Magnetic properties of hexagonal and cubic Fe₃Ge

Abstract

The hexagonal and cubic phases of the intermetallic compound Fe3Ge have been investigated with the Mossbauer effect technique and magnetization measurements. In both phases the material is ferromagnetic with Tc=640K and mu Fe=2.0 mu B (hexagonal), and Tc=740K and mu Fe=2.2 mu B (cubic). In the hexagonal phase a spin-flip is observed at 380K. This transition appears to be of second order. In the cubic phase the preferred spin direction is (100). In this phase the anisotropic part of the hyperfine field at the 57Fe nucleus is large (+18 kOe). The origin of this anisotropy is discussed.