Eur. Phys. J. B 32, 35-42 (2003)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00071-1

Magnetic phases in Mn_1-xFe_xWO₄ studied by neutron powder diffraction

¹ Hahn-Meitner Institut, Abteilung SF3, Glienicker Strasse 100, 14109 Berlin, Germany
² Institut für Physik, EKM, Universität Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany

Corresponding author: ^a garcia-matres@hmi.de

Received: 9 October 2002
Published online: 14 March 2003

Abstract

The magnetic structures of Mn_1-xFe_xWO₄ with x = 0.0, 0.16, 0.21, 0.225, 0.232, 0.24, 0.27, 0.29, and 1.0 were refined from neutron powder diffraction data. The magnetic phase diagram could be completed in the coexistence range of different magnetic structures up to x = 0.29. For the magnetic state at 1.5 K a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure with a propagation vector was found for while the magnetic spins order with for . In the latter phase, additionally, weak magnetic reflections indexed to an incommensurate ordering with occur in the diffraction pattern up to x = 0.29 indicating the occurence of a reentrant phase. For the low temperature phases are separated from a magnetic high temperature phase showing only magnetic reflections indexed to a spin arrangement with . The magnetic phase diagram is discussed qualitatively considering random superexchange between the statistically distributed Mn²⁺- and Fe²⁺-ions in the coexistence range of different magnetic structures related to those of pure MnWO₄ and FeWO₄.