Abstract
exhibits an anomaly in its magnetic susceptibility around 80 K associated with a thermally excited transition of the -ion spin. We show that electron energy-loss spectroscopy is sensitive to this -ion spin-state transition, and that the O edge prepeak provides a direct measure of the spin state in as a function of temperature. Our experimental results are confirmed by first-principles calculations, and we conclude that the thermally excited spin-state transition occurs from a low to an intermediate spin state, which can be distinguished from the high-spin state.
- Received 13 December 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.047203
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