Pressure-induced magnetic phase and structural transition in SmSb_(2)

Motivated by the recent discovery of unconventional superconductivity around a magnetic quantum critical point in pressurized CeSb_(2),here we present a high-pressure study of an isostructural antiferromagnetic(AFM) SmSb_(2) through electrical transport and synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements.At P_(C)~2.5 GPa,we found a pressure-induced magnetic phase transition accompanied by a Cmca→P4/nmm structural phase transition.In the pristine AFM phase below P_(C),the AFM transition temperature of SmSb_(2) is insensitive to pressure;in the emergent magnetic phase above P_(C),however,the magnetic critical temperature increases rapidly with increasing pressure.In addition,at ambient pressure,the magnetoresistivity(MR) of SmSb_(2) increases suddenly upon cooling below the AFM transition temperature and presents linear nonsaturating behavior under high field at 2 K.With increasing pressure above P_(C),the MR behavior remains similar to that observed at ambient pressure,both in terms of temperature-and field-dependent MR.This leads us to argue an AFM-like state for SmSb_(2) above P_(C).Within the investigated pressure of up to 45.3 GPa and the temperature of down to 1.8 K,we found no signature of superconductivity in SmSb_(2).