Observation of long range magnetic ordering in pyrohafnate Nd2Hf2O7: A neutron diffraction study
Abstract
We have investigated the physical properties of a pyrochlore hafnate Nd2Hf2O7 using ac magnetic susceptibility ac(T), dc magnetic susceptibility (T), isothermal magnetization M(H) and heat capacity Cp(T) measurements, and determined the magnetic ground state by neutron powder diffraction study. An upturn is observed below 6 K in Cp(T)/T, however both Cp(T) and (T) do not show any clear anomaly down to 2 K. The ac(T) shows a well pronounced anomaly indicating an antiferromagnetic transition at TN = 0.55 K. The long range antiferromagnetic ordering is confirmed by neutron diffraction. The refinement of neutron diffraction pattern reveals an all-in/all-out antiferromagnetic structure, where for successive tetrahedra, the four Nd3+ magnetic moments point alternatively all-into or all-out-of the tetrahedron, with an ordering wavevector k = (0, 0, 0) and an ordered state magnetic moment of m = 0.62(1) μB/Nd at 0.1 K. The ordered moment is strongly reduced reflecting strong quantum fluctuations in ordered state.
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