Abstract
Strongly correlated electrons at the verge of quantum criticality give rise to unconventional phases of matter and behaviors,with the discovery of new quantum-critical materials driving synergistic experimental and theo-retical advances.In this paper,we report the structural and physical properties of a new quaternary Ce-based heavy fermion compound,Ce2NiAl6Si5,which was synthesized via the self-flux method.This compound forms a layered tetragonal structure(space group P4/nmm)with square nets of Ce atoms separated by Si-Al or Ni-Si-Ge layers.Specific heat measurements show a low-temperature Sommerfeld coefficient of 1.4 J/mol-Ce·K2 with re-duced entropy,indicative of significant Kondo interactions.Below 0.6 K,an increase in resistivity and a deviation in magnetic susceptibility suggest the appearance of magnetic ordering or the development of dynamic magnetic correlations,which is further supported by a bulge in the specific heat around 0.4 K.The findings of this study suggest that Ce2NiAl6Si5 is a layered heavy fermion metal naturally located near a spin-density-wave quantum critical point.
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