Magnetism in $M_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ ($M$ = Fe, V, Mn): insight into intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides using $\mu$SR

TL;DR

This study uses muon-spin relaxation to explore magnetic properties in intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides $M_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ ($M$ = Fe, V, Mn), revealing how different intercalants influence magnetic order and dynamics.

Contribution

It provides detailed muon-spin relaxation measurements across the series, uncovering distinct magnetic phases and behaviors driven by different intercalant species.

Findings

Long-range magnetic order in all three materials.

Coexistence of two magnetic phases in Fe$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$.

Observation of a dynamic response peak at 9 K in V$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$.

Abstract

We present the results of muon-spin relaxation ($\mu$SR) measurements of the static and dynamic magnetism of $M_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ ($M$ = Fe, V, Mn), three intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides. Transitions to long-range magnetic order are observed in all three materials and local magnetic fields at muon sites are compared to dipole field calculations. Measurements on Fe$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ capture the evolution of two coexisting magnetic phases. In V$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ we observe a peak in the dynamic response at $9$ K, coincident with previous reports of a possible low-temperature phase transition. The observation of high-frequency muon precession in Mn$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ suggests the existence of an additional muon site that implies a difference in electronic energy landscape compared to the other materials in the series. Taken together, this demonstrates that the change in intercalant species drives significant variations in magnetism, highlighting the $M_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ ($M$ = Fe, V, Mn) series as an ideal group of materials for investigating a wide range of magnetic phenomena.