Evidence of a spin-glass transition in the quasicrystal Al73Mn21Si6

Abstract
We give a definite answer to the question whether or not the quasicrystal i-Al73 Mn21 Si6 is a true three-dimensional spin glass by measuring the linear (χac and χdc) and dc nonlinear susceptibilities [A3(T),. . .]. We show that the magnetic correlations expand over large distances with decreasing T and that A3(T) diverges following the spin-glass transition scaling law with finite Tc. From A3 and χdc we deduce separately and in the H=0 field limit the number (1.3% of the Mn concentration) and the moment (large, 7.5μB) of the magnetic entities, which can be attributed to Mn clusters.