Magnetism

Magnetic properties of the Nd$_{0.5}$Gd$_{0.5}$Fe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ single crystal

A. V. Malakhovskii^a, E. V. Eremin^a, D. A. Velikanov^ab, A. V. Kartashev^a, A. D. Vasil'ev^a, I. A. Gudim<sup>a

a</sup> L. V. Kirensky Institute of Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk
^b Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk

Abstract: The magnetic properties of the Nd$_{0.5}$Gd$_{0.5}$Fe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ single crystal have been studied in principal crystallographic directions in magnetic fields to 90 kG in the temperature range 2–300 K; in addition, the heat capacity has been measured in the range 2–300 K. It has been found that, below the Néel temperature $T_{\mathrm{N}}$ = 32 K down to 2 K, the single crystal exhibits an easy-plane antiferromagnetic structure. A hysteresis has been detected during magnetization of the crystal in the easy plane in fields of 1.0–3.5 kG, and a singularity has been found in the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility in the easy plane at a temperature of 11 K in fields $B <$ 1 kG. It has been shown that the singularity is due to appearance of the hysteresis. The origin of the magnetic properties of the crystal near the hysteresis has been discussed.

Received: 21.03.2011

 English version: Physics of the Solid State, 2011, 53:10, 2032–2037

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