Muon Spin Relaxation and Neutron Diffraction Studies of Cluster-Glass States in Sr1−xLaxRuO3

Abstract

To clarify the magnetic properties of cluster-glass states in Sr1-xLaxRuO3 (0.3 <= x <= 0.5), we report herein the results of muon spin relaxation (muSR) and neutron powder diffraction measurements. The muSR experiments showed that magnetic clusters start developing well above the peak temperature T^* in the ac susceptibility. The volume fraction of the magnetically ordered region increases continuously with decreasing temperature, showing no anomaly at T^*, and reaches nearly 100% at the lowest temperature. The temperature variation of the volume fraction is essentially independent of the La concentration in the x range presently investigated, although the dc magnetization is significantly suppressed with increasing x. Neutron powder diffraction experiments revealed that the ground state for x = 0.3 is a long-range ferromagnetic ordered state. These results indicate that, with decreasing temperature, cluster-glass states in Sr1-xLaxRuO3 gradually develop into long-range ferromagnetic ordered states with decreasing temperature, and that the magnetic ordering process differs strikingly from that expected for a conventional second-order ferromagnetic transition.