Antiferromagnetic Resonance in GdB6

Abstract

The electron spin resonance has been measured for the first time both in the paramagnetic phase of the metallic GdB6 antiferromagnet (TN = 15.5K) and in the antiferromagnetic state (T < TN). In the paramagnetic phase below T* ~ 70 K, the material is found to exhibit a pronounced increase in the resonance linewidth and a shift in the g-factor, which is proportional to the linewidth Δg(T) ~ ΔH(T). Such behavior is not characteristic of antiferromagnetic metals and seems to be due to the effects related to displacements of Gd3+ ions from the centrosymmetric positions in the boron cage. The transition to the antiferromagnetic phase is accompanied by an abrupt change in the position of resonance (from μ0H0 ≈ 1.9 T to μ0H0 ≈ 3.9 T at ν = 60 GHz), after which a smooth evolution of the spectrum occurs, resulting eventually in the formation of the spectrum consisting of four resonance lines. The magnetic field dependence of the frequency of the resonant modes ω0(H0) obtained in the range of 28–69 GHz is well interpreted within the model of ESR in an antiferromagnet with the easy anisotropy axis ω/γ = (H 0 2 +2HAHE)1/2, where HE is the exchange field and HA is the anisotropy field. This provides an estimate for the anisotropy field, HA ≈ 800 Oe. This value can result from the dipole−dipole interaction related to the mutual displacement of Gd3+ ions, which occurs at the antiferromagnetic transition.