Structure and properties of NdCuGa₃ single crystals

This manuscript reports on the structural and magnetic properties of NdCuGa3 using powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), zero-field single crystal neutron diffraction, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. Our XRD on a single crystal specimen of NdCuGa3 confirmed that it crystallizes in the tetragonal BaNiSi3-type structure. A magnetic phase transition at TN = 3.3 K is assessed using specific heat and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements. No additional anomaly below TN down to 50 mK was detected by performing specific heat measurements. Neutron single crystal diffraction data collected at T = 300 mK confirm the antiferromagnetic phase below TN = 3.3 K with the propagation vector z' = (0.2, 0, 0). Possible magnetic structure solutions of NdCuGa3 are discussed.