Magnetic and transport behavior of single-crystalline Dy2PdSi3 - art. no. 012418

The results of magnetization, magnetic susceptibility (chi) electrical meas urements, and magnetoresistance measurements as a function of temperature ( 2-300 K) in the single-crystalline Dy2PdSi3 are reported for two different directions ([0001] and [10(1) over bar 0]) of the crystal. The results reve al that there is an onset of magnetic ordering below 8 K. The high-temperat ure paramagnetic Curie temperature is positive for both directions, though antiferromagnetic coupling dominates in the basal plane; the magnetic coupl ing along the c axis is of a ferromagnetic type. The electrical resistance data for both the directions indicate the formation of magnetic Brillouin-z one boundary gaps. A finding of importance is that the broad peak in the te mperature dependent chi around 50 K noted for the analogous Tb compound is not observed in the present investigations, though there is a weak differen ce between the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled chi versus T curves below 40 K (the implications of which are not clear at present). The results est ablish that this compound exhibits giant magnetoresistance behavior at low temperatures. We also compare the observed anisotropic behavior with those in Tb and Gd compounds.