Tipping the magnetic instability in paramagnetic S r3 R u2 O7 by Fe impurities

We report the magnetic and electronic properties of the bilayer ruthenate Sr3Ru2O7 upon Fe substitution for Ru. We find that Sr3(Ru1-xFex)2O7 shows a spin-glass-like phase below 4 K for x=0.01 and commensurate E-type antiferromagnetically ordered insulating ground state characterized by the propagation vector qc=(0.250.250) for x≥0.03, respectively, in contrast to the paramagnetic metallic state in the parent compound with strong spin fluctuations occurring at wave vectors q=(0.0900) and (0.25 0 0). The observed antiferromagnetic ordering is quasi-two-dimensional with very short correlation length along the c axis, a feature similar to the Mn-doped Sr3Ru2O7. Our results suggest that this ordered ground state is associated with the intrinsic magnetic instability in the pristine compound, which can be readily tipped by the local magnetic coupling between the 3d orbitals of the magnetic dopants and Ru 4d orbitals.