Magnetocrystalline and magnetoelastic basal plane anisotropies inHo∕Lusuperlattices

Abstract

We report the temperature dependence of the effective magnetic anisotropy constant in the basal plane of the hcp structure $({K}_{6}^{6,\mathrm{eff}})$ of $\mathrm{Ho}∕\mathrm{Lu}$ superlattices. High-sensitivity vibration sample vector magnetometry was used to obtain the magnetic torque curves from which ${K}_{6}^{6,\mathrm{eff}}$ was determined. It is shown, in the framework of the single-ion theory, the paramount role of the magnetoelastic contribution to ${K}_{6}^{6,\mathrm{eff}}$ through both the magnetostrictive and epitaxial strains. The presence of epitaxial strain gives rise to a magnetoelastic contribution that reduces the strength of ${K}_{6}^{6,\mathrm{eff}}$.