POSSIBLE CORRELATED-ELECTRON BEHAVIOR FROM QUADRUPOLAR FLUCTUATIONS IN PRINAG2

The temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility; specific heat, and electrical resistivity were measured on PrInAg2. A broad peak, which i s identified as a Kondo anomaly, is observed in the specific heat at s imilar to 0.4 K with a strongly enhanced linear contribution at lower temperatures. PrInAg2 is a Pr-based heavy-fermion compound and has one of the largest known Sommerfeld coefficients of similar to 6.5 J/mol K-2. A new type of nonmagnetic interaction between the conduction elec trons and the non-Kramers doublet ground state of the Pr3+ ion be resp onsible for this behavior. Related features are also observed in the s usceptibility and resistivity.