A cluster model with random anisotropy for hysteresis jumps in CeNi$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$ alloys

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cluster-based model with random anisotropy to explain hysteresis jumps in CeNi$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$ alloys, successfully replicating experimental low-temperature behavior and its temperature dependence.

Contribution

The model provides a new framework for understanding hysteresis jumps in cerium alloys by incorporating random cluster sizes and anisotropy, aligning well with experimental data.

Findings

Hysteresis jumps disappear with increasing temperature.

Model reproduces experimental hysteresis cycles at low temperatures.

Comparison helps identify mechanisms behind thermal evolution.

Abstract

Some Cerium compounds exhibit hysteresis cycles with sharp macroscopic jumps in the magnetization at very low temperatures. This effect is attributed to the formation of clusters in which the anisotropy competes with the applied magnetic field. Here, we present a simple model where a lattice of ferromagnetically coupled spins is separated in clusters of random sizes and with random anisotropy. Within this model, we obtain hysteresis cycles presenting jumps that behave in a similar way that the experimental ones, and that disappear when increasing the temperature. The results are in good agreement with the hysteresis cycles measured at very low temperatures in CeNi$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$ and the comparison with these experimental results allows to discriminate the relative importance of the mechanisms driving the thermal evolution of the cycles.