https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00442-0
On the ground-state magnetic structure in Er2Ni2Pb
1
Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy, SF-2, Glienicker Str. 100, 14109 Berlin, Germany
2
Institute of Physics II, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany and Kammerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Corresponding author: a prokes@helmholtz-berlin.de
Received:
26
September
2008
Published online:
4
December
2008
We have studied the unusual low-temperature magnetic phase of Er2Ni2Pb using powder neutron diffraction measurements in zero field down to 460 mK. Our previous neutron diffraction experiments down to 1.5 K showed that magnetic Bragg reflections seen in Er2Ni2Pb can be indexed by several propagation vectors that partially coexist. All the incommensurate propagation vectors seemed to disappear in the low temperature limit. The present study, however, shows that reflections belonging to the propagation vector q' = (0.47 0 1/2) do not disappear but remain present down to 460 mK. This highly unexpected result suggests that the magnetic structure described by this propagation vector might not be a simple sine-wave modulation. One interesting possibility here is a spin-slip structure as the ground state.
PACS: 75.25.+z – Spin arrangements in magnetically ordered materials (including neutron and spin-polarized electron studies, synchrotron-source X-ray scattering, etc.) / 61.05.fm – Neutron diffraction
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2008