Suppression of ferromagnetism and emergence of a cluster-glass state in (: Muon spin relaxation and neutron diffraction studies
Phys. Rev. B 114, 214404 – Published 6 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/dckn-ytyv
Abstract
We have performed muon spin relaxation () and neutron powder diffraction experiments on the ferromagnet (. shows a ferromagnetic (FM) order below 160 K, and the FM ordering temperature is monotonically suppressed as increases, eventually vanishing at the critical concentration = 0.5. During this suppression process, the FM ordered state evolves into an FM cluster-glass state for 0.4. Neutron scattering intensity due to the FM order develops below the magnetic ordering temperatures, but no antiferromagnetic peaks have been observed in either the FM or cluster-glass states within the experimental accuracy. The internal field at lowest temperatures revealed by the experiments is monotonically suppressed as increases. In contrast, the magnetic volume fraction at lowest temperatures decreases only moderately with up to = 0.3, but drops rapidly near the critical concentration. The fact that is less than 1 for 0.3 is expected to be related to the origin of the cluster-glass state formation. We also found that the muon relaxation rate due to magnetic fluctuations in the cluster-glass state increases as approaches , reflecting progressive destabilization of the cluster-glass state due to the reduction of . These results indicate that the magnetically ordered states of ( are strongly affected by the disorder effect, and the suppression process of the FM order is largely different from that in a clean system. We compare the present experimental results with those for other Sr-site substituted systems, and discuss the differences in their magnetic properties and how they are affected by the disorder effect.