Single crystal studies of charge density wave (CDW) physics in quasi-1D ternary rare-earth nickel dicarbides RNiC₂ (R – rare earth metal)

Abstract

Ternary rare-earth nickel dicarbides RNiC2 (R = rare-earth metal) crystallize in a non-centrosymmetric, orthorhombic crystal structure. These compounds attract much attention due to the presence of a large variety of ground states, such as: superconductivity, rare-earth magnetism, multiple charge density wave (CDW) transitions, complex interplay between CDW and magnetism as well as recently reported topological features of their quasi-1D electronic structure [1-5]. Due to the interconnected degrees of freedom (lattice, magnetic, electronic) RNiC2 family serves as a universal platform to study the interplay between various types of ordering. Here, we report on crystal growth, crystallographic characteristics explored via single-crystal XRD, as well as magnetic, thermodynamic, and electronic properties studied by a variety of techniques revealing anisotropic features of selected RNiC2 single crystals [6,7]. Based on these results, we analyze the nature of multiple CDW transitions as well as the interplay between CDW and magnetic order in several RNiC2 compounds.

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