Completely compensated ferrimagnetism and sublattice spin crossing in the half-metallic Heusler compound Mn1.5FeV0.5Al

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the Mn1.5FeV0.5Al Heusler compound exhibits a tunable, fully compensated ferrimagnetic state with half-metallicity, confirmed by experimental measurements and theoretical models, highlighting its potential for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence and theoretical understanding of compensated ferrimagnetism in Mn1.5FeV0.5Al, a half-metallic Heusler compound, expanding knowledge of magnetic compensation mechanisms.

Findings

Demonstrated fully compensated ferrimagnetism in Mn1.5FeV0.5Al.

Observed a compensation point with magnetic reversal and Hall effect sign change.

Developed models linking electronic structure to compensation mechanisms.

Abstract

The Slater-Pauling rule states that L21 Heusler compounds with 24 valence electrons do never exhibit a total spin magnetic moment. In case of strongly localized magnetic moments at one of the atoms (here Mn) they will exhibit a fully compensated half-metallic ferrimagnetic state instead, in particular, when symmetry does not allow for antiferromagnetic order. With aid of magnetic and anomalous Hall effect measurements it is experimentally demonstrated that Mn1.5V0.5FeAl follows such a scenario. The ferrimagnetic state is tuned by the composition. A small residual magnetization, that arises due to a slight mismatch of the magnetic moments in the different sublattices results in a pronounced change of the temperature dependence of the ferrimagnet. A compensation point is confirmed by observation of magnetic reversal and sign change of the anomalous Hall effect. Theoretical models are presented that correlate the electronic structure and the compensation mechanisms of the different half-metallic ferrimagnetic states in the Mn-V-Fe-Al Heusler system.