Alloying-induced transition from local-moment to itinerant heavy fermion magnetism in Ce(Cu1−xNix)2Ge2

Abstract A monotonous increase of the Kondo temperature in Ce(Cu1−xNix)2Ge2 from 7 (x = 0) to 30 K (x = 1) is accompanied by drastic changes of ground state properties: for x⩽0.2, a modulated magnetic structure (q01 = (0.28, 0.28, 0.54)) involving Kondo-reduced local Ce moments ( μ s = 0.74μ B Ce for x = 0) forms below TN1(x). TN1 = 4. 1 K for CeCu2Ge2 is strongly depressed upon increasing x. At x ≲ 0.2, a different modulation develops below TN2(x) which becomes maximum (≃4 K) for x = 0.5. Since this is characterized by a very small value of q02 (=(0, 0, 0.13) at x = 0.5) and a gradually decreasing ordered moment (reaching μs ≲ 0.2μB/Ce for x ⩾0.65), we ascribe it to “heavy fermion band mag…