Abstract
We combine x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy at Fe edges, at Eu edges, x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) investigation of Eu valence, and local spin density calculations, to show that the filled skutterudite is a ferrimagnet in which the Fe moment and the moment are magnetically ordered with dominant antiferromagnetic coupling. From Eu edge XAS, we find that about 13% of the Eu have a formal valence of . We ascribe the origin of ferrimagnetism at a relatively high transition temperature of 85 K in to -electron interaction with the nearly ferromagnetic host lattice.
- Received 17 May 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.126403
©2007 American Physical Society