse magnetic melting effect in vdW-like Kondo lattice CeSn$_{0.75}$Sb$_2$

Abstract

Given the intimate connection between magnetic orders and the interplay among multiple degrees of freedom in heavy-fermion systems, controlling and understanding the associated inverse melting effect is crucial for unveiling novel condensed-matter states and their potential applications. Here, we report the growth of single crystalline quasi-two-dimensional van-der-Waals-like Kondo lattice CeSn$_{0.75}$Sb$_2$, and its physical properties by a combination of transport / magnetic / thermodynamic measurements. We find that it hosts a fragile antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and a cluster glass (CG) ground state, both of which are highly sensitive to external fields. Upon cooling under low in-plane magnetic fields, the AFM phase evolves into a polarized paramagnetic phase, either directly or indirectly through the intermediate CG phase. This process constitutes an inverse magnetic melting effect that restores the broken translational / rotational symmetries. Our work provides a rare paradigm of inverse magnetic melting effect in vdW-like heavy-fermion materials, and enriches the physics in conventional Kondo-lattice models.