Low-temperature magnetic properties of rhodochrosite (MnCO 3)

Abstract

We have measured magnetic hysteresis loops, zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) remanence, and low-field AC susceptibility as a function of temperature between 2 and 40 K for a single crystal several mm in size and for two powders of manganese carbonate (mineral rhodochrosite, MnCO 3), one ground from a natural precipitate (grainsize ∼100 μm) and another synthesized in the laboratory (grainsize ∼10 μm). For the single crystal, measurements carried out both in the basal (easy magnetization) plane and along the trigonal (hard magnetization) axis yielded, expectedly, grossly different magnetic properties. In the basal plane, hysteresis appears to be mostly controlled by domain wall movement at the two lowest temperatures studied, 5 and 15 K, as indicated by a fairly broad switching field distribution. At 25 K and above, however, magnetization reversal occurs at a single, well defined magnetic field, which we interpret as a characteristic field of the in-plane magnetic anisotropy. Hysteresis in the basal plane is observed up to 36 K which is above the nominal Néel temperature of rhodochrosite (34.3 K). In addition, a sharp coercivity peak occurs at 34.5 K. Rather unexpectedly, hysteresis is also observed for the magnetic field applied along the trigonal axis. It is very small at 5 K but develops gradually with increasing temperature, coercivity reaching maximum of 100 mT at 28 K and remanence peaking at slightly higher temperature (30–31 K). Hysteresis along the trigonal axis is observed up to 37 K. Hysteresis temperature dependence conforms with the AC susceptibility versus temperature curve which shows a maximum at 36.5 K. ZFC/FC remanence curves also closely match the temperature dependence of remanence extracted from hysteresis loops. We suggest that this behavior could be due to the presence of a minor, about 1 at.% amount of Fe 2+ substituting for Mn in the crystalline lattice of rhodochrosite. Hysteresis measurements on powders have revealed a significant enhance in coercivity, up to 50 mT for the 100-μm powder and up to 150 mT for the 10-μm one. FC/ZFC ratio amounts to about 2 for the natural powder, while for the synthetic one, which is essentially pure material, it barely exceeds unity. FC/ZFC ratio can thus be viewed as a sensitive indicator of iron incorporation into rhodochrosite.