Neutron and resonant x-ray scattering studies of RNi{sub 2}B{sub 2}C (R = rare earth) single crystals

This family of intermetallic compounds is ideal for the study of the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism since, in several of these compounds (Ho, Er, Tm, Dy), superconductivity coexists with magnetic ordering. The most important findings of the scattering studies are (a) in the Ho-compound, a complex magnetic structure characterized by two incommensurate wave vectors, {rvec k}{sub a} = 0.585 {rvec a}* and {rvec k}{sub c} = 0.915 {rvec c}*, exists in the vicinity of 5 K, where the almost reentrant behavior of this compound occurs; (b) an incommensurate magnetic structure with wave vector along {rvec a}*, close to the zone boundary, is observed in several of these compounds; and (c) pronounced soft-phonon behavior was observed for both the acoustic and first optical {Delta}{sub 4}[{xi}00] branches in the superconducting Lu and Ho compounds, a behavior characteristic of strongly coupled conventional superconductors. Furthermore, these phonon anomalies occur at wave vectors close to those of the incommensurate magnetically ordered structures observed in the magnetic compounds of this family. This observation suggests that both the magnetic ordering and phonon softening originate from common nesting features of the Fermi surfaces of these compounds. Band theoretical calculations are in qualitative agreement with these results