Magnetic Structure of the Half-Metallic Magnet UNiSn

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Abstract
Neutron powder diffraction studies have been performed to study the unusual magnetic ordering in half-metallic UNiSn with the cubic MgAgAs-type structure. The result indicates that the magnetic structure of UNiSn is a type-I antiferromagnetic structure with the ordered uranium moment of 1.55±0.10 µ B . The Néel temperature is 46±2 K, which coincides with the transition temperature from semiconductor to metal in electrical conductivity. We therefore propose that the development of the type-I antiferromagnetism UNiSn strongly suppresses antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and leads to disappearance of the semiconducting energy gap.