PHOTOINDUCED MAGNETIC-BEHAVIOR OF THE AMORPHOUS METALLIC SPIN-GLASS MATERIAL FE3(GATE3)2

A new ternary material Fe3(GaTe3)2 is prepared by using a rapid precipitation metathesis reaction between the Zintl material K3GaTe3 and FeCl2 in aqueous solution. The dc specific resistivity of this material is in the boundary expected for metallic conductors (rho = 4.36 X 10(-3) OMEGA cm). The dc magnetic susceptibility of Fe3(GaTe3)2 is reported over 6-250 K temperature region and the material is characterized as a spin glass with a freezing temperature of about 22 K. Magnetization data are also reported As both thermal remanent magnetization and isothermal remanent magnetization as a function of magnetizing field. When cooled well below the spin glass freezing temperature, the spin glass material has been observed to exhibit photomagnetic effects consistent with a disruption of the spin glass state caused by UV radiation.