Magnetocrystalline anisotropy of TbFe12-xTix single crystals

TbFe12-xTix single crystals have been investigated by means of magnetic mea surements. With decreasing temperature, a spin-reorientation transition fro m easy axis to easy plane occurs. The rate of decrease of spin-reorientatio n temperature with x is about -380 K/Ti. There exists a strong magnetocryst alline anisotropy in the basal plane. The anisotropy field B-a between [100 ] and [110] for the compound TbFe11.15Ti0.85 is as high as 35 T which is ab out three times B-a in the axial direction. With increasing x, the easy mag netization direction at low temperatures in the basal plane changes from [1 10] for x = 0.85 to [100] for x = 1.0. The composition dependence of anisot ropy can be understood in terms of a change of the crystal field parameters A(nm) due to substitution of Ti for Fe. (C) 2000 American Institute of Phy sics. [S0003-6951(00)00509-X].