Coexistence of spin-glass and Curie-Weiss paramagnetism in spin-density-wave CrFeMn alloys

Abstract

The temperature and field dependence of the magnetic susceptibility χ( T) in the antiferromagnetic alloys (Cr + 2.7% Fe) 1− x Mn x and (cr + 1.5% Fe) 1− x Mn x is reported. The anomalies in χ( T) below about 100 K, followed at higher temperatures by a Curie-Weiss law, show that, in these ternary alloys containing magnetic Fe impurities, a spin-glass state like that reported recently for binary CrMn alloys co-exists with the Curie-Weiss paramagnetism characteristic of the spin-density-wave phase of CrFe alloys. At low concentrations, x ⩽ 0.3% Mn reduces the effective moment of the Fe impurity suppresses the spin-glass behaviour, and conversely the Mn reduces the effective moment of the Fe atom.