Exotic (anti)ferromagnetism in single crystals of Pr(6)Ni(2)Si(3)
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2008-06-01
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American Physical Society
Abstract
The ternary intermetallic compound, Pr(6)Ni(2)Si(3), is a member of a structure series of compounds based on a triangular structure where the number of Pr atoms in the prism cross section can be systematically varied. Pr(6)Ni(2)Si(3) contains two distinct Pr lattice sites which result in complex interactions between the magnetic ions. Extensive measurements of specific heat and magnetization on single-crystal samples indicate that Pr(6)Ni(2)Si(3) orders with both a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet component, with ordering temperatures of 39.6 and similar to 32 K, respectively. The ferromagnetic component parallel to c axis is accompanied by a large hysteresis, and the antiferromagnetic component perpendicular to c axis is accompanied by a spin-flop-type transition. More detailed measurements, of the vector magnetization, indicate that the ferromagnetic and the antiferromagnetic order appear independent of each other. These results not only clarify the behavior of Pr(6)Ni(2)Si(3) itself but also of the other members of the structure series, Pr(5)Ni(2)Si(3) and Pr(15)Ni(7)Si(10).
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This article is published as Janssen, Y., K. W. Dennis, R. Prozorov, P. C. Canfield, and R. W. McCallum. "Exotic (anti) ferromagnetism in single crystals of Pr 6 Ni 2 Si 3." Physical Review B 77, no. 21 (2008): 214407.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.77.214407.
Copyright 2008 American Physical Society.
Posted with permission.