Thermodynamic and electronic transport properties of CeNiIn2

Thermodynamic and transport properties of CeNiIn2 are reported. The results indicate that this system undergoes a magnetic transition at TC=3.4K. A Kondo temperature TK=2.7K was also estimated. The electronic coefficient γ∼1J/molK2, calculated from specific heat data, is characteristic for heavy-fermion systems and is consistent with the estimated TK. For TTC, the specific heat and resistivity data are better described if an additional contribution from the spin waves with a gap in the magnon spectrum is considered. Crystal field parameters Δ1=80K and Δ2>=200K were estimated from the temperature dependence of specific heat above TC. The results obtained for this compound are explained as an interplay of the anisotropy and the competition between RKKY interaction and Kondo effect