skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Muon spin relaxation study of the (F[mu]F)[sup [minus]] ion in magnetic fluorides

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.353584· OSTI ID:6674719
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Physics Department, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia 23806 (United States)
  2. Physics Department, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK S7N0W0 (Canada)
  3. Physics Department, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States)

A positive muon implanted in a solid fluoride insulator can form a hydrogen-bonded (F[mu]F)[sup [minus]] ion, in which the nuclear magnetic interactions cause a distinctive zero-field (ZF) muon spin relaxation ([mu]SR) signal. In a fluoride material in which the anions have electronic magnetic moments, the muon's interaction with nearby [sup 19]F nuclear moments must compete with its interaction with more distant but much larger anion moments. We report observation of this competition in ZF-[mu]SR in MnF[sub 3] ([ital T][sub [ital N]]=43 K) and CuF[sub 2] ([ital T][sub [ital N]]=69 K). In both MnF[sub 3] and CuF[sub 2] characteristic ZF F[mu]F oscillations are observed above the Neel temperature. As temperature drops below [ital T][sub [ital N]] in MnF[sub 3] the relaxation rate of the (F[mu]F)[sup [minus]] signal increases dramatically. Below [ital T][sub [ital N]] in CuF[sub 2] a small-amplitude high-frequency coherent oscillation appears on top of the low-frequency (F[mu]F)[sup [minus]] signal.

DOE Contract Number:
FG05-88ER45353
OSTI ID:
6674719
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics; (United States), Vol. 73:10; ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English