Rich magnetic phase diagram of the kagome-staircase compound Mn3V2O8

We report the anisotropic magnetic phase diagrams for Mn(3)V(2)O(8), in which S=5/2 Mn(2+) is found in the kagome-staircase lattice, based on magnetization and specific heat data. At low applied fields, the system first orders magnetically below T(m1)approximate to 21 K and then shows a second transition at T(m2)approximate to 15 K. In addition, a phase transition that is apparent in specific heat but not seen in magnetization is found for all field orientations, converging toward T(m2) as H -> 0. The magnetic behavior is highly anisotropic, and the H-T phase diagrams are quite rich, with seven distinct phases observed.