Determination of the magnetic structures in orthoferrite CeFeO3by neutron powder diffraction: first order spin reorientation and appearance of an ordered Ce-moment.
Clemens RitterMonica CerettiWerner PaulusPublished in: Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal (2021)
High resolution and high intensity neutron powder diffraction are used to determine the temperature dependence of the crystallographic and magnetic structure of the orthoferrite CeFeO3. The high temperatureGx-type magnetic coupling of the Fe-sublattice described by the Γ4(GxAyFz) irreducible representation changes at the spin reorientation temperatureTSR= 228 K to aGy-type coupling of Γ1(AxGyCz). The spin reorientation is of first order and sees a hysteresis of about 2.5 K atTSR. Below 35 K faint magnetic peaks reflectingCztype magnetic coupling appear and are argued to be related to the Ce-sublattice. Magnetic moments at 2 K amount toμFe= 4.15 μBandμCe= 0.11 μB. CeFeO3is only the secondRFeO3compound after DyFeO3showing this ground state magnetic structure of the Fe-sublattice. The orthorhombic structurePbnmis kept over the whole temperature range.