Elemental Dilution Effect on the Elastic Response due to a Quadrupolar Kondo Effect of the Non-Kramers System Y1-xPrxIr2Zn20

We measured the elastic constants (C11 - C12)/2 and C44 of the non-Kramers system Y0.63Pr0.37Ir2Zn20 (Pr-37% system) by means of ultrasound to check how the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect is modified by increasing the Pr concentration. The Curie-like softening of (C11 - C12)/2 of the present Pr-37% system on cooling from 5 to 1 K can be reproduced by a multipolar susceptibility calculation based on the non-Kramers & UGamma;3 doublet crystalline-electric -field ground state. Further, on cooling below 0.15 K, a temperature dependence proportional top was observed in ffiffiT (C11 - C12)/2. This behavior rather corresponds to the theoretical prediction of the quadrupolar Kondo lattice model, unlike that of the Pr-3.4% system, which shows a logarithmic temperature dependence based on the single-site quadrupolar Kondo theory. In addition, we discuss the possibility to form a vibronic state by the coupling between the low-energy phonons and the electric quadrupoles of the non-Kramers doublet in the Pr-37% system, since we found a low-energy ultrasonic dispersion in the temperature range between 0.15 and 1 K.

Automated summary

We used ultrasound to measure the elastic constants (C11 - C12)/2 and C44 of the non-Kramers system Y0.63Pr0.37Ir2Zn20 (Pr-37% system) in order to investigate the effect of increasing Pr concentration on the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect. The observed softening of (C11 - C12)/2 in the Pr-37% system upon cooling can be explained by a multipolar susceptibility calculation based on the non-Kramers Γ3 doublet crystalline-electric-field ground state. Additionally, we observed a temperature dependence proportional to T in (C11 - C12)/2 below 0.15 K, which is consistent with the theoretical prediction of the quadrupolar Kondo lattice model.