Magnetic correlations in the magnetocaloric materials Mn3GaC and Mn3GaC0.85N0.15 studied by neutron polarization analysis and neutron depolarization.

Partially substituting carbon by nitrogen in the antiperovskite compound Mn3GaC increases the first order antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic transition temperature and at the same time causes the high-temperature long-range ferromagnetism to weaken. To show that the weakening is related to the diminishing of ferromagnetic domain formation, we undertake neutron depolarization and neutron polarization analysis experiments on Mn3GaC and Mn3GaC0.85N0.15. Polarization analysis experiments show that strong ferromagnetic correlations are present at high temperatures in the paramagnetic states of both Mn3GaC and Mn3GaC0.85N0.15 and that these correlations vanish in the antiferromagnetic state. Neutron depolarization studies show that above the first order transition temperature, ferromagnetic domain formation is present in Mn3GaC but is absent in Mn3GaC0.85N0.15. The relationship between ferromagnetic domain formation and transitional hysteresis is brought forward for these two important magnetocaloric materials.