Site disorder and spin-glass ordering in PrAu 2Si 2

Abstract

We have used Au197 Mössbauer spectroscopy along with both neutron and x-ray diffraction to search for site disorder and noncollinear magnetic ordering in PrAu2Si2. There is no evidence of a transferred hyperfine field at the Au site down to 1.7 K allowing us to rule out both collinear antiferromagnetic order and spin-glass ordering of the Pr moments. Full-pattern Rietveld refinement of both neutron and x-ray diffraction data taken over a wide angle range allows us to exclude AuSi site disorder at the 1% level. We conclude that the Pr moments do not order above 1.7 K in PrAu2Si2, and that the susceptibility peak is likely a dynamic effect. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.