Localized magnetism in molten icosahedral and approximant AlPdMn phases

A marked increase in the magnetic susceptibility is observed on melting AlPdMn alloys giving rise to a primary crystallization of either icosahedral or approximant phases. A similar change, deduced from neutron scattered intensities at small momentum transfers, allows one to conclude that a localized moment appears on Mn atoms in the liquid state and disappears in the solid state. Such a surprising behavior could be the result of an equilibrium between two different Mn atom species in the liquid: magnetic and nonmagnetic.