Valence state of Eu and magnetic correlations investigation by XANES and XMCD in the novel Eu2Pd2Sn compound

We aim to investigate the electronic structure and the magnetic behavior of the Eu2Pd2Sn intermetallic compound via X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as a function of the applied pressure and of the magnetic field. Rare Earths (RE) are usually found in a 3+ state, but Eu and Yb can also exhibit a 2+ state or even intermediate valence, inducing anomalous effects in Eu and Yb-based intermetallics, as heavy fermion behavior, Kondo interactions and superconductivity. Eu compounds are less studied than Yb compounds, due to the very complex synthesis method (both RE have a high vapor pressure, but Eu is more sensitive to oxygen and moisture). We want to investigate the magnetic properties and the valence state of Eu in a new compound Eu2Pd2Sn under high pressure; this compound exhibits a 2+ state and incommensurate antiferromagnetic Eu ordering at low T and room pressure, as probed by neutron powder diffraction analysis.