Measurements of the complete magnetic moment vector in single crystals of PrAl2and NdAl2

Abstract

Magnetisation measurements parallel and perpendicular to the applied field are reported for single crystals of ferromagnetic NdAl2 and PrAl2 in the range 4.2-200K and for magnetic fields up to 8.00 T applied in the (100) direction and directions near to (110) and (111). A quantitative description of the magnetisation is given in terms of a two-dimensional molecular field theory using two crystal-field parameters and the molecular field constant. Below the Curie temperature a satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment is obtained.