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Distinction of time-reversal-like degeneracy by electronic transport in Ce3MgBi5

Yi-Yan Wang1,2, Ping Su1, Kai-Yuan Hu1, Yi-Ran Li1, Na Li1, Hui Liang1, Ying Zhou1, Dan-Dan Wu1, Yan Sun1 et al.

Qiu-Ju Li3, Xia Zhao4, Peng-Jie Guo5,*, and Xue-Feng Sun1,†

  • 1Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Magnetic Functional Materials and Devices, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
  • 2Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
  • 3School of Physics, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
  • 4School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
  • 5School of Physics and Key Laboratory of Quantum State Construction and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China

  • *Contact author: guopengjie@ruc.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: xfsun@ahu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033195 – Published 17 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1zq3-h31c

Abstract

We report the discovery of a compound, Ce3MgBi5, and reveal the hidden time-reversal-like degenerate states within it. Ce3MgBi5 is an antiferromagnet with the distorted kagome lattice of Ce atoms, in which several fractional magnetization plateaus emerge with the increase of magnetic field. At the 1/2 magnetization plateau, obvious hysteresis has been observed in the magnetoresistance and Hall resistivity during the rise and fall of the magnetic field. However, hysteresis vanishes in the corresponding measurements of magnetization, indicating the existence of degenerate states with the same net magnetization but different electronic transport properties. The degenerate states can be connected by the time-reversal-like operation. In addition, by comparing with HoAgGe, it is suggested that the special crystal structure in Ce3MgBi5 may have a shielding effect on the time-reversal-like operation, thereby affecting the distinction of degenerate states. Our work establishes Ce3MgBi5 as an example of utilizing electronic transport properties to identify and distinguish hidden symmetries in frustrated magnetic systems.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033195– Published 17 August, 2026
  • Received 26 March 2026
  • Accepted 22 July 2026
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