Abstract
In CsMnFe, which has a cubic structure ( Å), space group , the magnetic ions and form regular tetrahedra. The system should exhibit frustration effects, since the nearest-neighbor interactions are antiferromagnetic in character. We performed neutron scattering, ac susceptibility, and magnetization measurements both on a powder and a single crystal, for temperatures K and applied magnetic fields kOe. It was found that already at K there are well-developed clusters of antiferromagnetically coupled spins. These clusters have a weak resulting moment. Lowering the temperature to K leads to an increase of the effective moment due to the reduction of the thermal motions, whereas this moment remains constant for K. At K the cluster moments freeze in—a process which is accompanied by a ferromagnetic ordering of the resulting moments of the clusters. It is suggested that an applied magnetic field breaks the large domains, containing many clusters, into microdomains containing only a few clusters, or even one.
- Received 25 May 1982
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.26.6150
©1982 American Physical Society