Spin glass-like behavior in spin-density-wave CrCoMn alloys

Abstract Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization of spin-density-wave (SDW) alloy systems (Cr+3.2%Co) 1− x Mn x and (Cr+6.5%Co) 1− x Mn x have been measured with a SQUID magnetometer. Magnetic properties of the studied alloys are compared with those exhibited by binary Cr 1− x Mn x and ternary (CrFe) 1− x Mn x and (CrSi) 1− x Mn x alloys. All these alloys show spin glass (SG)-like behavior; however, some of their magnetic properties are quite different from those exhibited by conventional metallic spin glasses. Though both Fe and Co produce a local moment in Cr and CrMn, addition of Co to CrMn does not result in suppression of SG-like phase like that in (CrFe) 1− x Mn x . This seems to be a result of essentially different strengths of Fe–Cr and Co–Cr couplings. All alloys studied show a low-temperature SG-like magnetic hysteresis. Such hysteresis is shifted to negative fields by cooling the alloys in a strong magnetic field through the Neel temperature. This effect is caused by unidirectional anisotropy of Co atoms frozen in the SDW matrix.