Magnetic structure of antiferromagnetic NdRhIn5

TL;DR

This study determines the antiferromagnetic magnetic structure of NdRhIn5 using neutron diffraction, revealing a commensurate structure with specific magnetic properties and comparing it to related compounds.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed neutron diffraction analysis of NdRhIn5's magnetic structure and discusses the influence of anisotropies on its magnetic behavior.

Findings

NdRhIn5 has a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure below 11K.

The Nd moments are aligned along the c-axis with a magnitude of 2.6μ_B.

The magnetic structure is similar to that of NdIn3, with implications for anisotropy effects.

Abstract

The magnetic structure of antiferromagnetic NdRhIn5 has been determined using neutron diffraction. It has a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure with a magnetic wave vector (1/2,0,1/2) below T_N = 11K. The staggered Nd moment at 1.6K is 2.6mu_B aligned along the c-axis. We find the magnetic structure to be closely related to that of its cubic parent compound NdIn3 below 4.6K. The enhanced T_N and the absence of additional transitions below T_N for NdRhIn5 are interpreted in terms of an improved matching of the crystalline-electric-field (CEF), magnetocrystalline, and exchange interaction anisotropies. In comparison, the role of these competing anisotropies on the magnetic properties of the structurally related compound CeRhIn5 is discussed.