Short range magnetic order in the Ni48Mn36Sn16 Heusler compound

Ni2MnX (X=In,Sn,Ga...) Heuslers are a class of intermetallic compounds widely studied for their multifunctional properties. A deep understanding of the physical mechanisms that control their magnetic features, pivotal to design new materials with predictable properties, is not yet achieved. The aim of the present proposal is to investigate the presence of magnetic short-range correlations in the ferromagnetic austenitic phase of the Ni48Mn36Sn16 alloy through measurements of small angle neutron scattering. Indeed, neutron diffraction experiments, performed on the WISH diffractometer on the same alloy, showed an increase of diffuse scattering at low-Q by decreasing temperature. This fact suggests the presence in the material of short-range ferromagnetic correlations that could be due to nanometric inhomogeneities or to the complex interplay of different magnetic interactions.