Magnetization measurements and observations using Faraday effect were perfo
rmed on a ferrimagnetic garnet film, around the compensation temperature (T
-comp). Besides the large increase of the domains size close to T-comp, fie
ld cycles at different temperatures and thermal variations at different fie
lds show the evolution between metastable states: domains, up or down satur
ated states and 'spin-flop' states very close to T-comp. (C) 2001 Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.