Magnetic Properties of the Intermetallic Compounds DyxY1−xFe2

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Abstract
Measurements of the bulk magnetization have been made between 4.2°K and the Curie points for eleven compounds in the series DyxY1−xFe2. The Curie temperatures increase continuously through the series. The compounds near to x=0.3–0.4 exhibit temperature compensation points, and the saturation moments show that the equilibrium concentration occurs at x≃0.28. In addition, the coercivity increases rapidly in this region and has a value in excess of 10 kOe at x=0.35, T=4.2°K. If both the Fe and Dy moments remain constant or vary linearly through the series, the equilibrium concentration would occur at x≃0.35. Consideration of the results of these and other similar compounds indicates that the Fe moment varies nonlinearly with x. It is suggested that the Fe moment is approximately 1.4 μB for x<⅓ and increases gradually for larger x to about 2 μB. It is further proposed that this behavior may be explained by the presence of a shallow minimum in the density‐of‐states curve, sufficient to stabilize the moment for x<⅓, but such that the increased coupling allows the moment to increase for higher Dy concentrations. The Fe moments in other RE Fe2 compounds are correlated with this model, taking the Curie temperatures as a measure of the exchange energies.