Localized magnon gap modes in the 2-d Ising antiferromagnets K2CoF4 and Rb2CoF4

The defect (Mn²⁺,Ni²⁺,Fe²⁺) induced magnon gap modes in the layered antiferromagnets K₂CoF₄ and Rb₂CoF₄ were investigated with the methods of FIR absorption-and IR emission spectroscopy. The anisotropic exchange-parameters describing the strongly localized Mn²⁺ spin excitations far below the host lattice magnon band and the Ni²⁺ excitations in the vacinity of this band are presented. In the diluted system K₂Co_1-cMn_cF₄ localized Mn²⁺ cluster modes up to about C≈0.1 were observed. The excitation energy of these modes can only be explained by assuming an anisotropic Mn²⁺-Mn²⁺ exchange which is in contrast to the pure isomorphous system K₂MnF₄. In the spin mismatch system K₂CoF₄: Fe the magnetic moments of the isolated Fe²⁺ impurities are pulled from the plane perpendicular to the c-axis and aligned parallel to the easy axis of the magnetic crystal.