Magnetic Order and Competition With Superconductivity in (Er-Ho)Ni$_{2}$B$_{2}$C

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic order and superconductivity coexist and compete in Er-Ho nickel borocarbides, revealing complex magnetic phases influenced by doping and magnetic interactions.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the magnetic phase diagram and the effects of doping on magnetic and superconducting states in Er-Ho borocarbides.

Findings

Multiple magnetic phases coexist with superconductivity.

Doping induces complex magnetic modulations and possible local disorder.

Magnetic interactions are described by RKKY in pure compounds.

Abstract

The rare earth magnetic order in pure and doped Er$_{(1-x)}$Ho$_{x}$Ni$_2$B$_2$C (x~=~0,~0.25,~0.50,~0.75,~1) single crystal samples was investigated using magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements. Superconducting quaternary borocarbides, $R$Ni$_2$B$_2$C where R~=~Er, Ho , are both magnetic intermetallic superconductors with the transition temperatures $\sim$ 10 K. These compounds also develop magnetic order in the vicinity of this temperature. Depending on the rare earth composition the coupling between superconductivity and magnetism creates several phases, ranging from a reentrant superconductor with a mixture of commensurate and incommensurate antiferromagnetism to a total incommensurate antiferromagnetic spin modulation with a weak ferromagnetic state. All of these phases coexist with superconductivity. RKKY magnetic interactions are used to describe the magnetic orders in the pure compounds. However, the doping of Ho on Er (or Er on Ho) sites which have two strong magnetic moments with two different easy directions creates new and complicated magnetic modulations with possible local disorder effects. One fascinating effect is the development of an induced magnetic state resembling the pure and doped $R_2$CuO$_4$, R~=~Nd and Pr.