Magnetic ordering in the rare-earth intermetallic compounds Tb2Pd2In and Ho2Pd2In

The low-temperature magnetic structures of the rare-earth intermetallics Tb 2Pd2In and Ho2Pd2In have been studied by neutron powder diffraction. Both c ompounds exhibit a second-order magnetic phase transition at the Neel tempe ratures T-N approximate to 33 and 8.5 K, respectively, with a propagation v ector k = +/- (1/4, 1/4, 1/2). Symmetry analysis shows that the magnetic st ructure can be described by cos-modulated magnetic moments that are aligned along the c-axis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.