Heavy Fermion Metal CeB6 in SubTHz and THz Range: The Electron Spin Resonance and Neutron Scattering Studies

Applied Magnetic Resonance. 2021. Vol. 52. No. 4. P. 459–472.

Semeno A. V., Okubo S., Ohta H., Demishev S. V.

Cerium hexaboride attracts attention of solid-state community for almost 50 years. Nowadays, this material is considered as a unique example of a system with orbital ordering resulting in formation of low-temperature magnetic phase with quadrupolar order, the so-called antiferroquadrupole phase. In crystal electric field 4f 1 state of Ce³⁺ splits into Γ7 doublet and Γ8 quartet, the latter is believed to be the ground state, as long as just Γ8 allows quadrupolar effects. An additional tool for studying rich physics of CeB6 appeared since the discovery in this material the ESR, which is specific to antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) phase and is missing in the paramagnetic phase. In the present review, we have brought together electron spin resonance and inelastic neutron scattering data, which allowed obtaining most detailed structure of the magnetic resonance modes in the AFQ phase in a wide-frequency range up to 0.6 THz. It is shown that apart paramagnetic resonance main mode with homogeneous precession of the magnetization, there are antiferromagnetic resonance modes as well, some of them existing in the AFQ phase. Analysis of the g factors demonstrates that available theories based on Γ8 ground state are facing difficulties with accounting experimental data, thus providing a challenge for developing of a theory correctly describing dynamic magnetic properties of this interesting material.

Keywords: electron spin resonance, cerium hexaboride, Inelastic neutron scattering, g-factor, antiferroquadrupole phase