Origin of magnetic ordering in half-Heusler RuMnGa

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetic properties of the half-Heusler alloy RuMnGa, revealing ferromagnetic ordering due to off-stoichiometry and uncovering rare reentrant spin-glass behavior, challenging prior theoretical predictions.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed experimental analysis of RuMnGa's structure and magnetic properties, demonstrating ferromagnetism and spin-glass behavior in a VEC 18 half-Heusler alloy.

Findings

RuMnGa exhibits ferromagnetic ordering due to off-stoichiometry.

The alloy shows reentrant spin-glass behavior.

Resistivity changes sign with temperature.

Abstract

The half-Heusler alloy RuMnGa having valence electron count (VEC) 18 has recently been theoretically proposed to exhibit compensated ferrimagnetic (CFiM) character instead of the expected nonmagnetic ground state. On the other hand, a preliminary experimental study proposed ferromagnetic (FM) ordering. As no half-Heusler system with VEC 18 is known to exhibit magnetic ordering, we have investigated the details of crystal structure and magnetic properties of RuMnGa using a combination of experimental tools, viz., x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques, dc and ac susceptibility, isothermal magnetisation, heat capacity, resistivity and neutron depolarisation measurements. Rietveld refinements of x-ray and neutron diffraction data suggest single phase nature of the compound with elemental composition RuMn$_{0.86}$Ga$_{1.14}$. We have shown that the system exhibits FM-type ordering owing to the inherent presence of this minor off-stoichiometry, showing very low magnetic moment. The system also exhibits reentrant canonical spin-glass behaviour, which is rarely observed in half-Heusler alloys. The temperature coefficient of resistivity changes its sign from negative to positive and further to negative as the temperature decreases.