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Effect of high magnetic fields on the heat capacity of single-crystal terbium

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

The low-temperature (1.3 to 20.0 K) heat capacity of an electrotransport-purified terbium single crystal was measured in magnetic fields up to 10 T applied along the magnetically hard basal-plane direction, i.e., <1120> or a axis. The electronic specific-heat constant, ..gamma.. = 3.71 +- 0.09 mJ/g-at. K/sup 2/, and the Debye temperature at 0 K, THETA/sub D/ = 169.6 +- 0.8 K, were obtained from an analysis of the zero-field data. The heat capacity is almost independent of the magnetic field below 12 K, but above 12 K systematically increases as a function of increasing field up to approx.3 T and then it remains almost unchanged. This indicates that the spin-wave energy gap due to the magnetic anisotropy in terbium increases with increasing fields at the rate of about 4 and 0.3 K/T below and above approx.3 T, respectively.

Research Organization:
Ames Laboratory and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
OSTI ID:
5757049
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 31:9; ISSN PRBMD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English