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Magnetic field induced orbital polarization in cubic YbInNi4: determining the quartet ground state using x-ray linear
T Willers1, J C Cezar, N B Brookes
1Institute of Physics II, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Strasse 77, D-50937 Cologne, Germany.
Abstract:
We have been able to induce a linear dichroic signal in the Yb M(5) x-ray absorption white line of cubic YbInNi(4) by the application of a magnetic field. The nonzero integrated intensity of the magnetic field induced dichroic spectrum indicates a net noncubic 4f orbital polarization. A quantitative analysis of the temperature and field strength dependence establishes that the crystal-field ground state is a Γ(8) quartet. The results demonstrate the potential of magnetic field induced linear dichroism as a new powerful approach for the investigation of the degeneracy and orbital degrees of freedom of cubic heavy-fermion and Kondo systems.
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