Unusual coercivity and zero-field stabilization of fully saturated magnetization in single crystals of LaCrGe3

Abstract

${\mathrm{LaCrGe}}_{3}$ is an itinerant, metallic ferromagnet with a Curie temperature $({T}_{C})$ of $\ensuremath{\sim}$86 K. Whereas ${\mathrm{LaCrGe}}_{3}$ has been studied extensively as a function of pressure as an example of avoided ferromagnetic quantum criticality, questions about its ambient pressure-ordered state remain: specifically, whether there is a change in the nature of the ferromagnetically ordered state below ${T}_{C}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\sim}$ 86 K. We present anisotropic $M(H)$ isotherms, coupled with anisotropic AC susceptibility data, and demonstrate that ${\mathrm{LaCrGe}}_{3}$ has a remarkable, low temperature coercivity associated with exceptionally sharp, complete magnetization reversals to and from fully polarized states. This coercivity is temperature dependent; it drops to zero in the 40--55 K region and reappears in the 70--85 K regions. At low temperatures ${\mathrm{LaCrGe}}_{3}$ has magnetization loops and behavior that has been previously associated with micromagnetic/nanocrystalline materials, not bulk macroscopic samples.