Neutron diffraction study of antiferromagnetic TbIn3

Observations were on a polycrystalline sample using unpolarised neutrons, at temperatures of 4.2 K and 100 K. There is 1 1 0 antiferromagnetic ordering. The magnetic moment is 7.2±0.4 μ_B, with its direction close to that of the c-axis.     

Neutron diffraction study of the layered compounds MnPSe3 and FePSe3

In the insulating compounds MnPSe₃ (1) and FePSe₃ (2) the divalent transition metal ions form planar honeycomb lattices. A neutron diffraction study revealed a collinear antiferromagnetic order below T_N = 74 ± 2 K (1) and T_N = 119 ± 1 K (2) with the corresponding wavevectors k = [000] (1) and $\text{k = [}\text{1}\text{2}\text{0}\text{1}\text{2}\text{]}$ (2). In MnPSe₃ the magnetic moments (m₀ = 4.74 μ_B) lie within the basal plane and in FePSe₃ (m₀ = 4.9 μ_B) they are pointing along the c-axis. The collinear structures are determined by the dominating intralayer interactions between first (J₁), second (J₂) and third neighbours (J₃) which in MnPSe₃ are all antiferromagnetic whereas in FePSe₃J₁ is ferromagnetic and J₂ and J₃ are antiferromagnetic.     

Neutron diffraction study of β-UD3 and β-UH3

The results of a neutron powder diffraction study on β-UD₃ and β-UH₃ are reported. Diffraction patterns have been obtained both above (220 K) and below (10 K) the Curie temperature, in order to refine the crystal structure on the basis of a large number of resolved Bragg peaks and to obtain the ordered magnetic moment. The two kinds of uranium atoms present in the structure appear to be magnetically equivalent. The observed magnetic moment for β-UD₃ at T = 10 K is μ_ord = (1.45 ? 0.11) μ_B/U_atom     

Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic ordering in EuAs3

The magnetic structure of one of the two ordered phases has been determined at 5 K. The magnetic structure is found to be antiferromagnetic with a cell doubling in the c direction of the monoclinic nuclear cell. The centering in the nuclear cell is replaced by anticentering. The collinear magnetic moments are parallel to the b axis. The magnetic moment per Eu atom has been found to be 5.74(6)μ_B which leads to the saturation magnetic moment of 6.5μ_B.     

Neutron diffraction study of DyCu2Ge2

The DyCu₂Ge₂ compound was studied by neutron diffraction on the Grenoble Nuclear Research Center multicounter system. The compound is isostructural to the rare earth RCu₂Ge₂ compounds with space group I4/mmm. 19 superlattice lines were observed in the 3 K pattern which are consistent with a doubling of the unit cell in the a and c directions. The moment value is 8 μ_B making an angle of 30° with a and 70° with c axis. The structure consists of ferromagnetic (1 0 1) layers with antiferromagnetic coupling between them. The Néel and Curie paramagnetic temperature of this compound is 8 K and ? 15 K respectively.     

Neutron diffraction study of magnetically ordered TbAsO4

TbAsO₄ undergoes a magnetic phase tranfition at T_N = 1.5 K into a helical antiferromagnetic moment configuration. The spiral is planar, with the propagation vector along [001] and the moments perpendicular to [001]. The propagation period is $\text{197 ± 12}\text{A}\text{?}$, equivalent to 31 ± 2 unit cell constants. The neutron diffraction results are discussed in connection with previously measured macroscopic data.     

Neutron diffraction study of antiferromagnetism in YbVO4

The antiferromagnetism of YbVO₄ has been studied by neutron diffraction down to 50 mK. The structure is collinear with the spins along the c-axis. The Néel point is at 93 mK and the saturated moment on the ytterbium is (3.1 ± 0.16)μB. The results are in reasonable agreement with Mössbauer work.     

Neutron diffraction study of RECo2Si2 intermetallics

A neutron diffraction study of polycrystalline RECo₂Si₂ intermetallics (RE = Pr, Nd, Tb, Ho, Er) carried out at liquid helium temperature shows the presence of a collinear antiferromagnetic ordering of +?+? type. Magnetic moment is localized on RE ions only and amounts to the RE³⁺ free ion value. In ErCo₂Si₂ the magnetic moment is normal to the tetragonal unique axis, whereas in the remaining compounds the magnetic moment is aligned along it. Néel points were determined from the temperature dependence of magnetic peak heights.     

Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of Er0.75 Lu0.25

Neutron diffraction studies of an Er_0.75 Lu_0.25 alloy single crystal show a transition to a c-axis longitudinal spin wave at 68 K and a transition to a slightly distorted antiferromagnetic conical structure at 40 K. No ferromagnetic transition has been observed down to 4.9 K.     

Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of NiCO3 at various temperatures

Neutron diffraction experiments performed on a powdered sample of NiCO₃ show that from 4.5K up to T_a=21K, the antiferromagnetic vector is perpendicular to the trigonal axis. At T_b=25K and up to about 44K, short range magnetic ordering is observed. These results are in good agreement with recent magnetization measurements performed in our laboratory on the same powdered sample.     

Neutron diffraction study of antiferromagnetic sulfur La2MnZnS5

Neutron diffraction experiments show that orthorhombic La₂MnZnS₅ is a helimagnet with propagation vector along [001] leading to a turning angle φ ∽ 108°. Magnetic moments are in (010). Interchain antiferromagnetic interactions are needed to explain the observed results.     

Neutron diffraction study of magnetic properties of TmCo2

The present neutron diffraction studies have confirmed that TmCo₂ represents an exception within the RCo₂ series. It was found that, in contrast with other heavy RCo₂ compounds, the Co sublattice in TmCo₂ does not order magnetically below the Curie temperature (T_c = 3.9 K). This is assumed to be due the fact that in TmCo₂ the intersublattice (f-d) molecular field is smaller than the critical field necessary to induce magnetic order within the Co sublattice, as is the case in other RCo₂ compounds. Furthermore, we show that the magnetic structure and the onset of long-range order in TmCo₂ depend sensitively on the sample preparation, which partly explains the differing results published earlier.     

Neutron diffraction study on composite compound Nd2Co7

The crystallographic and the magnetic structures of the composite compound Nd₂Co₇ at 300 K are investigated by a combined refinement of X-ray diffraction data and high-resolution neutron diffraction data. The compound crystallizes into a hexagonal Ce₂Ni₇-type structure and consists of alternately stacking MgZn₂-type NdCo₂ and CaCu₅-type NdCo₅ structural blocks along the c axis. A magnetic structure model with the moments of all atoms aligning along the c axis provides a satisfactory fitting to the neutron diffraction data and coincides with the easy magnetization direction revealed by the X-ray diffraction experiments on magnetically pre-aligned fine particles. The refinement results show that the derived atomic moments of the Co atoms vary in a range of 0.7 μ_B-1.1 μ_B and the atomic moment of Nd in the NdCo₅ slab is close to the theoretical moment of a free trivalent Nd³⁺ ion, whereas the atomic moment of Nd in the NdCo₂ slab is much smaller than the theoretical value for a free Nd³⁺ ion. The remarkable difference in the atomic moment of Nd atoms between different structural slabs at room temperature is explained in terms of the magnetic characteristics of the NdCo₂ and NdCo₅ compounds and the local chemical environments of the Nd atoms in different structural slabs of the Nd₂Co₇ compound.     

Neutron diffraction studies of Tb2Rh3Si5 compound

In this work neutron diffraction studies of Tb₂Rh₃Si₅ compound are reported. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal structure of Lu₂Co₃Si₅-type. At 1.5 K an antiferromagnetic ordering with a propagation vector k=(1/2;1/2;1/2) was observed. The Tb magnetic moments of 9.8(2) μ_B form a non-collinear magnetic structure. In the vicinity of Néel temperature of 8 K a change of the magnetic ordering is evidenced. The change seems to be connected with phase transition from commensurate to incommensurate sine-wave modulation of the Tb magnetic moments.     

Magnetostructural phase transitions of DyFe4Ge2: Part II Neutron diffraction

We present the temperature magnetic phase diagram of the compound DyFe₄Ge₂ determined from neutron diffraction data for the entire magnetically ordered regime. DyFe₄Ge₂ undergoes at a simultaneous structural and magnetic transition of second order (or weakly first order) followed by two subsequent isostructural first-order magnetic transitions at and T_ic1=28K:

The re-entrant lock-in magnetic phase is stable in the high-temperature range T_ic2–T_N and in the low-temperature range 1.5 K–T_ic1 while the incommensurately modulated magnetic phase is sandwiched in the intermediate range T_ic1–T_ic2 between the two commensurate phases. The wave vector q₂ has a temperature-dependent length with a minimum in the middle of the incommensurate range and corresponds to a multiaxial amplitude modulated phase. Symmetry analysis leads for both propagation vectors in Cmmm to a twofold and fourfold splitting of the tetragonal Dy 2b site and the Fe 8i sites, respectively. The low temperature and the phases correspond to 3D canted magnetic structures described by the irreducible representations (Irreps) Γ₂+Γ₃ while the high-temperature q₁ phase to 2D canted magnetic structures described by a single Irrep Γ₂. The T_ic2 transition is connected with reorientations of both Fe and Dy moments.     

Neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements of polycrystalline NH4MnCl3

Neutron diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements show NH₄MnCl₃ to be an antiferromagnet of type G with T_N ∼ 105°K. The low temperature patterns reveal a tetragonal splitting and superlattice lines which were accounted for by assuming the space group to be P bnm.     

Neutron diffraction study of the (1-x)αFe2O3xAl2O3 system

The magnetic structure of the (1-x) α Fe₂O₃xAl₂O₃ system with x= 0–0.1 has been investigated on polycrystalline samples by neutron diffraction method. The Morin transition temperature and the Néel temperature are observed to decrease on increasing x. The angle by which the magnetic moments turn out of the basal plane in the Morin transition also decreases with increasing x. The Morin transition does not occur above x = 0.09.     

On the magnetic structure and magnetic phase transitions of Tb5Ge4. A Neutron diffraction study

Tb₅Ge₄ crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, and orders antiferromagnetically below T_N = 91K. Neutron diffraction powder data at 4.2K reveal a ten-sublattice canted antiferromagnetic arrangment. The structure, which is described by the magnetic space group Pnm'a (Γ_8u) with propagation vector k = 0, has three-dimensional components for the atoms in the 8(d) positions, and is almost colinear for the atoms in the 4(c) positions. The magnetic interaction in the layers formed by the Tb atoms in the (010) plane is mainly ferromagnetic, in agreement with the high paramagnetic Curie temperature of 85K. The structure is antiferromagnetically compensated through an antisymmetry center. The main axis of antiferromagnetism is parallel to z. Magnetic phase transitions have been observed by applying a magnetic field in the (010) plane. The structure is stabilized through exchange interactions via conduction electrons. Because of the low symmetry, the Hamiltonian may contain anisotropic terms that result in a canted arrangement.     

Neutron diffraction study and specific heat of antiferromagnetic NiI2

A neutron diffraction study has been carried out on a sample of powder of NiI₂: the spectrum at 4.2 K shows only a single magnetic line which cannot be indexed on the 2C lattice. Measurements of the specific heat capacity in the region of the transition show the existence of two peaks at the temperatures T₁=76K and T₂=59.5K, which correspond to singularities in the magnetisation.