Magnetocrystalline anisotropy of TbFe12−xTix single crystals

Abstract

TbFe 12−x Ti x single crystals have been investigated by means of magnetic measurements. With decreasing temperature, a spin-reorientation transition from easy axis to easy plane occurs. The rate of decrease of spin-reorientation temperature with x is about −380 K/Ti. There exists a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the basal plane. The anisotropy field Ba between [100] and [110] for the compound TbFe11.15Ti0.85 is as high as 35 T which is about three times Ba in the axial direction. With increasing x, the easy magnetization direction at low temperatures in the basal plane changes from [110] for x=0.85 to [100] for x=1.0. The composition dependence of anisotropy can be understood in terms of a change of the crystal field parameters Anm due to substitution of Ti for Fe.