Strongly correlated electron behaviour in the compound CeRhSn

Abstract Electrical resistivity ρ, magnetic susceptibility χ, specific heat C, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements were made on the compound CeRhSn. The measurements reveal an enhancement of the electronic specific heat coefficient γ = C(T)/T ≈ 160 mJ mol−1 K−2 at about 1 K and non-Fermi-liquid-like temperature dependences ρ(T) α T 0.75 and χ(T) α T −0.5 at low temperatures. At high temperatures, the physical properties indicate Kondo-intermediate-valence behaviour. The XPS measurements are consistent with a Ce valence of 3.07. The neutron diffraction measurements reveal anomalies in the planar Ce-Rh and Ce-Ce bond distances in the vicinity of 100 K which are apparently associated with the Ce valence instability in CeRhSn.