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

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 Cr1-xMnx 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. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.