Thermodynamic and transport properties of Kondo lattice YbCuAs₂ single crystals

YbCuAs₂ compound crystallizes into a tetragonal ZrCuSi₂-type structure. Magnetic susceptibility measurements for the YbCuAs₂ polycrystalline sample showed an antiferromagnetic phase transition below 4 K. However, the neutron powder diffraction measurements of this sample didn’t show any additional Bragg peaks down to 1.5 K, indicating either there is no magnetic ordering down to 1.5 K or the ordered moment of Yb ions is smaller than the current experimental limit. We succeeded in growing single crystals of YbCuAs₂ by high temperature ternary melt. Thermodynamic and transport properties were investigated by measuring the magnetization, electrical resistivity, and specific heat. In this talk, I will present thermodynamic and transport properties of Kondo lattice YbCuAs₂ single crystals.