We report on the magnetic ac/dc susceptibility and specific heat measurements for the CeCu(4)Mn(y)Al(1-y) series of compounds with 0 ≤ y ≤ 1. All compounds investigated crystallize in the hexagonal CaCu(5)-type structure with the space group P6/mmm. The results reveal that the frustration of the interactions dominates and leads to a spin-glass (SG) behaviour with a linear change of the freezing temperature T(f) as a function of y. The SG state has been confirmed by the frequency dependence of the ac magnetic susceptibility, the relaxation of the remanent magnetization and the split of the field-cooled-zero-field-cooled dc magnetic susceptibility. The electronic specific heat coefficient γ is enhanced for all y and increases with the Al content. Below a threshold at y ≈ 0.3, γ is large even if determined for temperatures above T(f); moreover the paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature θ(p) changes sign to negative. These observations indicate the possible presence of the heavy fermion (HF) state, at least below y ≈ 0.3, and the possible coexistence of the SG and HF states down to y = 0, i.e. for the CeCu(4)Al compound. A tentative magnetic phase diagram for CeCu(4)Mn(y)Al(1-y) has been constructed.
© 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd