Abstract
High pressure nuclear forward scattering experiments have been performed on the nonmagnetic semiconductor SmS. We present the first clear evidence that the closure of the insulating gap at coincides with the appearance of magnetic order. The pressure-induced magnetic phase transition has some first order character and suggests that the Sm ions are nearly trivalent at . A quartet crystal field ground state with a value of for the samarium magnetic moment is inferred from our results. Considerable magnetic short range order is observed above the ordering temperature inferred from macroscopic measurements.
- Received 27 September 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.066401
©2004 American Physical Society