Incommensurate magnetic structure of CeSi as observed by neutron diffraction

The magnetic ordering of the orthorhombic compound CeSi (Pama space group, FeB type of structure, Z = 4) T_n = 5.6 K was investigated by means of powder neutron diffraction in the temperatures 1.5 and 10 K. Our results show that the magnetic ordering is associated with a three dimensionally amplitude-modulated phase which is incommensurate with the crystal lattice with wave vector q = (q_χ,q_y,q_z). The ordered Ce³⁺ moments are confined to the plane (a,b) at an angle of 16.7° with the b direction. It follows from the present data analysis that the dominant wave vector component is q_z, which approximately corresponds to a transversal modulation, however the incommensurateness involves also the q_x and q_y components. The amplitude of the sine wave is μ⁰_j = 1.667μ_B at 1.5 K which corresponds to quite a reduced ordered moment value compared to the Ce³⁺ free ion value gJ = 2.14μ_B.