Crystal growth of the R2PdSi3 (R= rare earth) materials using the optical floating zone technique

The rare-earth palladium silicides host an array of complex magnetic phases. In this paper, we report the growth of large single crystals of the R2PdSi3 family, (where R= Ce, Nd, Gd, Tb, Ho and Er) by the floating zone technique using a high-power xenon arc-lamp furnace. The crystal boules obtained have been examined for their quality using x-ray diffraction techniques, elemental analysis, and their magnetic properties have been investigated through temperature dependent magnetisation measurements.