Signature of CEF-phonon coupling in Kondo lattice system CeCuGa3

We present the results of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements on Kondo lattice heavy fermion CeCuGa3. The low-temperature magnetic susceptibility exhibits an anomaly near 2.6 K associated with an antiferromagnetic transition which is further confirmed by the heat capacity measurement. The analysis of magnetic heat capacity Cmag (T) based on the crystal electric field (CEF) model reveals an overall CEF splitting of ∼ 21 meV. The INS data reveal two strong magnetic excitations near 4.5 and 6.9 meV, which, however failed to reproduce the observed Cmag (T). We therefore analyze the INS data by a model based on magneto-elastic (i.e. CEF-phonon) coupling which suggests that the excitations observed near 4.5 and 6.9 meV originate from the CEF-phonon coupling as observed in CeCuAl3 and CeAuAl3.