Origin of field-induced discontinuous phase transitions in Nd2Fe17

Magnetic properties of a trigonal ferromagnet Nd2Fe17 have been studied on single crystals in steady (14 T) and pulsed (32 T) magnetic fields. The easy-magnetization direction lies close to the [120] axis, deviating from the basal plane by 2.9∘ (at T=5K). Of particular interest is the low-temperatur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2018-02, Vol.97 (5)
Main Authors: Diop, L V B, Kuz'min, M D, Skokov, K P, Skourski, Y, Gutfleisch, O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Basal plane
Ferromagnetism
Magnetic fields
Magnetic properties
Magnetism
Magnetization
Phase transitions
Single crystals
Symmetry
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Magnetic properties of a trigonal ferromagnet Nd2Fe17 have been studied on single crystals in steady (14 T) and pulsed (32 T) magnetic fields. The easy-magnetization direction lies close to the [120] axis, deviating from the basal plane by 2.9∘ (at T=5K). Of particular interest is the low-temperature magnetization process along the high-symmetry axis [001], which is the hard direction. This process is discontinuous and involves two first-order phase transitions (FOMPs). One of them (at 20 T) is a symmetry FOMP similar to that observed in Sm2Fe17. The second transition (at 10.4 T) is unusual: as the magnetization turns abruptly toward the applied field, it also changes its azimuthal orientation (the angle φ) by 60∘. Both transitions can be reasonably accounted for by the presence of a significant sixth-order trigonal anisotropy term.
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.97.054406