Ferrimagnetic structure in the high-pressure phase of α−Mn

Abstract

The α−Mn phase exhibits a large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in its pressure-induced weak ferromagnetic (WFM) state, despite its relatively small spontaneous magnetization of ∼0.02μB/Mn. To understand the underlying mechanism behind this AHE, we performed single crystal neutron diffraction measurements at 2.0 GPa to determine the magnetic structure of the WFM phase. Our investigation reveals a ferrimagnetic structure characterized by nearly collinear magnetic moments aligned along the [001] direction at sites I, II, III-1, and IV-1. In contrast, the small moments at sites III-2 and IV-2 lie within the (001) plane. The calculated net magnetization of this magnetic structure, (−0.08±0.10)μB/Mn atom, is in agreement with the experimentally determined spontaneous magnetization. The observation of a magnetic reflection at q=(0,0,0) satisfies a key condition for the emergence of the AHE. Published by the American Physical Society 2024