Spin switching in Er1-xSmxFeO3 (x = 0, 0.2) single crystals

Abstract

We investigated spin-switching transitions in Er1-xSmxFeO3 (x = 0, 0.2) single crystals and variations in spin configurations with the applied field. The crystals were grown using the optical floating zone technique, and the magnetic properties were measured under field-cooled cooling (FCC) and field-cooled warming (FCW) protocols. The crystals exhibit field-dependent variation in the spin-switching temperature. In FCC, spin switching temperature increases with a magnetic field. However, in FCW, the spin-switching temperature (TSSW) rises initially with an increasing magnetic field, reaches a maximum value and later decreases when field strengths are high. We observe that spin switching depends not only on the magnitude of the externally applied magnetic field but also on the starting temperature of FCC. The magnetic and thermal history of the sample has a critical role in this phenomenon. A phase diagram (magnetic field-TSSW) constructed using the FCC and FCW data helps to illustrate various magnetic configurations. The FCC and FCW measurements in the a-direction of ErFeO3 at high fields (2T, 3T) suggest that spin switching, which involves the reversal of spins, does not occur. Instead, there is a change in the magnitude of the weak ferromagnetic moment, and rare earth spins below the compensation temperature (Tcomp).