Magnetic phase transitions in (Nd, Dy)Co2 and (Pr, Dy)Co2 compounds

✍ Scribed by N.H. Duc; P.E. Brommer; J.J.M. Franse

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 515 KB
• Volume: 191
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0921-4526
• DOI: 10.1016/0921-4526(93)90082-h

✦ Synopsis

In a series of (Nd, Dy)Co 2 and (Pr, Dy)Co 2 compounds, the type of the magnetic phase transition was studied by magnetization and electrical-resisitivity measurements. In both systems, a change of type was observed from second order (for NdCo 2 and PrC02) to first order (for compounds containing more than about 20% Dy). The results are discussed in the Inoue-Shimizu model, generalized in such a way that the presence of both light and heavy rare-earth atoms is taken into account. The volume dependence of the parameter a 3 (i.e. of the free-energy contribution a3M2co/4) is supposed to play a decisive role in the determination of the order of the magnetic transition.