Magnetic structure of Ce3TiBi5 and its relation to current-induced magnetization

The control of magnetization using electric fields has been extensively studied in magnetoelectric multiferroic insulating materials while changes in magnetization in bulk metals caused by electric currents have attracted less attention. The recently discovered metallic magnet Ce₃TiBi₅ has been reported to exhibit current-induced magnetization. Here we determined the magnetic structure of Ce₃TiBi₅ using neutron diffraction, aiming to understand the microscopic origin of this magnetoelectric phenomenon in a metal. We established that the antiferromagnetic order emerging below TN=50.28em0exK is a cycloid order described by P6₃/mcm.1^'(0,0,g)00sss with small moment sizes of 0.50(2)0.28em0exμB and propagation vector k=(0,0,0.386). Surprisingly, the symmetry of this magnetic structure is inconsistent with the presence of current-induced magnetization and potential origins of this inconsistency with previous results are discussed. Additionally, our results suggest that moments order along their hard magnetic direction in Ce₃TiBi₅, a phenomenon which has been observed in other Kondo systems.