Mixing-Typed Antiferroquadrupolar Ordering in YbSb

Abstract

Specific heat and magnetization measurements have been performed with a low carrier heavy fermion compound YbSb. Successive phase transitions at 0.5 K and 5 K were observed by specific heat measurements under external magnetic fields up to 12 T. The transition temperature at 5 K increases with increasing external magnetic field. The magnetization measurements indicate the existence of field induced magnetic ordered moments at 5 K. These magnetic properties of the phase transition at 5 K are discussed in terms of a mixing-typed antiferroquadrupolar ordering model with a Γ₆ Kramers doublet as the crystalline electric field ground state.