Magnetic properties of cubic La(FexAl1−x)13 intermetallic compounds

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Abstract
We report susceptibility and magnetization measurements for La(FexAl1–x)13 which can be stabilized over the x range 0.46–0.92. At low x values a mictomagnetic regime occurs with distinct cusps in the ac susceptibility. Upon increasing the Fe concentration a soft ferromagnetic phase is found which at lower temperatures shows anisotropy effects related to mictomagnetic behavior. Finally for x > 0.86 antiferromagnetic order appears along with a very sharp metamagnetic transition in external fields of a few Teslas. The saturation moment increases linearly with x from 1.3μB to 2.3μB throughout the ferro- and metamagnetic regimes. These unusual properties are discussed in terms of local moment magnetism and the particular crystal structure which permits a large Fe-Fe coordination number at small distances