Antiferromagnetic magnetic transition and spin fluctuations in the deformed pyrochlore compound β-Fe2(OH)3Cl

M. Fujihala, M. Hagihala, X. G. Zheng, and T. Kawae
Phys. Rev. B 82, 024425 – Published 26 July 2010

Abstract

Magnetism of the rhombohedral structure Fe2(OH)3Cl [β-Fe2(OH)3Cl], a member of the geometric frustration series M2(OH)3X where the magnetic ions form a deformed pyrochlore lattice, was studied using dc and ac susceptibilities, heat-capacity, neutron powder-diffraction, and muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements. Antiferromagnetic transition was observed at TN=9.0K with a much larger Curie-Weiss temperature θw of approximately 64K, suggesting that Fe2(OH)3Cl is a geometrically frustrated magnet. Neutron-diffraction studies revealed the transition into a long-range antiferromagnetic order below TN=9.0K with the Fe2+ spins on the triangular lattice planes disordered, and the other ones on the kagome lattice planes having frozen moments of less than 70% of the full Fe2+ moment. Spin fluctuations below TN were verified further using μSR studies. The magnetically phase-separated feature and the spin fluctuation coexisting with a long-range magnetic order are considered to be of great interest for studying geometric frustration and the behavior of S=2 spin systems on prochlore and kagome lattices.

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  • Received 3 April 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.024425

©2010 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. Fujihala1, M. Hagihala1, X. G. Zheng1,2,*, and T. Kawae3

  • 1Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saga University, Saga 840-8502, Japan
  • 2Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Saga University, Saga 840-8502, Japan
  • 3Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

  • *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; zheng@cc.saga-u.ac.jp

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Vol. 82, Iss. 2 — 1 July 2010

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