Anisotropic magnetic properties and magnetic structure of YbPdSi

YbPdSi with orthorhombic crystal structure (space group Pmmn) exhibits a magnetic transition at $T_{\text{m}}=8$ K, below which a ferromagnetic moment develops with an enhanced electronic specific-heat coefficient $\gamma \sim 200$ mJ K⁻² mol⁻¹. We have investigated the magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific heat of YbPdSi using single crystalline samples as functions of temperature and magnetic field. It has been found that the ferromagnetic moment points to the c-direction, although the magnetic moments have an Ising-like anisotropy along the b-direction above the magnetic-transition temperature. Field dependence of the magnetization and electrical resistivity shows a metamagnetic-like transition at $H_{\text{m}}=0.3$ T when field is applied along the b-axis below T  =  3 K, suggesting the existence of an antiferromagnetic component along this direction. The magnetic structure has been investigated by neutron diffraction using powder samples. The magnetic unit cell is identical to the crystal unit cell. The Rietveld fitting has revealed that Yb at the 2a and 2b positions exhibit a collinear ferromagnetic order along the c-axis, whereas Yb at the 4e position undergoes a non-collinear order, involving the ferromagnetic moment along the c-axis and an antiferromagnetic component along the b-axis. The ferromagnetic moments determined by the neutron diffraction are 0.26, 1.3, and 0.15 ${\mu }_{\text{B}}$ for Yb at the 4e, 2b, and 2a sites, respectively. The reduced moments for the 4e and the 2a sites suggest that the Kondo screening effect is important in YbPdSi. (paper)