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

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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[3] S. Shimomura et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 165108 (2016)

[4] K.K. Kolincio et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 176601 (2020)

[5] R. Ray et al., npj Quantum Materials 7, 1 (2022)

[6] M. Roman et al. Phys. Rev. B 107, 125137 (2023)

[7] S. Steiner et al, Phys. Rev. B 97, 205115 (2018)