Magnetic and Crystallographic Studies on MnAs Substituted by P or Sb

Abstract

The relation between the magnetic moment and the lattice constant of the compounds MnAs substituted by P or Sb is investigated by the magnetic measurement under high magnetic field and X-ray diffraction. From the experimental data, it is confirmed that the low spin state is stable below T_N (Néel temperature), and the low spin to high spin transition accompanied by large anisotropic change of the lattice constants occurs above T_N by substituting P to As in a wide range of composition exceeding 3%. Our conclusion is that this anisotropic change is related to that of the electron configuration.