Concurrence of directional Kondo transport and incommensurate magnetic order in the layered material AgCrSe₂

In this work, we report on the concurrent emergence of the directional Kondo behavior and incommensurate magnetic ordering in a layered material. We employ temperature- and magnetic field-dependent resistivity measurements, susceptibility measurements, and high resolution wavelength X-ray diffraction spectroscopy to study the electronic properties of AgCrSe₂. Impurity Kondo behavior with a characteristic temperature of T_K = 32 K is identified through quantitative analysis of the in-plane resistivity, substantiated by magneto-transport measurements. The excellent agreement between our experimental data and the Schlottmann’s scaling theory allows us to determine the impurity spin as S = 3/2. Furthermore, we discuss the origin of the Kondo behavior and its relation to the material’s antiferromagnetic transition. Our study uncovers a rare phenomenon—the equivalence of the Néel temperature and the Kondo temperature—paving the way for further investigations into the intricate interplay between impurity physics and magnetic phenomena in quantum materials, with potential applications in advanced electronic and magnetic devices.