Freezing of short-range ordered antiferromagnetic clusters in the CrFeTi₂O₇ system

Abstract

We report on the CrFeTi2O7 (CFTO) system using a combination of x-ray diffraction, dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, specific heat and neutron diffraction measurements. CFTO is seen to crystallize in a monoclinic P21/a symmetry. It shows a glassy freezing at Tf ~ 22 K, characterized by the observation of bifurcation between ZFC and FC χ (T) curves, frequency dispersion across Tf in ac susceptibility, and follows Vogel-Fulcher and power law type critical dynamics, very slow relaxation of iso-thermal remanent magnetization with time and the absence of an anomaly in the temperature dependence of specific heat measurements. The microscopic neutron diffraction analysis of CFTO not only confirms the absence of long-range antiferromagnetic ordering but also exhibits diffuse scattering due to the presence of short-range ordered antiferromagnetically correlated spin clusters.