Enhancement of antiferromagnetic coupling in the quasi-one-dimensional Ca3Co2O6 ferrimagnet - art. no. 012417

The magnetic coupling between quasi-one-dimensional ferromagnetic chains in Ca3Co2O6 oxide has been studied using magnetic measurements under quasihyd rostatic pressure (P) up to 12 kbar. It is found that the low-temperature f errimagnetic phase, resulting from the antiferromagnetic coupling of ferrom agnetic chains, is stabilized under pressure. Both the critical field for t he spin-flip transition of the linear chains (H-SF) and the temperature T* where the long-range ferrimagnetic ordering sets in rise under pressure wit h the following rates: dH(SF)/dP approximate to 135-155 Oe/kbar and dT*/dP approximate to 0.073 K/kbar, respectively. We show that these variations ca n be accurately described in terms of the interchain bond-length compressio n.