Abstract
Single crystals of Nd2O3 were grown and characterized using neutron scattering and thermodynamic measurements. Nd2O3 has long-range antiferromagnetic order below TN=0.55 K and specific-heat measurements have demonstrated that a significant amount of the magnetic entropy is released above TN. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments reveal a magnetic mode(s) with little dispersion peaked at ≈0.37meV that is of greatest intensity below TN but persists above 2TN. This persistence of dynamic correlations is likely related to frustrated interactions associated with the nearly ideal stacked triangular lattice geometry of Jeff=12 spins on Nd3+ ions. The magnetization is observed to be strongly anisotropic at all temperatures due to crystal field effects, with easy-plane anisotropy observed. A noncompensated magnetic structure is inferred from the temperature dependence of the magnetization when a magnetic field of sufficient strength is applied within the basal plane near TN, and the evolution of the long-range order is summarized in a temperature-field phase diagram.
