Valence and magnetic ordering in intermediate valence compounds : TmSe versus SmB6

Abstract

The intermediate valent systems TmSe and SmB6 have been investigated up to 16 and 18 GPa by ac microcalorimetry with a pressure (p) tuning realized in situ at low temperature. For TmSe, the transition from an antiferromagnetic insulator for p<3 GPa to an antiferromagnetic metal at higher pressure has been confirmed. A drastic change in the p variation of the Neel temperature (Tn) is observed at 3 GPa. In the metallic phase (p>3 GPa), Tn is found to increase linearly with p. A similar linear p increase of Tn is observed for the quasitrivalent compound TmS which is at ambiant pressure equivalent to TmSe at p=7 GPa. In the case of SmB6 long range magnetism has been detected above p=8 GPa, i.e. at a pressure slightly higher than the pressure of the insulator to metal transition. However a homogeneous magnetic phase occurs only above 10 GPa. The magnetic and electronic properties are related to the renormalization of the 4f wavefunction either to the divalent or the trivalent configurations. As observed in SmS, long range magnetism in SmB6 occurs already far below the pressure where a trivalent Sm3+ state will be reached. It seems possible, to describe roughly the physical properties of the intermediate valence equilibrium by assuming formulas for the Kondo lattice temperature depending on the valence configuration. Comparison is also made with the appearance of long range magnetism in cerium and ytterbium heavy fermion compounds.