Strong electron correlation lies at the root of many quantum collective phenomena observed in solids, including high Tc superconductivity. Theoretically, the problem of many interacting electrons is difficult to treat, however, and a microscopic understanding of strongly correlated systems remains one of the foremost challenges in modern physics. A particularly clean realisation of this general problem is found in magnetic systems, where theory and experiment are both well developed and complementary. The role of the chemist in this endeavour is to provide model experimental systems to both inspire new developments in theory and to confirm existing predictions. This thesis aims to demonstrate aspects of both synthesis and physical characterisation of such model systems, with particular emphasis on materials which exhibit unusual quantum ground states due to a combination of reduced dimensionality, low spin, and geometric frustration. Four materials are considered: The first among these is a new material, KTi(SO4)2·(H2O), which was prepared using a hydrothermal route, and characterised by magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and high field magnetisation measurements. Fitting exact diagonalisation and series expansion results to these data imply that KTi(SO4)2·(H2O)is a long-sought experimental realization of the S = 1/2 Heisenberg frustrated (J1 − J2) chain model in the dimerised regime of the phase diagram. The anhydrous analogue of KTi(SO4)2·(H2O), KTi(SO4)2, was also investigated, and found by magnetic neutron scattering to exemplify the S = 1/2 Heisenberg anisotropic triangular lattice model in the 1D chain limit. The final two materials discussed are the naturally occurring minerals volborthite and herbertsmithite, both thought to realise the S = 1/2 Heisenberg kagome antiferromagnet model. Diffuse and inelastic magnetic neutron scattering experiments, however, indicate that the kagome physics are partially destroyed by defects in the former and lattice distortion in the latter.

The langasites are a class of geometrically frustrated compounds with the formula A3XY3Z2O14 where A,X,Y,Z are cationic sites and site A is occupied by a magnetic ion. The interactions of the magnetic ions form a star shaped pattern called the Kagomé lattice. The langasites have been widely studied by the solid state community because of their functional properties such as piezoelectricity, multiferroicity, ferroelectricity, dielectricity and for use in the telecommunication industry. It was also realized that some langasite materials exhibit exotic magnetic ground states at low temperatures. A thorough understanding of their ground state is limited by the difficulty in synthesizing new members belonging to this series due to the formation of competing phases such as the garnets. In this study, four new magnetic langasites A3Ga3Ge2BeO14 (A= Pr, Nd, Sm and Eu) and a non-magnetic lattice standard La3Ga3Ge2BeO14 were synthesized. These were further structurally characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement and bond valence analysis. Further characterization of the low-temperature magnetism was done by performing magnetization, magnetic susceptibility (field cooled and zero field cooled) and heat capacity measurements. The low temperature spin dynamics were probed using muon spin resonance performed at TRIUMF (Vancouver) and elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements performed at the DCS (NIST) and D7 (ILL). From all the above measurements it can be concluded that the new Be langasites exhibit net antiferromagnetic interactions at low-temperatures with clear signs of diffuse scattering for Nd3Ga3Ge2BeO14 using inelastic neutron scattering measurements. There was no evidence of magnetic long-range ordering down to as low as 0.025 K. Based on the obtained measurements these new Be-langasite compounds can be classified as potential spin liquid candidates. / February 2017

Le champ magnétique terrestre présente une vaste gamme de variations temporelles, de l'année à plusieurs millions d'années. J'ai étudié au cours de ma thèse divers aspects de ces fluctuations, des variations séculaires récentes aux renversements.La première partie de ma thèse porte sur l'archéomagnétisme, discipline qui permet de retracer l'évolution temporelle du champ magnétique terrestre au cours des derniers millénaires, principalement à partir des matériaux archéologiques. J'ai étudié deux jeux d'échantillons provenant pour l'un de la Grèce (période néolithique, 6800-3200 avant J.C.) et pour l'autre du Mexique (Palenque, période Maya Classique 320-840 après J.C.), dans le but d'acquérir de nouvelles données d'archéointensité et de mieux contraindre la variation séculaire du champ magnétique terrestre. La comparaison de mes données avec celles disponibles dans la bibliographie et avec les différents modèles globaux et régionaux a mis en évidence que les variations séculaires au Néolithique en Grèce et au cours du premier millénaire en Amérique Centrale sont très mal définies. Mes données suggèrent que des composantes locales, non prisent en compte dans les modèles globaux peuvent exister au niveau ces régions. Elles renforcent l'intérêt de développer des modèles régionaux précis, qui nécessitent un développement en harmoniques sphériques à un degré plus élevé. Pour ce faire, l'acquisition de nouvelles données de haute qualité est un élément majeur.La deuxième partie traite de la description d'un renversement du champ magnétique terrestre. Cette étude a été basée sur deux points précis: étudier les directions transitionnelles afin d'apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur le possible confinement longitudinal des pôles géomagnétiques virtuels (PGV) d'une part, et d'autre part vérifier des paléointensités transitionnelles obtenues sur la séquence volcanique d'Akaroa (Nouvelle Zélande), dont l'intensité est significativement supérieure à celles des intensités avant et après le renversement. Nous avons ré-échantillonné cette séquence, et l'évolution directionnelle obtenue pour ce renversement est une succession complexe de polarités N-T-R-T-N-T-R. Les PGV obtenus semblent se regrouper sous deux bandes longitudinales sous l'Australie et l'Amérique, ce qui renforce l'hypothèse d'une interaction entre le manteau et le noyau sur plusieurs millions d'années. Suite à une étude de minéralogie magnétique, j'ai sélectionné les échantillons susceptibles de fournir une valeur de paléointensité par les méthodes de Thellier et du multispecimen. Les paléointensités obtenues sont relativement faibles (environ 20 microT) au cours du changement de polarité et forte à la fin de la séquence. Mon interprétation, basée à la fois sur les valeurs de l'intensité du champ et sur les données radiochronologiques montrant que la séquence s'est mise en place très rapidement, est de considérer que seul le renversement C4Ar.1n-C4Ar.1r a été enregistré dans cette séquence. Dans cette hypothèse, le renversement montre un cheminement complexe comparable à d'autres renversements enregistrés dans l'hémisphère nord (Steens Mountain par exemple), incluant un phénomène de rebond avant de se stabiliser. La troisième partie de ma thèse est consacrée au développement d'une nouvelle méthodologie et d'un nouvel appareillage pour déterminer des paléointensités. Le faible taux de réussite des expériences de paléointensité de l'étude précédente m'a poussé à m'intéresser au protocole multispecimen, qui peut s'appliquer aux échantillons possédant un comportement polydomaine. L'inconvénient technique majeur de cette méthode réside dans l'application du champ le long de l'aimantation naturelle, difficile à réaliser avec précision dans les fours standards. Pour ce faire, nous avons décidé de développer des porte-échantillons permettant d'orienter les échantillons dans l'espace pour le four standard et un prototype de four à chauffage ultra-rapide particulièrement bie / The Earth's magnetic field shows a large range of temporal variations from the year to several million years. I studied during my PhD thesis several aspects of these fluctuations, from recent secular variations to reversals.The first part of my manuscript deals with archeomagnetism, a discipline that allows to track the temporal variations of the Earth's magnetic field through millennia, mainly from archeological materials. I studied two sets of samples, one from Greece (Neolithic period 6800-3200 B.C.) and the other from Mexico (Palenque, Maya Classic period 320-840 A.D.), to acquire new archeointensity data in order to better constrain the secular variation of the geomagnetic field. By comparing my data with those available in the literature and with the various global and regional models, I showed that the secular variations during the Neolithic in Greece and during the first millennium in Central America are poorly defined. My data suggest that local components, not described by global models, may exist in these regions. They reinforce the importance of developing specific regional models, which require development in higher spherical harmonic degree. As a consequence, the acquisition of new high quality data is of main importance. The second part presents the description of a geomagnetic field reversal. This work was based on two points: first by studying transitional directions to provide new constraints on the possible preferred longitudinal paths of virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) and second by checking transitional paleointensities obtained on a volcanic sequence in Akaroa volcano (New Zealand). Indeed the transitional field intensity is significantly higher than the field intensity before and after the reversal. We re-sampled this sequence, and the directional results show a complex sequence of N-T-R-T-N-T-R polarity. The transitional VGPs obtained are clustered in two longitudinal bands through Australia and America. This observation seems to reinforce the assumption of a core-mantle interaction over several million years. Following a rock magnetic study, I selected samples that could provide a value for the Thellier and multispecimen paleointensity methods. The obtained paleointensity are relatively low (about 20 microT) during the polarity change and strong at the end of the sequence.Based both on the field strength values and on the radiochronological ages, showing that the sequence was erupted in a very short time, I suggest that only the C4Ar.1n-C4Ar.1r reversal was recorded in this sequence. In this assumption, the reversal shows a complex path comparable to other reversals recorded in the northern hemisphere (for example the Steens Mountain), including a rebound before stabilizing.Finally the last part is devoted to the development of a new methodology and a new apparatus to determine absolute paleointensity. Following the low success rate of paleointensity experiments from the previous study, I decided to test the multispecimen protocol, which can be applied to samples yielding a predominant multidomaine behavior. The main technical drawback of this method lies in the application of the laboratory field along the natural remanent magnetization, a difficult task to perform accurately in standard paleointensity ovens. Thus, we decided to adapt sample holders from our standard oven in order to allow the sample orientation in space and to develop an ultra-fast heating oven prototype particularly well-suited for this method, allowing to apply the laboratory field in the 3 dimensions. I checked the different multispecimen protocols on historical lavas from Reunion and Etna volcano, yielding very different magnetic mineralogies. For all flows, I obtained paleointensities very close from the expected values, regardless from the magnetic mineralogy, revealing the feasibility of our apparatus and the promising interest of the method. The application of various corrections on the statistical estimation o

A study of magnetization dynamics experiments in nanostructured materials using the rf susceptibility tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) method is presented along with a extensive theoretical analysis. An original, computer controlled experimental setup that measures the change in susceptibility with the variation in external magnetic field and sample temperature was constructed. The TDO-based experiment design and construction is explained in detail, showing all the elements of originality. This experimental technique has proven reliable for characterizing samples with uncoupled magnetic structure and various magnetic anisotropies like: CrO2 , FeCo/IrMn and Co/SiO2 thin films. The TDO was subsequently used to explore the magnetization switching in coupled magnetic systems, like synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) structures. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is an important example of devices where the use of SAF structure is essential. To support the understanding of the SAF magnetic behavior, its configuration and application are reviewed and more details are provided in an appendix. Current problems in increasing the scalability and decreasing the error rate of MRAM devices are closely connected to the switching properties of the SAF structures. Several theoretical studies that were devoted to the understanding of the concepts of SAF critical curve are reviewed. As one can notice, there was no experimental determination of SAF critical curve, due to the difficulties in characterizing a magnetic coupled structure. Depending of the coupling strength between the two ferromagnetic layers, on the SAF critical curve one distinguishes several new features, inexistent in the case of uncoupled systems. Knowing the configuration of the SAF critical curve is of great importance in order to control its switching characteristics. For the first time a method of experimentally recording the critical curve for SAF is proposed in this work. In order to overcome technological limitations, a new way of recording the critical curve by using an additional magnetic bias field was explored.

Magnetic fabric, magma flow and tectonic deformation in volcano-plutonic systems ABSTRACT This Ph.D. thesis aims to investigate dynamics of emplacement and tectonic history of selected volcano-plutonic complexes in a continental magmatic arc and back arc setting. The thesis presents new data sets from five field areas, presented in separate chapters, which could be viewed as representing a vertical sections through upper part of an intermediate to felsic magmatic system. From top to bottom in this ‛imaginary' vertical system, the examined units are: (1) andesitic lava domes and (2) sub-volcanic magma chambers (<3 km deep) of the Miocene Štiavnica volcano- plutonic complex, Western Carpathians (Slovakia), (3) Shellenbarger pluton (<3 km depth) within the mid-Cretaceous Minarets caldera, Sierra Nevada batholith in California (USA), and ~7-10 km deep granitoids of (4) Lower-Cretaceous Wallowa batholith, Blue Mountains province in Oregon (USA) and (5) Late Devonian Staré Sedlo complex, central Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic). The research incorporates extensive field and structural data, supported by analysis of igneous textures and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). The latter is further accompanied by detailed examination of magnetic mineralogy using thermomagnetic measurements and optical and back...

Foi desenvolvido uma ponte de indutâncias mútuas, auto-balanceada, para medidas automáticas e simultâneas das partes real (x\') e imaginária (x\") da susceptibilidade magnética AC, na faixa de freqüências de 20 Hz e 1 KHz e temperaturas de 2K a 300K. O sistema é balanceado em um elo de realimentação digital que assegura um sinal, em fase e quadratura, continuamente nulo. A amplificação do sinal é feita através de um amplificador \"lock-in\" de duas fases, cujas saídas comandam dois DAC multiplicadores, gerando o sinal composto que é usado para balancear a ponte. O valor absoluto da susceptibilidade é medida movendo as bobinas primária e secundárias de tal forma que a amostra fique posicionada ora em um dos secundários, ora em outro. A resolução da parte numérica é 1 em 4000. A sensibilidade alcançada foi de 10-7 emu para amostras de 10-2cm-3 em um campo de excitação de amplitude 15 Gauss. A interface com um microcomputador ainda não foi desenvolvida. / An automatic self-balanced mutual inductance bridge has been designed to measure the real (x\') and imaginary (x\") parts of the magnetic AC susceptibility simultaneously in the frequency range 20 Hz to 1 KHz and temperatures between 2K to 30OK. The system is based on a digitally controlled feedback loop, which ensures continuous balanced operation, in phase as well in quadrature. The signal amplification chain is made of a dual-phase lock-in amplifier, whose outputs command two DAC multipliers, generating the composite balance signal for nulling the bridge. The absolute value of the susceptibility is measured by moving the primary and secondary coils in such a way to place the sample in the center of both secondary coils. The resolution of the numerical part is 1 in 4000. Sensivities of the order of 10-7 emu for samples of 10-2cm-3 in a primary field of 15 gauss have been obtained. The interface with a desktop computer has not been developed yet.

Fitas amorfas ferromagnéticas apresentam um decaimento com o tempo da susceptibilidade magnética. Tal fenômeno é conhecido como aftereffect ou desacomodação (DA). Para explicar esse fenômeno em ligas amorfas existem dois modelos importantes. O modelo de Allia e Vinai prevê uma dependência do decaimento relativo da permeabilidade A?/? com a magnetostricção de saturação ?s. Construímos um sistema de medidas adequado para realizar tais experimentos. Fabricamos e caracterizamos magneticamente três séries de composições Co77-x MnxSi14B9 (série 1: x = O, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; série 2: x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15); Co75-xMnx Fe1Mo1Si14B9 (série 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Preocupados em evitar a dispersão de dados frequentemente observada na literatura, mantivemos os parâmetros de fabricação da fita constantes, bem como também a proporção de metalóides. Apesar dos cuidados, nossos resultados ainda apresentaram certa dispersão. Mesmo assim, foi possível concluir que nossos resultados são bem descritos pelo modelo. A caracterização magnética das fitas de Co-Mn e o estudo da dependência da DA com ?s nessas ligas deram origem a um artigo que se tornou nosso primeiro trabalho publicado em revista internacional. O modelo proposto por Kronmüllerer dá maior ênfase à cinética dos processos responsáveis pelo decaimento da susceptibilidade. Por isso foi necessário construir um novo sistema que nos permitisse realizar medidas em diferentes temperaturas. Realizamos medidas de desacomodação em Co67Fe4Mo1Si12B16. Conseguimos eliminar as contribuições irreversíveis da DA através de um tratamento térmico seguido de um processo de estabilização. Os resultados das medidas de DA foram ajustados de acordo com a expressão prevista pelo modelo, fornecendo um valor de ?0 ~ 10-12 segundos, que é da ordem do inverso da frequência de Debye nesses materiais. Concluímos que os dois modelos estudados são igualmente úteis no estudo da desacomodação e devem ser tratados como aspectos complementares do mesmo problema. / Amorphous ferromagnetic alloys show a decay of magnetic susceptibility. This phenomenon is known as aftereffect or disaccomodation (DA). There are two major models which explain this effect in amorphous materials. According to Allia et al., the decay of susceptibility presents a dependence on the saturation magnetostriction ?s. We built an adequate system for measurement of DA based on this model. Ribbons of compositions: Co77-x MnxSi14B9 (series 1: x = O, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; series 2: x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15); Co75-xMnx Fe1Mo1Si14B9 (series 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), were produced by melt-spinning. Production parameters were held constant as well as the metalloid concentration in order to prevent the data dispersion which is commonly observed in the literature. Despite our cane, results show a certain dispersion, although it is possible to confirm the validity of this model in describing such alloys The magnetic characterization and study of the dependence of DA on ?s on these alloys originated our first international publication. Kronmülller proposes another model which emphasizes the kinetics of the processes originating such decay. We built another system which allows measurements at, higher temperatures. Measurements were made in Co67Fe4Mo1Si12B16. Irreversible contributions were eliminated by a heat treatment followed by a stabilization process. Fitting of the resulting data to the theoretical expression yields a value of ?0 ~ 10-12 s, which corresponds in order of magnitude to the inverse of Debye frequency in these materials. We conclude that both models are useful in the study of DA in amorphous and should be treated as complementary aspects of the same problem.

Neste trabalho, é descrito uma ponte de indutâncias mútuas que pode ser usada para medidas automáticas de susceptibilidade magnética AC, em freqüências até 1 kHz. Este susceptômetro utiliza um novo e alternativo arranjo para o \"probe\". O conjunto de bobinas, mantido em temperatura ambiente, é movimentado de tal forma a posicionar a amostra no centro de cada uma das bobinas secundárias. A amostra, cuja posição é fixa, tem sua temperatura controlada por um criostato de fluxo de Hélio. O acoplamento magnético do \"probe\" com materiais na vizinhança foi minimizado com o uso de uma blindagem magnética. Este \"probe\" tem uma sensibilidade de 10-7 emu com um campo magnético AC de 8 G rms e freqüência de 100 Hz. Neste trabalho, são apresentados também alguns resultados de susceptibilidade magnética AC, obtidos em supercondutores de alto Tc e compostos intermetálicos de terras raras. A relação entre transporte de cargas e propriedades magnéticas, de poliparafenileno (PPP) dopado com FeCl3 e poli(o-metoxianilina) (POMA) dopada com TFA e HCl, foi estudada utilizando as técnicas de Susceptibilidade Magnética AC (SMAC), Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica (RPE) e Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RMN). Os resultados obtidos para o PPP foram interpretados em termos de três contribuições: presença do polaron paramagnético, cuja mobilidade aumenta com o aumento da temperatura; íons Fe3+ coordenados em sítios de baixa simetria da molécula FeCl3; e íons Fe3+ fortemente acoplados via interação de troca. A dependência com a temperatura do sinal de RPE da POMA pode ser entendido em termos da dinâmica dos polarons. O estreitamento da linha de RPE, devido a dopagem do material, pode ser explicada por dois processos diferentes. Em baixas temperaturas, predomina a interação de troca polaron-polaron, modulada pelas autuações de spin. Em altas temperaturas o \"motional narrowing\" é provocado pelo aumento de mobilidade do polaron. Em temperaturas intermediárias, é observado um efeito anômalo: a largura de linha cresce abruptamente, produzindo um pico em torno de 220 K. Este pico pode ser associado a contribuição não secular para a largura de linha. Acredita-se que o espalhamento do polaron por moléculas de oxigênio, promova um aumento no mecanismo de relaxação spin-rede. Os resultados de RMN para o 1H e 19F mostram que as componentes espectrais da largura de linha, são associadas com as fases amorfa e cristalina da POMA. Neste material, a taxa de relaxação spin-rede do 1H aumenta mais de uma ordem de grandeza com a dopagem. Isto pode ser explicado por um mecanismo de relaxação envolvendo acoplamento hiperfino núcleo-polaron. / A mutual inductance bridge which may be used for automatic measurement of ac magnetic susceptibilities from 4 K to room temperature, at frequencies up to 1 kHz, is described. The susceptometer employs an alternative and new arrangement for the probe. The coil set is kept at room temperature and moves in such a way to place the sample in the center of each of the secondary coils. The sample, motionless, has its temperature controlled by a helium flow refrigerator. Use of a magnetic shield minimizes coupling of the probe with nearby materials. This probe has a sensitivity of 10-7 emu in an ac magnetic field of 8G rms and frequency of 100 Hz. Typical results of ac magnetic susceptibility, obtained in high Tc, superconductors and rare earth intermetallic compounds are shown. AC Magnetic Susceptibility, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) were used to study the relation between charge transport and magnetic properties of polyparaphenylene (PPP) doped with FeCl3 and poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) doped with TFA and HCl. The results obtained in PPP can be interpreted in terms of three major contributions: the presence of the paramagnetic polaron, whose mobility increases with increasing temperature, Fe3+ ions coordinated in the low symmetry site of the FeCl3 molecule, and Fe3+ ions strongly coupled via exchange interaction. The temperature behavior of the EPR of POMA can be understood in terms of the dynamics of the polaron. Line narrowing, induced by doping the material, can be explained by two different processes. At low temperature, polarons are coupled via exchange interaction and the exchange narrowing of the line is caused by thermal spin fluctuations. At high temperature, motional narrowing is the most efficient mechanism. At intermediate temperatures, an anomalous effect is observed: linewidth increase abruptly, showing a peak at 220 K. This peak can be associated to the non-secular contribution to the line width. It is assumed that the spin-lattice relaxation mechanism is enhanced, at this temperature, due to the polaron scattering by paramagnetic oxygen molecules. 1H and 19F NMR data shows that the linewidth spectral components are associated with the amorphous and crystalline phases of the POMA. 1H spin-lattice relaxation rates, in this material, increases more than one order of magnitude after doping. This can be explained by a relaxation mechanism involving nucleus-polaron hyperfine coupling.

O fosfeto de manganês, MnP, é um composto rico em fases magnéticas, exibindo uma variedade de transições de fase. Essas transições e a estrutura das fases magnéticas têm sido objetos de muitas investigações experimentais nas últimas duas décadas. Com o campo externo aplicado ao longo dos eixos intermediário e duro (eixos b e a, respectivamente) foram estudadas as geometrias das fronteiras nos pontos onde as fases moduladas se encontram com a fase ferromagnética no diagrama de fase Temperatura vs. Campo Magnético. Este estudo, realizado por meio de medidas de suscetibilidade magnética, visa esclarecer se as fronteiras das fases encontram-se formando um ângulo ou não, pois isto pode ser um indicativo da natureza desses pontos \"triplos\". Na situação em que o campo é aplicado ao longo do eixo intermediário, mostramos que a forma com que as três fronteiras se encontram é consistente com a atribuição feita anteriormente a esse ponto, isto é, trata-se de um ponto triplo ordinário no qual as três fronteiras de fase são de primeira ordem. Para a configuração em que o campo é aplicado ao longo do eixo duro, os resultados obtidos para o diagrama de fase, na região onde as duas fases moduladas e a fase ferromagnética se encontram, são consistentes com a existência de um ponto crítico terminal de uma linha de transições de segunda ordem separando as fases moduladas. / Manganese phosphide is a rich compound in magnetic phases and exhibits a variety of phase transitions which have been the subject of many experimental investigations for more than a decade. With the external magnetic field H applied along the b and a axes (intermediate and hard axis, respectively) the geometry of the boundaries in the points where the modulated phases meet with ferromagnetic phase in the phase diagram T x H were studied. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility were realized to elucidate if the phase boundaries meet at an angle or not thus indicating the nature of these triple points. For the case of H applied along the intermediate axis it is shown that the shape in which the phase boundaries meet is consistent with the geometry of an ordinary triple point. With H parallel to the a axis the results are consistent with the existence of critical end point in which the modulated phases boundary close.

O fosfeto de manganês, MnP, é um composto rico em fases magnéticas, exibindo uma variedade de transições de fase. Essas transições e a estrutura das fases magnéticas têm sido objetos de muitas investigações experimentais nas últimas duas décadas. Com o campo externo aplicado ao longo dos eixos intermediário e duro (eixos b e a, respectivamente) foram estudadas as geometrias das fronteiras nos pontos onde as fases moduladas se encontram com a fase ferromagnética no diagrama de fase Temperatura vs. Campo Magnético. Este estudo, realizado por meio de medidas de suscetibilidade magnética, visa esclarecer se as fronteiras das fases encontram-se formando um ângulo ou não, pois isto pode ser um indicativo da natureza desses pontos \"triplos\". Na situação em que o campo é aplicado ao longo do eixo intermediário, mostramos que a forma com que as três fronteiras se encontram é consistente com a atribuição feita anteriormente a esse ponto, isto é, trata-se de um ponto triplo ordinário no qual as três fronteiras de fase são de primeira ordem. Para a configuração em que o campo é aplicado ao longo do eixo duro, os resultados obtidos para o diagrama de fase, na região onde as duas fases moduladas e a fase ferromagnética se encontram, são consistentes com a existência de um ponto crítico terminal de uma linha de transições de segunda ordem separando as fases moduladas. / Manganese phosphide is a rich compound in magnetic phases and exhibits a variety of phase transitions which have been the subject of many experimental investigations for more than a decade. With the external magnetic field H applied along the b and a axes (intermediate and hard axis, respectively) the geometry of the boundaries in the points where the modulated phases meet with ferromagnetic phase in the phase diagram T x H were studied. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility were realized to elucidate if the phase boundaries meet at an angle or not thus indicating the nature of these triple points. For the case of H applied along the intermediate axis it is shown that the shape in which the phase boundaries meet is consistent with the geometry of an ordinary triple point. With H parallel to the a axis the results are consistent with the existence of critical end point in which the modulated phases boundary close.