Magnetic Anisotropy and Electrical Resistivity in Exchange Inversion Compounds

Abstract

Magnetic anisotropy and electrical resistivity have been determined for several materials of composition ${\mathrm{Mn}}_{\text{2−x}}{\mathrm{Cr}}_x\mathrm{Sb}$ , which exhibit a ferrimagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transformation with decreasing temperature. Magnetocrystalline anisotropy is similar in its temperature behavior to that of ${\mathrm{Mn}}_2\mathrm{Sb}$ with slight differences attributed to changes in magnetic moment of the Mn sublattices. Resistivity is attributed to electron-magnon scattering. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy at the two Mn sites of nearly equal magnitude but opposite sign is consistent with the small anisotropy of the magnetoresistance.