Devil's staircase in the semimetallic Kondo lattice CeSbSe

The temperature ($T$) - magnetic field ($H$) phase diagram for the tetragonal layered compound CeSbSe, determined from magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity is reported. This system exhibits complex magnetic ordering at $T_{rm{M}}$ $=$ 3 K and the application of a magnetic field results in a cascade of magnetically ordered states for $H$ $leq$ 2 T which are characterized by fractional integer size steps: i.e., a Devilu0027s staircase. Electrical transport and heat capacity measurements further reveal semimetallic behavior, indicating nearly Kondo insulating behavior which might host topologically protected electronic states.