Effect of local structural distortions on magnetostructural transformation in Mn₃SnC

In this paper we attempt to understand the different nature of first order magnetic transformation in Mn$_3$SnC as compared to that in Mn$_3$GaC. The transformation in Mn$_3$SnC is close to room temperature (T$_t \approx$ 280K) and is associated with a large change in magnetic entropy that makes it a suitable candidate for applications in ferroic cooling. Using a combination of x-ray and neutron diffraction and x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy we infer that the magnetic ground state consisting of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic Mn atoms is due to structural distortions present in Mn$_6$C octahedra.