Absence of magnetic dipolar phase transition and evolution of low-energy excitations in PrNb2Al20 with crystal electric field Γ3 ground state: Evidence from 93Nb-NQR studies

Abstract

We report measurements of bulk magnetic susceptibility and 93Nb nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) in the Pr-based caged compound PrNb2Al20. By analyzing the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization, the crystal electric field (CEF) level scheme of PrNb2Al20 is determined to be Γ3(0 K)-Γ4(21.32 K)-Γ5(43.98 K)-Γ1(51.16 K) within the framework of the localized 4f electron picture. The 93Nb-NQR spectra exhibit neither spectral broadening nor spectral shift upon cooling down to 75 mK. The 93Nb-NQR spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 at 5 K depends on the frequency and remains almost constant below 5 K. The frequency dependence of 1/T1 is attributed to the magnetic fluctuation due to the hyperfine-enhanced 141Pr nuclear moment inherent in the nonmagnetic Γ3 CEF ground state. The present NQR results provide evidence that no symmetry-breaking magnetic dipole order occurs down to 75 mK. Also, considering an invariant form of the quadrupole and octupole couplings between a 93Nb nucleus and Pr 4f electrons, Pr 4f quadrupoles and an octupole can couple with a 93Nb nuclear quadrupole moment and nuclear spin, respectively. Together with the results of bulk measurements, the present NQR results suggest that the possibility of a static quadrupole or octupole ordering can be excluded down to 100 mK. At low temperatures below 500 mK, however, the nuclear spin-echo decay rate gradually increases and the decay curve changes from Gaussian decay to Lorentzian decay, suggesting the evolution of a low-energy excitation.