Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structures of PrMn2-xCoxGe2 (x=0.4, 0.5 and 0.8) with a new refinement procedure

Dincer, I; Elmali, A; Elerman, Y; Ehrenberg, H; Fuess, H; Isnard, O

doi:10.1088/0953-8984/16/12/017

Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structures of PrMn2-xCoxGe2 (x=0.4, 0.5 and 0.8) with a new refinement procedure

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Dincer I., Elmali A., Elerman Y., Ehrenberg H., Fuess H., Isnard O.

JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER, vol.16, no.12, pp.2081-2091, 2004 (SCI-Expanded)

Publication Type: Article / Article
Volume: 16 Issue: 12
Publication Date: 2004
Doi Number: 10.1088/0953-8984/16/12/017
Journal Name: JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
Page Numbers: pp.2081-2091
Ankara University Affiliated: No

Abstract

The magnetic structures of PrMn2-xCoxGe2 (x = 0.4, 0.5 and 0.8) with ThCr2Si2-type structure have been investigated by means of neutron diffraction measurements between 2 and 312 K. We introduced a new refinement procedure to determine the magnetic moments of Pr and Mn sublattices below the rare-earth ordering temperature T, Pr because of the overlapping of the magnetic reflections of the Pr and Mn sublattices. Rietveld refinements demonstrated that above the Curie temperature an intralayer antiferromagnetic ordering within (001) Mn layers is observed in PrMn1.6Co0.4Ge2 and PrMn1.5Co0.5Ge2, while the intralayer antiferromagnetic ordering within (001) Mn layers is found over the whole temperature range for PrMn1.2Co0.8Ge2. Below the Curie temperature the PrMn1.6Co0.4Ge2 and PrMn1.5Co0.5Ge2 compounds have a canted ferromagnetic structure with the canting angles 62degrees and 65degrees at 2 K, respectively. Below 75 and 70 K, a ferromagnetic ordering of the Pr sublattice is observed along the c-axis for these compounds. Below 70 K, a ferromagnetic ordering of Pr sublattices is found (not detected by magnetic measurements) along the c-axis in PrMn1.2Co0.8Ge2.