Magnetic Properties of the $Mn_5Si_3$ Compound

The magnetic and powder neutron diffraction data indicate a complex magnetic structure of $Mn_5Si_3$. This compound has the hexagonal D8_8 crystal structure at room temperature. The Mn atoms occupy two nonequivalent sublattices. Two phase transitions, at 60 and 106 K, are observed. The first one is between a non-collinear AF1 and a collinear AF2 magnetic structure, the second one is between the collinear AF2 structure and a paramagnetic state. At 106 K the crystal structure changes from the hexagonal to the orthorhombic one. The values of the Mn magnetic moment in both structures were calculated by different ab initio methods. The results of the calculations are compared with the values of the Mn magnetic moment determined experimentally in this work and presented in the previous ones.