Self-magnetic compensation and Exchange Bias in ferromagnetic Samarium systems

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of self-magnetic compensation and exchange bias phenomena in ferromagnetic Samarium intermetallics, highlighting their potential for spintronics applications and exploring effects of Gd doping.

Contribution

It identifies self-compensation behavior and exchange bias in Sm intermetallics and investigates magnetic compensation with Gd doping, a novel insight into these materials' magnetic properties.

Findings

Self-compensation behavior observed via hysteresis loop shifts.

Exchange bias identified in ferromagnetic Sm systems.

Gd doping induces pseudo-ferrimagnetic behavior.

Abstract

For Sm(3+) ions in a vast majority of metallic systems, the following interesting scenario has been conjured up for long, namely, a magnetic lattice of tiny self (spin-orbital) compensated 4f-moments exchange coupled (and phase reversed) to the polarization in the conduction band. We report here the identification of a self-compensation behavior in a variety of ferromagnetic Sm intermetallics via the fingerprint of a shift in the magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loop from the origin. Such an attribute, designated as exchange bias in the context of ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic multilayers, accords these compounds a potential for niche applications in spintronics. We also present results on magnetic compensation behavior on small Gd doping (2.5 atomic percent) in one of the Sm ferromagnets (viz. SmCu(4)Pd). The doped system responds like a pseudo-ferrimagnet and it displays a characteristic left-shifted linear M-H plot for an antiferromagnet.