3 research outputs found
Magnetic structures of Mn3-xFexSn2: an experimental and theoretical study
We investigate the magnetic structure of Mn3-xFexSn2 using neutron powder
diffraction experiments and electronic structure calculations. These alloys
crystallize in the orthorhombic Ni3Sn2 type of structure (Pnma) and comprise
two inequivalent sites for the transition metal atoms (4c and 8d) and two Sn
sites (4c and 4c). The neutron data show that the substituting Fe atoms
predominantly occupy the 4c transition metal site and carry a lower magnetic
moment than Mn atoms. Four kinds of magnetic structures are encountered as a
function of temperature and composition: two simple ferromagnetic structures
(with the magnetic moments pointing along the b or c axis) and two canted
ferromagnetic arrangements (with the ferromagnetic component pointing along the
b or c axis). Electronic structure calculations results agree well with the
low-temperature experimental magnetic moments and canting angles throughout the
series. Comparisons between collinear and non-collinear computations show that
the canted state is stabilized by a band mechanism through the opening of a
hybridization gap. Synchrotron powder diffraction experiments on Mn3Sn2 reveal
a weak monoclinic distortion at low temperature (90.08 deg at 175 K). This
lowering of symmetry could explain the stabilization of the c-axis canted
ferromagnetic structure, which mixes two orthorhombic magnetic space groups, a
circumstance that would otherwise require unusually large high-order terms in
the spin Hamiltonian.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure