Determine the microscopic magnetic structure of Ce5IrGe2

Determine the microscopic magnetic structure of Ce5IrGe2 and identify the magnetic configurations responsible for its fractional magnetization states.

Background

Ce5IrGe2 exhibits AFM-like phases, fractional magnetization plateaus near Ms/5 and Ms/3, and an uncompensated low-temperature moment consistent with a ferrimagnetic-like ground state. Because the compound contains four crystallographically inequivalent Ce sites, the observed magnetic phases could arise from a partially compensated arrangement in which moments on some Ce sublattices align antiparallel to those on others. The authors state that the microscopic magnetic structure has not yet been established and identify neutron diffraction as the necessary method for resolving it.

References

Although its microscopic magnetic structure remains to be determined, one possible scenario is that the moments on one or more inequivalent Ce sites align antiparallel to those on the remaining Ce sublattices.

— Magnetic phases of Kondo lattice materials Ce$_5$RhGe$_2$ and Ce$_5$IrGe$_2$  (2609.08580 - Zhang et al., 8 Sep 2026) in Discussion and Summary