Optical and ESR investigations of lanthanum aluminates LaMg1−xMnxO19 single crystals with magnetoplumbite-like structure

New lanthanum aluminates LaMAl₁₁O₁₉ (M²⁺ = Ni, Co, Mn, Mg_1?xMn_x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1), with magnetoplumbite-like structure have been obtained as single crystals. This paper is particularly devoted to the Mn²⁺ and $\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{Mn}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}$ mixed compounds, which exhibit promising luminescent properties. Several characteristics of the crystals are given. The absorption spectra of the materials, as grown, are assigned to Mn²⁺ ions in tetrahedral sites. After annealing in air new absorptions attributed to octahedral Mn³⁺ ions, appear. The ESR spectra of Mn²⁺ in all these crystals exhibit axial symmetry. For x ≤ 0.25 they arise from isolated Mn²⁺ ions in slightly distorted tetrahedral sites and reveal a strong disorder effect. For x ≥0.5 the spectra consist of a single line, attributed to clusters of magnetically interacting Mn²⁺ ions.