Residual short-range order in the heavy fermion compound CeInCu2

By using the X-ray diffraction technique, residual short-range order was de tected in CeInCu2, cerium dicopper indium, which is known to be a heavy fer mion compound. In spite of the long-range order of this substance, diffuse scattering exhibiting short-range order was observed at room temperature. T he correlation parameters obtained showed that an incorrectly occupied latt ice site has a tendency to gather atoms of different species at the neighbo ring sites along the [111] directions. Thus, the disordered region would fo rm a cluster composed of several disordered atoms. Furthermore, a chain-typ e correlation which has a period of 20-23 Angstrom along the same direction s was indicated. The superstructure-like feature of the disordered atoms ha rdly increases the residual resistivity. It is consistent with the behavior of the residual resistivity under high pressure.