Spin-glass behavior with short-range antiferromagnetic order in Nd2AgIn3

Abstract

We present experimental results of complex susceptibility, static magnetization, magnetic relaxation, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements on an intermetallic compound Nd2AgIn3. The results indicated that Nd2AgIn3 undergoes a spin-glass transition at a freezing temperature Tf=12.6 K accompanied with the formation of short-range antiferromagnetic order. The mechanism of formation of spin-glass state in Nd2AgIn3 is different from that in diluted metallic spin-glass or uranium intermetallic compound. The existences of frustrated moments due to the triangles of nearest neighbors in Nd atomic layers and randomly distributed Ruderman–Kittle–Kasuya–Yosida interactions may be responsible for the spin glass state formed in Nd2AgIn3.