Magnetic properties of rare earth compounds of the type RCo 11Ti

Abstract

We have investigated the magnetic properties of rare earth compounds of the type RCo 11Ti (R = Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Y) by means of high-field and ac susceptibility measurements. From the experimental values of the saturation magnetisation at 4.2 K we have derived the magnitude of the Co moments in these compounds, which were found to be almost invariant across the series ( μ Co = 1.41 μ B). We have determined the easy magnetisation direction in the various RCo 11Ti compounds and found that the Co sublattice anisotropy favours an easy moment direction along the c-axis, whereas the rare earth sublattice anisotropy is governed by a positive second-order crystal field parameter ( A 2 0 > 0). Spin reorientation phenomena were observed for compounds with R = Dy, Er and Tm.