The Magnetic Susceptibility of Silver-Manganese Solid Solutions between 100 K and 500 K

Abstract

The magnetic susceptibility of Ag-Mn solid solutions containing between 4.44 and 38.1 at.% Mn has been measured between 100 and 500°K. Alloys containing less than 20 at.% Mn obey a Curie-Weiss law and the peff values derived for the Mn atoms are discussed and compared with other published values for this system. Over the range 7-20 at.% the (peff, Mn concentration) curve is linear, indicating a 3d54s2 configuration for the Mn atoms at infinite dilution. Our own and some other published values for more dilute alloys are however not in good agreement with a linear extrapolation. Examination of published data shows that a similar discrepancy between dilute and more concentrated alloys exists in Cu-Mn solid solutions. No explanation of such an effect can yet be advanced, but the sensitivity of the peff values to the diamagnetic correction in very dilute alloys is pointed out, as well as a difference between electronic configurations deduced from susceptibility and from electron spin resonance measurements. Beyond 20 at.% Mn the Ag-Mn alloys no longer obey a Curie-Weiss law and the possibility of short-range magnetic order in them is discussed. Some comparisons are drawn between the solid solutions of Mn in Cu, Ag and Au.