Magnetotransport anisotropy in microstructures of Yb$_2$Pt$_2$Pb

The Yb$^{3+}$ moments in Yb$_2$Pt$_2$Pb (YPP) form a strongly frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice (SSL) [1]. Below $2\,$K, a dimerized antiferromagnetic order consisting of two AF sublattices has been recently identified by neutron diffraction [2]. Unlike other quantum magnets, YPP is a highly conductive metal and the large Sommerfeld coefficient $\Gamma\sim 300\,$ mJ$/$molK$^{2}$ suggests hybridization of the Yb-4f states with the conduction band [3]. This opens the possibility to search for signatures of the metamagnetism associated with the plateaus at fractions of the saturation magnetization, a characteristic of SSL systems. To study the influence of YPP’s rich magnetic structure on the anisotropic charge transport, we fabricated micron-sized transport devices from single crystalline YPP by Focused Ion Beam etching. This technique enables thickness and length dependent magnetotransport measurements along the most relevant lattice directions. [1] M. S. Kim et al. PRB 77,144425 (2008) [2] W. Miiller et al. arXiv:1408.0209v1 (2014) [3] M. S. Kim, M. C. Aronson, PRL 110, 017201 (2013)