Possible quadrupolar ordering in a Kondo-lattice compound Ce 3 Pd 20 Ge

Magnetic and transport properties of the cubic ternary compound Ce 3Pd20Ge6 are herein reported. The electrical resistivity exhibits the Kondo lattice behavior and a large T coefficient at low temperatures, indicating that this compound is a heavy-electron system with a Kondo temperature of a few degrees Kelvin. The low-temperature specific heat revealed two successive anomalies at T151.2 K andT250.7 K. TheG8 quartet crystalline-field ground state of Ce ions is conjectured from the thermal variation of magnetic entropy deduced from the specific-heat data. The anomaly at T1 is probably a result of quadrupolar interaction between G8 ground states, while the other one at T2 is due to antiferromagnetic ordering.