Local inspection of magnetic properties in GdMnIn by measuring hyperfine interactions

G A Cabrera-Pasca,L F D Pereira,A W Carbonari,R N Saxena,B Bosch-Santos,A Burimova,R S Freitas,A C Campos,W L Ferreira,T S N Sales,J F Magno

doi:10.1063/9.0000037

Abstract

GdMnIn is reported to crystallize in the hexagonal MgNi2-type structure presenting a spin-glass behavior with no magnetic order attributed to the triangular spin frustration of magnetic ions. In the present work, FC-ZFC magnetization, specific heat and AC susceptibility measurements along with the local magnetic exchange measured by hyperfine interactions at In sites are used to investigate the magnetic behavior in GdMnIn compound. The ZFC-FC magnetization curves exhibit an inflection which was ascribed to the antiferromagnetic transition at TN= 145 K. These curves also give an indication of thermomagnetic irreversibility at 118 K, which along with the absence of inflection in specific heat results might be associated to spin-glass behavior. Results of AC susceptibility and magnetic hyperfine field measured using 111In(111Cd) probe nuclei carried out by perturbed angular correlations (PAC) technique did not show evidence of spin-glass behavior. The thermomagnetic irreversibility in FC-ZFC curves along with results of hyerfine interactions suggest the presence of magneto-crystalline anisotropy effects and a weak long-range coupling in GdMnIn.

Highlights

IntroductionGdMn2 is a member of a series of Laves phase compounds containing a rare-earth element and a magnetic 3d-transition metal with very peculiar magnetic properties, representing an interesting example of a frustrated 3D Mn sublattice where the competition between frustration, magnetic–nonmagnetic instability and anisotropy leads to complicated magnetic structures. The addition of a non-magnetic element such as indium results in the equiatomic GdMnIn compound affecting these properties and creating a detachment in the spin distribution that is a basic condition to spin glass behavior. This compound belongs to the ternary series RTX, where R is a rare-earth metal, T is a transition metal, and X is an sp element, which comprise intermetallic compounds showing interesting magnetic properties and a variety of magnetic structures. GdMnIn is reported to crystallize in the hexagonal MgNi2, C14-Laves-type structure (space group P63/mmm) presenting a spin-glass behavior with no magnetic order attributed to the triangular spin frustration of magnetic ions. In this crystalline network, Mn ions carry a substantial magnetic moment but magnetization, electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements have not shown signatures of long-range magnetic order, hindering the determination of the antiferromagnetic transition temperature with a certain degree of precision.The spin-glass behavior in intermetallic systems is an interesting topic that opens theoretical questions as well as stimulates the use of different experimental techniques producing data to better understand these systems
GdMnIn is reported to crystallize in the hexagonal MgNi2-type structure presenting a spin-glass behavior with no magnetic order attributed to the triangular spin frustration of magnetic ions
Field Cooling (FC)-ZFC magnetization, specific heat and AC susceptibility measurements along with the local magnetic exchange measured by hyperfine interactions at In sites are used to investigate the magnetic behavior in GdMnIn compound

Summary

Introduction

GdMn2 is a member of a series of Laves phase compounds containing a rare-earth element and a magnetic 3d-transition metal with very peculiar magnetic properties, representing an interesting example of a frustrated 3D Mn sublattice where the competition between frustration, magnetic–nonmagnetic instability and anisotropy leads to complicated magnetic structures. The addition of a non-magnetic element such as indium results in the equiatomic GdMnIn compound affecting these properties and creating a detachment in the spin distribution that is a basic condition to spin glass behavior. This compound belongs to the ternary series RTX, where R is a rare-earth metal, T is a transition metal, and X is an sp element, which comprise intermetallic compounds showing interesting magnetic properties and a variety of magnetic structures. GdMnIn is reported to crystallize in the hexagonal MgNi2, C14-Laves-type structure (space group P63/mmm) presenting a spin-glass behavior with no magnetic order attributed to the triangular spin frustration of magnetic ions. In this crystalline network, Mn ions carry a substantial magnetic moment but magnetization, electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements have not shown signatures of long-range magnetic order, hindering the determination of the antiferromagnetic transition temperature with a certain degree of precision.The spin-glass behavior in intermetallic systems is an interesting topic that opens theoretical questions as well as stimulates the use of different experimental techniques producing data to better understand these systems. The addition of a non-magnetic element such as indium results in the equiatomic GdMnIn compound affecting these properties and creating a detachment in the spin distribution that is a basic condition to spin glass behavior.3,4 This compound belongs to the ternary series RTX, where R is a rare-earth metal, T is a transition metal, and X is an sp element, which comprise intermetallic compounds showing interesting magnetic properties and a variety of magnetic structures.. GdMnIn is reported to crystallize in the hexagonal MgNi2, C14-Laves-type structure (space group P63/mmm) presenting a spin-glass behavior with no magnetic order attributed to the triangular spin frustration of magnetic ions.. Good examples are the triangular Kagomé 2D lattice and the so-called pyrochlore lattice or base-to-base plane, apex-to-apex along c-axis (for the C14 structure) in 3D isotropic frustrated system.

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