Features of magnetic and magnetoelectric properties, H-T phase diagram of GdCr3(BO3)4

Abstract

Comprehensive studies of magnetic properties of GdCr3(BO3)4 single crystal have been carried out. The integrals of intrachain (J/k = 4 ± 1 K) and interchain (J΄/k ≈ −0.7 K) exchange interactions in the Cr subsystem have been determined and the strength of Cr-Gd exchange interaction (JCr-Gd/k ~ −0.2 K) has been estimated. The values of the exchange field 2HE ≈ 17 T and the effective magnetic anisotropy field HA ≈ 0.05 T of GdCr3(BO3)4 have been estimated. The electric polarization ΔPa along the a axis in the longitudinal geometry of the experiment has been detected. Correlations between the electric polarization and the magnetization of the studied compound have been found. The spin-reorientation phase transition in the magnetically ordered state has been found. This transition exists for the external magnetic field applied along any crystallographic direction and the transition field depends weakly on the direction of the field. Nature of the spin-reorientation phase transition has been discussed. Magnetic phase diagram has been constructed and spin configurations for the low-field and high-field phases have been proposed.