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Superconductivity and magnetism in the Ho/sub 1-x/Er/sub x/Rh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ alloy system

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5458303

Neutron scattering techniques are used to examine the magnetic transitions in the Ho/sub 1-x/Er/sub x/Rh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ pseudoternary system. A wide variety of behavior is found ranging from mean-field behavior for HoRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ to complicated behavior for ErRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ where superconductivity and long-range ferromagnetic order coexist between 0.7 and 1.2 K. Long-range ferromagnetic order is found at the lowest temperatures for all alloy compositions. Alloys with more than about 30% Ho order magnetically along the c-axis and superconductivity is destroyed in these alloys in a sharp transition coincident with magnetic ordering. Alloys near the ErRh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ composition order in the basal plane but undergo a complex ordering process through a sinusoidally modulated state. Because Ho and Er have competing orthogonal magnetic anisotropies, compounds near the composition Ho/sub 0/ /sub 25/Er/sub 0/ /sub 75/Rh/sub 4/B/sub 4/ are near a multicritical point in the magnetic phase diagram.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
5458303
Report Number(s):
CONF-811123-7(Draft); ON: DE82004054
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English