Magnetic behavior of VBr2 at very low temperatures

Vanadium dibromide, along with VCl2 and VI2, has a hexagonal crystal structure (CdI2 structure) in which the magnetic coupling of vanadium ions within the c planes is much stronger than the interplane coupling. These systems are of interest as possible examples of highly frustrated two-dimensional triangular lattice antiferromagnets. This interest is encouraged by high-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, which yield Weiss constants of several hundred degrees Kelvin. In fact, magnetic transitions do not occur in these substances until temperatures of less than 50 K are reached, indicating that the antiferromagnetic interactions are frustrated. A search for possible new transitions at very low temperatures was conducted with a VBr2 single-crystal sample mounted in the dilution refrigerator neutron diffraction facility at HFIR. The crystal was not of very good quality, but three distinct magnetic reflections were observed at 4.2 K and below