The interplay of the crystalline electric field and quadrupolarinteractions in the spontaneous magnetic phases of DyIn3

Abstract

DyIn3orders at TN = 20 Kand undergoes a second spontaneous magnetic transition at16.5 K. From bulk magnetization measurements, performed on asingle crystal along the three main axes of the cubic AuCu3-typestructure, the magnetic phase diagrams have been established. The crystallineelectric field (CEF) scheme, in the paramagnetic phase, and the magneticstructures of the spontaneous and low field-induced phases have been probed byneutron techniques. All the magnetic phases studied are found to be multipleq withqbelonging to the ⟨1/2, 1/2, 0⟩star. In the low temperature phase (T < 16.5 K) the structureis double qwith moments along twofold axes, whereas above 16.5 K it becomes tripleqwith moments along threefold axes. The analysis of the experimentalresults within the periodic molecular field model leads to a coherentinterpretation of the spontaneous magnetic transitions, mainly drivenby bilinear exchange and CEF interactions. Though the existence ofquadrupolar interactions is definitively proved by the stabilization of multipleqmagnetic structures, quadrupolar coefficients are found to be one orderof magnitude smaller than those previously reported for NdIn3 andTbIn3.