Low temperature transport properties of Ce-Al metallic glasses

Abstract

The low temperature transport properties of Ce75-xAl25x (x 0, 10, and 15 at. ) metallic glasses were investigated. Magnetic field and composition tuned magnetoresistances changing from negative to positive values were observed at low temperature. It was suggested that these peculiar phenomena were caused by the tunable competition between the Kondo effect and the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida interaction in Ce-Al metallic glass with the variation in Ce content and magnetic field. Further magnetization and Ce-2p3d resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectroscopy measurements supported this scenario. These Ce-Al metallic glasses could provide an interesting model system for the investigation of 4f electron behaviors in complex condensed matter with tunable transport properties. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.