Divalent Yb in the Ca$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$ Structure Type: Crystal Growth and Physical Properties of Yb$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We report on the single-crystal growth, crystal structure, and physical properties of Yb$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$. Single crystal x-ray diffraction shows that the material crystallizes in the Ca$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$ structure-type at ambient conditions, described by orthorhombic symmetry $Pbam$. Magnetization measurements reveal a nearly isotropic diamagnetic response, indicating that Yb is stabilized in a non-magnetic divalent configuration. Electrical resistivity measurements show a metallic behavior. First-principles calculations including spin--orbit coupling describe a metal whose states at the Fermi level are dominated by Bi $6p$ orbitals, with a density of states within 1% of that of the isoelectronic compound Ca$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$, consistent with a filled and chemically inert $4f$ shell. They further show that the nonsymmorphic symmetry of the crystal enforces fourfold-degenerate nodal lines on the Brillouin-zone boundary, four of which cross the Fermi level and give symmetry-enforced Dirac points with a linear transverse dispersion. Despite strong metallic and covalent bonding within the Pd-Bi network, Yb$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$ is realized as a rare-earth analog of the Ca$_3$Pd$_4$Bi$_8$ structure type with divalent Yb ions. This result offers a potential avenue to discover other rare-earth analogs within this structural family.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: Institut polytechnique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Néel, University of California, Davis, Université de Montréal, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, CEA Grenoble, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble, Regroupement Québécois sur les Matériaux de Pointe
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223648838