  We report on the magnetic behavior of oxygen deficient LaFeAsO1-x (x-0.10)
compound, prepared by one-step synthesis, which crystallizes in the tetragonal
(S.G. P4/nmm) structure at room temperature. Resistivity measurements show a
strong anomaly near 150 K, which is ascribed to the spin density wave (SDW)
instability. On the other hand, dc magnetization data shows paramagnetic-like
features down to 5 K, with an effective moment of 0.83 mB/Fe. 57Fe Mossbauer
studies (MS) have been performed at 95 and 200 K. The spectra at both
temperatures are composed of two sub-spectra. At 200 K the major one (88%), is
almost a singlet, and corresponds to those Fe nuclei, which have two oxygen
ions in their close vicinity. The minor one, with a large quadrupole splitting,
corresponds to Fe nuclei, which have vacancies in their immediate neighborhood.
The spectrum at 95 K, exhibits a broadened magnetic split major (84%)
sub-spectrum and a very small magnetic splitting in the minor subspectrum. The
relative intensities of the subspectra facilitate in estimating the actual
amount of oxygen vacancies in the compound to be 7.0(5)%, instead of the
nominal LaFeAsO0.90. These results, when compared with reported 57Fe MS of
non-superconducting LaFeAsO and superconducting LaFeAsO0.9F0.1, confirm that
the studied LaFeAsO0.93 is a superconductivity-magnetism crossover compound of
the newly discovered Fe based superconducting family.
