Magnetic phase diagram of Ho_xTm_1-x alloys

The magnetic phase diagram of the competing anisotropy system, Ho/Tm, has been determined by neutron-scattering techniques and the results compared with calculations based on a mean-field model. The crystal-field interactions in Ho favor alignment of the magnetic moments in the basal plane whereas in Tm they favor alignment along the c axis. Single-crystal alloys were grown with molecular-beam epitaxy techniques in Oxford. The components of the magnetic moment alone the c direction and in the basal plane were determined from the neutron-scattering measurements. Five distinct magnetic phases, with long-range order, were identified and the magnetic phase diagram, including a pentacritical point, determined. A mean-field model was used to explain the results and the results are in good agreement with the experimental results.