AN AC MAGNETIC-SUSCEPTIBILITY STUDY OF ER(FE1-XCOX)(3)

AC magnetic susceptibility measurements have been performed on the Er( Fe1-xCox)(3) compounds with x = 0.0, 0.24, 0.44, 0.61 and 1.0. This sy stem shows a competition between the different anisotropies of Fe and Co and the two crystallographically different Er sites. The magnetic p hase diagram, previously proposed down to 10 K based on magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements, has been confirmed by magnetic s usceptibility experiments. At lower temperatures our results suggest t he possible existence of a new spin reorientation (SR) transition at h igh cobalt content.