Incommensurate-to-Commensurate Magnetic Phase Transition in SmIn3 Observed by Muon Spin Relaxation

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Magnetic susceptibility and muon spin relaxation (\muSR) measurements in the intermetallic cubic compound SmIn3 with a \Gamma_{8} crystalline-electric-field ground state are reported. Anomalies corresponding to successive phase transitions were observed in the magnetic susceptibility at T_{\text{I}}\sim 16.5 K, T_{\text{II}}\sim 15.1 K, and T_{\text{III}}\sim 14.7 K. A spontaneous local magnetic field was detected below T_{\text{I}} using the \muSR technique in zero applied field in contrast to the pure quadrupolar ordering scenario proposed in the phase between T_{\text{I}} and T_{\text{II}}. This result clearly indicates that the primary order parameters in all the ordered phases are magnetic. The local field distribution changes at around T_{\text{II}} from a continuous broad one to a sharp one with decreasing temperature, suggesting that an incommensurate-to-commensurate magnetic phase transition takes place at this temperature. A possible magnetic structure in the ground state and the importance of multipolar interactions in the \Gamma_{8} subspace are discussed.
2011-03-15