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Published: 2015

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The structural and the magnetic properties of CeCu6-xAgx (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.85) and CeCu6-xPdx (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) have been studied using neutron diffraction, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS), x-ray diffraction measurements, and first principles calculations. The structural and magnetic phase diagrams of CeCu6-xAgx and CeCu6-xPdx as a function of Ag/Pd composition are reported. The end member, CeCu6, undergoes a structural phase transition from an orthorhombic (Pnma) to a monoclinic (P21/c) phase at 240 K. In CeCu6-xAgx, the structural phase transition temperature (Ts) decreases linearly with Ag concentration and extrapolates to zero at xS ≈ 0.1. The structural transition in CeCu6-xPdx remains unperturbed with Pd substitution within the range of our study. The lattice constant b slightly decreases with Ag/Pd doping, whereas a and c increase with an overall increase in the unit cell volume. Both systems, CeCu6-xAgx and CeCu6-xPdx, exhibit a magnetic quantum critical point (QCP), at x ≈ 0.2 and x ≈ 0.05, respectively. Near the QCP, long range antiferromagnetic ordering takes place at an incommensurate wave vector ([delta]1 0 [delta]2), where [delta]1 ~ 0.62, [delta]2 ~ 0.25, x = 0.125 for CeCu6-xPdx and [delta]1 ~ 0.64, [delta]2 ~ 0.3, x = 0.3 for CeCu6-xAgx. As a result, the magnetic structure consists of an amplitude modulation of the Ce moments which are aligned along the c axis of the orthorhombic unit cell.