ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study of Crystal Field Effects in NdAgAl3

Abstract: NdAgAl3 crystallizes in two distinct structural forms: a BaNiSn3-type tetragonal structure (space group I4mm) and a SrPdGa3-type orthorhombic structure (space group Cmcm). The tetragonal modification of NdAgAl3 has been reported to remain paramagnetic down to 2 K. In contrast, our orthorhombic NdAgAl3 exhibits two anomalies in the magnetic susceptibility below 10 K, indicating the presence of successive magnetic phase transitions. The negative Weiss temperature, p = 4.3(2) K, points to dominant antiferromagnetic interactions. Furthermore, a reduced saturation magnetization suggests a strong influence of crystal electric field (CEF) effects in NdAgAl3. Detailed knowledge of the CEF level scheme is therefore essential for understanding the magnetic ground state, as well as the roles of CEF splitting and single-ion anisotropy in shaping the magnetic behaviour of this compound. To this end, we propose to perform inelastic neutron scattering measurements on NdAgAl3 using the MARI spectrometer to directly probe the CEF excitations.

Principal Investigator: Professor Martin Lees
Local Contact: Dr Devashi Adroja
Experimenter: Dr Rajesh Tripathi
Experimenter: Dr Daniel Mayoh
Experimenter: Dr Vivek Kumar Anand

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2620115

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2620115

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor Martin Lees et al; (2026): Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study of Crystal Field Effects in NdAgAl3, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2620115

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.