MAGNETIZATION PROCESSES AND SPIN REORIENTATION IN DYFE10.5MO1.5 SINGLE-CRYSTAL

Magnetisation measurements have been undertaken on DyFe10.5Mo1.5 singl e crystal along the [100], [110] and [001] directions at temperatures ranging from 4 to 300 K in field up to 10 T. A spin reorientation was detected to occur at T-SR = 175 K. Whereas magnetisation is found para llel to the fourfold [001] axis at high temperature, below T-SR it pro gressively shifts away from this axis and turns towards the [110] dire ction. A quantitative analysis within the mean field approximation has allowed to propose a set of crystalline electric field parameters and Dy-Fe exchange field coefficient. Then the CEF parameters were used t o analyse the magnetic charateristics of other members of the RFe10.5M o1.5 series (R = rare earth), within the strong exchange field approxi mation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.