Abstract
The magnetic structure of the mixed antiferromagnet NdMn0.8Fe0.2O3 was resolved. Neutron powder diffraction data definitively resolve the Mn sublattice with a magnetic propagation vector k=(000) and with the magnetic structure (Ax,Fy,Gz) for 1.6 K <T<TN(≈59 K). The Nd sublattice has a (0,fy,0) contribution in the same temperature interval. The Mn sublattice undergoes a spin-reorientation transition at T1≈13 K while the Nd magnetic moment abruptly increases at this temperature. Powder x-ray diffraction shows a strong magnetoelastic effect at TN but no additional structural phase transitions from 3 to 300 K. Density functional theory calculations confirm the magnetic structure of the undoped NdMnO3 as part of our analysis. Taken together, these results show that the magnetic structure of the Mn sublattice in NdMn0.8Fe0.2O3 is a combination of the Mn and Fe parent compounds, but the magnetic ordering of the Nd sublattice spans a broader temperature interval than in the case of NdMnO3 and NdFeO3. This result is a consequence of the fact that the Nd ions do not order independently, but via polarization from the Mn/Fe sublattice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 134430 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 27 2017 |
Funding
This research project has been supported, in part, by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme through the ‘Research Infrastructure’ action of the ‘Capacities’ Programme, NMI3-II Grant No. 283883, VEGA Project No. 2/0132/16, and ERDF EU under Contract No. ITMS-26220120047; by the U.S. National Science Foundation through Grants No. DMR-1202033 (M.W.M.) and No. DMR-1157490 (NHMFL), by the Czech Science Foundation project 14-08124S (D.K.), and by the ERDF project “Nanomaterials centre for advanced applications,” No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15 003/0000485 (D.K.). A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The intensive numerical calculations (by D.L. and K.M.L.) were supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports from the Large Infrastructures for Research, Experimental Development and Innovations project “IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center,” No. LM2015070 and the National Programme of Sustainability (NPU II) project “IT4Innovations excellence in science,” No. LQ1602, and (for D.L.) also by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Project No. 17-23964S.