Doping-induced temperature evolution of a helicoidal spin structure in the MnGe compound

• Published in: Surface investigation, x-ray, synchrotron and neutron techniques x-ray, synchrotron and neutron techniques, 2016-07, Vol.10 (4), p.777-782
• Main Authors: Altynbaev, E. V., Sukhanov, A. S., Siegfried, S.-A., Dyadkin, V. A., Moskvin, E. V., Menzel, D., Heinemann, A., Schreyer, A., Fomicheva, L. N., Tsvyashenko, A. V., Grigoriev, S. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Materials Science; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films
• ISSN: 1027-4510; 1819-7094
• DOI: 10.1134/S1027451016040224

The helicoidal magnetic structure of a MnGe compound doped with 25% Fe is studied by means of small-angle neutron scattering in a wide temperature range of 10–300 K. Analysis of the scattering-function profile demonstrates that magnetic structures inherent to both pure MnGe and its doped compounds are unstable. The doping of manganese monogermanide is revealed to lead to higher destabilization of the magnetic system. In passing from MnGe to Mn 0.75 Fe 0.25 Ge, the magnetic-ordering temperature T N decreases from 130 to 95 K, respectively. It is demonstrated that, at temperatures close to 0 K, the intensity of the contribution to scattering from stable spin helices decreases and the intensity of scattering by spin helix fluctuations increases with increasing impurity-metal concentration. An increased intensity of anomalous scattering caused by spin excitations existing in the system is observed. Helicoidal fluctuations and spin excitations corresponding to low temperatures indicate the quantum nature of the instability in the doped compound. However, MnGe doping with Fe atoms has no influence on the compound’s magnetic properties at temperatures of higher than T N . The temperature range of short-range ferromagnetic correlations is independent of concentrations and is restricted by temperatures T ranging from 175 to 300 K.