Unique magnetic phases in an antiferromagnet CeCoGe3

We report on the magnetic properties of CeCoGe3 by measuring the electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and specific heat, together with the magnetic properties of a reference compound LaCoGe3. The measurements were performed on a single crystal grown from a high-temperature solution using a third element, bismuth as flux. From the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements, CeCoGe3 is an antiferromagnet with a Neel temperature TNl=21 K and undergoes two successive transitions TN2=12 K and TN3=8 K. The magnetization for H parallel [001] indicated a metamagnetic transition with three steps. We constructed a magnetic phase diagram from the magnetization measurements, which is very complex and is roughly similar to the previous result performed on a polycrystalline grain-aligned sample. (author)