Heavy-fermion behavior and spin-glass freezing in Si-stabilized amorphous alloys based on UPt3

U-Pt-Si and U-(Pt, Pd)-Si alloys have been prepared in the amorphous state by splat-cooling. The average nearest-neighbor distance is the same as the U-Pt distance in UPt₃. The low-temperature behavior of these alloys (with composition (U_0.25Pt_0.75)_1–xSi_x, x=0.18, 0.20, 0.25; and (U_0.25(Pt_1–yPd_y)_{0.75 0.8}Si_0.2,y=0.05 and 0.1) has been studied by specific heatC, magnetization and resistivity measurements in the temperature range 1.5 K to 20 K and for magnetic fields up to 6 T. Some samples were investigated down to 0.1 K and the specific heat for one sample was measured in fields up to 22 T. With ₀ =C/T| _T0 between 0.25 and 0.35 J/moleUK², the alloys can be classified as heavy-fermion materials. As opposed to UPt₃, the alloys exhibit spin-glass behavior with a concomitant decrease of ₀. The magnetization exhibits typical spin-glass features (e.g., an irreversibility line). An inverse relationship between ₀ andT _max (temperature ofC/T maximum which is proportional to the spin-glass freezing temperature), irrespective of the Pd content, is observed. The behavior can be qualitatively described by a coexistence of heavy-fermion behavior and spin-glass freezing.