Thermoelectric power of RAgSb2 (R = Y, La, Ce, and Dy) in zero and applied magnetic fields

We report the experimental results of measurements of the thermoelectric power on the ternary intermetallic compounds RAgSb2 (R = Y, La, Ce, and Dy) over the temperature range from 2 to 300 K and in magnetic fields up to 140 kOe. In this work, we present the thermoelectric transport properties of four materials from the same family with different ground states: a non-moment bearing paramagnetic metallic system (YAgSb2), a non-moment bearing charge density wave system (LaAgSb2), a local moment bearing compound with XY-like antiferromagnetic order in the tetragonal basal plane as well as readily accessible metamagnetism (DyAgSb2), and a Kondo lattice system with ferromagnetic order below T-C = 9.7 K (CeAgSb2). The thermoelectric power data from these materials exhibit complex temperature and magnetic field dependences, which are associated with modification of the electronic density of states and changes in magnetic scattering. At low temperatures, quantum oscillations in the thermoelectric power are also observed. These oscillations are associated with the Landau quantization of electronic energy in an applied magnetic field.